textfiles/apple/DOCUMENTATION/shadow.keep.1

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[-]                      S H A D O W   K E E P                          [-]
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[-]             D O C U M E N T A T I O N    P A R T   1                [-]
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[-]                 Written by: LA THIEF                                [-]
[-]                 Edited and Distributed by: Friendly Man             [-]
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                      THE OUTPOST......312/441-6957


                             THE BEGINNING

Many  years ago, an evil began to spread across the land.  It was
centered in the Shadowkeep, the  home  of  the  powerful  wizard,
Nacomedon.   The  demon,  Dal'Brad, had imprisoned Nacomedon in a
crystal and held his captive deep in the tower while  he  wrought
the evil madness. 

This  evil  spread until it reached the borders of the four races
of to Earth.  Roos, Thalidars,  Zhis'ta  and  Humans  alike  were
threatened  by  the  wretched  evil  that  was spreading from the
tower.  A  few  brave  adventurers  were  sent  forth  from  each
civilization,  determined  to  put a stop to the evil and perhaps
acquire a small fortune at the same time. 

Roos, hardy explorers of  great  physical  endurance;  Thalidars,
masters  of  the ancient art often known as magic; Zhis'ta, agile
and shrewd warriors from birth; and Humans,  intelligent  leaders
with  a  knack for getting into trouble -- akk hiubed together to
fight the demons in the Shadowkeep. 

Alas, it was not enough.  Each was defeated in turn.   There  was
time  for  just  one  more  group of brave adventurers.  One more
party of heroes was needed to  topple  the  cruel  and  heartless
obelisk  that  was  the Shadowkeep.  We call on you, our last and
most able chance, to accept the challenge  --  to  assemble  your
party,  approach  the  Keep, and, if your spirit is able, rid the
tower of its malicious tenant. 


II.  FINDING  YOUR  ADVENTURERS  Here  at  the  Lonely  Inn,  the
mysterious  proprietor will greet you and ask your name.  He is a
friendly sort, curious about your band of adventurers  and  eager
for  your  business.   He  has  run  this  Inn on the edge of the
Shadowkeep for many years, unexplainedly protected from the  evil
of Dal'Brad that lurks so close to his door. 

Before  selecting  your  band form among the many visitors at the
Inn, pause and consider the importance of assembling  a  balanced
and able group of adventurers.  Up to twenty different characters
may be registered with the innkeeper, and form this gathering you
will  create  a  band of nine, all who must harmonize and support
each other. 

As you register your team, the proprietor will ask  a  series  of
questions  about  each member, questions that concern their race,
profession, and gender.  As the details  are  recorded  onto  the
register,  the  resulting  attributes of each individual are open
for your inspection. 


Characters may have any name, in length up to twelve letters, and
with no spaces or numerals.... 

The four great races of Roo, Thalidar, Zhis'ta,  and  Human  each
possess  their own qualities and quirks.  Within each race, males
are stronger that females, though the females of a  race  possess
greater dexterity.... 

Adventurers are trained in one of the five professions: 

WARRIORS: 
sturdy  masters  of  the  mace  and broadsword; at least four per
party is a sound grouping

MONKS: 
wise and insightful, agile and vigorous

RUNEMAGES: 
possessors of the Runes of power; can decipher glyphs that baffle
others

SHADOWMAGES: 
draw their power from shadow

NECROMANCERS: 
seek power over what is most feared: 
death.... 


The innkeeper records the background of each  adventurer  in  his
log.   It  is  acknowledged  that  race,  gender,  and profession
determine  a  character's  attributes.   But,  of   course,   all
individuals  bring  stengths  and weaknesses that exceed those of
their positions.  The proprietor thus allows extra  value  to  be
distributed  among  any adventurer's attributes, in any or all of
the six areas: 

STRENGTH: 
How much an individual can carry, and the amount of damage he can
inflict in combat. 

INTELLIGENCE: 
How many spells a character can learn, and  how  quickly  he  can
learn new ones. 

DEXTERITY: 
The  agility  of  a  character -- the ability to move quickly and
leap out of (or into) danger.  The most dextrous individual moves
first in a fight. 

POWER: 
The ability to focus  magical  energies.   Power  is  drained  by
magic,  restored  by  rest.   A  character with no power will not
live. 

LEADERSHIP: 
Force of personality.  The character with most leadership will be
declared leader of the party.  HIT POINTS: 
The  ability  to  withstand  physical  damage.   Hit  points  are
restored  by  rest  or  healing  arts,  and,  as  with power, are
necessary in order to live. 


