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              THE MAGIC CANDLE

              TABLE OF CONTENTS

            INTRODUCTION

The Tattered Paper and the Tarnished Buckle .................................1

             PLAYING THE GAME

Quick Start..................................................................3
The Main Screen..............................................................5
Travel in the Deruvias.......................................................8
Status Screens...............................................................10
Commands.....................................................................13
Combat Mechanics.............................................................18

            SAGE ADVICE

Volunteers (King Rebnard's Advisors).........................................21
Geography (Lady Subia).......................................................28
Towns and Villages (Captain Garlin)..........................................31
Rest and Recuperation (Sir Gustron)..........................................33
Races and Professions (Lord Banas and Prince Nethien)........................35
Conversations (Lord Bhardagast)..............................................39
The Servants of Darkness (Sir Brontos).......................................41
Combat (Commander Grolf).....................................................45
Magic (Rimfiztrik)...........................................................49
Strongholds of Darkness (Sir Levnkor)........................................54
History and Legends (Father Gostav)..........................................56

            APPENDICES

Strategies in the Early Game.................................................59
Fragments of the Zirvanad....................................................60
Supplies Available for Purchase......................................Back Cover


               HEROES WANTED

        THE LANDS OF DERUVIA ARE IN DIRE PERIL.
           A BAND OF BRAVE COMPANIONS MUST BE FORMED.
         VOLUNTEERS REPORT TO OUT 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 whims of the forces of Darkness.
   But this paper must mean that the plight of Deruvia was desparate!  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
            [ page 1, column 1]
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 the splendor,
but could not marvel at it 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 their job after all:  many heroes of Deruvia had answered
King Rebnard's summons.  But all seemed to feel, as Lukas sometimes did him-
self, 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 heros to
their barracks, but he would not say why they had been called.    The servants
who cleaned
            [ page 1, column 2]
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 heros 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-cuttings 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
            [ page 2, column 1]
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 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.  Lukas 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 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.
            [ page 2, column 2]

QUICK START

   The Magic Candle is a game with many features and options.  As you progress,
you will need to read the "Sage Advice" later in this book.  The advisers of
King Rebnard will provide your hero with information he must know.
   You should get a feel for the game before you seriously attempt to take care
of the problem of the magic candle.  Follow these directions for a quick start.
Later, you may decide to start over.  But, first, go through this process to
become familiar with the game system.
     - START THE GAME
   Refer to the enclosed machine-specific instructions to start the game on
your system.  Since The Magic Candle runs on several different computers, the
rules are different for each.  On some computers, you will have a choice of
using the keyboard, a joystick, or a mouse.  For now, choose the keyboard.
   Eventually, you will have the option to start a "New" game.  Do so.
     - NAME YOUR HERO
   The leader of your quest calls himself "Lukas".  You may choose to reveal
his real name.    Use your own name for his real name, if you wish, or another.
The Magic Candle limits the length of his name to five letters, in order to
display enough information about him and all his companions on your screen at
the same time.
     - THE KING
   King Rebnard will explain your quest to your hero.  Pay attention.  When the
last line on the screen is (space), and you have read
            [ page 3, column 1]
what His Majesty has to say, press the space bar to continue.  When His Majesty
asks if you accept the assignment, press "Y" for "Yes".  (Or, since "Yes" is
already highlighted, just press the space bar.)
   When His Majesty has finished, you will find your hero - we'll still call
him "Lukas" - in the corridors of His Majesty's castle.
     - CONTROLLING YOUR HERO
   You gain control of Lukas as he leaves the court of King Rebnard.  Refer to
the machine-specific instructions to learn which keys move him around and in-
dicate directions.  He can do other things than "Walk":  they are listed at
the bottom left of the screen.    Pressing the key of the first letter ("G" for
"Greet") allows him to do them.  Some commands need additional information:
they are explained in the "COMMANDS" chapter.
     - THE KNIGHTS' ROOM
   Find the Knights' Room - a few steps south and several steps west- and
select five companions for Lukas.  The "Call" command lists the volunteers
available.  Press "A" for the wizard Ziyx.  The screen will show a list of
Ziyx's abilities and important possesions.  Ziyx, for example, has a Sword
Skill of 20, out of a possible 45, and a Magic Level of 50, out of a possible
99.  Nobody's abilities ever get over 99.  Ziyx has no weapons and no armor,
but he carries the mnagical book of Sabano.
   Press the space bar (since "(spcae)" is at the bottom of the screen).  The
Knights' Room is back on the screen, with Ziyx
            [ page 3, column 2]
standing opposite Lukas.  The "Invite" command (press "I") invites Ziyx to
become a companion.  He mves to Lukas's side of the room, and his name appears
in the bottom right of the screen.
   Many commands are available only in the Knights' Room.  See the "COMMANDS"
chapter for details.
   Pick four more companions.  All the volunteers are worthy.  The "Call" and
"Invite" commands will let them join Lukas and Ziyx.  When you have invited
all of them, "Xit" the Knights' Room.
     - THE ACTIVE COMPANION
   Now that you have gathered the companionship, notice that many commands
apply to one member only.  There is always one "active companion".  His name is
highlighted in the lower right of your screen.    His number and his position in
the party formation are highlighted in the party formation box at the upper
right.    When a command like "Use" is issued, he will be the one to follow your
orders.  If you wish to change to a different active companion, press his
number ("1" through "6").
     - REBNARD'S GIFTS
   Return ot King Rebnard's court when your party is formed.  His Majesty will
give Lukas and his companions some provisions to get started.  Check the time
of day if the court is empty.  His Majesty is only human, so he must eat and
sleep as well.    If His Majesty is not there when you return, try again at a
more reasonable time.
     - STATUS REPORTS
   The "0" (zero) key gives you a status report on all the companions, telling
you about their abilities, possessions, and magic spells.  Try it out.    The
space bar pages through the reports.  See the "STATUS
            [ page 4, column 1]
SCREENS" chapter for details.  Pressing the "0" key again will bring you back
to the action.
     - THE GUEST ROOM
   Now that you've created a group of companions, it's time to rest and ex-
plore.    "Xit" from the Throne Room, if you're still there.  Then find the
Guest Room. (It's upstairs, north of the staircase.)  "Divide" the companions
into two parties, selecting the high-charisma companions for the exploring
party, and leaving the wizards in the Guest Room.
   Tell your wizards to "Learn" spells.  Tell everyone else in their party to
sleep.    Then press "B" to begin.  When you are asked to play another party, say
"Yes" and select the high-charisma party.
     - EXPLORING THE CASTLE
   While the wizards are learning their spells, explore the castle.  Greet
everyone you meet.  Ask them for advice.  Ask them about rumors.  Ask them
about other subjects that they (or other people) mention.  The members of King
Rebnard's court are particularly good sources of advice.
   "Switch" back to the wizards' party every now and then to make sure they are
not getting tired.  If they are, have them use sermin mushrooms to restore
their energy.
     - PREPARING FOR THE QUEST
   Soon, you will have enough information to plan your first project - perhaps
a trip to Soldain or Bondell.  Retur then to the Guest Room and "Join" the
wizards' party.  Your first journey will be to the nearby town of Port Avur for
supplies, for more information, and, perhaps for training or enjoyment.  First,
you will probably want to get some sleep, so you can start traveling first
thing in the morning.
            [ page 4, column 2]

             THE MAIN SCREEN
THE PICTURE
   The Picture is shown in the large window in the top left of the screen.  In
this window you graphically observe your party as they explore Deruvia, fight
the Minions of darkness, and deal with the Children of Light, all under your
direction and commands.  There are levels of detail in what you see graphic-
ally.  The highest level is shown when you explore and journey through the
countryside.  You see the portion of Deruvia through which your party walks,
and some of the Minions of Darkness with whom you may have to contend.    You
see more detail when your party is in a castle, town, or dungeon.  At this
level all your players are individually visible on your screen, with the active
player shown by a blinking box.  If your party enters a building or room, you
reach the lowest level of detail, where you control your characters on an
individual basis.  At this lowest level, only one player moves at a time.
     - MOVEMENT
   The "direction keys" move your party north, south, east or west when "Walk"
is the active command.    (That is, when WALK is highlighted in the "Commands"
section of the screen, as it normally is.)  See the
            [ page 5, column 1]
enclosed machine-specific instructions for the direction keys on your computer
 - usually the arrow keys.  The active party or player will move in the di-
rection you select, unless blocked.
   If you are using a joystick, it causes movement in the direction you select
when the "Walk" command is flashing.  To make it flash, select it by moving
the joystick forward and to the left until WALK is highlighted, then press the
(first) fire button.  To stop it flashing, press the fire button again.

INFO SECTION
   At the top right you see the "Info Section", which is divided into six
subsections.
     - DATE AND TIME
   The current date and time in the game, along with a day/night indicator.
(In the Commodore version, light or dark is indicated by L or D in the small
box).
   Time passes in the game only when the companions do things that consume
time.  They do not normally use up any time while you are called away from the
computer.  Although most things they do take up some time, the Date and Time
display only changes at five-minute intervals.    In Deruvia, five minutes is
called a "tick".
            [ page 5, column 2]
     - POSITION
   The current party's Floor Level in a castle, dungeon or tower.  The game
starts at Level 2 - the ground floor - of King Rebnard's castle.  In His
Majesty's castle, Level 1 is the cellar and Level 3 houses visiting digni-
taires.  If the party is someplace else, this box shows their latitude and
longitude.  The "x" number measures their distance east, and the "y" number
south, of the farthest reaches of the lands of Deruvia.
     - DAYS REMAINING
   "Days" is the number of days remaining before the Magic Candle totally melts
and Dreax bursts forth to conquer Deruvia in the name of the forces of Dark-
ness.
   The number of days you have to complete your assignment and win the game
depends on the difficulty level you select as you start.  The more days you
have, the easier your quest.
     - PARTY FORMATION
   The "1 2 3 4 5 6" box shows the characters in the current party, in their
current formation.  Their formation can be changed with the FORMATN command,
explained in the "Commands" chapter.
   The "Status Summary" area below always shows the companions in the order in
which they were invited, but the Formation Box always shows their current
formation.  (The current formation sometimes makes no difference - in such a
case, you may see the characters on the screen in a different order.  Always
remember to refer to them by their order number in the bottom right of the
screen.)
     - COMPASS
   A compass highlights the current action direction.
   The direction keys change the current direction, both when you walk and
when you are asked: "Direction?"  To answer the question, press a direction
key, or press the space bar if the current direction is correct,
            [ page 6, column 1]
or, with a joystick, move the stick and press the fire button.
     - LOCATION
   Finally, a description of the current party's location.

COMMANDS
   The lower left section of the screen contains a list of commands that you
may give to your party at any time, depending on the situation.  See the
"Commands" chapter for details of the commands.
     - EXECUTING A COMMAND
   The simplest way to execute a command is to press its first letter on the
keyboard.  Press E to eat; press A to ask or attack, whichever appears on the
screen.
   If you are using a joystick, move it to highlight the command you want, then
press the fire button.
   Another way of using the keyboard is to use the "cursor-movement keys" to
highlight the command, then press the space bar.  The cursor-movement keys for
your computer are identified in the enclosed machine-specific instructions.
They are not the same as the direction keys.
   If the selected command applies to a single player, then your command will
be carried out by the active player.  If you want to change the active player
prior to command selection, you have two ways to do it.  You can either press
1,2,3,4,5 or 6 to indicate the number of the new active player, or you can
press ctrl-P to activate the player selection mechanism.  A blinking arrow on
the right side of the player's box can be moved up or down with the direction
keys.  When it points to the desired character, press the space bar.
     - CONTROL KEYS
   Some commands affect how you play the game, not what the companions do. They
            [ page 6, column 2]
are not shown on the screen, but they are always available.  They are activated
by control key combinations:  hold down the CTRL key while pressing the letter
key.
   CTRL-V ("volume") toggles the sound.  If the sound was on, it gets turned
off.  If it was off, it gets turned on.
   CTRL-I ("input") toggles the joystick, if you selected joystick mode at the
start of the session.
   CTRL-D ("delay") during combat adjusts the speedwit which the screen de-
scribes monster movements.  The speed is indicated by a number between 0 and 9.
0 is fast (no delay), 9 is slow.  The default is 4.
   (On the Commodore 64, the F1-F7 keys are used instead.  See your separate
instructions.)

STATUS SUMMARY
   In the lower right section, the names, vital statistics, and health of your
party members
            [ page 7, column 1]
are displayed.    If you have more than one party formed, only members of the
current party are shown in detail.  The name of the currently active player is
always highlighted.  The following figure illustrates a typical player display.

             ---------------------
            | Lukas       o.k.    |
            | St:35      En:98h   |
             ---------------------

   Lukas's health is o.k. (not tired or ill).  His current stamina level is 35;
his current evergy level is 98.  The h means he is hungry.  (An s would mean he
was starving.)
   This is only a summary.  Pressing 0 (zero) will give you a complete status
report.  See the "Status Screens" chapter for details.
            [ page 7, column 2]

TRAVEL IN THE DERUVIAS

   The lands of Deruvia cover a vast area.  When you travel through the
countryside, the picture on the screen will show only the aread you can cover
in about a day's travel.  The active party's location is indicated by a
blinking arrow.  If you have divided the companions, any other parties in view
will be indicated by arrows that do not blink.    The VIEW command will show you
a map in much larger scale, with your party's location indicated by a blinking
dot.

TRAVEL ON FOOT
   You may move your party north, south, east or west through passable terrain.
Some types of terrain take more time.  Some types take a greater toll of your
energy.  Roads and bridges provide the easiest travel.    More time is needed to
pick your way through forests and across glaciers - the treacherous marshes
take the most time of all.  The drain on your energy ranges from roads up
through plains, forests, deserts and glaciers to those treacherous marshes
again.    Mountains and rivers simply cannot be crossed without magic.
   The going is slower after dark, and when your party members are tired.  It
is impossible when they are exhausted.    The CAMP command allows them to pitch
camp and rest.    Sermin and drelin mushrooms can also be used.  Or you can
DIVIDE the companions into fast and slow parties, explore with the fast party,
and rest the slow one.
   While you journey, keep in mind that the roads of Deruvia are busy with
traffic
            [ page 8, column 1]
during the daylight hours.  If you keep to these roads, you may meet all sorts
of travelers.  They may be merchants, monks, farmers carrying their crops to
market, or other Deruvians.

SEA TRAVEL
   Sea captains sail their ships in established trade routes from the Deruvian
port towns.  You can buy passage on their ships to distant lands.  Sea travel
takes time, but you can use that time to your advantage - LEARN spells, FIX
weapons, or just SLEEP.  The captains visit their home port's taverns regularly
while their ships are docked.

TELEPORTATION
   Deruvian magic allows instantaneous transportation by teleporting.  The
TELEPORT spell, in the Book of Ishban, can save a day's travel time or more in
the hands of a powerful wizard.
   The teleport magic is also imbued in ancient teleportal chambers scattered
through (and below) the lands of Deruvia.  These chambers are hard to find, and
harder still to activate.

