Lands of Lore:The Throne of Chaos Virgin/Westwood Associates

     Part 4 of a solution by Roy Sims, IBM PC version.

@~Continued from last issue.

(21) Yvel Woods (again)

The woods are reasonably large, and they are crawling with Great
Orcs and other beasts. Don't use blunt weapons as they won't have
much effect.

There are a couple of locations that you must visit. Yvel City is
one of them, but you must first get past another barrier that
Scotia has created. To do this you need a second Vaelan's cube and
it just so happens that one of the Great Orcs will drop one when
defeated. Use the cube twice to destroy the barrier.

(You should also visit Vulture's Chasm to see the Orcs cut the
bridge to the Castle (which is where Scotia lives). You will need
to find another way in, but you won't find it out here in the
woods).

Just around the corner from where the barrier was you should find
a chest. Inside is a curious shield of stealth, and an Arbalest
'equalizer' (bow). There isn't much else to be found here until
you discover the entrance to Yvel City...

(22) Yvel City

The city is quite large and there are a number of locations to
visit. You won't be attacked by anything for now, so use the time
to explore and map out the entire city. Many doors are boarded up,
but some are not and inside you will find items in chests or just
lying around inside. (Some doors needs specific keys, whilst
others can be picked). Items like silent sandals, Bezel Cups, Oil
flasks, coins, a small lump of granite rock, bracers, the Ace of
Infinity, Arbalest 'redemption', Halberds 'Sever' and 'Widow',
Dwarvish plate mail, Ace of Oblivion, Aegis helm, etc. You might
also find an extra spell scroll lying around somewhere...

Yvel Council - Here you will meet up once again with the
mistrusting Chamberlain Geron. Show him the riddle scroll and he
will tell you to visit Sadie for the mother earth ingredient that
you are missing.

Sadie - She is the sister of Lora. She will give you the earth
vial for free if you show her the riddle scroll.

Bruno's lodge - The beggar will give you a whisper cloak for
helping him out earlier in the quest. Another man has a long tale
to tell but listen to it as it mentions a shard of truth, which
will become very important later.

There are two shops. One is run by Victor, but both are after
buying and selling different types of weaponry. Use them if you
feel that you need to.

Now take the earth vial back into the Tower level 1 and add it to
the Crucible of Faith. You now have the Elixir needed to cure King
Richard! You should now go back into Opinwood and find Droek's
Wagon so you can speak to Dawn. Returning to the wagon, you will
find Droek dying and Dawn has vanished! Go back to the Yvel City
and speak to Geron now that you have the Elixir. He refuses to
give you his key unless you are accompanied by Dawn!

On the way back to searching Opinwood again, you will encounter
Dawn nearby the Yvel Cave. She volunteers to get Nathaniel's key
but she says she needs her own back. Don't trust her! Argue the
point and she will transform into a dangerous giant lizard. Acting
quickly, use the Wand of death and she will quickly turn into a
rook and fly away, avoiding a magical confrontation. Now dash back
to Geron. It is obvious that Dawn has been captured by Scotia.

Upon entering the council room once again, Geron finally loses his
patience with the council and proclaims that everything now lies
in your hands. He will then lock you out of the council room, just
as an invasion of Great Orcs and Chaos Knights breach the city
defences!

You must continue fighting the hordes of orcs and Knights. At one
point Baccata will hear the sound of the Orc retreat horns. There
will still be a few in the City to be defeated but you should work
your way back to the council door. You will find a note from Geron
to Dawn stuck to the door saying that someone has stolen his key
and has fled into the Catwalk caverns. He tells you that the
entrance is near Bruno's lodge. Baccata seems to think that
Nathaniel may well be found in the caverns too.

Return to the lodge and you will see a previously hidden entrance
open. Go in and defend yourself against four more Great Orcs. A
wall button will reveal stairs down, leading to the underground
Catwalk caverns.

(23) Catwalk Caves

This is a very very large level to be explored. It may well seem
quite daunting at times, but don't despair. In this level you will
retrieve Geron's key and take on another quest!

You will first have to take on and defeat well over a dozen Chaos
Knights who roam near the cavern entrance. You will soon discover
why there are so many, as you stumble into the war room of
Frendor, who commands the Dark Army! With him is Mylek, the first
envoy and Victor, who has betrayed the King and joined the forces
of darkness! Whatever they say, refuse to join them. Destroy them
all, then take the items that Frendor leaves behind (Geron's key,
Dark statuette, and the Dark Gauntlet).

Explore the surrounding area. A wall button opens a niche that
contains a salve. Another alcove has a very odd looking impression
in the wall which doesn't seem to be of any real importance. This
area seems quite small until you realise that there is a strange
looking symbol on the wall in one corner that looks just like a
hand print. Pick up the Dark Gauntlet and press it into the hand
impression on the wall. A new passage is revealed. As you step
through, the wall behind will close.

Explore again to find two more similar hand impressions in the
wall. Try the N wall first by using the Dark Gauntlet again, as
you did before. In this new area you will quickly come across some
very small electrical entities who must be dealt with by casting a
powerful Lightning spell. The floor pressure plate will open the
door you find and the plate on the other side closes it again
behind you.

