LSD Docs/LSD Docs.iso/FILEZ/lsdspr15.dms/lsdspr15.adf/Barbarian.Doc.pp/Barbarian.Doc

Text File | 1978-01-06 | 29KB | 546 lines

Welcome to the world of Barbarian.

In this world you control our hero "Hegor". Once the game has started you will
see him standing in the marsh. Using the mouse, jouystick or keyboard (or all
three simultaneously) you issue commands that control his actions. Thus
enabling you to explore the world of Durgan.

You should always remember that Barbarian features context sensitive animation
which allows the same commands to do different things depending on the
situation Hegor is involved in.

In order to complete the game you must locate and destroy the crystal which is
the source of the evil power of Necron. Once the crystal has been destroyed the
volcano in which Durgan is located will start to erupt making it imperative
that you reach the surface again before it blows.

The time that it took you to destroy the crystal is not only your score for the
game but it is also the time which you have to get back to the starting point
in the marsh. This "about to erupt" phase of the game play is indicated by your
score timer now counting backwards and a slightly red tinge to the normally
black color of the screens border.

The Game may be controlled from the keyboard, by the mouse or by a joystick in
any combination. Whilst you are playing Barbarian you will see a strip of icons
at the bottom of the screen. Pressing the right mouse button will reveal a
second icon strip which also contains the game status information.

______________________________________________________________________________

    LEFT  UP/DOWN  RIGHT   STOP   JUMP   RUN   ATTACK   DEFEND  FLEE

LEFT    Moves Hegor left if he is facing left or turns him to face left if he
        is facing right.
UP      Hegor will move up a ladder or stairs at the next available
        opportunity.
DOWN    Hegor will move down a ladder or stairs at the next available
    opportunity.
RIGHT    Move Hegor right if he is facing right or turns him to face right if
    he is facing left.
STOP     Stop's Hegor's movement.
JUMP    Hegor jumps in the direction in which he is facing (not that the jump
    is different if Hegor is running).
RUN    Hegor runs in the direction in which he is facing.
ATTACK    Hegor attacks in an appropriate manner (It all depends on which weapon
    he is using and what he is attacking).
DEFEND    Hegor defends in an appropriate manner (It all depends on which weapon
    he is using and from what he is defending).
FLEE    Hegor immediately turns around and runs away (the penalty is that he
    drops his possessions).

                                                                _______________
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________________________________________________________________|

   GET           USE        PUT DOWN  --------OBJECT ICONS------- SCORE/TIMER


GET        Hegor picks up whatever he is standing near and places it in
        his "magic pouch".
USE        You must click the icon (displayed in the strip) for the object
        you wish to use.
PUT DOWN    Hegor drops the object he is using.
OBJECT ICONS    Pictorial representations of the objects Hegor is carrying to
        be used in conjunction with the USE command. The object
        currently in use is highlighted.
ARROW COUNT    The number of arrows Hegor is carrying. Without arrows the bow
        is useless.
LIVES LEFT    Up to three small pictures of Hegor denoting how many lives he
        has left to complete his quest.
SCORE TIMER    The time taken to complete your quest so far. In the end phase
        of the game when the volcano is errupting the timer will count
        backwards denoting the time you have left to reach the marsh
        before the mountain top blows itself apart.

MOUSE CONTROL

You may issue command sequences to the game through the mouse by positioning
the hand cursor over an icon and pressing the left hand mouse button. The right
mouse button will toggle to the alternate icons/status strip. If the mouse
pointer is moved into the game area of your screen it will change shape to a
direction cursor. Clicking the left hand button will cause a movement command
to be issued dependent on which side of the centre of Hegor the cursor is
positioned.

JOYSTICK CONTROL (NOT RECOMMENDED)

Plug any standard switch type joystick in to the socket next to the mouse
socket. Movement of the joystick in a particular direction will issue the
equivalent movement command in the same way as the direction icons. The fire
button will issue the attack command.

KEYBOARD CONTROL

The following keys may be pressed at any time during play to issue commands.

