»»»»»»--------->>> S K I D R O W <<<---------«««««« Presents: Keys of Maramon - Quick Reference Docs Outdoor Keyboard Commands COMMAND KEY MEANING Check C Check the hero's inventory Hold H Hold a different weapon Joystick J Turn joystick/single-step movement off/on Pass P "Fast Forward" to nightfall or sunrise Quit Q Save, restart or end the game Status 0 Look at the hero's vital statistics Use U Use a mushroom or other item Volume V Turn sounds off or on Wait Esc Pause until "Esc" is hit again Mushrooms and Herbs Gonshi Increase speed Luffin Increase dexterity Mirget Increase strength Nift Increase armor protection NOTE *** More than one luffin and mirget can be used at once. More than one gonshi or nift has no additional effect. As time passes, gonshi, luffin, mirget and nift wear off. Hit "0" to see your hero's current effectiveness. Potion Restore Life Points to max. Sermin Restore up to 10 Life Points. ================================================================================= The Keys to Maramon Machine-Specific Instructions for AMIGA Systems System Requirements To play the Amiga version of The Keys to Maramon, you will need an Amiga Computer with at least 1 Mb of RAM. To install the game on a hard disk, 700 KB of free space is required. To copy The Keys of Maramon onto your hard disk, Make sure you have at least 700 KB of space available on your hard disk. Insert The Keys to Maramon diskette into a disk drive, and type MAKEDIR DH0:KEYS COPY DF0:#? DH0:KEYS ** NOTE ** The Keys to Maramon may not be compatible with all Amiga Hard-Disk systems To play from the self-booting diskette instead of hard disk, Use DISKCOPY or any other disk-copying utility to copy The Keys to Maramon diskette. Begin The Keys to Maramon by inserting the self-booting diskette and then booting up the computer, the game will load automatically. Begin by changing to The Keys to Maramon's directory, and then typing: KEYS For example, CD DH0:KEYS KEYS The title and copyright screens will appear, showing a ring of keys and a view of The Elven Maid anchored outside Maramon harbor. The flashing keyhole after the Version Number means "Press Any Key." (You will see the flashing keyhole many times throughout the game.) Press any key or joystick button, and the opening menu will appear. THE OPENING MENU The opening menu has two selections. NEW The screen will show you pictures of the four candidates for hero. Select one by using the joystick or arrow keys to highlight the appropriate one. Type in the name for your hero, up to 10 characters long. Or press the "ENTER" key or joystick button to start with that hero's standard name. The game will start with your hero standing just inside the gates of Maramon on Monday morning. Time is already passing. RESTART Choose "Restart" to continue a game that you have previously saved. Saving and Restoring Games is explained later. HOW TO MOVE AND FIGHT You may use either the keyboard or a joystick to move around Maramon and fight monsters. The AMIGA version of The Keys to Maramon does not provide mouse support. KEYBOARD MOVEMENT Use the numeric keypad to move in any one of the eight directions: 1 = diagonal down & left 2 = straight down 3 = diagonal down & right 4 = straight left 5 = stops movement 6 = straight right 7 = diagonal up & left 8 = straight up 9 = diagonal up & right To attack a monster in the direction the hero is facing, press the spacebar. Other "HOT" keys are included in the KeysQRef.txt file JOYSTICK MOVEMENT In joystick mode, move the stick to travel through Maramon. Press the button to attack a monster in the direction the hero is facing. You must use the keyboard to activate certain commands when outside. The commands and appropriate keys are listed in the KeysQRef.txt file. HOW TO MAKE SELECTIONS Inside buildings, and in other special locations, your possible actions are listed on the screen. You may use either the keyboard or a joystick to select an action. The AMIGA version of The Keys to Maramon does not provide mouse support. Keyboard Selections Select an action from the keyboard by highlighting it with the arrow keys, then pressing the "ENTER" key or the space bar. In some cases there will be more choices than will fit on the screen at once. An example is the list of weapons you can buy at the weapon store. The arrow keys will show the complete list. Joystick Selections With a joystick, select an action by highlighting it with the stick, then pressing the button. In some cases there will be more choices than will all fit on the screen at once. An example is the list of weapons you can buy at the weapon store. Moving the stick past the bottom of the list will display more items; then moving it back past the top will display the previous ones. SAVING AND RESTARTING