This new region may well have more Chaos Knights roaming the
passageways, as well as some annoying spinners and a few secret
walls. Going through a secret wall leads to more short corridors,
even more knights and spinners! You will also soon discover that
these secret walls are one way only! This forces you to continue
exploring the area. If you are thorough you will eventually reach
a very small room with a teleporter. Once you are in that small
room, you have no choice but to use the teleporter. It will
teleport you back to an area you've already explored, so there
really isn't much point in using it!

Further exploration will lead you up a new corridor, with many
Knights to defeat en route. You will end up at a metal door which
is opened with the Dark Gauntlet. This leads you into a larger,
more open area with many doors and pressure plates. A few Knight
guards wander around here so be careful. This area really only has
a few things of any interest inside. One of the guards will drop a
blue key, which is used to open a chest found in the SE corner of
this area. This chest contains a small key, Brannon's reserve, an
oil flask and an axe 'master'.

You will eventually find another one way secret wall that leads to
a door flanked by two 'face' locks. The small key from the chest
will open one of the locks. The W secret wall is the only way out
again, and this leads you back to the entrance area to the
caverns.  (You will come back to the door with two locks much
later on).

Make your way back to the wall with the two hand impressions. Now
choose the W wall this time. The first door you come to leads you
into a small pit room. There are various wall buttons that open
and close pits. It's quite easy to work out how to get through
this small room. If you drop through any of the pits you will end
up in a small area on level 2 which contains just a door, a wall
button and a teleporter, which will take you back up to the pit
room.

Past these pits you will encounter another of the small electrical
creatures. If you are hit by them they make you feel dizzy and
they sap your magic points. Use a Lightning spell (level 2) to
destroy any of them before they take away your magic points. Up
this corridor is another floor plate and door, with a floor plate
beyond it to close the door behind you. Another door needs the
Gauntlet to open it. This leads you past an exit down (to the S)
and a room to the W with some pits, wall buttons, pressure plates
and the odd teleporter.

This room can get a little confusing at times. The pits drop you
into another isolated room on level 2 which just contains stairs
back up to level 1. These stairs are the very same stairs you
walked past leading into the room, so dropping through the pits is
a mild inconvenience only. Anyway, at each end of this room is a
locked door. Beyond the S locked door are two more locked rooms,
each containing a floor pressure plate. A corridor outside both
doors also contains a pressure plate and a teleporter lurks nearby
to teleport you back into the main room with the pits.

What you HAVE to do in this room isn't exactly 100% clear, but the
ultimate objective is to get beyond the N door so you can explore
more of the level. In this room is an invisible teleporter that
will teleport you away from where you were heading (N). By
standing on a plate and pressing a wall button a teleporter can
take you to beyond the S door into one of the isolated 'cells'. In
here is a floor pressure plate and a wall button. The button will
open the door but as you step outside the door will close behind
you. I left three items on the pressure plate to keep it pressed
down, although I don't know if it actually does anything or makes
any difference whether it is pressed just once, continually
pressed or not pressed at all! (The items you leave should be
items that you don't really need anymore. This is because you
might not get the chance to take them back before you move on
again).  You can't open either of the other two doors so step onto
the teleporter to move back into the room with the pits. By
pressing the wall button you can change the position of the
teleporter.  This will then move you into a different 'cell' with
another floor plate and a wall button. Again, leave three items to
keep the plate pressed down then use the button to open the door
and leave.  Try leaving three items on the plate in this outside
corridor section before stepping on the teleporter and going back
to the pit room again.

In this room there is a teleporter to the N which appears when you
stand on the plate and disappears when you step off. Leave three
items on the plate then step off it. Now take the items off the
plate and the teleporter should be right next to you. Step into it
and you will be teleported to beyond the N door. An odd looking
'face' lever is here.

Continue exploring the Catwalk Caves. You should find a chest not
that far away which contains a Death stick, some Ginseng, George's
Kite shield, Bannon's reserve, a Yellow key and a Mists of Doom
spell scroll. You will also encounter more of the tiny electrical
entities that suck your spell points. Dispatch them once again by
casting a level 2 Lightning spell.

Tip: On your explorations you might find a corridor with a dead
end. On opposite walls are two small electrical terminals. Whilst
you don't need to do this, if you can find a way of forcing the
electrical entities down this corridor, they will be zapped by the
terminals when they stand between them.

Exploring these caves you will find a few doors with floor plates.
Behind one of these doors you should discover a strange looking
alcove with a note that says "Activate & Replicate". Again, you
don't have to do anything with this at all, but the device will
duplicate anything that is not unique or magical (e.g common
weapon types) but it will only work once. You don't have to use it
to complete the quest, but recommendations include the emerald
blades so that all 3 of your party can wield one when fighting
spirits in the future.