<Left Arrow>    Move Left        F or F1         Get
<Up Arrow>    Move Up            U or F2         Use
<Down Arrow>    Move Down        P or F3         Put Down
<Right Arrow>    Move Right
S or F4        Stop            <Space Bar>  Switch to alternate Strip.
J or F5        Jump            <Esc>         Pause
R or F6        Run            <Help>       Game Options
A or F7        Attack
D or F8        Defend
F or F9        Flee

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Barbarian the Game

Can you become Hegor the Barbarian?

Are you the warrior who can enter the fearful realms of the underground world
of Durgan, a world terrorized by the evil Necron?

Your quest; to destroy the lair of the accursed Necron. Your prize; the
kingdon's crown.

Your task is awesome!  You must live on your wits, conquer your innermost
fears, use every skill and weapon available to you.

Hideous perils await.  Can you survive?...............


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Hegor the Barbarian

As everyone knows, Hegor was the most famous dragon-slayer of them all.

                 *      *       *         *       *

From an early age Hegor was schooled in the use of several weapons by his
father Thoron, a revered and respected hunter. Each day, before most of the
other villagers were awake, Hegor and his father would go off into the woods
that surrounded the little village of Thelston. Here, under Thoron's tuition,
Hegor first learned how to use a spear, as he grew older and stronger, a bow
and arrow and finally, a sword. Whilst teaching his son, Thoron would tell
stories of his adventures when he was a young man. Hegor was fascinated by
these tales and longed to go off on an adventure himself. In his early teens
Hegor's life was changed dramatically by an quite unexpected event. One day,
when he was returning hon Hegor was startled by a great commotion on the
outskirts of the village; people were running around screaming and shouting, a
huge dragon was attacking the village, a man was trying to fend it away with a
sword, Hegor froze....it was his father.

Hegor watched the entire episode as Thoron fought desperately, but in vain,
against the huge fire-breathing monster. Wielding his mighty sword, Theron had
managed to force the dragon away from the village but the great beast in a
frenzied retreat lashed out its enormous tail, there was an almight crack as
the tail smashed into Thoron's head, breaking his neck and killing him
instantly. Having mutilated its victum, the cragon ripped the head from the
lifeless corpse and devoured it, then picking up the body in its mouth it
disappeared back into the woods.

Thoron had sacrificed his own life to save the village and Hegor had been
robbed of his only remaining family. In the wake of this gruesome scenario,
holding his father's sword on the spot where the body had lain, Hegor made a
vow: some day he would avenge his father's brutal death and destroy the evil
dragon.

If he was to fulfill this impossible pledge, Hegor knew that he must leave
Thelson and travel away in search of adventure. He knew that he would have to
survive many adventures and learn many secrets, before he would ever be ready
to take on the beast that had so easily defeated his father.

                                *   *   *

For three years, Hegor traveled the land in search of evil, never shirking the
duty he had bestowed upon himself.

He forged quite a reputation for himself throughout the kingdom; people would
travel from all around to ask for his help to save their villages from all
kinds of strange monsters and evil characters. Hegor had become the most famous
dragon-slayer in the land.

It was at about this time, in the small rural village of Egdon that Hegor came
across an aging dragon-slayer by the name of Commat, who told stories of his
conquests, the places he had visited and the horrendous injuries he had
endured. Listening to these stories reminded Hegor, of when he used to sit with
his father as he recounted the tales of his own adventures.

In truth, Commat had only ever killed one dragon and that was a blind and
decrepit old beast that had been drugged senseless by an ancient druid potion.
Commat had however spent several years traveling round with a renowned hunter
called Raiph, who was eventually killed by bandits in an ambush.  It was after
this that Commat began taking the credit for many of Raiph's conquests, telling
of their adventures with him as the hero and Raiph as the coward.

Now there was one particular story that really fascinated Hegor; Commat would
tellhow he and Raiph had stumbled upon an underground kingdom completely by
accident. This was a kingdom ruled by the sinister Necron, an incredibly evil
being of awesome power and influence over his devilish band of guardians and
subordinates. Commat described how he had been forced to venture into the dark
caves alone because Raiph ad been too afraid. The story continued that they
both had to run for their lives, chased by a gang of hideous dog-like
creatures, the number of which would increase each time he told the story.