Games can be saved at almost any time by selecting the "Quit" command or pressing Q. When you do so, you will see four options: "Save Game," "Restart Saved Game," "Quit," and "Xit." Save Game You may have up to four positions---with the same or different heroes---saved at the same time. When you select "Save Game," the four positions are shown, identified with the letters "A through D" and the names of the positions already saved (if any). Select one of the four letters (by pressing "A"-"D"), and type a name for the game position up to 14 letters long as a reminder to yourself. Restart Saved Game When you select "Restart Saved Game," you will see list of saved games "A" through "D." Press the appropriate letter to restart a game. Quit Select "Quit" to quit the game in progress and return to the title screen. Xit Select "Xit" to return to the game in progress without saving or restarting. PLEASE NOTE **** If you enjoy this game, please support the software company by purchasing the original. ===================================================================================== »»»»»»--------->>> S K I D R O W <<<---------«««««« Presents: Keys of Maramon Docs A MESSAGE FROM MARAMON Captain Barbos waved reluctantly at the crowd gathered on the Knessos pier as his sailors brought The Elven Maid into port. Barbos knew that the Knessos townsfolk were eager for the news from across the Sea of Oshmar. He was not entirely eager to give it to them. "What news?" shouted the crowd as the captain descended the gangplank. "Good news first," replied Barbos. "The Elven Maid delivered her cargo of supplies to the soldiers and workers at Castle Oshcrun. The work there is proceeding well, and King Rebnard should be able to move his court to the reclaimed castle as planned." A cheer arose from the crowd. Barbos waited patiently for silence. "But there is bad news, too," Barbos continued when the cheering died down. "As many of you know, our return voyage took us past the island town of Maramon, where we planned to trade a hold full of leather and flour for a supply of the famous Maramon pearls. I'll keep the story short. Our holds are empty. We are lucky to escape Maramon with our lives, and with Goodman Whelk, here." A small man hesitantly came down the gangplank. "Goodman Whelk is an emissary of the Mayor of Maramon. He will explain, while I confer with your town council." Captain Barbos pushed through the crowd, toward the center of town. The man introduced as Whelk clambered onto a barrel, cleared his throat, and called for the attention in a suprisingly strong voice. "Friends of Knessos!" Heads turned, and many of the dispersing crowd stayed to listen. "I know I can name you friends, if good Captain Barbos is like the rest of this town! So I call on you as friends, and relate to you the tale of Maramon's woe!" Whelk's voice faded as Barbos strode into town. He knew what Whelk would say. Gods knew he had heard the story often enough at Maramon and on the voyage back. It started with the news that King Rebnard of Deruvia was going to reclaim Castle Oshcrun, the ancient outpost of the Children of Light off the western coast of Gurtex, the land of Darkness. It went on with the tale of the youth of Maramon rushing to Rebnard's aid. "Hard to blame them," thought Barbos to himself, "considering how boring Maramon used to be. Up before dawn, eat some fish, catch some fish, eat some fish, catch some fish, go to sleep, and on and on. They even missed all the excitement in Deruvia when the magic candle in Fort Berbezza was melting." Even pearl diving could be boring after a few years, Barbos imagined. "Then disaster struck Maramon!" Whelk's voice came from the direction of the docks. Barbos boggled again at the power of the little man's voice. Thirty years of clearing out a tavern at closing time, he supposed. But yes, disaster it was. The town of Maramon, and all the townsfolk, were in dire peril. Barbos knew they were. Why else would he have unloaded all his cargo as a donation? Why else would he have agreed to sail back to Maramon with supplies from Knessos---and, if Whelk's oration was successful, with a hero to save Maramon? For, Barbos knew, Goodman Whelk was now telling the crowd that the minions of Darkness had begun to destroy Maramon. That, just after the volunteers had left Maramon for Castle Oshcrun, goblins and orcs began to appear from nowhere in the dead of night to set Maramon to the torch. That the townsfolk could do nothing but attempt to repair during the daylight hours the damage done after nightfall. There was almost no time for fishing. Pearl diving was out of the question. No help could come from Castle Oshcrun: all the volunteers, and more, were needed there. Maramon was desperate. Whelk pled