SUBIA'S MAP
   The enclosed map, painted after Deruvia-wide travel by Lady Subia, shows the
known terrain, bridges, towns, villages, castles, towers, sanctuaries, and
guest houses.  There are secluded locations that are not marked on her map.
You  must discover
            [ page 8, column 2]
those by exploration.  When your party moves next to these special locations,
a picture and a message will appear on the screen to disclose what you have
sighted.  If it is a building, KNOCK on the door.  If not, INSPECT in that
direction.
            [ page 9, column 1]
   When you reach a town or village, you may have to walk around its boundaries
until you find its gate.  When you find it, it may be closed - many places
close their gates against the Forces of Darkness at sunset.
            [ page 9, column 2]

STATUS SCREENS

   Press 0 (zero) to see the status and inventory screens.  Each companion
has two to four screens you can page through.  Step through them by pressing
the space bar, or skip to another companion by pressing his number.  Press 0
again, or ESC, to return from the status screens.)

CURRENT STATUS
   The first status screen shows the companion's current status.  At the top
are his name, race and profession, followed by his player number, his party
number, and his current activity (e.g., "Sleep", "Train", or "Work").  The IBM
version shows the current activity below the "In Use" box.
   Next are shown his twelve character attributes.  Each one shows the current
level, followed by the maximum possible for him.  You will find that each race
has its own specialities and weaknesses, with variations among individuals
based largely on their professions.
   STRENGTH determines the type of weapon a person can wield and the amount of
damage he can do with them.  As you play, you will learn how to increase both
maximum and current strengths to their racial limits.  Dwarves are strongest,
wizards weakest.
   STAMINA determines the amount of damage a person can sustain before dying.
Current stamina can be raised to the maximum by sleeping, by using a Potion, or
by receiving a Heal spell.  The maximum can increase in the same way as
strength.  In
            [ page 10, column 1]
general, dwarves have the most stamina and halflings the least.
   ENERGY is a measure of fatigue.  When it falls below a certain level, a per-
son becomes tired and unable to concentrate.  When it falls to zero, the person
is exhausted and can do nothing but wait for a chance to sleep.  The maximum
for anyone is 99.  Enegy can be increased by sleep, a Sermin mushroom, or an
Energy spell.  Dwarves tire easily; halflings go on and on.
   SWORD SKILL, which means "Axe Skill" for dwarves, dictates how likely a per-
son is to score a successful hit in combat.  The maximum is fixed by a person's
race:  dwarves have the most potential, wizards the least.  The current skill
level can be increased by experience in killing the Servants of Darkness and
by training in combat schools in the towns of Deruvia.
   BOW SKILL is for archery the same as "Sword Skill" is for close combat.
Starting levels vary greatly.  Elves have the highest potential, and halflings
the least - except for wizards, who have absolutely no talent at all.
   AGILITY is the ability to dodge physical attacks.  The Minions of darkness
tend to gang up on their least agile opponents.  Current and maximum agility
can be increased in the same way as strength.  Halflings dodge the best.  Wiz-
ards dodge the worst, followed closely by dwarves, who often don't bother to.
   MAGIC LEVEL determines the effectiveness of spells, and the energy needed to
cast them.  It does not determine the ability to
            [ page 10, column 2]
cast spells:  anyone with any magical talent (wizards, elves and rangers) and
the proper Spell Book can learn any spell, and anyone who has learned a spell
can cast it.  Magic level can be increased by training in magic schools and by
experience casting spells in high-pressure situations.
   CHARISMA is the art of dealing with people, and is especially useful in
greeting strangers and asking them questions.  Charisma also assists in bar-
gaining for supplies.  It can be increased by training.  It can also be in-
creased in some local areas by performing heroic acts.    Halflings have the most
charisma, followed by the race of man.
   HUNTING SKILL measures the likelihood of finding food in the plains and
forests of Deruvia.  Most Deruvians learned all their hunting skills in their
youth; however, there is a slight chance of skill improvement after a success-
ful hunting session.
   LEARNING SKILL decreases the time needed to learn spells, and increases the
benefits of training at some schools.  Learning skill can be increased by
"learning to learn" from masters of the art.
   DEXTERITY can allow a person to do more than one thing in one combat turn.
With dexterity over 50, three actions are sometimes possible.  Current and max-
imum dexterity can be increased in the same way as strength and agility.  Elves
and halflings have the highest potential.  Gonshi mushrooms provide an enor-
mous, but temporary, boost in dexterity.
   SPEED determines how long it takes to travel through the lands of Deruvia on
foot.  Maximum speed can be increased like maximum stamina.  Current speed is
the maximum when traveling in the daylight, with plenty of energy, on a well-
maintained highway.  Otherwise, it's lower.
   Below the twelve attributes is a list of combat-related information.
            [ page 11, column 1]
   The READY SPELL is the spell most recently Recalled.  The READY WEAPON is
the weapon most recently Drawn ("None" if not in combat, or if the weapon is
broken.)
   Next are show the companion's ARMOR, the level of protection given him by a
magical SHIELD, his WEAPONS, with their accumulated wear and tear (W-T), and
the number of ARROWS he has remaining.    All of these items are explained in the
"Combat Mechanics" chapter.
   The HEALTH box in the top center of the screen shows the companion's phys-
ical complaints.  If nothing is wrong, he is O.K.  He can't feel any better
than "o.k." on a quest like this...
   But he can feel worse.  His worst problem is shown not only in the "Health"
box, but in his Status Summary on the right edge of the screen.  The worst
problem he can possibly have is to be DEAD.  A quick Resurrect spell can
alleviate this condition.
   Or he might be ILL, or POISONED, or both.  The Forces of Darkness use dis-
ease and poison as weapons and defenses.  Both illness and poisoning are very
debilitating, effectively reducing maximum stamina and energy by one-half, and
impairing concentration.
   During combat, he may be temporarily PARALYZED by an opponent's spell.  Par-
alysis can be cured by magic, by the passage of time, by victory, or by death.
   If he runs low on energy, he may become TIRED or even EXHAUSTED.  Tired
people move more slowly and can do fewer things.  Exhausted people can do no-
thing but sleep.  Dwarves tire at an energy level of 25, the race of man at 20,
elves and wizards at 15, and halflings at 12.
   Finally, he will become HUNGRY or STARVING if he does not eat enough food.
Hunger prevents sleep.    Starvation prevents everything else, as well.  Food is
discussed on the "Inventory" screen.
            [ page 11, column 2]
   Some magical mushrooms and plants have long-lasting effects.  The IN USE box
shows whether the companion is currently feeling their effects.  Read Rimfiz-
trik's Sage Advice about gonshi mushrooms and nift, mirge, luffin and drelin
plants.

INVENTORY
   The second status screen shows the companion's inventory of coins, food and
objects.  The name of each is shown, followed by the number carried.
   COINS:  The currency of Deruvia is tiny gold coins.    King Rebnard will give
you a generous supply to quip your quest.  You will need more before long.  You
can get more by looting the Minions and Strongholds of Darkness, by trading in
jewels, by gambling, or even by working for wages.
   A hot meal costs a coin or two.  A night's lodging for a party of six
usually costs under ten coins.    A brom bow costs hundreds of coins, and a spell
book costs well over a thousand.
   One person can carry no more than 9,999 coins - a limitation you won't have
to worry about for a long time.
   FOOD:  Each companion can carry up to 99 rations of food.  A ration is ap-
proximately one day's worth for a member of the race of man.  Halflings, with
their between-meal snacks, go through four rations in three days.  Dwarves and
wizards, on the other hand, get by on considerably less.
   Food can be purchased by the meal or in bulk, and it can be hunted for in
forests and fields.
   A companion carrying more than five rations will automatically eat whenever
he feels the need to.  But when his supply gets low, he will complain and be-
come "hungry" instead, and will only eat at your
            [ page 12, column 1]
command. If he is still hungry at his next mealtime, he will become "starving".
   OBJECTS:  Each companion can carry as many as 23 different kinds of object,
and up to 99 of each kind.  Many objects are for sale in supply shops in the
towns of Deruvia.  They are listed on the back cover of this book for your
reference.  You will find many other objects in the course of your quest.

SPELLS AND BOOKS
   Any companions who own spell books or have learned magic spells have a
third, and perhaps a fourth, status screen showing the spells they have learned
and the spells they can learn.
   The top line of the screen shows the companion's name and repeats his
current magic level from screen 1.  The rest of the screen is divided into five
columns.
   The BOOKS column names the spell books he owns.  The SPELLS column lists the
spells for each of those books.  If he has learned spells that are not in a
book he currently owns, they are listed in the "Spells" column in a separate
group.
   Next to each spell, the MEM column shows the number of copies of the spell
that he has in his memory - that he has learned.  The ENE USG column shows the
enegy usage necessary for him to cast the spell, based on his magic level, and
the LEV TIM column shows the time it would take him to learn a copy of the
spell.    The time is measured in "ticks" - five-minute intervals.  See Rimfiz-
trik's Sage Advice on "Magic" for an explanation of the concepts.
   While a companion is actively learning a spell, it will have a mark to the
left of its name.  There will also be an LT: notation in the "Books" column
telling the number of ticks remaining to learn this copy of the spell.
            [ page 12, column 2]

COMMANDS

   The bottom left of the screen usually shows the commands that you can give
to the current party.  This chapter lists them all, with usage notes.
   If you are using the keyboard to select commands by their first letter, it
may disturb you to realize there are more commands in "The Magic Candle" than
there are letters in the alphabet.  Don't worry.  They all fit in - at any
given time, all the commands are unique and appropriate.  A glance at the
screen when you are surrounded by slavering Minions of Darkness should remind
you that "F" means "Flee", not "Fix".

COMMAND LIST
   ASK someone for advice, rumors, or other information.  If you don't ask
questions, you'll never learn anything. See the Sage Advice on "Conversations".
   ATTACK a Minion of Darkness.  It pays to "Draw" a weapon first. (If you want
to attack the Minion with a hard-hitting, demoralizing and painful magic spell
instead of with a puny little shortsword, use "Magic" instead of "Attack".
   BEGIN a rest period.  After the active party has decided what to do - see
the Sage Advice on "Rest and Recuperation" - select "Begin" to let them do it/
"Begin" always gives the option to leave this party alone and switch to another
one.  If you don't switch, you get to watch the time pass.  Your reverie will
be interrupted when something drastic happens - the com-
            [ page 13, column 1]
panions are ambushed, they begin to starve, or you select "Stop".
   BUY something in a shop.  The proprietor will usually present a list of
items available.  Remember that his quoted price will often depend on your
active character's Charisma.
   CALL a volunteer companion into a Knights' Room for inspection.  Or, if you
are seated comfortably in a tavern, CALL a serving girl to your table.
   CAMP out in the countryside or in an empty dungeon chamber.    As explaied in
the Sage Advice about "Rest and Recuperation", "Camp" starts a rest period for
a party that would rather be home, snuggled up int their cozy little beds.
   CHANT some magic words.  (If you don't know any magic words, you haven't
been talking to the right people.)  Type in the words, one at a time, hitting
the "return" key after each word.  Before you hit return, you can use the back-
space key to make corrections.    In Deruvia, proper spelling is necessary for
survival.
   DISTRIBUTE objects among the party members. The option to distribute appears
after the "Transfer" command has been issued, if the party is acting as a unit.
Distribution means that the selected companion will divide his goods evenly,
and therefore might not work quite the way you expect.    An example:  Lukas, Min
and Ziyx are the members of the active party.  Lukas has six Gonshi mushrooms
and distributes them.  He gives two to Min, two to Ziyx, and keeps two for him-
self.  He doesn't care that
            [ page 13, column 2]
Ziyx already has eleven of them - distribution does not insure that everyone
winds up with an equal amount.    If it is important to equalize the number of
items, "Pool" them first.
   DIVIDE the active party into two parties, (If the active party has only one
member, the laws of Deruvia prohibit splitting him in two.)
   DRAW a sword, ready a bow, or unsheathe an axe.  The "Draw" command is a
combat option:    you will not see it on the screen when you are visiting a li-
brary.
   DROP a companion from the quest.  Companions can be dropped only in Knights'
Rooms.    Anyone who is dropped retains his possessions and experience, and his
eagerness to rejoin the quest at a later time.
   EAT food, mushrooms, plants or healing potions.  You may call for a general
feast for all the members of the active party, or for just the active member to
eat something.    Healing potions, by the way, are somewhat thicker than honey,
and must be eaten rather than drunk.  Remember that the companions will auto-
matically eat food when they get hungry, as long as they have enough for the
next few days.
   FIX a sword, axe or bow.  Combat inflicts wear and tear ("W-T") on weapons
as well as on combatants.  During a rest period, the companions can choose to
repair their weapons with the "Fix" command.  Dwarves have been known to stay
awake for nights on end to get their battleaxes back to "zero-wear-and-tear".
Dwarves love shiny axes...
   FLEE through the countryside twice as fast as comfortable, using up a re-
grettable amount of energy.  Sometimes fleeing is the only way to evade
pursuing monsters or to reach a rendezvous on time.
   FORMATN ("Formation") rearranges the companions in the current party.  They
are always listed down the right side of the
            [ page 14, column 1]
screen in 1,2,3,4,5,6 order, but they are show in the picture in Formation or-
der.  Changing the Formation can be useful to get the companion with the most
charisma into the right position to deal with a delicate situation.  During the
"Formation" command, the spots are filled left-to-right, top-to-bottom.  If
there are fewer than six companions in the party, you can skip spots with the
space bar.  It's easier to do than to explain - try it out in the halls of King
Rebnard's castle.  Notice how the Formation is reflected in the "Party" box in
the top right part of the screen.  By the way, going through gates and doors
can disorganize the party - they might re-form on the other side in their
original order.
   GREET another person.  Charisma determines the greeting technique that your
party members use.  Assume that the opening ranges from "Good morning, kind
sir.  My name is Min.  Of whom do I have the pleasure of making an acquaint-
ance?" down to "Hey, you! You with the big nose!"
   HUNT for food in the wilderness during a rest period.  Some of the com-
panions are better hunters than others, and some campsites are better suited
for hunting than others.  Forests are good.  Icefields, deserts and highways
are bad.
   INSPECT something that looks interesting - a sign on a wall or on a sign-
post, for example.  Or a mushroom patch, in order to harvest those magical
little fungi.  Of course, the people you meet should be greeted instead of in-
spected - it's very rude to stare.  But in general, if you see something you
want, like the mushrooms in a mushroom patch, or a reasonable possibility, like
whatever those fermigons the party just killed were guarding, "Inspect".  If
there's something worth taking, you will be given the chance to take it.
   INVITE someone in one of the Knights' Rooms to become a companion on your
            [ page 14, column 2]
quest, after you have called him forth for examination.
   JOIN another party.    Parties in the same room or shop can always join, if
the "Join" command is shown on the screen.  Out in the countryside, both par-
ties must be in the same location.  In the streets of town or in castle or
dungeon corridors, the parties must be next to each other, and there must be
enough room for them to join.  Joining parties can be tricky in close quarters.
If you have trouble, maneuver the parties into a normal three-by-two arrange-
ment and try again.  (You may need to use the "Formatn" command on one or both
parties.)  If it still doesn't work, "Switch" to the other party and then
"Join".  If it STILL doesn't work, you'll have to move everyone to a more open
area first.
   KICK a dungeon door into smithereens.  Outside a dungeon, more politeness is
appropriate - see "Knock", coming up next.
   KNOCK on the door of a room or building, or on the gate of a town or castle.
When your party knocks on the door of a residence, they'll be asked whom they
seek.  Conditions in Deruvia being what they are, people are unlikely to invite
random strangers into their living quarters.
   LEARN a spell during a rest period.    Magic spells require even more concen-
tration to prepare than they do to cast, and considerably more time as well.
They also require good health - a tired wizard is unable to concentrate.  A
magic-user's status display shows the "Learn Time" for each spell he can learn.
While he is learning a spell, the display also marks the spell he is learning,
and shows how close he is to mastering the next copy of the spell.  Beware
interrupting a wizard who is learning spells: a command such as "Sleep" or
"Fix" will cause him to lose his concentration - any progress he has made
toward learning a spell will be lost.
            [ page 15, column 1]
   MAGIC:  The active member of the active party casts his active spell.  Magic
is touchy: don't temp its random powers by selecting "Magic" without being sure
the right companion is active, with the correct spell recalled.
   NAMES:  List the names, races, and professions of the prospective companions
in a Knights' Room.
   OFFER an object to someone your party has encountered.  You can also offer
to buy drinks for people you meet in taverns.  Try not to spend the whole game
buying drinks for friendly strangers...
   PACK up and leave camp.  Everyone stops sleeping, hunting, learning spells,
fixing weapons, standing watch..."Pack" can also be used in guest rooms, but
"Xit" is quicker.
   PASS the time away for five minutes.  The companions take a little time to
comb their hair and to smell the flowers.  Meanwhile, an important person
approaches a rendezvous, or a town's gates begin to open, or the orcs patroll-
ing the road wnader off into the forest...
   POOL objects into one companion's possession.    Like "Distribute", "Pool"
only appears after "Transfer" has been selected while the active party is act-
ing as a unit.    There are two steps:  first select the companion to receive the
items, then select the item that everyone else will give him.  Pooling is most
often used with coins, in order to allow one of the party members to buy some-
thing he's always wanted but can't afford by himself.  "Pool" can also be used
before "Distribute", to even out the supply of food or mushrooms among the
party members.
   PROFILE a prospective companion during recruitment in a Knights' Room.  His
statistics will be shown, just as when he was called to the recruiting desk.
            [ page 15, column 2]
   QUIT and save the game in progress.    See the enclosed machine-specific in-
structions for "Saving Games".
   RECALL a spell that has been learned in an earlier moment of leisure.
   SEARCH the bloody corpse of a defeated Minion of Darkness for possible valu-
ables.    A nasty job.  Especially since some of those Minions of Darkness don't
look much better dead than alive.  But, after combat, the bodies on the side of
light should be resurrected and the bodies on the side of Darkness should be
plundered.  Just be glad it wasn't the other way around...
   SELL a gem or weapon.  Used weapons can be sold in weapon shops, to make
room for more effective weapons.  Gems can be sold to general merchants, to
make a profit.    Nobody wants to buy a used rope.  Deruvian health laws prohibit
the sale of used mushrooms.
   SLEEP, and restore your stamina and energy.    Sleep is a luxury in Deruvia,
but it becomes a necessity if there are no Sermin mushrooms to provide energy.
Woo betide the dwarf on shipboard who is too seasick to sleep and who has no
Sermins...
   SORT a list of the Knights' Room volunteers by any of their talents.
   STOP the rest period you are watching.  When you have nothing better to do,
and are watching companions sleep, or learn spells, or repair weapons, "Stop"
is the only available command.    Select it when enough game time has passed that
you want to resume active play - maybe when the sun rises, and the display at
the top of the screen changes from "Dark" to "Light".
   SWITCH from the active party to another party.  The companions must have
been Divided into separate parties first; otherwise, the only only "other
party" you can Switch to is "None".  When resting, "Begin" serves the same
purpose as "Switch".
            [ page 16, column 1]
   TRANSFER things between party members.  When a party is moving as a unit,
(out in the country, or in a street or corridor), you may "Pool" items into one
player's possession, "Distribute" them among the party, or "Transfer" them from
one companion to another.  "Distribute" and "Pool" areexplained above.  When
the party members are moving separately (in a room or chamber), they can only
"Transfer" items to the companions next to them.  Transferring has four steps.
Select the generous companion who will give something away; select the worthy
companion who will be the recipient; select the item to be transferred; state
how many of that item.    Sometimes, when you are transferring (or distributing
or pooling) items, a companion will be unable to carry any more.  Don't worry.
If this is the worst of your problems, you're well on your way to victory -
unless what you have too much of is satin pillows embroidered with the scenic
highlights of Fubernel...
   USE something that the active party member has in his possession.  The com-
panions are sensible enough to use objects in a sensible way.  Using a mushroom
involves putting it into the mouth, chewing, and swallowing.  Using a shovel
involves pointing it into the ground, pushing, throwing the contents to one
side, and repeating the process.  Using a rope - but you get the drift.  Some
objects, like mushrooms, may be used only once; others, like shovels, can be
used many times.  Some possessions may either be Used or Eaten; the effect is
the same.
   VIEW a large-scale map of one quarter of Deruvia.  A blinking dot shows your
party's current location.
   WALK in the direction shown on the compass at the upper right of the screen.
You will almost never need to hit "W" for "Walk".  See the "Travel in the
Deruvias" chapter.
            [ page 16, column 2]
   WATCH over the other companions while they rest.  The companion who stands
watch must be in reasonably good health to accept the assignment.  His rewards
will be few: a night without sleep, a sore back, and the other companions com-
plaining, as they arise, that breakfast isn't ready yet.  But if standing watch
prevents an ambush by the
            [ page 17, column 1]
Denizens of Darkness, standing watch will have been worth it.
   XIT from the current location.  You will usually be given a choice of di-
rections.  The first choice is always "None", allowing you to change your mind
and the party to remain where it is.
            [ page 17, column 2]

