POOL OF RADIANCE - Part 3

                Solution by Philip Reynolds

@~Concluded from Issue 49

Going Through The Maze

Walk into the southern room and the party arrive in an east/west
passage. Go east then south through the arch to another arch
leading south, continue east then south then go east along this
passage until you meet the cleric, talk nicely to him and he'll
ask you to help him by breaking down the wall that he has already
started to demolish, break down the wall and the cleric will
escape through the hole, the party can also leave the pyramid
through this hole should they wish. Go west, north then east to a
hidden door, then go east through it and north up the passage to
the teleport at the end, this transports the party to a small
room.  Take the eastern exit from this room then go south, east,
east, east, south, east, north, north, and west to another
teleport that has two destinations. Walking straight into the
teleport transports the party to a passage leading north and if
the party throws a rock into the teleport then walks into it, it
transports them to the passage leading south.

ZHENTIL KEEP

Go to the Passenger Dock and board the boat to the west, go west
after the party disembark to grid reference 3-32 where the party
will be met by riders from the keep. Tell them that you are the
envoys and they take you into the outpost and in to see the
commandant. After giving him the letters you are shown to a room
where you can either rest until dinner or go out and start a
fight. If the party starts a fight it will continue from where you
kill the attackers who will try to kill you while you sleep below.
If the party decides to rest they will automatically be taken to
the Mess Hall where they have dinner and can have a conversation
with the commandant after which they are shown back to their room.
Set a sentry as the party will be attacked when they sleep, kill
the attackers then the follow up guards when they appear. Leave
your room and head outside where a large force of Guards, Aides
and Corporals will attack under the leadership of a Dwarf. Use the
technique of lobbing a fireball into the massed guards to thin
them out while the fighters and cleric deal with the front ranks,
concentrate on the Dwarf at first then switch to the rest of the
guards, have the mage pick off the remaining men with bows using
magic missiles and keep a few of the guards intact to stop the
next wave from attacking before the party are ready to face them.

Once all the attackers are dead except for the few that have been
kept alive, the party has two options; either leave the guards
alive and go to the main gates and make good their escape back
into the Wilderness or heal up using spells and potions then kill
the remaining guards. If the party kill the remaining guards
another wave led by the commandant and a mage will attack, again
lob a fireball into the massed ranks and have the cleric cast a
silence 15' radius spell at the mage to stop it using its magic,
concentrate on the commandant and the mage using all the party.
The commandant is very difficult to kill so have the mage hit him
with spells as well. Mop up the rest of the attackers using sleep,
hold person spells and the fighters, once you have killed enough
the rest will surrender as will the rest of the keep. The party
can now leave in safety as there is nothing else to do here.
Return to the city and the City Hall to claim your reward and
learn that Councilman Cadorna is a traitor and should be killed on
sight.  The party will also be asked to go south and see Von
Urslingen who will ask them to infiltrate the Stojanow Gate and
hold it so the city guard can take it over. Leave the City Hall
then rest, heal and train.

STOJANOW GATE

Make sure your cleric has a silence 15' radius spell then go west
to Podal Plaza and north into the area around the Stojanow Gate.
Don't go near the wall or the gate just yet, wait around in the
street to the south until a man driving a cart goes past, parley
with him and buy his cart then go to the gate but keep away from
the wall. Pay the Bugbears their bribe to get through the gate
then go either east or west to one of the tower entrances and go
up into the tower, there will be a Fighter, a Mage and three Ettin
in the tower. Attack them, have the cleric cast the silence spell to
stop the enemy mage using his magic and have the mages fire magic
missiles at the Ettin to weaken for the fighters to finish them
off.  Rest and heal then leave the tower and go to the other tower
and repeat the procedure to clear this one. Rest and heal again
then go to the gate and attack the bugbears guarding it. Have the
mage lob a fireball into the middle of the bugbears then go in
with the fighters to mop up the remains. Go out through the gate
and the city guard will take over the towers and gate. Return to
the city hall to claim the reward and be told to lead the assault
on the castle.