for supplies. Not just Whelk, the whole poor little pitiful town of Maramon needed supplies. And a hero. Definitely a hero. "Why am I going back? What is Maramon to me?" Barbos asked himself. "It must be the pearls. I'm a greedy old sea captain, and Maramon has the finest pearls in the world. That must be why I'm worried about the place." Barbos paused and looked around. The Knessos town hall was blocks away. On the other hand, the "Sailor's Haven" was right in front of him. His favorite tavern. Well, the town council would know where to find him. He'd thrown away enough gold on this trip; he might even buy the council a round. THE HUNTSMAN As the emissary from Maramon began his plea for assistance, a rangy huntsman sat on his precious pile of rare furs, unable to believe his own ears. No pearls! Barbos had returned without the Maramon pearls! And it didn't sound like Barbos was in the market for his furs, either. What could he do? In order to get permission from the elves to hunt in the forests of Trilliad and Selderad, he had promised Queen Fay three of the finest Maramon blue pearls. If he left Knessos without the pearls, his life would be in peril. But wait. What was this Maramon fellow saying? Goblins in the streets...Hero needed...Lifelong gratitude...Bag of pearls... A bag of Maramon pearls! It might be his way out. Of course, he'd have to kill some orcs and goblins, but it couldn't be that much worse than killing wolves and wild boars---especially with all the elves in Deruvia hunting him. First, he'd check out the local market. He'd have to find a place to store his furs, unless he could sell them. Then he'd talk to this Whelk fellow tomorrow morning. THE BLACKSMITH One of the Knessans standing on the pier was a strapping young man who worked in the local smithy. Goodman Whelk's plea for help sounded very intriguing. Very. Being a hero would be nice. Being a rich hero would be very nice. Saving a town from a bunch of puny little goblins should be no problem for the strongest man in Knessos---and he was the strongest, no matter what that braggart Vilad claimed. Suddenly, the blacksmith saw his whole future laid out before him. Save the town of Maramon. Sail back in glory with the keys to the town and a bag full of pearls. Buy the smithy from old Rhumbu, and maybe the Sailor's Haven, too. Marry the fair Olelia. Raise a family. Live happily ever after. Yes, that sounded like a fine plan. He'd sleep on it, then talk to Goodman Whelk in the morning. THE COURIER The sun was setting beyond the western mountains as a slim young woman loped up to the gates of Knessos. "Is Captain Barbos in port?" she asked one of the guards. "Made port today," the guard replied, looking her over. "And he's probably at the Sailor's Haven by now---where he's likely to find someone with more meat on her bones than you have!" The other guard doubled over in laughter. The first guard doubled over, too, due in large part to a feminine fist striking his solar plexus in a very businesslike manner. By the time the guards had straightened up, the woman was halfway down the street into town. She turned and shouted back, "Next time, you might consider giving a little more respect to the King's Courier!" "It always happens," she thought as she strode up the street. "They always see a bedpartner, maybe a wife, never a person." She entered the Sailor's Haven. Yes, Barbos was there, at a corner table with two of the town's councilmen. "Pardon me, gentle sirs," she said. "Captain, I have a pouch for you from King Rebnard." Barbos looked up at her. She handed him the pouch. He motioned toward the empty chair at the table, and she sat down. The barmaid was nowhere in sight. Barbos broke the pouch's seal and opened the drawstring. A gleam of gemstones shone from within. Out of thin air, the barmaid appeared. "Another round!" Barbos shouted. "And for the lady..." "A stoup of ale!" she ordered. Heads turned. She ignored them. She was not about to order a tiny glass of watered-down wine after a day's journey from Lake Shan to Knessos. Barbos pulled a scroll from the pouch, opened it, and perused it silently. "Well. Good news for the Elven Maid." He turned to the courier. "Thank you my dear." She clasped her tongue between her teeth. Barbos was a good man, and a fine shipmaster. This was not the time to argue that she was neither a lady nor his "dear." She wanted to know what was written on that scroll she had carried all the way from Pheron, and why Barbos and the two councilmen had looked so serious when she walked in. To her good fortune, they seemed willing to include her in their conversation. Barbos continued, "King Rebnard has sent me a pouch of gems to buy more supplies for the troops and workers at Castle Oshcrun. At least I am