A door opened with the gauntlet leads down a very long corridor
that runs the entire length of the E side of this level (consult
your Magic Atlas if you don't believe me). At the very end of the
corridor in what looks like a dead end is in fact another secret
wall. Step through it and you will be back in the room which has
the door with two locks. As you have already unlocked the first
(using the small key from earlier) you should now unlock the other
with the Yellow key.

Going through the open door you will encounter what can only be
described as very weird extra-terrestrial aliens! This might come
as quite a shock for those who were not expecting this turn of
events (like me for example). You will learn that your arrival has
been awaited by these two different species for quite some time.
(If you look at the map, it is referred to as 'The Summoning'). In
true classic 'Star Trek' style, you must decide which side to
fight for in a challenge which will pit you against their enemy in
a specially designed Dungeon beneath the castle.

Tip: The Dungeon level you fight in will be the same no matter
which side you choose to fight on. However, the reward at the end
will be different. If you choose to destroy the Xeobs then your
reward (amongst other things) will be +1 on everyone's Mage skill.
If you choose to fight for the Xeobs and destroy the Knowles then
if you succeed you will gain +1 on everyone's Might skill.

Whilst this quest might seem irrelevant to your quest to rescue
King Richard and destroy Scotia, it has to be completed. Amongst
other things, Nathaniel's key is to be found in the Dungeon, and
access to the castle is gained at the end. Decide to fight against
the Xeobs and step into the relevant teleporter. You will find
yourself in a strange looking Dungeon with glowing orange walls.

(24) The Dungeons

The Dungeons level is quite large. Your task is quite simple.
Destroy all of the aliens (Xeobs in this case) and then return to
the Knowles for your reward. If you return without destroying all
of the aliens, you will be told that they 'still flourish'.
Exploring this level will take time. Note that the Xeobs can
attack with acid, which will consume your armour if you're not
careful.  It's difficult to give an order to events here. Instead,

the following list should provide you with all you need to know,
if not necessarily in the order that you need to know it!

(i) Chests
There are a number of red chests lying around. I believe that you
need to have a level 5 Rogue to pick the locks. You don't have to
though, as they don't contain anything vital. Other chests to be
opened contain a Trident 'mandible', coins, Dwarvish Plate Mail
and more of Brannon's reserve.

(ii) Secret walls
There are 3 in total on this level.  One leads to a dead end with
a wall button which creates a niche. In the niche is a Bezel Cup
(used for restoring health points). The other two secret walls
lead to hidden Xeobs who must be destroyed. The secret wall in the
very N of the level (in the room which contains a wall button
which reveals a niche with Nathaniel's key inside!) is full of
Xeobs and it will take some time to kill them all. A chest is also
in there, which contains Dwarvish boots, and Galenian Chain Mail

(handy if a character has lost his best armour in a fight with a
Xeob).

(iii) Gortesh
Through a door (unlocked with a Copper key) is a teleporter, which
will take you to Gortesh, ancestral home of the Knowles people. If
you haven't destroyed all of the Xeobs, you cannot progress.
However, if you choose to 'discuss' matters, you will learn about
the Dungeons being directly beneath the castle and that Scotia has
taken prisoners.

Once you have got rid of all the Xeobs, returning to Gortesh will
give you your reward (+1 Mage for each character). You will also
be left a Knowle key (purple), Death stick and a special Vaelan's
cube. In one corner of the room you will also find a pile of
humanoid bones, some more of Bannon's reserve and an Ace of
Oblivion. There is also a curious floor area which sounds as if it
is casting something magical when you step on it, but it doesn't
seem to do anything obvious. It might restore health points, but
my party were all healthy so I couldn't check this out.

(iv) Keys
There are quite a few keys and quite a few doors on this level.
Keys that you will need include Rusty, Gold, Copper, Iron, Knowle.

(v) Essential objects
A chest behind an impressive looking metal door contains a Salve,
and more importantly a diamond. This jewel will prove its ultimate
worth in the Castle, as it is magical.

The middle of this Dungeon level is a collection of doors and
levers. You will come across a door with a blue lever outside.
Pull the lever, then open and go through the door. Now press the
red button on the wall and the W wall will open. Floor plates on
the floor will trigger a fireball launcher at the end of the
corridor.  There are 3 doors here. The rooms behind two of the
doors are empty.  The third room contains a Guardian which you
should take with you.  (It is a magical weapon that can only be
used once). Another door has a red chest behind it. Either try
opening it, or try opening it with the diamond. Either way you
will be teleported into a new empty room in a new region. Through
the door you will encounter more Xeobs. One will drop an Iron key.
The door nearby needs the iron key. Beyond it is a teleporter,
which will take you back to the area where you were before you
were teleported. Also in this area is a door which has a purple
lock. You cannot open this door until you have destroyed all of
the Xeobs and returned to the Knowles to claim your reward. (This
door leads to a staircase which leads up to the Castle). Another
door has a teleporter behind it which will take you back to the
area you were teleported to earlier.

Once you've accomplished your mission for the Knowles and got your
rewards, return to the door with the purple lock and use the
Knowles key to open the door. This leads you to a set of stairs
leading up to the Castle...

@~To be concluded in the next file.


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