The part that intrigued Hegor was the bit about Necron; he was sure that his
father had mentioned that name, he seemed to recall something about the
underground world that Commat spoke of and was always pestering Commat to tell
the story again. Commat was however, unable to elaborate further as he had not
been there at all, having in truth heard the story from a drunk in a tavern,
but he still managed to add new details himself each time he told the tale.

Commat's favorite place for telling these stories was the tavern at Egdon, the
Druid Inn. Before long, Hegor began to develop a taste for the frothy ale
served up by big Rosie, the landlady. By now Hegor was spending as much time as
Commat in the tavern, listening to his stories for hours on end, the ale and
the damp smoky atmosphere all adding to the intrigue and fascination. All was
well until one night Hegor had got so drunk that he had fallen asleep in the
tavern, awakening to find himself alone in the tavern with big Rosie.

That morning inspired by his experience in the tavern, Hegor went out and
killed a dragon he had been hunting for several weeks. From that day forward,
Hegor would celebrate each of his conquests for at least a week, drinking
copious amounts of ale and leaving no woman in the surrounding area safe.  Thus
Hegor's reputation spread not only for being the most famous dragon-slayer but
also the most famous drinker and womaniser in the kingdon.

                           *  *  *  *   *

Several years on Hegor was still roaming the land seeking adventure, slaying
evil-doers and dragons; all the time celebrating his great victories in a way
that only he could. But this was not to last, as he traveled from town to town,
Hegor began to hear rumors of strange happenings at his home village of
Thelston; at first the rumors were of complete fields of crops being totally
destroyed in a single night, then of livestock going missing, of children being
stolen from their beds and finally houses being burnt as the occupants slept.

Stories travelled throughout the land, of werewolves and ape-like men,
controlled by some immense power, terrorizing other villages in the area. As
the rumor and the accompanying fear spread so did the desolation, before long
the whole kingdom was in turmoil.

The King called together elders from all over the land.....  After three days
of talking the King finally sent out his decree:  "Whosoever could put a stop
to this destruction and remove the evil power behind it, would be entitled to
claim the kingdom's crown and all its riches."  The King knew that if something
was not done soon, his subjects would be devastated by famine and poverty.

Hearing of the decree, Hegor knew immediately that only he could destroy this
evil force and save the kingdom. The trouble had started near Thelston, so he
set off immediately, after all these years he was going home.

Hegor had been walking for two whold days before the surroundings began to look
familiar, he was close now, a strange sense of foreboding filled his mind and
the warm afternoon sun offered no comfort from the cold sweat that had broken
out over his body.  He didn't know why he felt like this but he did know he was
part of it, as if the terror and suffering was for some reason directed at him.

As he approached he could see wisps of smoke rising above the tree-tops, coming
to the woods where he had played as a child he thought of the happier days when
his father had taught him to fight and of when they had sat together against a
tree whilst Thoron told the stories of his great adventures. Hegor found the
old path that led through the woods to the village, a little overgrown now by
still discernable.

Coming through the trees, Hegor caught his first glimpse of the village, it
seemed to be deserted, but then he caught sight of two old men sitting on a
bench outside a dilapidated old house on the outskirts of the village.  The
thatched roof was threadbare and the stone walls bore the scars of many ancient
repairs which were not crumbling again.

As he passed the two men were talking, seemingly oblivious of his presence.  It
occurred to him that there must have been many young men passing through the
village recently, all wishing to claim the crown for themselves.  Approaching
the centre of the village, Hegor was amazed at the state of disrepair, many of
the houses had obviously been empty for some time and were decaying rapidly.
An old woman was fetching water from the well, bent forward, she stumbled
several times under the weight of the paid, an old man dozed in the warmth of
the afternoon sun.......all the people were old.  Hegor remembered the dozens
of children playing around the houses and in the woods, where were they all?