COMBAT MECHANICS

   You willbe given much "Sage Advice" about combat by Commander Grolf.  This
chapeter simply explains how to perform the actions he recommends.

SETTING UP
   Unless you are ambushed, you will have time to prepare for combat by walking
into position, drawing weapons, and recalling spells.
   "Walk" works the same way as in a castle room, except that you are limited
to your portion of the battleground.  Once combat begins, you can walk anywhere
that isn't blocked by terrain or other combatants.
   "Draw" lets you draw a weapon.  If the active companion has two unbroken
weapons, he can select which one.
   "Recall" lets you recall a spell.
   "Begin" starts the combat.  Do not select "Begin" until all the party
members are ready.

COMBAT SEQUENCE
   During combat, all the members of one side take a turn, then all the members
of the other side.  In an ambush, the monsters go first; otherwise, you do.  In
your turn, you may allow the companions to act in party order or you may select
them out of sequence using the number keys (1-6).
   Natural dexterity or a gonshi mushroom may give a companion time to do more
than one thing during his turn.  You may interrupt one companion with another.
For example, Ziyx could eat a gonshi and cast a Shatter
            [ page 18, column 1]
spell he had already recalled.    Then Eflun could cast energy on Ziyx, and Ziyx
could cast two more Shatter spells with his renewed energy.

ESCAPE
   In some cases, retreat may be your best course of action.  To escape from
the monsters, press the ESC key (CLR HOME on the Commodore) during your combat
turn.  The monsters will receive one final turn, and then, if you still want
to, you may retreat from the combat.
            [ page 18, column 2]
WEAPON ATTACKS
   Swords and axes can be used only against adjacent monsters.    The "Attack"
command swings the weapon.  So does attempting to move in the direction of the
monster - saving you a keystroke.  A sword or axe does damage equal to the
strength of its wielder, up to the maximum possible for the weapon.
   Bows can be used in any one of the four directions, but not when a monster
is right next to the bowman.  Only the "Attack" command will shoot an arrow;
moving in the monster's direction acts like a normal move.  An arrow does
damage equal to half the bowman's strength - three-quarters if shot from a Brom
bow.  (Inborn talents give elves an additional five points of damage when using
bows).

ARMOR AND MAGIC SHIELDS
   Armor can be purchased in towns.  Each set of armor is made to measure, cash
in advance.  The better the armor, the longer it takes to make, and the more it
costs.    Leather armor is the least expensive, and takes a day or two.
            [ page 19, column 1]
   Armor reduces the effect of nonmagical attacks.  A blow that would normally
inflict eight points of damage will cause only six to someone wearing leather
armor - and none at all to a fighter in steel plate.
   Magical shields - the result of the Shield spell - protect their owners from
magical damage.  Unlike armor, magic shields wear out as they absorb magical
energy.  Shield spells can be cast on top of each other, up to a maximum of 99
points of protection for any one person at any one time.

COMBAT RESULTS
   After each move by a character or monster, a message shows the action taken
and its results.  These messages range from reporting a miss to the results of
a spell cast.  Here are some examples of combat messages:

           Lukas hits Orc -20
           Dam:18 (A-2)  Stamina:8

   Lukas scored a hit against an orc worth 20 points.  The actual damage was
18 due to the orc's leather armor.  As a result of the hit, the orc has 8
stamina points left.

           Shatter!
           Ziyx hits Zorlim -20
           Dam:0  (Sh:4)  Stamina:26
           Shatter!
           Ziyx hits Zorlim -24
           Dam:20 (Sh:0)  Stamina:6

   Ziyx attacks the same Zorlim twice in a row with the Shatter spell.    The
first one hits for 20 but does no damage because of the Zorlim's shield.  How-
ever, the shield is now down to 4 points.  The second Shatter scores 24 and
does damage equal to 20. The shield is gone. The Zorlim's stamina is down to 6.

           Orc hits Lukas -10
           Dam:0  (Nf:1)  Stamina:36

   An orc hits Lukas for 10 but does no damage.  Lukas had a Nift "in use",
which is still good after this hit for one more.
            [ page 19, column 2]
                  SAGE ADVICE
           from the wisest of the Children of Light
                  [ page 20]

VOLUNTEERS

   At King Rebnard's request, the wisest advisors of His Royal Highness have
interviewed and evaluated the volunteers for the quest to save the Magic Can-
dle.  The advisor's reports are shown below.  A table at the end of this
appendix summarizes the volunteers' abilities, talents and skills.  You will
note that the reports of the volunteers at the Crystal Castle contain much less
detail: the reports were delivered by high-flying birds unable to carry more
than the barest statistics.
                [ page 21, top]
RECOMMENDED HERO: "Lukas"

ARMED WITH: SHORT SWORD.
   Among the volunteers as Your Royal Highness's Castle, we are most impressed
by a young Man calling himself "Lukas".  We are undecided whether Lukas is his
true name.  He is reluctant to boast about his past.  However, when he is
called before Your Royal Highness, we feel sure that it will be by his true
name.  His devotion to the lands of Deruvia and to the Children of

       [To avoid possible embarassment, the details of your evaluation
    have been excised from this report.]

much to learn, we nonetheless give "Lukas" our highest recommendation as the
hero of this quest.  (Commander Grolf adds that he regrets the castle armory
cannot provide proper weapons and armor, and recommends that Lukas proceed
immediately to Port Avur to equip himself and his chosen companions.) (Lord
Bhardagast suggests that, while Commander Grolf's concerns are justified, Lukas
should set his own priorities, with the advice of his chosen companions, par-
                 [ page 21, column 1]
ticularly those companions who are skilled in the social and diplomatic graces)

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 Mar-
maris.    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 en-
deavors, 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.)
                 [ page 21, column 2]
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 su-
perb 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.)

VOLUNTEER: BEN (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: LONG SWORD, ASH BOW, 30 ARROWS, RING MAIL.
   From the Crystal Castle:  Ben:  Mercenary/Race of Man  Skilled.  Experienced
   mercenary officer.  Left service age 45 to marry childhood sweetheart.
   Later took one final commission:  family killed by Jerrahs while on campaign
   Nothing left to lose
                 [ page 22, column 1]
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 to be an excellent fighter, though
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 Wiz-
ard Rimfiztrik has announced his intention to include a comment on Prince
Dalin's candidacy.  When he presents that comment, it will be included here.)

VOLUNTEER: DOKAR (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: THE BOOK OF SABANO
   From the Crystal Castle:  Dokar:  Mage/Wizard  Suprisingly quick.  Young,
   for a wizard.  No personal data.  Refused interview:  "Too much to learn".
   Impressive/frightening ability to learn spells.

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 in-
determinate
                 [ page 22, column 2]
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 Rimfiz-
trik insists on adding, in his words, "Rebnard!  Pay attention, this is impor-
tant!  This wizard, Elf-what's his name, knows the Resurrect spell.  Don't let
these kids out the gate without him!  Sire.  Your Royal Highness.")

VOLUNTEER: ELDAI (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: ASH BOW, 50 ARROWS, LEATHER ARMOR
   From the Crystal Castle:  Eldai:  Carpenter/Elf  Skilled in archery and
   magic.  Gave an amazing demonstration of rapid shelter construction from
   living saplings.  Claims that living plants cooperate; dead plants do not.

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 en-
thusiasm 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 substi-
tute 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
                 [ page 23, column 1]
better use in improving the defenses of our castle.") (Lady Subia submits a re-
buttal:  "Remember that the Companions of Light will, of necessity, be wander-
ing the Deruvian wilderness for days on end.  I have heard that master car-
penters can provide shelter in the most barren terrain.  Jimbo recently accom-
panied me, and several trusted retainers, on an overnight hunting tri.    I can
truthfully state that, because of Jimbo, the night in the forest was as com-
fortable as any I have spent in my own room in the castle.")

VOLUNTEER: KRUGA (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: BATTLEAXE, CHAIN MAIL
   From the Crystal Castle:  Kruga:  Fighter/Dwarf  Awesome.  Made mockeries
   of our most difficult combat tests.    Personal mission to rid all former
   dwarven holds of forces of Darkness.  Possible ability to do so.

VOLUNTEER: LUPI (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: BROM BOW, 50 ARROWS, LEATHER ARMOR
   From the Crystal Castle:  Lupi:  Ranger/Elf    Skilled in archery.  Trained
   in magic.  Owns Brom Bow, named Darkfinder.    Confidential:  Lupi admits to
   being an elven princess of the royal blood, disguised in male attire.
   Motives unclear.  Recommend secrecy.
                 [ page 23, column 2]
VOLUNTEER: MADIR (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: SCIMITAR, LEATHER ARMOR, THE BOOK OF DEMARO
   From the Crystal Castle:  Madir:  Mage/Wizard  Confusing.  Boasts of sword
   prowess (adequate).    Does not mention magic skill (impressive).  Suspect
   mid-career disillusionment with chosen profession, possible despair that
   magic can defeat Darkness.

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.)

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 ques-
                 [ page 24, column 1]
tionable.  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 companions' morale may be
essential to the success of the quest.) (His Grace, Lord Banas, withholds his
endorsement, "for obvious reasons.")
                 [ page 24, column 2]
VOLUNTEER: NAGI (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: LONG SWORD, STEEL PLATE ARMOR
   From the Crystal Castle:  Nagi:  Knight/Race of Man    Leader of our defenses.
   Beloved by all.  Sir Nagi is prepared to join your quest when it reaches
   our castle.    We will miss him sorely.