assured, gods willing, that I can afford another voyage across the Sea of Oshmar. And, of course, I will be able to dock at Maramon on the way, to return Goodman Whelk, unload the emergency supplies, and disembark the hero, if Whelk can recruit such." She could hold her tongue no longer. "Pardon me again, but I just arrived in Knessos this evening. Your talk of Maramon, emergencies, and Goodman Whelk---whoever he might be---is all new to me. Would you explain?" And so she learned the story. The smallest of Rebnard's gems kept the table well-supplied past closing time. At the end, she spoke her mind. "If Maramon needs help, I'm willing to go!" Barbos mumbled something about Maramon expecting a hero, not a heroine. "Fine! Then call me a 'Hero'! I'll talk to your Goodman Whelk in the morning!" THE SCHOLAR Dawn was breaking as the scholar opened the last of his books of ancient arcana. "Maramon, Maramon..." he mumbled as he thumbed through the the pages. "Ah, here it is. Hmmm...Not much...but enough! Definitely enough!" The scholar had been passing by the pier the afternoon before, and had heard Goodman Whelk's plea---or enough of it to remember that there was something about Maramon. A nights' research had convinced him that there was more to this Maramon situation than Whelk was saying. In fact, there was probably more than Whelk even suspected. The legends told of hidden caverns beneath the island of Maramon, even beneath the very Sea of Oshmar. And magic. Powerful magic. His palms began to itch. "This is the chance of a lifetime!" the scholar announced to his piles of books. "Whelk wants a hero. Well, I can be a hero! I practice my fencing thrice a week..." He grabbed his saber from above the mantel, and swished it back and forth. "And I have other methods, as well" he said to himself, as he thought of the magic herbs and mushrooms in the cupboard---and of the flamewand and fearwand that were wrapped in lambswool and hidden under the floorboards. "So it's settled," he said to the embers in the fireplace. "I will offer my services to Goodman Whelk of Maramon in the morning." He glanced at the window, Morning already! The scholar donned his robes and rushed out the door. THE VOYAGE TO MARAMON Whelk awoke. A strange bed, a strange room---but a basin of steaming water, and a bowl of fresh vegatables. Knessos. With volunteers waiting. Whelk lifted himself out of bed, washed himself and some turnips ("Turnips for breakfast?" he said to himself) and went down the stairs to meet the volunteers. Four volunteers. Only four. A big-shouldered youth in a blacksmith's apron. A robed man older than Whelk himself. A raggedy fellow with a bow and a hatchet, and a strange haunted look in his eyes. The fourth volunteer was a woman. Well, he hadn't really expected Lord Rexor or the Great Eflun. Better to make the best of what he had than to wish for miracles... As he interviewed the volunteers, Whelk began to feel his hopes reviving. He still wouldn't trust any of the four to save the world, gods knew. But the town of Maramon, perhaps. The young smith, for example, was one of the strongest men Goodman Whelk had ever met---certainly stronger than anyone remaining in Maramon, even Tamur. Not very quick of foot---or of thought---but strong as a bull. But the other 3 seemed clever enough, thought Whelk. That huntsman in particular, looked half again too clever for his own good. Was he trying to get to Maramon---or to get away from Deruvia? No denying his extraordinary skill with the bow, though. Could have trained at the side of Sir Nehor himself. And the tricks he did with that little axe! If he could split a gnoll's armor as easily as he did the oak limb..."Just a matter of seeing the weak spot and hitting it just so," the huntsman had said. Then there was the man in robes. A "scholar," he called himself. Spoke in riddles. Carried an ancient filigreed sword---said it was his "university saber." Goodman Whelk tried to remember when the last university in Deruvia had closed its doors. Well before Rebnard took the throne, surely. During Ongar's reign? Earlier? At any rate, this "scholar" was either much older than he looked, or he was pretending to be. And his normal source of income was not clear. Not clear at all. But never mind. He wielded his saber well enough: Whelk had called in a town guardsman for a fencing match with the old man. And, if hints and whispers and winks meant anything, the old man had some magical surprises in store for the orcs and goblins. At the very least, this "scholar" would impress Mayor Andello and Timothy Quint. And the woman. The "King's Courier," Goodman Whelk corrected himself. She actually considered herself as a serious contender for the job. The funny thing was that, after this