Hegor returned to the house where the two old men had been sitting, one had
already gone, the other was lifting himself stiffly from his chair.

"Hey! Old man."  Shouted Hegor as he approached. The old man, now standing with
the aid of a stick, slowly turned his head to face Hegor....he said nothing.
Hegor came closer.

"Where is everyone? The children, the families where are they?"

"Gone," said the old man "All gone.  All trying to escape the eveil powers of
Necron."

Hegor froze, recalling Commat's story and the name he had heard his father
mention as a child. The old man began to speak again, Hegor noticed the empty
bottle of spirit by his chair, he was drunk.

"No one can escape Necron, he has destroyed Thelston and many other villages
nearby, soon he will destroy the whole kingdom. Like yourself, many young men
have come here trying to destroy the whole kingdom. Like yourself, many young
men have come here trying to destroy him and his underground kingdom, none have
returned, not even the great Thoron could survive the wrath of Necron."

Thoron you say? I am Hegor, Thoron was my father."

"Hegor!....You should not have returned here."

"Tell me old man, the great beast that killed my father, was it sent by this
Necron?"

"It was indeed. The beast "Vulcuran" is his guardian. Only once has the dragon
left the underground kingdom of Durgan, to kill Thoron and put a stop to the
almighty feud that existed between your father and Necron.  That would have
been the end of it, but for you Hegor, when your father was killed you vowed to
avenge his death, now Necron sees you as a threat to his power."

Hegor remembered how he had felt as he approached Thelston earlier that day,
how he had felt in some way part of all this, he also remembered the story his
father had told him; of his friend Necron, who had turned to the ways of evil.

"But my father told me that he had killed Necron, that they had been friends
until Necron turned evil and how he had been forced to kill him with this very
sword."

"What you say is true Hegor, Thoron did kill Necron and with that sword, but
Necron has strange powers; the powers of darkness and evil. He can only be
destroyed by a being who commands equal power; the power of good. Your father
had that power but he was weary and became careless, he allowed Necron's soul
to live because they had been friends. Now the evil one lives on in a decaying
body, after all these years his revenge is almost complete, he has destroyed
Thoron and all that remains is for him to kill you, cutting Thoron's last blood
line. You are the last remaining threat to his power and now you must also die,
completing his plan, a plan that through a trail of destruction has drawn you
into his web.

For the first time in his life Hegor felt fear, but his need for revenge
suppressed the fear and replaced it with the anger that had been pent up inside
him ever since his father's death.

"Why does Necron not send the great beast to kill me?"

"The great bease cannot leav Durgan. After so many years, it has grown fat from
eating human flesh and is now too big to leave the caves which lead to Necron's
temple. Instead, Necron sends out his evil followers to take children from
their beds at night, to feed the monster."

"Then I must destroy Necron and his underground kingdom."

"First Hegor, you must know the story of Thoron and Necron."  At that, the old
man hobbled into the house, beckoning Hegor to follow.

Inside, the old man motioned Hegor to sit at the table in the corner. He then
produced a bottle of spirit and two metal cups and struggled into the seat
opposite Hegor.

Hegor drank thirstily after his long journey, the spirit had no obvious effect.
The old man was stunned at how Hegor drank, for this was his oldest bottle and
as strong as any drink in the kingdom. He refilled Hegor's cup and began the
story........

                              *   *   *   *   *

The tale began with Thoron and Necron as children. The old man revealed that
they were not in fact friends, as he had said before, but brothers, twins in
fact, and how they had always been very cl9ose and went everywhere together.

One day when they had been playing in the woods, they had come across and 9old
man who had fallen down, fascinated by his long white beard and flowing hair,
they had helped him to his feet. The old man had scurried away without a word.
The next day, the boys saw the man again, waiting for them, near to where he
had fallen; the man thanked them for their help and told them he was d Druid
and thus normally forbidden to speak, but as they had been so kind he promised
to repay them.