VOLUNTEER: NAZIM

ARMED WITH: SHORT SWORD
   Nazim is a childhood friend of "Lukas" 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, would
benefit greatly from additional training.  This is to be taken not as crit-
icism, but as advice.  Sir Brontos also is impressed by Nazim's hunting and
trapping skill; the companions will never want for food if Nazim is among them)

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 surpassd only by his
fellow ranger Nehor, 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 Wizard Rimfiz-
trik has not submitted a written addendum, but his oral comments were delivered
with such vigor that they deserve
                 [ page 25, column 1]
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 once a spell book was obtained for him, and that distaste for crowds
is not a character fault, but a sign of incipient wisdom.)

VOLUNTEER: NIMMO (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: ASH BOW, 30 ARROWS, LEATHER ARMOR
   From the Crystal Castle:  Nimmo:  Gemcutter/Halfling  One of the few half-
   lings ever seen in Yberton.    Charming.  Skilled in combat.  Learned gem-
   cutting from Bedangidar dwarves in Kharin exile.  Do all halflings eat this
   much?

VOLUNTEER: RASUL (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: SHORT SWORD
   From the Crystal Castle:  Rasul:  Tailor/Race of Man  Refugee from Nessos.
   Quick learner.  Has been studying swordplay with other volunteers and ad-
   vising them on demeanor and deportment.

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
                 [ page 25, column 2]
"Lukas" 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.)

VOLUNTEER: ROGGA (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: LIGHT AXE, RING MAIL
   From the Crystal Castle:  Rogga:  Metalsmith/Dwarf  Superb blacksmith, spec-
   ializing in weapon repair.  Excellent axeman as well, with an unusual fore-
   hand-backhand technique that often allows him to land two blows in a single
   pass.  Refuses to reveal where he learned this type of axeplay.

VOLUNTEER: SAKAR

ARMED WITH: LIGHT AXE, CHAIN MAIL
   Of all 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
volunteers.  He would be a great asset to the companions during hostile action.
(Lord Bhardagast comments that, if Sakar is chosen, the other companions should
be selected carefully.    Sakar's personality streches 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 former home in the mountains of Uberion was taken
by orcs, and that the blame for the dwarves' defeat fell on Sakar.)
                 [ page 26, column 1]
VOLUNTEER: TAMAS (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: THE BOOK OF ISHBAN
   From the Crystal Castle:  Tamas:  Mage/Wizard  Handsome (for a wizard) and
   arrogant, but with good reason.  Most talented of our mages, and the only
   holder of the book of Ishban.

VOLUNTEER: YULIG (AT THE CRYSTAL CASTLE)

ARMED WITH: LIGHT AXE, RING MAIL
   From the Crystal Castle:  Yulig:  Gemcutter/Dwarf  Dwarvish friend of the
   halfling Nimmo.  Fine gemcutter; good dwarvish combat skills.  Almost like-
   able.  Told a joke once.
                 [ page 26, column 2]

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
                 [ page 27, column 1]
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 my-
self to my studies, and, through diligence and good fortune, reached my present
position in the Deruvian court.  I have served you and your predecessors faith-
fully and, I hope, well.
   "But, with this invasion of Deruvia by Darkness and the news of the danger
to the Candle, my youthful dreams have returned.  I cannot ignore them.  Even
wizards grow old, and I am convinced this is my last chance to fufill 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 con-
cerning 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."
                 [ page 27, column 2]


GEOGRAPHY

   Lady Subia is a cousin of King Rebnard.  She has made hobbies both of tra-
veling and studying the lands through which she travels.  Most recently, she
has traveled to King Rebnard's castle from the Crystal Castle at the farthest
reaches of Rebnard's domain.  This is her description of the lands through
which your quest will take you.
                [ page 28, top of page ]
   The lands of Deruvia, sometimes called "Deruvias", or "the Deruvias" - con-
sist of a large continent, a major island to its northeast, and several smaller
islands.  Your map will give you a clear picture of the local geography.  As
you travel around the Deruvias, you will notice that Deruvia is but a small
part of the world:  while the seasons have their effects - the sun rises later
and sets earlier in winter - any one of the Deruvian districts is much like
another.
   Rumors tell of other continents: the "Lost Realm" lies to the west, and the
lands of Gurtex - the home of Darkness, but perhaps also the home of lost col-
onies of the children of light - lie to the east.  The north contains only
oceans of ice; the south is protected by a band of equatorial storms.
   Deruvia's main continent might just as well have been two large islands.
The northwestern tundra and the southeastern forest are connected only by a
narrow bridge of land.    But, where you might expect such a land bridge to be a
chain of islands or a barely passable marsh, the world of Deruvia came forth
with Blackrock Mountains - a major upheaval in the world's crust.  The moun-
tains are miles high; the seas at their feet are miles deep.  The only known
passage from the northwest to the southeast is Gambode
                 [ page 28, column 1 ]
Pass.  The origin of the name "Gambode" is not clear.  It may be related to the
word "gamble" in the language of man; it may be derived from the elvish
"cambodex" or the dwarvish "ghambordoi".  Oddly enough, both the elvish and
dwarvish words refer to people of other races who undertake a project that is
doomed to failure.
   The northwestern part of Deruvia has seven districts.  The largest is the
desert of SHERTUZ, occupying the middle of the demi-continent.    Once a mag-
nificent prairie, Shertuz has been devastated by the forces of Darkness and is
now the desert home of deadly Sandgus.
   South of Shertuz are the sunken lands of MERAM.  Darkness has turned the
fields of Meram to marshes, as it has turned the pastures of Shertuz to
deserts.  The farmers of Meram have fled to other lands, and their places have
been taken by disease-ridden Slime.
   The other five districts have been more fortunate.  PHERON, at the far
northwest, is the seat of government of King Rebnard.  The forces of Darkness
have made only a token appearance in Pheron.  Several members of Rebnard's
court, however, believe that Darkness is insinuating itself into Pheron in less
obvious ways...
                 [ page 28, column 2 ]
   UBERION, to the south of Pheron, has always been a harsh district.  Pheron's
forests give way to Uberion's mountains, overlooking the western sea.  Dwarves
have moved south from Uberion to Marmaris, but Nature herself is still as
dangerous a foe as the new-come minions of Darkness.
   Meanwhile, MARMARIS, south of the mountains of Uberion, has become the home
of the Western dwarves.  The dwarves live in the village of Soldain, keeping
the Hammer of Thorin safe for their return to the Uberion Mountains.
   Another trade route leads east from Pheron through the northern lands of
PHELANG.  While Phelang cannot be considered safe, its tundra is no more
attractive to the minions of Darkness than to the children of Light (at least
during the summer months).
   The eastern road eventually leads to the district of KENDAR.  The road then
turns south toward the Gambode Pass, passing the picturesque village of Ly-
meric.    You should make a point of visiting Lymeric, especially if you know of
someone who lives in this quaint riverside village.
   The southeastern half of the Deruvian continent also consists of seven
regions.
   Beyond the Gambode Pass is the great forest of TRILLIAD, the ancient home of
the elven folk.  Roads skirt Trilliad to the north and west, but no roads lead
into its heart.  Many roads into Trilliad have been started, but they all have
mysteriously turned back outward as they led forward, and have shown nothing
but the original forest as they led backward.  On the northern edge of
Trilliad, on the Strait of Sungar, is Merg, the city built by Lord Merg II.
   East of Trilliad are the plains of BIHUN, sheltered from the eastern sea by
the Bedangidar Mountains.  Millenia ago, on these plains, the armies of Light
and Darkness came face to face.  It was then that the
                 [ page 29, column 1 ]
arch-demon Dreax fled into the mountains and was captured and imprisoned by the
great wizard Zirva.  After thousands of years, the plains of Bihun have re-
covered their fertility, only to become once again the favorite landing point
of the minions of Darkness from the East.
   South of Trilliad, surrounded by mountains, is the desert basin of KHERBEL.
This deep depression in the middle of the southeastern continent, puzzles the
Deruvian scholars as much as the Blackrock Mountains, where the land should be
at sea level or below.    But the Kherbel basin interests only the scholars and
some very dedicated monks; other Deruvians are content to stat as far away from
its burning sands as they possibly can.  The Kherbel district is not completely
barren: on its west coast, across the mountains from the great desert, is the
town of Sumrusa.
   The impenetrable marshes of PIYAN lie south of Kherbel.  Wedged between
Kherbel and Piyan is the Hidden Vale, surrounded by rugged mountains with no
known passes.  There, the fortress of Berbezza holds the Magic Candle that
imprisons the archdemon Dreax in its flame.
   The other three provinces in Southeast Deruvia extend down the eastern
coast.    Proceeding southward from Bihun are the rocky peninsula of FISESTAR,
the forests of YBERTON, and the crags of UDAR.    The famed Crystal Castle, one
last stronghold of the Children of Light in the East, is in Yberton; Udar con-
tains little more than the isolated dwarvish village of Kharin.
   Northeast of the double continent of Deruvia is the large island known as
Upper Deruvia.    Civilization in Upper Deruvia is limited to the port town of
Knessos, which manages to exist by shipping timber and ore to the settled areas
on the Deruvian mainland.  (There are also legends of a
                 [ page 29, column 2 ]
small community of wizards - a village called Shiran - somewhere in western
Upper Deruvia.)
   Upper Deruvia is divided into six regions.  Down the east coast are FIZTRAZ,
a mountainous area with Knessos at its southern border; SELDARAD, a large fo-
rest that may not have been completely abandoned by the elves; and KHIRISS, a
cold and wind-swept marsh.  Down the west coast are DAKLAND, another mountain-
ous area noted for its glaciers; DARVALE, where Shiran probably is, if it
actually exists; and the ROSUS peninsula, surrounded by Kraken Bay, the Bay of
Meric, and the Strait of Sungur.
   Beyond Upper Deruvia - sometimes visible from Knessos - is a rockbound is-
land that is called by some "The Forbidden Isle" and by others "Wizard's Isle".
Still others (those who know best) refuse to mention it at all.  This island
had no known inhabitants other than the creatures of Darkness that are rumoured
to dwell in Thakass Keep, a large stone tower in the very center of the island.
   King Rebnard rules also over several islands to the southwest of Deruvia,
although his rule has little effect on the southernmost isles.
   SHENDY, the westernmost of the islands, is also the least bothered by the
forces of Darkness.  Its port town, Keof, is a trade center for shipments sail-
ing to and from western Deruvia.
   FUBERNEL is the largest of the islands, and formerly rivaled Shendy as a
trade center.  However, Darkness has made severe inroads into the safety of
Fubernel, and
                 [ page 30, column 1 ]
ships' captains have become reluctant to sail into the Fubernian port of Del-
kona.  The plight of Fubernel distresses the Children of Light, because Fuber-
nel is the home of the halflings.  If their village of Bondell were to fall to
Darkness, grief would flood all the Deruvias.
   Several other islands are located near the Deruvian coast.  KUSKUNN is a
desert island between Shendy and Fubernel.  It has no fresh water, and there-
fore no inhabitants.  HEAVENLY lies just south of Kuskunn, and is a complete
contrast.  It is so fertile that it is completely covered by heavy forest.
Sailors pass Heavenly by, and believe that its huge fir trees are the home of
races of Faery.  South of Sumruna is the island of VO.    Vo has no ports of
call, but sailors are grateful for its shelter from the westerlies as they make
the southern passage from Sumruna to Merg and Knessos.
   The western winds and ocean currents have had harsh effects on the southern-
most Deruvian islands.    The ISLES OF ICE are high mountains thrust up from the
depths of the ocean, covered by frost, ice fields and glaciers.  Minions of
Darkness are reported to live on the ice, and rumored to live beneath it.  The
ISLE OF GIANTS, to the east, receives shelter from the Isles of Ice, rather
than ice fields and glaciers, it consists mostly of tidal marshes.  In the
center of the Isle of Giants is a ring of high mountain peaks surrounding a
rain-fed lake known as The Dark.  And, in the middle of The Dark is a huge
spire known as the Tower of Shadrum or the Tower of Ogres.  It cannot be con-
sidered a tourist attraction.
                 [ page 30, column 2 ]
   Lady Subia wishes you well, and entreats you to take all the time you need
to plan your quest in the safety of King Rebnard's castle.
              [ page 30, bottom of page]

TOWNS AND VILLAGES

   The famous sea-captain, Garlin the Blue, has visited every harbor in the
Deruvias, and knows all the seaports well.  He refuses to disclose the names
and number of his wives, but is glad to advise you about the places his wives
(if any) might live.
                [ page 31, top of page]
   There are six towns and six villages to explore in the lands of Deruvia.
Towns are market centers; villages are residential areas.  The towns and the
villages have kept themselves safe - so far - from the Forces of Darkness.
Feel safe and comfortable there.  Split up your companions into separate par-
ties: check some of them into a Guest House where they can sleep, repair wea-
pons or learn spells; put some of them to work with the local tailor, metal-
smith, carpenter or gemcutter; send some of them to school; let others go
shopping or visiting.
   When you first enter a town or village, you will find many people to meet.
Greet them politely, and ask them for information.  They are sure to know
things that you don't.  In narrow streets and wooded parks, you may need to re-
arrange your walking formation to allow the companion with the highest charisma
to start the conversation.
   But you will not want to wander the streets forever.  There are more import-
ant things than getting a nice suntan.    There are buildings to enter, things to
buy, people to meet, songs to hear, soft beds to snuggle up in...
   It's polite to knock before entering a strange building.  If it is someone's
house, you will need to ask for the owner by name.  If it is a shop, tavern,
guest house,
                 [ page 31, column 1]
or another building open to the public, you can walk right in.
   You can see the doors on the south sides of buildings.  If the door is on
another side, a guess or two should locate it.    For example, the food store
just west of the south gate of Port Avur backs up against the south wall of the
town.  As you would expect, its door is in its north side.
   You will find that many buildings close at sundown.    This is a good sign -
they are owned and operated by the Children of Light, and will open again at
at sunrise.  Taberns and gambling halls stay open later, and guest houses al-
ways have a desk clerk on duty.
   Some of the buildings you will find in Deruvia's towns and villages:
   CRAFTSMEN - Carpenters, gemcutters, smiths and tailors do not sell to the
general public, but are often willing to hire temporary help.
   GUEST HOUSES - Prices at guest houses are reasonable, and the beds are
ususally soft and clean.  Unfortunately, you will often find that you and your
companions have more important things to do than sleep...
   LIBRARIES - A surprising amount of information can be found in the libraries
maintained by the Monks of Light - and from
                 [ page 31, column 2]
the monks themselves - if you know where to look and whom to ask.
   MERCHANTS - Stores sell food, weapons, armor and general merchandise.
   RESIDENCES - If you know ther persons you want to visit, and knock politely
on their doors, the rewards can be great.  Friendly Deruvians can give you im-
portant information and can train you in important skills.
   SCHOOLS - Combat and magic are taught in the schools of Deruvia.  A course
of study can be very valuable, but might take days to complete.
                 [ page 32, column 1]
   TAVERNS - The hungry, the thirsty, and those who enjoy companionship gather
in the taverns of the Children of Light, where the lights are bright even after
sundown.  After a long voyage, I am always hungry and thirsty and looking for
companions (and prospective passengers).  Don't pass up the chance to buy a
drink and offer it to someone else - dry throats can be very appreciative.
However, it can sometimes require a great deal of charisma for a stranger to
join comfortably into the conversation of a group of happly locals...
                 [ page 32, column 2]

REST AND RECUPERATION

   Sir Gustron has returned to King Rebnard's castle after a long campaign
against the forces of Darkness.  His injuries prevent him from volunteering for
your quest.  But his advice should prove welcome.
                [ page 33, top of page]
WHY TO REST
   After a hard day of travel, combat and exploration, you and your companions
may find yourselves short of sleep, food, and magic spells.  Maybe a bowstring
needs replacing, or an axe needs sharpening.  Go ahead, take a rest break.
Forget for a while that the Candle keeps melting and the Forces of Darkness
grow stronger by the minute.  Nobody can keep going at full efficiency 24 hours
a day, and everybody deserves some rest.  Right?
   Well, yes.  One of the keys to successful completion of your quest will be
the efficient use of off-duty periods.    Magic users can learn more spells only
then.  Fighters can repair their weapons, and hunters can search for food -
saving considerable time and gold.  And some party members may even be able to
afford some time to sleep, restoring stamina and energy without using up their
precious mushrooms.
   You might even decide to divide your party, letting some rest while others
explore the countryside or visit a nearby village.