morning, so did Whelk. He could find no fault with her swordplay or archery, even using borrowed weapons. Or she could just stare the monsters back underground, Whelk thought, if she used the same glare she gave Whelk when he called her "My dear"! And she was quick as a snake...But what would Mayor Andello say if he brought back a woman hero? Never mind the mayor, what would Whelk's wife say? Well, Whelk reflected, he didn't really know. Mistress Whelk might just laugh and invite her in for a pot of tea. * * * Eventually, Goodman Whelk made his selection, the crew loaded the new cargo, and The Elven Maid set sail. The seas were smooth---as smooth, at least, as the Sea of Oshmar ever ran---and the nights were clear and peaceful. These would be the last peaceful nights that Maramon's hired hero would have for a long time, Whelk knew. He used them to prepare the hero as best he could for the job ahead. The first order of business was the key to the strongrooms. Whelk handed the hero a key ring with a single key. "There are three flat-roofed stone buildings in Maramon," Whelk explained. "They date from the town's founding, when the brave pioneers were driving off the bazards and the last dragon. Now, we use those buildings as strongrooms. Well, not now---we've moved all our supplies out of them during the emergency. So the strongrooms are empty now. And you're welcome to use them to store things and to rest in during the nights---the monsters can't follow you inside. They're well locked, you see. This si the key. It fits all three of the strongrooms." And the map. Whelk unrolled a parchment onto the galley table. "I'm sure that you'll have no trouble finding your way around town," said Whelk. "But you might find this map useful at first. My daughter Jenny drew it. She has quite an artistic talent, don't you agree?" The hero showed polite appreciation. "And you can see how everything is marked," Whelk continued. "Here are the four Dark Towers, where the monsters come from; here's City Hall, where Mayor Andello will give you your weekly pay..." The hero asked Whelk for more information about the monsters. Whelk liked that: it meant the hero was taking the job seriously. "Well, their strategy is fairly simple," Whelk said. "At nightfall, they swarm out of one of the Dark Towers. Then they run around town, waving their torches and axes, making as much noise as possible, and they break and burn and steal things. At least that's what the orcs and goblins do. And sometimes the domugs, but they're not as noisy." "Domugs? asked the hero. "Yes," said Whelk, "Little blue monsters. They come from somewhere far away to the east, beyond Gurtex, I understand. They really aren't effective looters, but on the nights that the domugs are on guard duty, they can be almost as dangerous as the wolvinga." "Wolvinga? As in Dark Elves? I don't remember you mentioning any Dark Elves when we were back in Knessos," the hero said. "Oh, I'm sure I must have. After all," Whelk explained, "the wolvinga are the main reason we lock ourselves in the upper stories of our houses after dark. We could avoid---perhaps even fight---the orcs and goblins, but when the wolvinga are standing guard with their deadly longbows...well, it's much more sensible to stay completely out of sight. Of course, the wolvinga don't come out every night." "Of course not," said the hero, drawing another flagon of ale. "No, indeed," continued Goodman Whelk. "Sometimes, as I said, domugs stand guard. And sometimes gnolls." "Gnolls?" "In heavy armor," Whelk went on. "The gnolls seem to be the leaders. Or maybe the zorlims are the leaders and the gnolls are their lieutenants." "I know you didn't mention zorlims in Knessos!" the hero exclaimed. "Those goblin monks use real magic!" "Icewands, actually," agreed Whelk. "Very dangerous. But there aren't very many zorlims...." * * * The island of Maramon appeared on the eastern horizon on Sunday afternoon. "It looks like a mountain peak rising out of the sea," said the hero, as The Elven Maid drew nearer. Goodman Whelk nodded. "That's how Maramon got its name," he said. "It means 'sea mountain' in one of the ancient tongues." Captain Barbos joined his two passengers at the rail. The hero asked him, "Will we be docking tonight?" "Nay," the captain replied. "The harbor's tricky, and the tide's wrong. The Elven Maid will anchor until dawn." "One more night of rest for you, then," Whelk told the hero. "Monday's the best day to start a new job anyway." * * * But the hero did not rest. On this job, daytime, not nighttiime, was for resting. The hero had worked into the pattern, and wouldn't rest tonight even if it were possible. From the ship's rail, the town of Maramon was easily visible, both by the light of the full moon and by