Each day afterwards the boys med the Druid in the woods, at first he would just
tell them stories, each one about a good man and an evil man, and at the end of
each story he would always say: "And good finally triumphed over evil," and the
tow boys would clap and cheer. One afternoon, after some weeks, the boys turned
up as usual, to find the old Druid waiting for them, only this time he had some
weapons with him; a spear, a bow and arrow and a sword.

For a year the Druid taught the boys how to use each of the weapons. At the end
of every lesson, the old man would take the weapons away with him and forbid
the two boys from saying anything to anyone, about their meetings. As the boys
were starting hime after one of the lessons, the Druid shouted after them to
come early the next day.

When they arrived they were surprised to see that he only carried the sword and
the bow with him. He asked the boys to close their eyes, as they did so they
both felt a strange sensation pass over their bodies. The old man then told
Necron to think of fire, at that instant bolts of flames flew from the boy's
hands and destroyed the nearest tree. Whilst they were still in a state of
shock, the Druid told Thoron to think of good and as he did, he experienced a
warmth envelop his whole body and an immense power in his hands. Necron was
told that he must never use the fire against Thoron, for Thoron's power was
equal to his and just by holding hands, Thoron could reflect the fire back at
Necron and Kill him.

The Druid then sat the boys down and began one of his stories. As usual, the
tale told was of good triumphing over evil, concluding as always with the
destruction of the evil man's body and soul. The Druid continued, telling the
twins that the story was really about them and that how Necron would become
evil, usint his special powers to destroy and corrupt. He also told of how
Thoron whould become the embodiment of all that was good and how he would use
his powers to suppress and stamp out evil.

With the story told the old Druid handed the sparkling sword to Thoron, the
very same sword that Hegor now held, and the beautiful bow to Necron, without
uttering another word, he then walked behind a tree and vanished never to be
seen again.

The two boys did not understand what the Druid had told them and they soon
forgot about their strange powers and the Druid's riddle about their future.
The sword and the bow, however, remained very precious to the twins and they
treaured them always.

                             *  *  *  *  *   *   *

Many years later when the twins had grown up and gone their separate ways,
Thoron, on one of his many adventures came across a large town ruled by a much
despised, rich and evil man. When Thoron asked why the townspeople did not
throw him out of the town, they said it was impossible, tht he was the very
devil himself, that fire came from his hands and that with his bow he could
shoot an arrow through the eye of a bird perched in the highest tree.

Thoron was stunned, it had to be Necron. The old Druid's tale had come true.

He went to see Necron in his huge house, at the centre of the town. Necron
welcomed his brother with such open arms and hospitality, that Thoron could not
believe that his brother had done the terrible things that the townsfold spoke
of; burning down houses and executing entire families for not paying their
taxes.

This belief was short lived, the following morning Necron showed Thoron all his
riches, a whole room of his house was filled with precious things. Necron then
offered to share his riches with his brother, saying that they could take over
the neighboring town and double their wealth. Thoron went wild at the thought
that Necron felt he could so easily be corrupted, and a fierce fight ensued.

The two brothers knowing that their powers were useless against each other,
began fighting hand to hand. They fought like wild animals for hour after hour
but as dusk drew in Thoron eventually managed to overpower Necron and in an
endeavor to rid the town of this terrible evil drew his sword and with one
mighty blow severed Necron's head from his body.

Standing over the body, exhausted, Thoron watched it change into a gleaming
crystal, the very symbol of evil, he uttered the words of the old Druid, "Good
finally triumphs over evil."

Thoron knew that the crystal could only be destroyed by the burning heat of the
Earth's very bowels, but was unable to bring himself to burn his own brother's
soul. Feeling safe in the knowledte that Necron could never again walk the
earth, Thoron turned away.....

Suddenly the crystal begn to glow and with a blinding flash vanished, taking
the Druid's bow with it...... unknown to Thoron, Necron's evil lived on!

Thoron was hailed a hero among the townspeople but despite their pleading,
would not stay and become their leader, for he was too ashamed at the suffering
his brother had brought them. Instead, he settled in the nearby village of
Thelston and married, his wife soon bearing a son.