WHERE TO REST
   You won't be able to rest just anyplace you want.  The streets of town and
the king's throne room are impossible.  The first place you can rest is here in
King Rebnard's castle, in the guest room
                 [ page 33, column 1]
upstairs.  Later, you'll rest in guest houses that you will find in the towns
and across the countryside, and in the monks' sanctuaries in the wilderness.
(The guest houses require payment; the sanctuaries ask for "voluntary" dona-
tions.    It amounts to the same thing, in my experience.)  And, if you travel by
ship, there's nothing to do but rest.
   In between, you'll need to camp in the fields and forests.  That's not as
comfortable, and you need to worry about ambushes.
  Sir Revnkor has told me it is quite possible to rest in the rooms in dun-
geons.    The idea is once you have defeated the creatures in the room, you have
grown used to their smell and can manage to sleep.  The other monsters in the
dungeon will still avoid the smell of the original inhabitants, and will leave
the room alone.  Seems chancy to me.

HOW TO REST
   When you start resting, everyone will be doing "nothing".  Everyone who is
not totally disabled should do something, instead.  There areas many as five
better choices:
   LEARN:  Party members who have magic skill and own spell books can learn
spells.
   FIX:  Someone can repair the party's weapons that have suffered wear and
tear in combat.  Even a broken weapon can be
                 [ page 33, column 2]
made as good as new, given enough time.  Metalsmiths repair weapons very well.
   HUNT:  While camping in the countryside, party members can hunt for food in
the area.  The chance of success depends not only on the hunting skill of the
hunters, but also on the terrain in which they are hunting; food is more plen-
tiful in forests and plains than in deserts and ice fields.
   SLEEP:  Those party members lucky enough (or not healthy enough) to be as-
signed to Learn or Fix or Hunt can go to sleep to regain their energy and
stamina.
   WATCH:  If the party needs to rest where there are Minions of Darkness on
the prowl, it is best to have someone on watch to avoid ambushes.
   Once all members have been assigned rest-period activities, begin the rest
period.  If your companions have been divided, you may switch to supervising
another party.    If you do not switch, you will watch the time pass until you
stop.  When you stop, you can reassign activities - put someone else on watch,
for in-
                 [ page 34, column 1]
stance - and begin resting again; or you can have the party members pack up and
end the rest period.

SOME FINAL NOTES
   During a rest period, the party members' health limits their activities.
Hungry and starving members can't sleep until they eat something.  (If they had
listened to their mothers, they would have had a well balanced meal hours be-
fore bedtime.  But, if they had listened to their mothers, they wouldn't have
been on this quest in the first place.)
   Party members who are ill or poisoned can't do much but sleep, and their
feverish sleep still will not restore much of their energy and stamina.
   Finally, nobody can sleep well without comfortable blankets.  Sanctuaries
and Guest Houses furnish blankets (and even shake them out after the party
leaves).  Out in the wood, though, the party had better be carrying their own
bedrolls.
                 [ page 34, column 2]

RACES AND PROFESSIONS

   Deruvia is the home to several races of intelligent beings, and now seems to
be under attack by others.  Lord Banas will describe the four or five races and
the professions of the Children of Light who will volunteer to become com-
panions on your quest.    His Elvish Highness, Prince Nethien, here from
Trilliad, has provided additional comments.
                [ page 35, top of page]
THE RACES
   The races are Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, Man and Wizards.  There is some
controversy among the scholars of Deruvia whether Wizards are actually a sep-
arate race: the best tailors, armorers, and healers have been unable to find
any physical differences between Wizards and the race of Man.  However, it is
undeniable that Wizards are somehow different.    They have magic skill greater
even than the Elves, and far greater than all but the most exceptional Man.  On
the other hand, they are unable to do things all other races can do with ease.
Using the acid test of interbreeding, the evidence is inconclusive.  There are
no records of Wizards interbreeding successfully with any other race.  Neither
are there any records of Wizards breeding successfully among themselves.  It
appears that they have other things on their minds...
   Two reasons compel us to treat Wizards as a fifth race.  First, most Deru-
vians (all but the most skeptical scholars and the very young) believe that
Wizards are not of the race of Man, andshun them in their day-to-day lives.
Second, in the thousands of years of recorded history, no Wizard has yet been
known to die of natural causes.  While
                [ page 35, column 1]
Man is the shortest-lived race, Wizards live even longer than Elves.
   A brief description of the races:
     - DWARVES
   Dwarves are very short and exceptionally strong.  They live in the moun-
tains, and they have very close ties to the earth - so much that crossing a
river is an adventure, and crossing a sea is a nightmare.  While dwarvish
skill in metalworking and gemcutting can appear magical, a Dwarf has never
shown any ability in the kind of magical skills wielded by the most inexperi-
enced Wizard.  Therefore, most dwarvish villages have persuaded at least one
Wizard to take up residence, providing him with food, lodging, privacy, and an
occasional emerald. against the possible need of his protection against the
Powers of Darkness.
   Dwarves usually stay at home, prepared to protect their mines when danger is
near, and to produce as much wealth as possible when danger goes elsewhere.
(But accomplishment is the important thing, not greed - remember this when you
meet a dwarf in the road.)  Some of te dwarves, however, feel a greater duty
toward the entire realm of Deruvia.  You will meet them in the Knights' Rooms,
and you will be impressed by their strength and stamina.  If
                [ page 35, column 2]
you recruit a dwarf as a companion in your quest, you will find that he prefers
axes to swords - long handles go better with short arms.
     - ELVES
   The Elves are a mysterious race.  Tall and slender, but not as tall as they
seem, and stronger than they appear.  Youthful in appearance, but the youngest
elf can tell tales of the ages before the first Wizard appeared in Deruvia.
Elves live in the forests and love the forests, as Dwarves live in the moun-
tains and love the mountains.  The two races are similar, but are as different
as forests are from mountains.    Dwarves love the mountains for what the moun-
tains give to dwarves; Elves love the forests for what the elves give to the
forests.  Men have, for ages, tried to judge between the dwarves' pride in the
bounty brought forth from the mountains and the elves' pride in the glory
invested into the forests.  Neither the Elves nor the Dwarves have paid the
slightest bit of attention to the pronouncementsof the Men.
   Like Dwarves, Elves are much inclined to stay home" it is so very important
to maintain the living enviroment of the forest's trees, birds, animals... down
to the worms creeping through the mud.    But there are a very few Elves who un-
derstand that the Forces of Darkness are threatening even the lowly worms.
They have come to the Castles of Man to volunteer their services in your quest.
You will find, as many before you, that Elves are endowed with an impressive
amount of magic skill, although few Elves have been allowed to leave home with-
out surrendering their magic books.  You will be surprised to discover the
other skills that the elvish folk can bring to the companionship.

   Prince Nethien:  With all respect to Lord Banas, it is impolite to compare
   dwarves to elves, and par-
                [ page 36, column 1]
   ticularly impolite to say that elves are "like dwarves" in any way.  The
   culture of the dwarves is simple and easily understandable, even by the
   race of man.  Our elvish culture is much more complex, and cannot really be
   explained to other races.

     - HALFLINGS
   The Halfling race may be related to the Elves.  Halflings and Elves both
have pointed ears, and both races have an uncanny ability to remove themselves
from unwanted attention.  However, for the Elves, almost any attention is un-
wanted; for the Halflings, attention is unwanted only when accompanied by a
large weapon in rapid motion.  Also, Elves do not have large furry feet.  And
the average Halfling is half the height of the average Elf.

   Prince Nethien:  Actually, there are no average elves.  We are all consider-
   ably above average.    Although the halflings are an endearing race, they are
   not related to us.

   Halflings are excellent conversationalists.    They tell interesting stories,
and they listen very attentively - especially over a hearty meal.  A well-fed
Halfling could charm the scales from a dragon.    But Deruvian history has no
records of any Halflings who considered themselves well-fed...
     - MAN
   The origin of the race of Man is unknown.  The histories of the Dwarves and
the Elves, and the fireside tales of the Halflings, all include old stories of
the time before Man. But, some thousands of years ago, Man appeared in Deruvia,
and quickly became the dominant race.  Some would say that Man became dominant
because Dwarves, Elves and Halflings saw no reason to strive for domination,
but they cannot deny that the race of Man is the hope of Deruvia.  Among the
Children of Light, only the race of Man has the poten-
                [ page 36, column 2]
tial to become powerful in all areas.  Elves, Halflings, and Dwarves are born
and raised to nearly their full potential.  A Man must work hard to match any
of the other races in their strengths, but can work even harder to match all
of them at once.
   Some groups of the race of Man have settled in the forests of Deruvia, and
have become close allies of the native Elves.  An occasional Man child has been
brought up with the Elvish rangers, and has received their magical training.
     - WIZARDS
   Wizards look like they belong to the race of Man.  They are considerably
taller than Dwarves and Halflings.  They do not have the Elves' pointed ears.
   However, Wizards look like the race of Man only to the extent that one can
imagine a Man surviving long beyond his normal span of years.  The other races
have no records of any young Wizards; the other races have no knowledge of how
Wizards are born, created, or trained.

   Prince Nethien:  Although pointed ears are essential to civilized
   behaviour, they have nothing to do with the origin of the wizards.
   I am afraid that there are some things that the race of man was
   simply not meant to know.

   Wizards have forsaken the physical skills for the magical.  Wizards are
slow.  Wizards are weak.  Wizards barely know which end of a sword is the hilt,
and cannot find the hilt of a bow or an arrow at all.  Wizards live for, with,
and (probably) by magic.

THE PROFESSIONS
   The folk of Deruvia provide for themselves in many ways.  Farmers live off
the land, merchants buy and sell goods for a profit, monks depend upon the
kindness of
                [ page 37, column 1]
strangers, and scholars never know from where their next meal will come.
   The volunteers for your quest will come from more exciting professions.  As
you call them into the Knights' Room, you will see their exact characteristics.
These are the nine professions you can expect:
     - CARPENTER
   While many of the volunteers are dedicated to combat - mercenaries, fighters
and knights - some will have more mundane professions.    Do not overlook such
professions as "carpenter".  Carpenters have strong arms, accurate eyes, and an
expert's knowledge of the forests of Deruvia.  In the wilderness, a good car-
penter can piece together a shelter so that camping out is nearly as comfort-
able as resting in a castle.  And, like ohter non-fighting professionals, a
carpenter can often find a job to provide food and lodging for himself and ex-
tra gold for his companions.
     - FIGHTER
   Fighters have committed themselves to defeating the enemy. (For the fighters
you meet in the Knights' Rooms, "the enemy" is Darkness.  For the fighters on
the side of Darkness, "the enemy" is you.)  Fighters are highly skilled in com-
bat, but embarass themselves easily in times of peace.    Fighters on the side
of light usually come from the races of Dwarves and Man.
     - GEM-CUTTER
   Like carpenters, gem-cutters have been trained in skills other than combat.
But combat skills are not the only important skills; a steady hand, a keen eye,
and an ability to recognize the true worth of gems for sale may prove more use-
ful than being able to chop orcs into small pieces.  Especially when there
aren't any orcs in the vicinity.  (Except for some leftover small pieces.)
                [ page 37, column 2]
     - KNIGHT
   Some members of the race of Man are privileged to be trained as knights.
Knight training includes not only combat skill, but also an ingrained duty to
protect the Children of Light.

   Prince Nethien:  Somewhat pretentious.  Knighthood is an institution
   invented by the race of man in an attempt to give itself some dignity.
   But there is no doubt that knights are strong fighters, with excellent
   armor.

     - MAGE
   Only Wizards are mages; only mages are Wizards.  The profession and the race
are the same, and no one outside the profession really understands anything
about Wizards - except that it is foolhardy to face the forces of Darkness
without wizardly allies.
     - MERCENARY
   The recent history of Deruvia has required combat service from many of the
Children of Light.  Some of the race of Man have trained themselves well, and
offer their expert services for hire, where the need is highest and the pay is
best.  While the Deruvians might admire the mercenaries' skill in combat, they
tend to shun them in social situations.
     - METAL SMITH
   You will find both dwarves and halflings trained in metal-working.  Dwarves
emphasize the focused power needed to beat
                [ page 38, column 1]
unyielding iron into shape; halflings concentrate on the subtleties of keen
edges and perfect balance.  Your volunteers will be welcome employees of any
smithy in Deruvia, and their knowledge of weaponry will serve you well both
during combat and afterwards, when your weapons need repair.
     - RANGER
   The rangers protect the forests of Deruvia.    Most rangers are elves, but
some few are of the race of Man.  They hunt well, and move efficiently through
unknown terrain.  They have been trained to oppose the Forces of Darkness with
magical powers as well as physical weapons.

   Prince Nethien:  I understand that you yourself have been trained as a
   ranger.  I trust that our training will serve you well.

     - TAILOR
   A brave little tailor may seem an unlikely choice to help save Deruvia from
the powers of Darkness.  True, a tailor will be of little use while fighting
goblins and scaling mountain passes.  But a good tailor can get a high-paying
job in nearly any town in Deruvia.  And, more importantly, a tailor can talk to
anyone.  A nervous Deruvian who might swallow his own tongue when approached by
a scar-faced fighter will be happy to carry on a long, relaxed conversation
with a humble tailor.
                [ page 38, column 2]

CONVERSATIONS

   You and your companions do not face the Forces of Darkness alone.  There are
many other Children of Light in Deruvia who stand ready to assist worthy ad-
venturers with advice and information.    Some have even more assistance to
offer, when and if the circumstances warrant.  Lord Bhardagast, His Majesty's
Chief Advisor, offers his guidance in dealing with them.
                [ page 39, top of page]
   While you are not engaged in deadly combat, you will have many opportunities
to talk to strangers in the castles, towns, villages and roads of Deruvia.
   However, times are desparate, and feelings are running high.  Most people
are concerned with their own survival.    You will find few with the wisdom of
Belazar, who are willing to put their immediate concerns aside to help the
party of heros for the ultimate triumph of Deruvia.
   In times like these, a person confronted by a gruff dwarf or fearsome wiz-
ard will, understandably, bow politely, make an excuse, back away, and go about
his or her business.  This person needs to be put at ease, made comfortable,
impressed with his or her own importance...Charisma must be put to use.  Half-
lings are amazingly good at extracting information from people.  (It's because
they're so cute and cuddly, but don't tell
                [ page 39, column 1]
the halflings - they think it's because they're so courageous and daring.)
   Greeting someone politely serves as an introduction,  In most cases, the
most you will receive is the person's name - but that name could be crucial
information.  However, sometimes a mere greeting will lead to much more, as you
will find when you return to King Rebnard's Throne Room and greet His Majesty
after selecting the companions for your quest.
   After greeting someone, you should ask for more detailed information.  Al-
most anyone who will talk to you at all will have advice for you and will be
eager to pass along the latest rumors...His or her advice or rumors, or infor-
mation you have learned earlier, may lead you to ask about other subjects.
   Some peple may be willing to greet you, say "Hello, how are you, best of
luck on your quest", but then be unwilling to com-
                [ page 39, column 2]
mit themselves further.  This is a sign that additional charisma would come in
handy.    Make sure that the proper party member is speaking.  You may need to
change your party's formation to approach the stranger best.  If the stranger
still doesn't respond, you'll be sure to remember Lord Belazar's advice about
Halfling Teachers.