the flickers of light from within the town itself. Torchlight, thought the hero. But there---and there---the light was far too bright for torches. Buildings must be burning. Whelk did say that Sunday nights were the worst.... As the moon neared the western horizon, the hero went below to pack and plan. This job looked like it was going to amount to more than disposing of a few orcs and goblins. From what Goodman Whelk had said, "hired hero" was a lifetime job. And a lifetime might not be very long...Keeping the streets clear of monsters would not be enough to solve Maramon's problems. The hero would have to find a way into those Dark Towers, to root out the source of the evil and destroy it! Back on deck, the captain and crew had been busy. The Elven Maid was even now sailing through the narrow channel into the rockbound harbor. The hero joined Goodman Whelk on the quarterdeck. They watched the sun rise as the ship docked, then climbed to the gates of Maramon. PRICE LISTS The shops of Maramon offer their wares at reasonable prices. But, if a shop is damaged by the monsters, prices there will go up to reflect the cost of repairs. Steele's Armor Maramon Weapons Leathers....................50 Hammers and Maces Ring Mail..................150 Chainmail..................500 Hammer........................5 Steel Plate...............1500 Mace.........................20 Methreal..................4000 Warhammer....................30 Axes Light Axe....................15 Elmer's Magick Battleaxe....................80 Shoppe Great Axe...................180 Swords Fire Globe..................10 Icewand....................150 Shortsword...................20 Flamewand..................200 Scimitar.....................25 Fearwand...................300 Longsword....................50 Greatsword..................100 Bows Rosel's Herbal Shortbow.....................25 Wonders Longbow......................60 Quiver (20 arrows)...........30 Gonshi (bag of 12)..........50 Luffin (bag of 6)...........30 Mirget (bag of 6)...........40 Nift (pouch of 12).........100 Potion (jar of 8)...........50 Sermin (bag of 12)..........30 GETTING STARTED The Keys to Maramon is a game of careful planning and quick action. Your first careful plan should be to make working copies of your game disk, or to install The Keys to Maramon on your hard disk, and then to store your original game disk in a safe place. The enclosed machine-specific instructions explain how to install or copy The Keys to Maramon on your computer system, and how to start the game. Follow those instructions, and start a new game. You will be given the opportunityto choose and name your hero from the four characters described earlier. (If you don't want to think up a name, just hit the "RETURN" or "ENTER" key, and your hero will be given the name that Mindcraft uses: Kelligan, Stavros, Lumelia or Hornbern.) When the game has begun, your hero will find himself or herself inside the gates of Maramon. It is early in the morning of Day 1, Monday. Monday is always depressing, but your hero has much to do before nightfall. Some suggestions foloow. If you'd rather make up your own mind, skip to the next chapter. Kelligan the Huntsman: The huntsman came to Maramon because he couldn't afford to stay in Deruvia. He's low on funds, but well equipped with a longbow, a light axe, and some healing potions. His skill (and yours) might let him save his money to buy better armor and a better hand weapon. Or he might but a few fire globes from Elmer Kozak to help him survive the first few nights. Stavros the Blacksmith: The blacksmith is the strongest of the four. But he has little equipment, and no armor. He should probably buy leather armor and a pouch of sermin mushrooms. He doesn't need to worry very much about his weapon: he can destroy orcs and goblins with his bare hands. Lumelia the Courier: The courier came to Maramon on a whim. She has no weapons or armor at the start, but she has the most gold. Buy her some ring mail and a longsword. She'll do well until the monsters start fighting back in earnest. Hornbern the Scholar: The scholar has the best equipment of the four. He should buy better armor: he can just afford ring mail. And he should be wary of using up his wands; they are expensive to recharge, and his saber is a formidable enough weapon. Whichever character you choose, be sure to visit The Flying Fish tavern on Day 1 and talk to Captain Barbos before he sails to Castle Oshcrun. MOVEMENT AND COMBAT Your hero will spend much of his or her time moving around the town of Maramon and the cellars and caverns beneath. See your machine-specific instructions to learn how to use your keyboard, joystick or mouse to move the hero around and engage in combat. MOVEMENT Don't worry