Once new adventurers  have  been  registered,  review  or  rename
veteran characters from past adventures. 

Also,  recreate  any  whose  souls  were  saved on the Save Disk.
Select this option form the list, name the character  whose  life
and  spirit should be restroed.  Welcome the adventurer back into
the party. 

Finally, gather the party, selecting up to nine of the most  able
and  ready.  The mission ahead is not for the dull of mind or the
frail of spirit. 



III BEGINNING THE QUEST The  adventurers  must  prepare  for  the
journey  to  the  Keep.   They may give equipment and supplies to
each other, and through other means prepare themselves.  They may
also visit  Raddath.   An  enigmatic,  pan-dimensional  creature,
Raddath  will  offer  his  wares and wisdom to the party.  He has
felt the evil of the Keep and thus will give his aid in  any  way
he  can.   Raddath  buys  and sells magic and goods, and can heal
damage, drain poison, and even revive a character killed while in
the Keep.  He is not, however, given over  to  charity.   Raddath
has  no aversion to acquiring a fortune while helping destroy the
Keep. 

FURTHER NOTE: 
While Raddath is skilled in magic, he offers no guarantees of the
effectiveness of his cures.  No refunds. 

The  final  preparation  may  be  to  order  the  party.    Sound
organization  is essential within the confines of the Keep.  Take
this opportunity; it may be your last. 


The road to the Keep is short, but it wears long on the  soul  of
the hero who walks it.... 

(OF  COURSE,  IF YOU HAVE BECOME FAINT OF HEART, NO ONE WILL STOP
YOU FROM ABANDONING THE QUEST NOW.  IF YOU LEAVE THIS PLACE,  YOU
MAY NEVER SEE IT AGAIN...)



IV  WITHIN  THE  TOWER While approaching the Keep, and within it,
instruct the adventurers with precision and clarity. 

RALPH GET THE TORCH

EZEKIEL CAST THE LUMINANCE SPELL

NAOMI GET THE TORCH AND GIVE IT TO REBB

REBB LIGHT THE TORCH AND PREPARE THE SWORD

NAOMI WEAR THE ARMOR THEN PREPARE THE MACE

DAGMAR PUT THE WAND OF TRAVEL IN THE CHEST

Any command not directed to a certain character will inspire  the
leader of the party to respond. 


The party as a whole will move following basic commands. 

F or FORWARD
L or LEFT (to face left)
R or RIGHT (to face right)
B or BACKWARD (to step back without turning)

Explore the Keep thoroughly, and exercise caution. 

OPEN DOOR, CLOSE DOOR, LISTEN

Inhabitants  will  occasionally  allow you to address them, which
you should do in either of the following  ways.   Try  to  do  so
before they lop your head off. 

ASK SILDRA WHERE THE GOLD IS "SILDRA WHERE IS THE GOLD"

From  time  to  time,  assess  the  damage  inflicted  on  fellow
adventurers. 

LOOK PARTY (gives members' power, hit points)

STATS

ROLF CONDITION (substitute C for Condition)

LOOK NAOMI

Magical healing is possible through the aid  of  Raddath.   If  a
visit  to  him  is  impossible, characters may use any magic they
possess, but at the expense of some power. 

The adventueres can investigate and acquire objects while in  the
KEEP. 

SEARCH  (some  characters  will  find hidden objects more quickly
that others)

LOOK SCROLL

MORDOR GET SCROOL

FANNIE GET ALL BUT TORCH ZOORA GET ALL GET GREAT SWORD AND  READY
IT

If  an adventurer has too heavy a load, something will need to be
dropped.  The amount they can carry depends on their strength. 

DROP THE BASTARD SWORD

DROP ALL BUT THE TORCH

MERCER DROP ALL

Or, the adventurer might simply give the object away. 

MYRA GIVE ROBERT THE GEM OF CHANGE GIVE THE SOGGY STICK TO BILL

You might wish to let one object hold another. 

OPEN THE BOX AND

PUT THE GOLD INSIDE

CLOSE BOX

PUT ROCK IN HOLE

PLACE GOLD ON THE TABLE

Find out what an object can do by using or examining it. 

USE THE FUNNY ROCK

EXAMINE THE FUNNY ROCK

If you have a particular use in mind, and a certain target, state
those. 