THINGS TO REMEMBER
   The other Children of Light have their own schedules.  Take, for instance,
Ferdo, a wealthy merchant of Pheron who spends his mornings running his busi-
ness, and then stands by the fountain outside Rebnard's Throne Room in the
afternoons, waiting for inside information about the struggle between the
Forces of Darkness and the
                [ page 40, column 1]
Children of Light.  If you need to talk to Ferdo, arrange your schedule so some
of the companions are outside the Throne Room while he is enjoying the
fountain's spray.
   When someone gives you advice or information, listen closely for further
subjects of inquiry.  If someone says "Ask Pyotr about 'temples' in Bihun", you
probably won't get any more information from this person on the subject of tem-
ples, but he probably can tell you more about Pyotr or Bihun.  You can bet that
Pyotr, if you can find him, has something to say about temples - if you're
lucky, he can tell you where to find the temples in Bihun and the rituals that
they expect.
                [ page 40, column 2]

THE SERVANTS OF DARKNESS

   Sir Brontos has spent years studying the Servants of Darkness, the "mon-
sters" invading Deruvia.  He has studied many of them with sword in hand, in
bloody combat.    He has studied others only in the reports of travelers, and
admits that such study is considerably less wearying.  He envies you the ex-
citement of your quest, and presents to you the results of his studies.  He
recommends that you study them closely. "A matter of life or death," he says,
"which might well be important."
                [ page 41, top of page]
MONSTER CLASSIFICATION
   I call them "Monsters".  Others may call them the Servants of Darkness, or
the Minions or Denizens of Darkness:  I call them "Monsters".  Lord Banas has
explained to me, in great detail and at great length, that the term "monster"
only applies to creatures that could not be expected to exit in nature.  His
Grace admits that fermigons are monsters.  I call all of them "Monsters", and
I hope you succeed in arranging that the Children of Light never see any of
them again.
   At any rate, I have found that monsters fall into several categories.  By
this I mean that they will attack you in several different ways.  I suppose
that tey could be classified by eating habits (universally disgusting),
cultural proclivities (none), or in some other way.  But what you need to know
is how to defeat them in combat.  I feel sure that the monsters will not invite
you to dinner and an evening at the theater.
   The most primitive monsters are what I call the soldiers and the beasts.
They will attack you by advancing until they are
                 [ page 41, column 1]
within striking distance, then attempting to whack your head off or tear your
guts out.  Most of them simply head for the nearest target and fight to the
death.
   The archers are harder to defend against.  I call them archers, because they
attack in the same way that your archers will.    They move into a position where
they have a target in a straight line, then bombard their opponents with
missiles.  Unlike your archers, however, they do not use bows and arrows.  Some
of them throw rocks the size of cattle.  Others are even more dangerous.
   Most dangerous are the thaumaturges.  (Rimfiztrik taught me the word "thau-
maturge".  I'm not particularly happy with it, but it serves.)  These monsters
and demons cast magical spells, usually where it will do you the most harm.  If
you encounter one, make it your first target.

SOLDIERS
   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
                 [ page 41, column 2]
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 damage an en-
raged orc.  The orc, however, could severely damage her in turn.  None of the
Minions of Darkness are harmless.
   GOBLINS:  Goblins are not quite as stupid as orcs.  They are small, but
strong.  One might be tempted to compare goblins to dwarves, with their short
stature, high stamina, and preference for the axe as a weapon.    Personally, I
abhor such a comparison.  One might as well compare orcs to the race of Man.
Goblins, incidentally, are also subject to the fighting rage, but no so much as
orcs.
   WOLVINGA:  Sadly, it is impossible to avoid comparing wolvinga to elves.
Goblins are not (I swear) debased dwarves, and orcs cannot possibly be per-
verted specimens of the race of Man.  But it cannot be denied that the wolvinga
are elves gone bad.  There seems to be no hope of redemption for these "dark
elves".  Call them monsters.  Eliminate them.  Thank the gods that the wolvinga
have forgotten their ancestral archery skills.
   TROLLS:  I may be wrong to classify trolls as "soldiers" instead of
"beasts".  Trolls are nearly as stupid as they are strong.  Nevertheless, they
are intelligent enough to extort large sums of money as fees for crossing the
bridges they guard.  Trolls become enraged even more easily than orcs, espec-
ially when they encounter interesting opponents.  I wager that your party will
never have the chance to pay a toll in lieu of battle.
   GNOLLS:  Gnolls are the most skilled of the soldier types.  They seem to be
a result of breeding demons to goblins, with some orc and troll blood thrown
in.  From the demons, they inherit a dislike of daylight.  From the orcs, they
inherit a taste for the
                 [ page 42, column 1]
sword.    From the breeding program, they inherit a hearty appetite for more
breeding.  I wish you much luck in your efforts to control the resulting
underground population.

BEASTS
   SANDGUS:  Although sandgus can be found anywhere, their natural habitat is
the desert.  A sandgu has large claws, a hard carapace, and a vile disposition.
Built low to the ground, sandgus are quite agile.  They do not kill for food
(they eat thorny desert plants), but for enjoyment.
   SLIMES:  The sanguineous cephalopod, or "slime", is a thoroughly disgusting
creature.  It has filthy habits, it emits a terrible stench, and it carries
hideous diseases on its pustular tentacles.  Slimes live in moist, dark, filthy
and disgusting places.    They fit quite well into the armies of Darkness.
   MINOTAURS:  Minotaurs are at least as intelligent as trolls.  However, I am
forced
                 [ page 42, column 2]
to classify them as beasts, since they shun weapons and simply tear travelers
to bits with their heads and hands.  A minotaur's head resembles a bull's, with
horns hardened and honed.  Its body resembles...well, you have met Sir Rexor.
Imagine a body half again as large and strong.
   HRAFFELS:  Hraffels do not smell quite so bad as slimes, but hraffels are
much more sharp.  The hraffel's quills carry deadly diseases, and serve as
arms, legs and piercing weapons.  Keep your distance.
   BARGS:  Bargs smell better yet.  They smell like clean, fresh mountain air
in a thunderstorm.  And their touch brings a lightning bolt.  Neither armor nor
magical shields will protect you from the touch of a barg.
   FERMIGONS:  Monsters by any definition, fermigons were created by the forces
of Darkness to guard treasures in their strongholds.  Also, I think, as a cruel
joke.  You will recognize a fermigon when you see one - its mouth is bigger
than its stomach, and than any other part of its body.
                 [ page 43, column 1]
ARCHERS
   DOMUGS:  The domug is a strange little creature.  The forces of Darkness
have, it seems, brought the domugs from the far East, beyond Gurtex.  Domugs
hang back from the battle line and throw sharp little four-pointed things.
Quite often they hit vital spots.
   CYCLOPS:  His Grace, Lord Banas, insists that one cyclop is a cyclops, and
that several cyclops are cyclopes, or cyclopides, or some such.  I am sure that
he is correct.    But you and I know that one cyclop is a fearsome one-eyed gi-
ant, and several cyclops are a situation to be avoided at all costs.  I men-
tioned monsters that throw rocks the size of cattle:  those monsters are the
cyclops.
   ZEBANIS:  Zebanis are lesser demons who do not attack with magic.  They
throw knives.  There is probably magic involved in the fact that a Zebani never
seems to run out of knives...unlike other demons, Zebanis are willing to travel
by daylight.
   MONGORS:  Like fermigons, mongors are true monsters, showing the crudity of
the sense of humor of the powers of Darkness.  Mongors have the ultimate in bad
breath, which they use as archers use arrows and cyclops use boulders.    Sturdy
armor will allow you to resist its corrosive effects somewhat.
   OGRES:  It is common knowledge that ogres are extinct.  I had better des-
cribe them to you anyway - it would embarass us all if you were destroyed by an
extinct monster.  Ogres were giant creatures with incredible reserves of stam-
ina.  Ogres threw rocks as big as elephants.
   ZUMAGINS:  We recently captured a marauding wolvinga, which I had the oppor-
tunity to interrogate.    He told a
                 [ page 43, column 2]
story of a powerful demon called "Zumagin".  This demon, according to the wol-
vinga, casts a ray of deadly light from its "diamond-like eyes".  The wolvinga
claimed that neither armor nor magical shields can resist this "death ray".
All this information may, of course, be false.

THAUMATURGES
   ZORLIMS:  You will quite often find a zorlim, or "goblin monk", leading a
patrol of orcs or goblins.  A zorlim leads from the rear.  He will order his
troops to charge, while he stands back and casts balls of fire at what he con-
siders his most dangerous opponents.
   DEATH KNIGHTS:  The so-called "death knights" are, of course, not knights.
The forces of Darkness have no trace of honor or nobility, and can therefore
not have the concept of knighthood.  Death knights are no more than dead
bodies, magically animated and equipped with a mockery of knightly gear.  Their
swords are endowed with a deadly magic, allowing them to inflict severe damage
over any obstacle, and against any opponent.  I admit to a personal prejudice
against the "death knights".  I suppose that our priestly brethren would have
a similar prejudice against zorlims and jerrahs because of their monkish garb.
   JERRAHS:  Jerrahs have but recently arrived in Deruvia, and little is known
of them in the west.  From reports, they are like zorlims - as a gorilla is
like a monkey.    Their magic spells apparently first paralyze their opponents,
then destroy them with balls of fire.  I would guess that the forces of Dark-
ness plan for the jerrahs to replace our mayors and princes in the provinces of
Deruvia.
   NECROMEN:  As a wolvinga is an elf gone bad, so is a necroman a wizard gone
                 [ page 44, column 1]
bad.  I shudder to think that necromen have become more that a theoretical
possibility.
   GRAGANS:  There have been reports of demons known as "gragans" who cast a
spell called "mindblast".  This spell ignores all obstacles and passes through
any armor (like the magic in the swords of death knights).  Magical shields are
apparently still effective.
   GAEMS:  Gaems are major demons in Gurtex, the home of Darkness across the
Easten Sea.  Their powers seem to be similar to those of gragans, but are pro-
bably greater in effect.  I have not heard of any Gaems invading Deruvia.  Yet.
   DREADS:  Thousands of years ago, in the Elden Wars, a chief foe of the Chil-
dren of Light was the dread, a being of purest evil.  It was thwarted, but not
defeated.  I wish I did not need to tell you that the dread may still exist.
It may have allied with the invading forces of Darkness.  And, worst of all, it
may have spawned more of its kind.
   HIBLISS:  In the caves of Mount Mandarg, in the heart of Gurtex, the Hibliss
work their evil magic.    It is the Hibliss who created the mongors, the fer-
migons and the death knights.  It is the Hibliss who trained the jerrahs.  But,
as far as I know, none of the Hibliss have ever left their home caverns.
   AZRAELS:  The leaders of the forces of Darkness, while the archdemon Dreax
remains imprisoned, call themselves "dark angels".  I cannot give them that
dignity, perverted though it is.  I call them "azraels", after the first of
their number.  Father Gostav, I believe, will explain their history to you.  My
task is simply to tell you that the arzaels exist, and that some of them are
leading the invasion of Deruvia.  Their powers are beyond my comprehension.  I
hope that, by the time you face the arzaels, as I am sure you must, that your
comprehension will be far beyond mine.
                 [ page 44, column 2]

COMBAT

   Commander Grolf commands the defenses of King Rebnard's castle.  He has
faced many of the Minions of Darkness, and is glad to tell you of thier habits,
their strategy and tactics, and his recommendations for their defeat.
                [ page 45, top of page]
   First, let me congratulate you on the honor of being chosen to undertake
your mission.  I wish only that His Majesty had allowed me to volunteer to join
you.  Next, I want to make sure that you know the danger of your mission.  I
don't claim to know everything about fighting the Forces of Darkness, but I
know more than anyone else in this castle, including you.  So read what I have
to say carefully.  Anything you miss could turn out to kill you.

WHERE THE MONSTERS ARE
   Now let's get down to business.  I want to tell you where the monsters are,
so you can stay away from them when you have to, and find and kill them when
you can.
   When you leave the castle, you'll start running into enemy patrols.  If you
have a wizard with the Locate spell, he can probably find some right away.  Pa-
trols wander around looking for victims.  If a patrol finds you, it'll stay on
your tail until you leave the province or cast a Confuse spell.  Or fight it.
The patrols here in Pheron aren't much to worry about, once you're equipped
with decent weapons and armor and a good supply of mushrooms.  Lady Subia says
that they get a lot stronger as you travel east or south, especially on some of
the islands.
                 [ page 45, column 1]
   Patrols keep searching night and day.  If you camp for the night, you should
have someone stand watch to avoid ambushes.
   There are some groups of monsters out there that don't move around.  The
Powers of Darkness have given them strategic locations to guard, or maybe
they've decided to stick to one spot, like a bridge.  The guards can be tougher
than the patrols, but there's usually a good reason to fight them.
   One thing you should take advantage of is the replacement schedule.    Once
you've killed a patrol or a guard party, they're gone for a while.  Around
here, replacements have been coming in three times a year.  You'll be glad to
know that they just arrived a few days ago.
   There are more monsters in the dungeons.  Sir Levnkor will tell you more
about the dungeons.  The one under this castle has been sealed up for years.  I
don't know why, but I intend to leave it that way.  Lady Subia says that
there's a dungeon at the Crystal Castle, too.  And there's an old mine in Uber-
ion that people call a dungeon.  It's called Dermagud.  We know something about
how the monsters that live there behave.
   Some of the dungeon monsters hide in corridors and wait in ambush when they
hear strangers approaching.  If you're exploring a dungeon, and you run into a
real-
                 [ page 45, column 2]
ly tough ambush, your best strategy may be escaping if you can, then trying
some other corridors or finding a place to rest.
   Other monsters live in chambers in the dungeons.  They usually guard some-
thing important or valuable.  The more important or valuable, the more powerful
the monsters.
   The Powers of Darkness don't seem to have a replacement policy for the
dungeons, as they do for the patrols and guards on the surface.
   One other place you will find monsters is in their tower in Delkona.  It's
an old eight-story lighthouse, and is supplied by sea.    The monsters are using
it as a headquarters for the patrols and guards in Fubernel.  If you can con-
quer it, the Delkonans will adore you.    It wouldn't surprise me to find out
that the Forces of Darkness are set up the same way in the eastern towns.