about drowning in the ponds or breaking bones on stone walls. Your hero simply will not move anyplace impossible. To enter a building or strongroom, move into the door. (Some buildings do not have any visible doors: they are private homes, and cannot be entered. Your hero is not a door-to-door salesman.) Remember that the shops and public buildings of Maramon are all locked tight when night falls. HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT When holding a hand-to-hand weapon---an axe, hammer, mace or sword--- your hero must be right next to a monster and facing in its direction. (Try moving toward the monster until it blocks you, then swinging away like mad.) Watch the Life Points out of the corner of your eye: they change color when they're down to ten, and it's time to retreat for a rest or a potion or some sermin mushrooms. RANGED COMBAT Ranged weapons---bows and wands---shoot in the direction your hero is facing (north, south, east, west or diagonally). Their projectiles travel in straight lines. Remember this when shooting at monsters and when the monsters are shooting at you. FIRE GLOBES Elmer Kozak sells magical glass spheres called "Fire Globes." Your hero can place these fire globes in strategic locations---perhaps near the doors of the Dark Towers. Then, when the monsters step on them, they explode, usually destroying the monster and everything it is carrying. (The "USE" command allows your hero to lay a fire globe directly in front or himself or herself.) WARNING: Fire globes are very hard to see. (Otherwise, the monsters wouldn't step on them, would they?) Don't move your hero onto them. Your hero will probably realize what's happening quickly enough to avoid death, but serious injury is likely. THE CONSEQUENCES Some monsters carry treasure. if your hero slays a treasure-bearing monster, you will see the monster's bag of loot lying at the spot of the monster's demise. Move your hero onto the bag to gain your well-deserved reward. At daybreak (0800 hours), if any monsters survive on the streets of Maramon, you will find that buildings have been looted, pilaged, burnt, and otherwise damaged. The more surviving monsters, the more damage---not necessarily to the buildings your hero saw the monsters attacking. THE STATUS SCREEN Press the "0" (zero) key at any time for a report on your hero's status. --------------------------- | | | Kelligan | | Huntsman | | | | Day 7 - Sunday | | | | Life Points 28/35 | | | | Strength 30/30 | | Speed 45/40 | | Dexterity 50/50 | | Magic Skill 10/10 | | | | Armor Rating 6/3 | | | --------------------------- As you see in the example, the staus screen starts with the hero's name and occupation, followed by the current game date and day of the week. (These three lines are not shown when the hero is inside a building or dungeon strongroom.) The following six lines show the hero's vital statistics: their current and "normal" values both. First is "Life Points," the measure of how close your hero is to death. In the example, Kelligan has suffered some combat damage, so his Life Points are not quite up to normal. They can be restored by eating a sermin mushroom (restoring 10 points), taking a potion (returning immediately to normal), or by resting either in a Guest House (10 points/hour) or in a strongroom (3 points/hour). Next is "Strength," the measure of your hero's ability to do damage. Strength can be temporarily increased above normal by using mirget leaves. "Speed" allows you hero to catch up with (or run away from) monsters more quickly. Eating a gonshi mushroom, as Kelligan has done in the example, temporarily increases speed. The chance of smitimg a monster in a critical spot, killing it instantly, is based on "Dexterity." Luffin flowers give a temporary dexterity boost. "Magic Skill" has a heavy influence on the effectiveness of magic wands. Unlike strength, speed and dexterity, magic skill cannot be improved by herbs and mushrooms. But, like them, it can improve with experience and education. Finally, "Armor Rating" shows how well your hero's armor protects him or her from damage. As in the case of Kelligan in the example, protection can be improved by the use of the leaves of the nift plant. THE PEOPLE OF MARAMON Your hero will meet many of the citizens of Maramon in the shops and other public buildings of the town. Mayor Andello Fioro Andello has been the mayor of Maramon for many years. He is very distressed at the sudden appearance of the monsters, especially since it happened only days after his 3 sons sailed eastward to Castle Oshcrun. The Whelk Family Goodman Whelk and his wife own and operate the two taverns of Maramon: the Flying Fish near City Hall and the Crab's Claw in the northeast corner of town. They are helped by their two