SMASH THE ALTAR WITH THE BREAKER BAR

ATTACK THE CORD WITH THE GREAT SWORD

Light is required to explore the dark, dank Keep.  Wihtout a  lit
torch   (or  an  appropriate  light  spell),  searching  will  be
impossible.  (Compat will be possible but difficult; there  would
be no warning at the approach of monsters.) Any illumination will
serve  thebut  will  eventually  extinguish,  but will eventually
extinguish, becoming a soggy stick  or  used  up  spell.   It  is
advisable to have several sources of light at any given time. 

LIGHT TORCH

ZEKE CAST THE LUMINANCE SPELL



V MAGIC: 
Rely  on  the power of magic; above all else, it will be your key
to success. 

Though all may  cast  spells  within  the  Keep,  many  have  the
capacity  to  learn  no  more  than a scant two or so.  Power and
training determine one's triumph while using  this  ancient  art.
Mages,  with exceptionally learned backgrounds, begin the journey
with knowledge of a small number of spells.  Raddath has acquired
many others, which he makes available for  sale  to  the  hopeful
adventurer. 

As  all  may  cast  spells,  so  will all feel the effects of the
task.  After casting a spell, even  the  most  powerful  magician
weakens,  and eventually must restore powers with sleep.  Monitor
the losses of power, thus avoiding the loss of an adventurer. 

Up to two spells or magical artifacts may be active  at  any  one
time. 

INVOKE RING OF LIFE AND CAST THE FORTRESS SPELL

Discover  more  about  spells  you acquire by reading or learning
them.  READ BOOK OF DARKNESS, LEARN DEATH SPELL GET HEAL  SCROLL,
LEARN IT, CAST IT

A scroll that is successfully learned becomes a spell that may be
cast.  The scroll will vanish once it has been learned. 

Mere  mortals  are limited in the number of spells they may know.
When one's memory is full and the  spell  cannot  be  learned,  a
spell must be forgotten.  FORGET DEATH SPELL

Once a spell has been forgotten, only another scroll will grant a
new   opportunity  to  acquire  the  spell.   Ready  the  magical
artifacts as you prepared other weaponry.  READY SOULEATER SWORD

Learning magical spells is sufficient preparation for use. 

Watch for podiums while in the Keep.  Through these  devices  you
and  your  band  of  adventurers may quickly transport to another
level of the Tower.  The incantations  needed  to  operate  these
mysterious devices are always changing. 

Finally,  the  halls of the Keep are laced with spells that bind,
hide, or hinder.  Doors are often sealed with spells of  warning,
released  only  by  the timely use of magical words discovered by
those who made the journey before you.  The  passwords  that  are
known:  SAFETY, LAIR, PASS, FRIEND, HOME

Be  apprised of the possibility of other passwords; and hope that
if you are unsuccessful in vanquishing the demons  from  the  Kee
that you will at least return your successors what you learned. 



VI COMBAT: 
Successful  warriors approach combat with weapons, equipment, and
magic  in  readiness.   An  adventurer  would  do  well  to  have
equipment  prepared  for  both  Attack and Parry, and to wear the
armor. 

READY BASTARD SWORD, PREPARE GREAT SHIELD, WEAR SCALE MAIL

At a sign of combat, the party will, at your command,  negotiate,
flee,  or  remain  to  fight.   When  you  mobilize the ranks and
determine the course of action, you may  assign  each  member  to
attack,  parry, cast spells, change places prepare equipment, or,
of course, do nothing. 

When assigning adventurers to their  tasks,  consider  the  skill
that  they  might  possess due to heritage and profession.  These
skills might  cause  them  to  perform  some  tasks  better  than
others.   Before  combat, gain information on a member's skill as
such: 

EXAMINE ELLA

THE SKILLS: 

ATTACK: 
Skills necessary to land a blow on an enemy. 

PARRY: 
Success with which a character can avoid or deflect a blow. 

MAGIC: 
Technical proficiency in casting magic. 

OPEN: 
The ability to open sealed or locked objects. 

SEARCH: 
The aptitude for finding hidden objects. 


If combat  has  worsened  the  condition  of  the  party,  change
positions to preserve life and limb.  Enter:  ORDER

And,  as  weariness sets in, allow the few remaining good spirits
in the Keep to restore your band's energy.  Rest for  up  to  ten
hours,  then  resume  the  journey.   One hit point and a unit of
power is restored to each character  for  every  hour  of  sleep.
SLEEP FOR 3 HOURS

Beware: 
Monsters  can  sense  when  a  party is asleep and unprepared for
attack.  A blow while asleep can be far worse than  the  extremes
of  combat.  Consider the use of certain spells that will conceal
the sleeping party from marauding monsters.  Or, perhaps choose a
safer course: 
sleep outside the confines of the Keep.