TACTICS
   Now let's discuss tactics.  Three things should be second nature to you.
     - KNOW YOUR ENEMY
   Remember everything Sir Brontos told you about the Forces of Darkness.
     - STAY ALERT
   Avoid ambushes.  If you're ambushed, the enemy can do its worst before you
can even draw your swords.
     - BE PREPARED
   Always have your weapons in good repair.  Keep your magical shield charged.
Eat mushrooms and use magic plants ahead of time.
   Beyond those three, your tactics have to depend on the monsters you're
facing and what you're facing them with.
   SWORDS AND AXES:  You swordsmen (and axe-wielding dwarves) must always re-
member that you can't do any damage until you close with your opponent.  To get
                 [ page 46, column 1]
there soon as possible, use a gonshi mushroom.    To make sure you hit, use a
luffin.  To do the most damage, use a mirget.  To protect yourself, use a nift.
   Against the weaker monsters, you can afford to save your mushrooms and
plants.  Sir Rexor's plate armor, for example, will protect him form almost all
the damage the orcs in Pheron can give.  He should save his nifts.  Sakar's
strength and skill mean that he doesn't really need mirgets and luffins against
our local monsters, as long as you all are healthy enough to help him.
   Try to surround your opponent.  If he has nowhere to dodge, you are bound to
hit him.  And, for the same reason, don't let yourself get surrounded.  Corpses
on the ground prevent dodging as much as live fighters, although corpses can be
kicked aside when you're moving.
   Buy your best weapon.  A better weapon does more damage.  I see some of you
with short swords, when you should be carrying scimitars.  When you get
stronger, you can cary even better weapons.  By the way, the weapon shop in
Port Avur is across the street from the guest house.
   BOWS AND ARROWS:  You archers have to make your arrows count.  Move to a
spot where you can shoot at several monsters with the same arrow.  Maybe not
all of them will dodge.  If you are behind one of your companions, it is likely
that the monsters will stay in your line of fire, and others may move in.
   Keep an eye out for monsters who are blocked from dodging sideways.    Shoot
at them.  Dodging forward or back won't stop an arrow.
   Buy a brom bow.  Its increased pull will increase the damage your arrows do.
Buy a sword.  When you run low on arrows, you'll have something to do.  Talk
your companions into buying arrows.  They can
                 [ page 46, column 2]
carry them around, and then transfer them to you when you run short.
   MAGIC:  Rimfixtrik will explain the magic that you spell-casters can use in
combat.  I have a few recommendations.
   Have plenty of gonshi and sermin mushrooms available.  You need to work
quickly and recover fast.
   Buy a sword.  It will come in handy mopping up the last orc or two.    You
might even kill one, if it's surrounded.
   Choose a spell ahead of time and stick to it if you can.  It's hard to find
the time to switch to another spell in the middle of combat.
   Use the terrain according to your spell.  If you need a line of sight for
Fireball or Shatter, pick a spot where you can see the enemy.  If you are using
Energy or Fear, pick a spot where they can't see you.
   Some monsters are intelligent enough to concentrate on magic-using oppo-
nents.    You can deal with this by avoiding magic, disappearing, or spreading
the magic around, whichever seems right at the time.
   Magical monsters are likely to have magical shields.  Non-magical monsters
are likely to have physical armor.  All of you - not just the magic users -
should remember this when choosing your attacks.

DEFENSE
   Now that you know how to kill monsters, you need to know how to keep the
monsters from killing you.  And, after you survive one bunch, how to survive
the next bunch.  There are three kinds of defense.  Four, if you count common
sense, like staying out of the way of flying rocks.  But the three I have in
mind are "solid", "volatile", and "panic".
     - SOLID DEFENSE
   The most dependable kind of defense is good armor. Armor costs money, and it
                 [ page 47, column 1]
takes time to make, but it's always there.  It doesn't protect you against
everything, but it never does you any harm.
   The other solid defense is a magical shield.  It doesn't last, like armor,
but it only wears out when it has to.  It's never wasted, like some of the
mushrooms.  There's no harm in keeping your shields up all the time.
     - VOLATILE DEFENSE
   Armor and shields are always solid.    They're not a gamble, just an expense.
There are other defenses that you'll be using, and should be using, but they
might not pay off.
   The best example is the nift plant.    It protects you completely from the
next three non-magical attacks.  A great idea.    But if the next three attacks
wouldn't have hurt you much, then you've wasted a nift.
   It's still a good idea for most of you to be using nifts all the time.  Pass
nifts up only if you don't expect serious danger and you have enough stamina
and armor to put up with a few orcs or goblins.
   Some of the magic spells fall into the same category.  Fear and Freeze can
protect you from the worst monsters, but they're a waste of energy against the
monsters you can beat without them.  Disappear is another.  There's no point in
disappearing somebody who isn't in any real danger, but sometimes you have to
hide someone.  Like your only survivor who knows Resurrect.
   Escaping from combat is also a gamble.  For one thing, the monsters will
attack you as you retreat.  So make sure to Freeze or Fear them before you
issue the order to escape.  The othe thing is that you'll probably have to face
them again, after they've rested.
     - PANIC DEFENSE
   Sometimes you'll have to spend time, energy, and resources on defense, even
though you know it's expensive, and might
                 [ page 47, column 2]
not be needed.    It's usually a choice in the heat of battle.
   Say that Amad gets wounded fighting some Fermigons.    He can use a potion to
recover his stamina.  Or a nift plant might stop further damage.  Or Ziyx could
cast a Heal spell to bring his stamina back.  Maybe he should use a gonshi to
make sure he has enough time.  Maybe Ziyx needs a gonshi to take care of Amad
right now and get back to the fermigons.  Maybe Amad can make it anyway.  If
not, maybe the rest of you can kill the fermigons and Resurrect Amad.  But if
Amad survives, he'll recover his stamina with a good night's sleep.  Meanwhile,
the fermigons are gnashing their teeth.
   I can't tell you what to do.  You'll have to make your own decisions in
every fight.  Your choices will usually involve Energy and Heal spells, and
sermins, potions, nifts and gonshis.  And time.

WEAR AND TEAR
   Take care of your weapons.  They become bloody, damaged, and generally worn
out when you use them.    The higher their wear and tear ("W-T"), the likelier
they are to break.  Sir Gustron has told you how important it is to fix your
weapons when you have the chance.

AFTER COMBAT
   After combat is over, you'll have some cleaning up to do.
                 [ page 48, column 1]
     - CASUALTIES
   Your first priority is taking care of your dead and wounded.  Resurrect your
dead.  If you're out of Resurrect spells, be sure to transfer all your dead
companions possessions to the survivors.  Then take care of the wounded, ill
and poisoned, using mushrooms, plants or spells.  Some of them might be able to
wait until a rest period, especially if you're near one of the monk's sanc-
tuaries.
  If you have split up into parties, and one party is slaughtered, the monsters
won't leave any traces for another party to find.  However, the Powers of Dark-
ness might return some of their belongings to their original hiding places.
     - PLUNDER
   Before you leave the scene of combat or begin a rest period, be sure to
search all your slain opponents for valuables.
   In Dermagud, the Forces of Darkness are said to keep treasures in locked
chests.  Take a pick along to unlock them.  Take a spare pick in case the first
one breaks.
   The dwarves who were forced out of Dermagud by the Minions of Darkness tell
of magical fountains there.  If you find any, inspect them closely.  They might
still be working.
   The dwarves had to abandon buried treasures when they fled Dermagud.  Take
along a shovel in case the monsters have not found them.
                 [ page 48, column 2]
MAGIC

   The Honorable Rimfiztrik, Court Magician and Wizard Laureate of Shertuz, has
agreed to advise you on the use of magical spells, plants and mushrooms.  Un-
fortunately, his Honor has not quite finished.    We have taken the liberty of
including our scribes' notes of Rimfiztrik's comments in the spots that are not
yet completed.

                [ page 49, top of page]
THE LAWS OF MAGIC
   Magic is an art practiced by wizards, elves, and those few of the race of
Man who have been trained as rangers.  Wizards are, at least potentially, the
most competent.
   You will undoubtedly want to include magic-users in your quest.  In fact, as
I understand, you are something of a magic-user yourself.

   [He is?  Then why do I need to go through all the basics?  Well, maybe
    a list of the twelve rules.  I'll put in an intro later.]

   RULE 1. Spells are recorded in spell books, and can only be learned from
those books.
   RULE 2. Spells can be learned from spell books only during a period of un-
disturbed concentration.
   RULE 3. Spells that have been learned must be recalled to memory before they
can be cast.
   RULE 4. Once a spell has been cast, it escapes from the caster's mind.  How-
ever, if the spell has been learned more than once, the next copy immediately
jumps into the caster's recollection.  No more than 99 copies of any one spell
can be learned at a time.

   [I should talk about the mystic number 99.  Maybe later.  It doesn't
    fit in here.
                 [ page 49, column 1]
    Remind me.]

   RULE 5. Spell-casting uses energy.  Less experienced casters use their own
energy.  Those of more experience draw some of the energy from the atmosphere
surrounding them.
   RULE 6. More experienced spell-casters get a greater effect from most
spells.  (Fireball does more damage, Fear lasts longer, Teleport goes farther.)
   RULE 7. The time it takes to learn a spell depends on the difficulty of the
spell, and on the learning skill of the magic-user learning it.
   RULE 8.

   [Does anybody remember rule 8 and rule 9?  One of them is the one about
    "If you pull a dove out of someone's ear, sooner or later you'll have
    to put it back."  Never mind.  I'll look them up.]

   RULE 10. Spell effectiveness depends on enviroment and circumstances. (Tele-
port does not work indoors.  Resurrect requires a newly dead body.  Each spell
has its limits of appropriateness.)

   [I'll put in the last two rules later.  They're not that important unless
    you cast spells to make a living.]
                 [ page 49, column 2]
SPELL BOOKS
   Four different spell books are known to the mages of Deruvia.  Each has a
different set of spells, and each is directed to a different purpose.  Sabano
is the book of conflict, Ishban is the book of change, Demaro is the book of
protection, and Zoxinn is the book of

   [I don't remember what they call Zoxinn.  I can't just call it the book
    of "Look out, here it comes!"  Besides, I don't know if there are any
    Zoxinns left in Deruvia.  And I'm feeling bad about not mentioning
    Whacha, the book of entertainment, but I think I have the only one, and
    they won't need it.  I'll fix this part up later.]

THE BOOK OF SABANO
   Sabano is the book of conflict.  Like the other books, it contains six
spells.  Sabano's spells all deal with the fight against the forces of Dark-
ness.  You should learn several of each of the spells recorded in Sabano.

   [Boring!  These people know about the first three spell books; otherwise
    Rebnard wouldn't have let them in the door!  And Sabano is Ziyx's book,
    for the god's sake!  I can't teach HIM anything - he taught me every-
    thing that I know!
    All right.    Yes, it's important.  I'll explain the spells.  In detail,
    if you want.  Well, I'll do Fear in detail now, and explain the others
    as soon as I can spare the time.]

   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
                 [ page 50, column 1]
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.
   CONFUSE avoids conflict when traveling outdoors.  When enemy patrols have
located your party and are pursuing you, a Confuse spell will cause them to
forget about you.  They will resume their random wanderings.  Of course, there
is no guarantee that they will not randomly find you again right away.
   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.
   REPEL is the only way to resolve conflict with the poisonous snakes that in-
fest some dungeon corridors.  Each Repel spell clears a path for one person to
take one more step.  You may need to cast several to clear a path for your en-
tire party.
   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.
   ASSESS gives you knowledge of your opponents.  If it is cast during combat,
it will give you detailed knowledge of each of your enemies' strengths and
weaknesses.  If it is cast outdoors, it allows you to determine the general
makeup of a faraway patrol or guardpost.  The outdoor range depends on the
skill of the caster.
                 [ page 50, column 2]
THE BOOK OF ISHBAN
   Ishban is the book of change.

   [Hokum!  All spells make changes - otherwise, there wouldn't be any
    point in casting them, would there?]

   FIREBALL changes the very air to fire, and propels it toward your chosen
opponent.  Like Shatter, its strength depends on the caster's magic skill.  Un-
like Shatter, its power is always predictable.
   TELEPORT changes the location of the caster and his companions.  The tele-
port spell can only be used outdoors, and only where conditions are proper for
it.  Its range is limited by the caster's magic skill.  The most powerful mages
can save several hours of travel by teleporting, but Teleport is more often
used to cross impassable terrain than to save time.
   HEAL changes the stamina of its target to be as high as possible.  It does
not cure illness or poisoning.    For that, you need magical plants, or a visit
to one of the monks' sanctuaries.
   WEAKEN changes the target opponent's armor to sand, and its magical shield
to air.  Later attacks on that opponent will then do far more damage.
   VISION changes doors to glass for a brief time.  After casting a vision
spell, the magic user can see the hostile occupants of the chamber his party is
considering.  (The wizard's code prohibits using the vision spell to invade the
privacy of friendly folk.)
   FREEZE changes the target's sense of time, paralyzing him so that he is un-
able to attack or defend.  The duration of the spell depends on the magic skill
of the caster and the strength of the target.

THE BOOK OF DEMARO
   Demaro is the book of protection.  Its spells are used to prevent harm, to
remove obstacles, and to repair damage.
                 [ page 51, column 1]
   ENERGY restores the target's energy to its maximum possible.  The maximum is
lower when the target is ill or poisoned/
   PIERCE removes the energy fields that the Powers of Darkness use to block
access to vital areas of their strongholds.
   DISAPPEAR protects the person on whom it is cast by making him invisible for
a short time.  The duration of the invisibility depends on the magic skill of
the caster.  An invisible person can attack an opponent with no chance of miss-
ing, but the attack immediately makes him visible again.
   WALKWATER congeals portions of underground pools and streams, allowing the
caster and his party to walk on them.  It is not effective on deeper and
swifter bodies of water, such as oceans, lakes and rivers.  The distance that
can be covered during each walkwater spell depends on the magic skill of the
caster.  Several walkwater spells may be needed to cross a large pond, so it is
important to plan ahead.
   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.
   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.

   [Resurrect works by cleansing the corpse of the traces of Darkness.
    That usually returns the body from "nearly alive" to "nearly dead".
    I should explain the theory.]
                 [ page 51, column 2]
THE BOOK OF ZOXINN

   [Zoxinn does a lot of things to a lot of people.  They call it "The Book
    of Something."  Here are the spells.]

   ZOFIR is the counterspell to Freeze.  It removes paralysis, allowing its
target to return to combat immediately.
   ZAPALL throws fireballs against all the party's opponents at once.  The
fireballs are only half as powerful as those thrown against a single opponent
by the fireball spell, but still have their effect.
   ZENGRL restores full stamina to all the members of the caster's party. While
it can be cast in combat, it is usually more useful afterwards.
   ZISHOXE is to "Shield" as Zapall is to "Fireball".  It strengthens the mag-
ical shields of everyone in the caster's party, but only half as much as an
individual shield spell would.
   ZEFOAR throws a giant fireball.  It damages everyone near its landing point,
friend or enemy, as would a normal fireball spell.  Use with care.
   ZUTYUN makes the "Weaken" spell obsolete.  It affects all your opponents as
Weaken would affect one of them.  Their armor turns to sand; their shields van-
ish into air.

