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Walkthrough

You'll begin the game by meeting Priam, the mayor of New Verdigris (#1). He'll inform you that the townsfolk recently opened up a new mine shaft nearby, but that monsters have started pouring out from it -- perhaps from the Abyss itself. He'll then explain that he summoned you to deal with the problem, and that he'd also like you to recapture the Well of Knowledge, which controls the area's portals. This conversation is contained in Journal Entry 37. To help you out, Priam will give you some gems and equipment, including Gauntlets of Ogre Power, Plate Mail +1, and a Shield +2.

Before heading out, it's a good idea to explore the town. You'll find shops and other businesses (#3-8), and you should take advantage of them to fully equip your party. You should also visit the old man (#2). If you keep listening to his stories, then eventually he'll give you a Scroll of Protection from Dragon Breath and a Cloak of Displacement.

Your first goal in the game is to free the Well of Knowledge. You'll have two ways to get there. You can exit the main gate to the town (Exit B) and reach the well via the Ruins, or you can take a portal (Exit A) to go directly there. We'd recommend exploring the Ruins for a while first. You'll face mostly easy battles there, and this will give you an opportunity to get used to your party and the game mechanics.

Note: When you first visit New Verdigris, you should be able to move around and camp without any fear of being attacked. But after visiting places like the Well of Knowledge and the Black Circle Headquarters, you'll have to deal with monster (Cockatrice, Margoyle, Medusa) attacks and Fire Knife ambushes. These attacks will stop once you've cleared out Marcus the Wizard's residence (#8).


1 - Priam the Mayor's House

Priam will tell you Journal Entries 5, 21, 37, and 47.


2 - Old Man's House

In this house you'll meet an old man. If you keep listening to him, then he'll tell you Journal Entries 7, 12, 17, 39, 51 and 54, and eventually he'll give you a Scroll of Protection from Dragon Breath (which you should keep since you'll be fighting lots of dragons) and a Cloak of Displacement.


3 - Hall of Training

This is where you can train your characters for new levels, add and remove characters from your party, modify characters, and more.


4 - New Verdigris Vault

This is where you can store your excess equipment and money / gems / jewelry, or trade platinum coins for gems.


5 - The Minotaur and Mermaid Pub

If you take advantage of the free service in the pub, then you'll be able to hear Journal Entries 6 , 8, 12, 20 and 30.


6 - Temple of Gond

This is where you can have various maladies healed for a price.


7 - Verdigris Armory

This is where you can purchase basic equipment. Mirrors can be used like shields, and they'll reflect certain gazes (such as from Medusae). Cute Yellow Canaries will warn you when you're entering a poisonous gas area in the mine, but you'll have to walk through the gas anyway, so they're not really useful.


8 - Marcus the Wizard's House

Marcus is a member of the Black Circle. When you first enter his house, a fighter will tell you that the wizard is busy, and he'll offer to sell you a selection of (overly expensive) magic items, including Arrows +1 and Wands of Magic Missiles. After clearing out the Well of Knowledge, you'll learn that the Black Circle is evil, and this will give you a new option in the house. You'll be able to "stay" instead of leaving, and if you aggravate the shopkeeper enough, then you'll get attacked by seven BC Lords. Each of the lords will drop a Long Sword +2, a Shield +1, and Plate Mail +1.

Once you've chased Marcus away (#10), the townspeople will take over his shop, and they'll rename it the New Verdigris Magic Shop. The prices in the shop will drop to only 25% of what they were before.


9 - Assassins

In this room you'll encounter six Fire Knives. They're nasty, since their poisoned weapons can kill your characters in one hit, so let them have it with your best spells. The assassins won't drop anything useful when they die, but by defeating them you'll no longer get ambushed by Fire Knives when you're in town.


10 - Marcus' Chamber

When you enter this room, your party will take around 30 points of damage. Marcus will hope you enjoyed his "welcome mat," but then he'll laugh at you and disappear, and you'll have to fight three Cockatrices, two Fire Giants, and two Medusae. The monsters will drop some random loot plus 6000 platinum, 80 gems, and 20 pieces of jewelry when they die.


Exits

1. Portal to the Well of Knowledge (1,1).
2. Exit to the Ruins.