young children, 12 year old Jenny and 10 year old Billy. Tamur the Brave The town of Maramon keeps all its weapons in a building southwest of City Hall, where they are maintained by a man named Tamur, who used to be known as "Tamur the Brave." His is a sad story. When the monsters first began to appear, Tamur was foremost among the town's defenders. As his companions gradually were lost to crippling injuries or death, Tamur continued his nightly battles. One morning, Tamur announced that he had found an iron key on the body of one of the monsters he had killed the previous night. The key looked like it would fit the lock on the old tower near the weapon storehouse; Tamur might be able to descend into the cellars of ancient Maramon and defeat the monsters at their source. As the townsfolk cheered him on, Tamur unlocked the tower door and entered. Hours later, he staggered out, an expression of unalloyed fear on his face. Without a word, he turned and threw the iron key over the city wall into the Sea of Oshmar. Tamur no longer fights monsters. To this day, no one knows what he saw and did in the ancient cellars of Maramon. Timothy Quint The librarian, Timothy Quint, is fairly new to Maramon. He grew up Deruvia, a sickly child and an unhealthy young man. He devoted his life to reading and study, while his health continued to worsen. On the advice of a professor, Timothy sailed to Maramon to become the town's librarian and scribe. He is not convinced that Maramon's sea air is the tonic the professor thought it would be, but he is absolutely sure he will never attempt another voyage across the Sea of Oshmar. Denn and Arbo Steele The Steele brothers, Denn and Arbo, are casualties of Maramon's struggle against the monster infestation. Denn was crippled by orcs; Arbo was blinded by gnolls. Denn is now supporting both brothers by leather working and, occasionally, selling pieces of the Steele family collection of armor. Madame Rosel Near the town gates lives Madame Rosel, who appeared in Maramon some years ago, no one knows from where. She was an old woman then, and she remains an old woman now. She tends her small garden and wanders the island. Her knowledge of herbs and mushrooms is by far the greatest in Maramon. Elmer and Dalina Kozak The Kozak mansion, just south of Sunrise Park, used to house over a dozen Kozak family members. Now the only two left are old Elmer and his unmarried granddaughter Dalina. Elmer is thought by many to be the wisest man in town, and by many others to be the most foolish. He has set up Elmer's Magick Shoppe in the parlor of the mansion, but has not yet been known to sell anything. Dalina has inherited a certain amount of strangeness from her grandfather. But while Elmer spends most of his time alone in his library with his stacks of books, Dalina spends most of her time alone in her boat at sea---or, at least, she did, before the monster emergency forced her to join the other townsfolk in continual repair work. The Guest House Families The Belaris family has always provided bed and board for vistors in the Sea Breeze Inn at the east edge of town. Now that the population of Maramon is so depleted, the Pickrell and Stoner families have also made their spare rooms available for boarders. Your hero is welcome to rest at any one of the 3 guest houses. Fishermen Most of the other residents of Maramon are fishermen (and fisherwomen and fisherchildren). As Goodman Whelk explained, they are now usually busy repairing the damage done nightly by the monsters, and the fishing industry is suffering greatly. The fishermen are not sociable folk, and your hero is not likely to strike up many friendships. Two exceptions are Old Jonas and Young Jonas, who visit The Crab's Claw regularly. THE MARAMON LIBRARY The Maramon Library holds much more information than one might expect in an isolated town. The open shelves in the library's main room are full of books, sure to be fascinating to your hero. The closed stacks behind Timothy Quint's desk contain many interesting books (and many boring books), generally textbooks and reference works. They will provide your hero with the opportunity to gain increased strength, speed, dexterity and magic skill. Of course, your hero will need to have enough experience to gain the benefits these books will provide. The "Score" on the computer screen will change color when your hero is ready to visit the closed stacks. The pride of the Maramon Library is its Rare Book Room. Your hero will need to visit the Rare Book Room often, and to study all the subjects it offers, in order to complete the Maramon commission. It is suggested that your hero read about keys, mushrooms and towers first. Reading about wizards should be put off as long as possible---but no lnger.