TEMPLE OF BANE

Rest, heal and train then take the boat from the Passenger Dock
across the bay, enter the Wealthy Area by the southern entrance
and leave by the western exits to the temple area. Go round to the
temple entrance and enter the temple then go through the temple to
the Altar (14-8). Destroy the Altar, and the priest Mace and a
horde of Orcs will rush in and attack the party. Use the well
tried technique of a mage fireball into the ranks whilst the
cleric uses a silence spell to stop Mace using his magic then
concentrating on Mace and mopping up the remaining Orcs.  Once the
enemy has been defeated Dirten will leave the party.  Search the
temple for any treasures, there should be three lots hidden under
trapdoors in the floor (5-5, 9-12, and 12-9) then return to the
city to rest and heal, there is no need to go and see the clerk as
there will be no reward for this excursion.

VALJEVO CASTLE

The castle is divided into four quadrants and three main areas.
The areas of the castle are the outer wall and buildings, the maze
and the central keep. The party entering from the Stojanow Gate
arrive in the southwest quadrant, outer wall. Clear all the
buildings in this area, accept the disguise offered by the women
in the Laundry (12-13) and kill the priest and acolytes in the
temple (2-2). The Smithy (3-14) may or may not be inhabited by a
Dwarven smith and some Fire Giants. Go into the southeast
quadrant, outer wall and clear this area, there are some Hill
Giants in a barracks and some Giant Snakes so have the cleric
memorise Snake Charm before entering the northern most building in
this quadrant. The party will find a deep well (15-9), have a
member dive in and retrieve a sword from the well. They will also
find Councilman Cadorna (14-10), just kill him as he will be of no
use. Enter the northeast quadrant and go to the third building
north of the entrance. Here there will be some slaves one of which
will give you a piece of paper, decode this to gain a password
"Harash", now if the party meet up with a patrol parley with it
meekly and say this password and the patrol will leave you alone.

Clear the other buildings in this quadrant. There is an armoury in
the northeast corner that can only be entered using a knock spell,
and a building with Fire Giants, after killing these the party
will find a piece of paper, decode this for two passwords, one of
which they already know, the other "Rhodia" will get them through
the gates into the maze area of the castle. A fighter will come
out of one of the buildings, parley with him meekly and say the
password. If the party kill him an alarm sounds and a patrol
appears.

Enter the northwest quadrant and clear the buildings in this area,
there will be two barracks with Hill and Fire Giants and another
inquisitive fighter. In a small building in the northwest corner
will be two Hill Giants, after killing them search this room for a
potion.  Now go to the inner gates and say the password to gain
entrance to the maze area. Go into the building in the northwest
corner and have a chat with the mage there, then work your way
around the maze quadrants to the buildings in each outer corner
and dispose of the Giants and Trolls at each of these locations.

Now have the party make its way to the central building in the
south east quadrant, enter the building to meet up with a man
pretending to be Tyranthraxus. Kill him and his two thieves then
leave and have the party make its way to the central building in
the northwest quadrant. Part of the southern wall in this room is
illusionary, go through this wall and up the stairs to a landing
with a secret door to the north, take the eastern stairs back down
and kill the Medusa in this room then return back up and go
through the secret door. To the east from here there are only some
empty rooms and a room containing a trapdoor that leads down to
the Medusa's room. go west and through the door at the end of this
passage, parley with the messenger and after he has left enter the
door to the south and have a chat with the man in this room.  Let
Gheengis join the party and go back north and west to some stairs
leading down, rest and heal up then cast all the protective spells
you have on the party and use any potions of speed, strength etc.
on them as at the bottom of these stairs is the Pool of Radiance
and the real Tyranthraxus along with ten level 8 fighters.

Go down the stairs and use the fireball and magic missiles spells
on the fighters, don't bother holding any fireballs back to fight
Tyranthraxus as these won't work against him, the only spells
effective against him are magic missiles. Have the cleric cast
hold person spells on the fighters and keep at least one alive so
that the party can heal up before facing up to Tyranthraxus. Once
the party have defeated the fighters heal up with potions and
spells then kill the last fighter. Split the party up around
Tyranthraxus as most of his spells will affect more than one
member of the party if they are close together. Attack with
fighters, thief and cleric and have the mage cast magic missiles,
until they defeat Tyranthraxus and he is taken back by Bane
through the Pool of Radiance. The party then automatically go back
to New Phlan, enter the City Hall and go and see the clerk to
receive the congratulations and a reward of experience points,
gems and jewellery for completing the game.













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