Necron's soul was banished to the worlds of darkness, never to walk the earth
again. So, he created the underground world of Durgan and in it he lived with
his hideous band of followers and Vulcuran his guardian.

The old man continued the story passing through time and unimportant events
finally reaching the point of the death of Hegor's mother, Naylar. Hegor knew
most of it but he did not know that her death had been caused by Necron and his
pack of evil hell-hounds.

It was at this time that Thoron had realized Necron was still alive and sought
revenge, not just on him, but also on his family. This explined why Thoron had
never taken another wife, choosing to raise his child alone, and also why he
had taught Hegor to fight, as he had been taught, by the old Druid.

So when the great dragon came to Thelston, Thoron was expecting it. He knew
that he would need a bow, the like of Necron's to kill this beast and that a
single arrow would be a mere pin-prick to such a huge monster. But with time
and the mourning for his lost wife he had grown weary of fighting and,
satisfied that Hegor was ready to take up the battle with Necron, he merely
ensured that the dragon did not reach the village, before giving himself up to
the beast.

At this point, the old man paused to refill Hegor's cup before continuing
"Now Hegor, it is up to you but remember the world of Durgan is filled with
evil creatures and there is Vulcuran guarding the passage which leads to
Necron's temple. Necron himself possesses great powers, magic powers, of which
you must beware. Only an equal power can destroy. him. You Hegor, do not have
the physical powers of Necron or your father, but with the knowledge that
Thoron has passed on to you, you can destroy the soul of Necron and the world
of Durgan. Remember that Necron's fire was useless against Thoron. Find a means
to reflect his bolts of fire and you can kill him, it is your destiny. Then
Hegor, you shall become King."

The two men continued talking and drinking bottles of the old man's spirit,
which he kept producing from a dark alcove in another corner of the room, into
the early hours of the morning.......

Hegor awoke with a start, for a moment he didn't know where he was. He felt a
sharp jab to his side and turned to see the old man lowering his stick. "Come
Hegor, the sun is almost up, you have work to do, today you shall become King."

Hegor went to the doorway, stepping out, he breathed in the cold morning air.
Thelston looked, sonehow different in the half light of dawn, and he could
almost hear the children's laughter as if they were playing in the village.

"You must not forget this Hegor," said the old man handing Hegor his sword.

The old man led the way, the pace was slow and the old man leant heavily on his
stick, but he did not complain. They came to the woods, beyond the fartherest
end of the village. Hegor stopped momentarily, the horrific memories of his
father's body, hanging from the dragon's mouth, all those years ago, flooded
back.

......Deep into the forest now, Hegor was becoming impatient at the old man's
slowness.

"Anyway old man, how do you know so much about my father and Necron?"

As he finished speaking, there was a low whistle in the air, at the same moment
Hegor heard a great thud and the familiar sound of bones smashing. He ducked
instinctively, and there was silence. Turning quickly, Hegor gasped. The old
man had been thrown back and lay slumped against a tree, an arrow protruding
grotesquely from his right eye, blood began to trickle down the side of his
face. The old man's stick lay forlorn on the spot where he had stood just a
moment before.

Hegor walked towards the body. He froze. The old man's face was changing. It
became the face of Thoron, the arrow had gone, he spoke "Today, my son, you
shall avenge my death and become King."

"Father!" Shouted Hegor.

As he shouted there was another whistle, Hegor dropped like a stone, to the
ground. But this was a different sound, he looked up and stared in disbelief.
The body was gone, only the stick remained. Suddenly, the trees began to shake
and the leaves on the ground were whipped up, swirling in the air, as his
father's voice echoed in the wind. "Good will triumph over evil."

Hegor turned and started running, in the direction the old man had shown him.
Gasping for breath, Hegor kept running, the undergrowth was thick here, but he
was totally oblivious to the brambles and branches tearing at his fleash, as if
in a desperate attempt to stop him. His father's words filled his mind. Nothing
could stop him now.

Finally, after years of torment he was about to avenge the death of his beloved
father.

Hegor came hurtling through the trees and stopped dead in his tracks. A vast
marshland lay before him................................