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.
                 [ page 52, column 1]
   [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 in-
crease 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 attact MUST succeed, chew a LUFFIN flower.  It will magically
increase your sword or axe 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 your sword or axe.  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 Dark-
ness.  Their next three blows will do you no harm.  Nifts
                 [ page 52, column 2]
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.
                 [ page 53, column 1]
   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 var-
iety of herbs and fungi.  This potion restores stamina in the same way as a
"Heal" spell.
                 [ page 53, column 2]

STRONGHOLDS OF DARKNESS

   Sir Levnkor, a noted explorer, has recently departed King Rebnard's castle.
He left behind the following notes for theuse of the companions.
                [ page 54, top of page]
   As the Forces of Darkness have gained strength in Deruvia, they have also
established strongholds.  They have taken over abandoned mines; they have con-
structed towers; they have even infiltrated castle dungeons.  In fact, "Dun-
geon" has become the word Deruvians use to refer to the strongholds of Dark-
ness.
   On general principles, these dens of vileness should be cleaned up.    General
principles aside, there are many practical reasons to take time from your quest
to explore these "dungeons."  Some of the most treasured secrets of earlier
Dervians were hidden underground - in the very spots the Denizens of Darkness
now occupy.  And the Denizens themselves hide thier own treasures in their
strongholds - ill-gotten gains that should be put to better use (after careful
inspection, cleaning and polishing).
                 [ page 54, column 1]
DUNGEON OBSTACLES
   The Powers of Darkness have, for their own reasons, built similar features
into all their strongholds.  These features are generally nasty, but can some-
times be turned to your advantage.
   DOORS:  Most of the valuable things, and most of the dangerous things as
well, are behind closed doors.    If you can't walk through a door, try kicking
it off its hinges.  (Hinges rust easily in a damp subterranean enviroment.)
   STAIRS:  Stairs might go up or down more than one level.  Luckily, Deruvians
have very sensitive inner ears - you can always tell exactly which level the
party is exploring.
   MAPPING:  Without the sun and stars to guide you, it is easy to become con-
fused.    If you were an orc of little brain, imagine how much easier it
                 [ page 54, column 2]
would be to become confused.  To direct their Minions, the Lords of Darkness
have placed mapping devices in their strongholds.
   PORTAL AREAS:  Some areas in a stronghold trigger automatic teleportal
devices.  These areas provide quick transportation to another part of the
stronghold.  They are strictly one-way.
   CHUTES:  More aids to quick transportation are the slippery chutes on which
the Denizens of Darkness slide to a lower level.  They generally land on each
other at the bottom, causing a great deal of merriment and mayhem.
   WATER:  Subterranean areas are subject to seepage.  The Powers of Darkness
do not always concentrate on keeping things clean and dry and neat and tidy.
You will find deep pools of water - or something looking much like water - in
your path.  The "Walkwater" spell allows the party to skip gracefully across
the pools - for a short period of time.  Don't go forward further than you can
go back.
   PARASITE MOSS:  Damp areas are not always submerged.  Sometimes they provide
an ideal growing enviroment for a species of moss that spreads spores and ex-
tends tendrils to drain energy from anyone walking in the area.  Exterminating
the moss appears impossible.  Just tiptoe across it, and make sure you have
plenty of sermin mushrooms to restore your energy on the other side.
   ENERGY FIELDS:  Certain places are protected from casual visits, vandalism
and graffiti by energy fields.    Any magic-user with the "Pierce" spell can gain
entrance.
   GUARDIAN SNAKES:  The Powers of Darkness do not trust energy fields to pro-
tect all the important locations in their
                 [ page 55, column 1]
strongholds.  They have also created poisonous entities resembling snakes that
must be sent away with the "Repel" spell - normal attacks and other spells do
not affect them.
   LAVA:  The Powers of Darkness do not always trust either energy fields or
guardian snakes for protection.  (If the truth be told, the Powers of Darkness
have not yet been known to trust anything or anyone.)  Since energy fields and
guardian snakes are vulnerable to normal magic, some locations have been pro-
tected by rifts in the crust of the world.  The resulting lava flows can be
crossed only by wearing special protective boots.  The rifts in the crust of
the world are also a disheartening prospect.
   TIME TRAPS:    While the lava, snakes and energy fields protect the Secrets of
Darkness from Darkness's own Minions, the Time Traps scattered throughout the
strongholds are designed purely to defend against invasion by the Children of
Light.    Anyone stepping into a Time Trap feels no effect.  But, on taking the
next step, the party will realize that it is considerably later than they
think...The Forces of Darkness have gained their most precious commodity: time.

OLD DWARVISH
   Some of the dungeons were formerly dwarf mines.  The signs and scrolls en-
countered at these locations will be written in the ancient Dwarvish tongue.
In order to decipher these messages, you must find certain scholars who still
possess the knowledge to understand the language.  They can provide you with
simple dictionaries.
                 [ page 55, column 2]

HISTORY AND LEGENDS

   Father Gostav has spent many years composing a history of the Deruvias.  He
is now on a pilgrimage, visiting his brother monks in their sanctuary in Uber-
ion and searching for a passage to the lost temple of Valon.  These abridged
chapters of his history may be of use to you in your quest.
                [ page 56, top of page]
   THE DARK INVASION
   In the latter part of the Elden Age, long before the appearance of wizards
and the race of man in the Deruvias, the Powers of Darkness launched the great-
est invasion history has ever known.  From faroff Gurtex the Minions of Dark-
ness came in thousands, and then came thousands more.
   Surprised and overwhelmed, the Eldens were unable to resist.  Their scat-
tered remnants fled deep into the mountains of Udar and the forests of Trilliad
to gather themselves for defense and counterattack.
  In the crags and chasms of Udar, the hardy subjects of Dwarvenking Thorin
joined with the Eldens led by the mighty warrior Zilbann and the great mage
Zokadir to keep the Minions of Darkness at bay.  During the years of exile, the
dwarves forged for Zilbann the mighty sword Brennix, and Zokadir placed upon
Brennix its famed enchantment.
   Those same years were put to good use in Trilliad, where Speaker Zehran of
the Eldens and King Enegail of the elves gathered and trained the largest army
ever formed by the Children of Light.
   Finally, Zehran sent the call southward.  The two Elden armies and their
allies would meet on the banks of the River Shelan in
                 [ page 56, column 1]
South Bihun to drive the archdemon Dreax and his Dark Horde from Deruvia.

   (Here, Father Gostav relates at length the trials and glories of the marches
    to Bihun.)

THE BATTLES OF BIHUN
   As the armies advanced northward into Bihun, they discovered the Forces of
Darkness to be much stronger than their worst fears.  Zehran had not exepected
an easy victory, even with the powerful new Elden magic from Zokadir's studies,
but now any victory at all was almost beyond hope.

   (Father Gostav details the many heroic battle that followed.)

   After weeks of fighting, Zehran was close to despair.  Despite victory after
victory for the Children of Light, the forces of Darkness were as numerous as
ever.  With free access to the beaches of North Bihun, Dark reinforcements were
arriving in swarms, as if they were created from the smoky air.  There were too
many beaches, and the Children of Light could not build a blockading navy in
the mountains and forests.
   In council, the great mage Zokadir uttered the now-famous words:  "If you
cannot wound the body, you must sever the head."  All agreed that, were it not
for the leader-
                 [ page 56, column 2]
ship of the archdemon Dreax, the Dark Horde could be eventually defeated.  But
Dreax could not be killed.  They had all seen Dreax slain in battle several
times, only to vanish in a cloud of greasy smoke and reappear on the field the
next day.
   "Dreax cannot be killed, true," said Zokadir, "but he can be captured."  He
explained his plan.  He and his apprentice Zirva had developed a series of
spells designed to trap the mighty demon in the flame of a pure white candle.

THE CAPTURE OF DREAX
   (Father Gostav tells the well known story of the "Five Against Bedangidar."
    We skip to the climax:)

   Zibann fell, still clutching the ichor-covered Brennix, with a gaping wound
in his noble chest!  Dolgas and Elmion rushed to the attack, but were no match
for the demon, even with one arm gone.    Dreax swatted Dolgas across the bloody
chamber, then slashed the elf from gullet to bowel.  The archdemon turned from
the remains of Elmion to dispose of the semi-conscious dwarf and paused.  He
sniffed the dust and ashes in the air, whirled, finally noticed Zokadir and
Zirva, and realized his doom.  With a thunderous scream of despair, the arch-
demon was sucked into the flame of the Elden candle.
   As the Elden mages completed their sealing spells, Dolgas staggered to his
feet and went to Zilbann's side.  The warrior still lived!  "But not for long,
young friend," Zilbann whispered.  "Leave me.  Save the candle.  I would give
you Brennix, but you know the spell.  None save its rightful owner can lift the
sword, and I fear that I will remain its owner until my spirit is laid to rest.
Hurry!    Save the candle!"

   (The story continues with the flight
                 [ page 57, column 1]
    through the tunnels, Zokadir's tragic death, and the escape of Zirva and
    Dolgas with the candle.  With Dreax gone, the Forces of Darkness begin
    to fight among themselves, and the Children of Light prevail.  It's an
    old story, but Father Gostav tells it well.)

FORT BERBEZZA
   The war was over.  Enegail and his elves had returned to Trilliad, Thorin
and his dwarves were about to leave.  Most were returning to Udar with Thorin,
but some were heading northwest with the hero Dolgas to see what lay beyond the
Gambode Pass.  As the groups parted, Thorin called to Dolgas.  "May dwarvenkind
always remember this struggle, and your bravery," said Thorin.  He handed Dol-
gas his battered warhammer.  "Take this with you as a reminder.  May you never
need to use it.  If you do, use it well."
   Zehran basde farewell to Thorin and Dolgas.    But where was the other hero?
Zirva had, thought Zehran, been absent from many of the recent ceremonies and
celebrations.  He sought Zirva out in Zokadir's old quarters, and found him
slumped in exhaustion at the table on which stood Dreax's candle.
   How much bravery resembles foolishness, thought Zehran.  Throughout the
close of the war, throughout the celebrations, throughout the ceremonies, Zirva
must have been maintaining the candle's spells all by himself, never asking for
help.  Zehran's thoughts unwillingly proceeded to his own foolishness.  He
should have realized that candles melt and that candle flames are likely to
flicker out.  All of Zirva's energies must have gone to keeping the candle at
its full height and the flame at its full strength
                 [ page 57, column 2]
   And so it came to pass that Speaker Zehran ordered a mighty fortress built
at Berbezza.  Zirva and his new assistants - for Zirva was now a master mage,
no longer an apprentice - were given the finest of accomodations there, with
the best of serving staffs to attend to their everyday needs.
   A giant candle of purest white was made under Zirva's direction and in-
stalled in Berbezza's main hall.  Forty-four Elden mages labored for forty-four
days to transfer the archdemon Dreax from the flame
                 [ page 58, column 1]
brought from Bedandigar to the flame of the giant candle at Berbezza.  King
Enegail of the elves sent forty-four of his finest rangers to seal the passes
into Berbezza with elvish sorcery, so that none might wander in Berbezza un-
wanted.
   And so it came to pass that the valley of Berbezza became known as the "Hid-
den Vale", and the giant candle in Fort Berbezza became known as the "Magic
Candle".  And forty-four mages labor there still.  And so shall they forever.
                 [ page 58, column 2]
   Father Gostav, as you have noticed, borrows highly from liturgy in this
chapter.  Since he left, the liturgy has been shaken to its very roots.  "For-
ever" may be over.  We have not had word from even one mage at Berbezza this
year, let alone 44.  The Magic Candle cannot last long if it is unattended.
              [ page 58, bottom of page]

APPENDICES

STRATEGIES IN THE EARLY GAME

   After you have recruited your companions, talked to the inhabitants of King
Rebnard's castle, traveled to Port Avur, bought supplies, and talked to the
townsfolk in the streets, in the library, and at the tavern, you may be unsure
about the right thing to do next.  That's fine.  We, the developers and play-
testers of The Magic Candle, believe that there is no one "right thing" to do
next.  There are several possibilities, and most of them are worthwhile.
   Your ultimate goal, of course, is to restore the Magic Candle and keep
Dreax captive forever.    You can't do that yet.  You need more resources, more
power, and more information.

PORT AVUR
   You might stay in Port Avur for a while, building up resources and pwer.
Resources are found as Lufer says, and on the corpses of the patrols and guards
you defeat.  Check out the rumor that bridge guardians carry a lot of cash.
Cleaning out the patrols and guards also gives you power as your weapon and
magic skills increase by successful use, and makes Pheron safe for future
travel (until September).  You can also gain information - both about interest-
                 [ page 59, column 1]
ing locations in Pheron and from encounters on the roads.  While you're resting
at night, you can learn spells and hunt for food.

BONDELL
   If you have been having trouble getting people to talk to you, you can
travel to Bondell to improve your charisma.  The trip won't be cheap - you'll
need over 500 coins for passage and lessons.  1000 coins would be even better.
This strategy is good for increasing power - the charisma you'll gain, and the
spells you'll learn on shipboard - and information, from the citizens of Keof
and Bondell.

SOLDAIN
   Two immediate reasons to visit Soldain are to check out Sir Gustron's rumor
about the Hammer of Thorin and to follow Chilek's advice about spell books.
Much information is to be gained, both during the trip and after your arrival.
And, if you can afford to buy a spell book in Soldain (which, frankly, is un-
likely), you will gain a great deal of power.

DERMAGUD
   Your boldest and most dangerous strategy is to set off for Dermagud immed-
iately from Port Avur.    Before you set out, you should be properly equipped and
should know the magic words to chant at Dermagud's gate.  Although Dermagud is
full of peril, it is an excellent source of power, resources, and information.
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FRAGMENTS OF THE ZIRVANAD

   Our loyal servant Chilek has found a scrap of parchment in a storage room.
It might be a fragment of the lost Zirvanad.  Some parts are illegible.
                [ page 60, top of page]
CHAPTER V. SHOULD THE CANDLE START TO MELT
   In the event that the candle starts to melt, the following steps must be
taken to prevent Dreax's escape.
   Three magic users must enter the hall and locate the three lighting stones.
   Each magic user must possess one of the following items:  The white amulet
of light; The green ring of order; The blue ring of power.
   The holder of each item must stand on the stone of its color:  blue on blue,
white on white, and green on green.
   The holder of the .................. starts the process by chanting the
"Ritual of ......................."  It is essential that the steps described
herein be executed in the exact order specified.
   (Three of the following spells must be cast immediately after using magical
dusts and ashes.  Do not allow the dust to settle before chanting the magic
words.)
   Next, the wearer of the ............. must throw ...................... into
the air and conjure a "Bubble of Captivity."  The bubble will cage Dreax while
the candle is being repaired.
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   Once the bubble is formed, it is time to transfer Dreax from the flame of
the candle into the bubble.
   This is done by the ............. holder, who sprinkles .............. dust
into the air and chants the "Three ................................ while the
dust floats around the candle.
   Without the effect ................, Dreax cannot be contained within the
bubble for more than a few seconds.
   Following the transfer, the .................. chants "Ude", "S........."
and "D..........." to prepare the candle for repair.
   Immediately, ............... holder must fling a pinch of ..................
into the air and chant "Exi.............to", "H................." and "Behsaim"
before it settles.
   At this point, if all was done properly, the candle will now be whole again.
   There now remains one last step, the task of transferring Dreax back into
the candle's flame.
   This operation is performed by ................ chanting "E...............",
"Hox", and, finally, "Begone".
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