Copyright: 1998 Cassidy Software


Help Index
Index

Registering the Software

How to Register

The Game Screen

Instructions

The Commands

Look

Do

Use Item

The Story of SerpentHead

Foreword

The Scepter

The Nine Days War

The Second Coming of Salorann

Your Quest

A History of the Land

The Line of Ethorian Kings

The Royal Mages


Registering the Software

Register NOW via a SECURE SERVER online for only $19.95 plus $5 shipping/handling at :

http://serpenthead.com

               http://cassidysoftware.com

You may also register this software by mail. Send U.S. check or M.O. for $24.95 to:

Cassidy Software

P.O. Box 762

Lynchburg, OH 45142

Once you have registered, you will receive The Chronicles of SerpentHead  CD by US mail in approximately one week.   This CD contains the full versions of both SerpentHead `99 and Cendric'sQuest `99, all the music, puzzles and hints for both games.


General Instructions

Start a new game by choosing New Game from the FILE menu.

The game screen is divided into two sections:  the View Window and the Control

Bar.  The View Window is where the game takes place.  What you see is exactly

what your character, Sir Cendric, sees.  The Control Bar is explained in the

following help sections: Look, Do, and Use Items.

You may save your game at any time by choosing Save Game from the FILE menu.  Save your game under any filename you want.  You may also restore a saved game by choosing Open Saved Game from the FILE menu.

The shareware version of Cendric's Quest `99 contains only a portion of the total puzzles and scenes available in the full version.

Once you have registered, you will receive The Chronicles of SerpentHead  CD by US mail in approximately one week.   This CD contains the full versions of both SerpentHead `99 and Cendric'sQuest `99, all the music, puzzles and hints for both games.

For more information,  please visit our websites at:

http://www.serpenthead.com

http://cassidysoftware.com

  "Cendric's Quest `99"   Copyright (c) 1999 by Kathy and Bill Cassidy

This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 157-F Love Ave, Greenwood, IN  46142 USA, FAX 317-888-2195, or send email to omb@asp-shareware.org.


Look Button
Look

This command allows your character to look closely at any section of the View

Window.  Position hand icon on LOOK button and click.  Then position hand icon

where you want to look and click.  You will receive a detailed description of the

area.


Do Button
Do

This command allows you to manipulate objects in the View Window.  Position

hand icon on DO button and click.  Then position hand icon over what you wish to

do (for example, open a door) and click.


Use Items

To make use of an item you have taken, position hand icon over the item you wish

to use and click. The hand icon will become the item you have selected.  Position

this item icon where you want to use the selected item in the View Window, and

click.

Double-click the mouse button to display a picture of the selected item along with a

short description of that item.

There may be a case where a certain item may be used on another item.  To use an

item on another item, click on the first item.  When your cursor is in the items area,

move your cursor to the target item.  If this item may be used on the other one, the

cursor will change to that item.  Click on the target item when the cursor is changed.


Story of SerpentHead

Foreword

The pages that follow contain the complete Story of SerpentHead -- not only a

description of events immediately preceding the game, but also a history of the Land

of Xanaria where the game takes place, complete with a list of Kings and Royal

Mages.

You may ask, "Why such a long story for one game?"  It is true that much of the

information contained herein will have no direct bearing on your actual game play,

but we felt that having a sense of history and purpose would give you a greater

overall enjoyment of the game.  In addition, this history provides an excellent source

for sequels and prequels, which we have planned out well in advance to give those

games a credible storyline.  In the following pages, you may find a reference to

Cendric's Quest:SerpentHead Zero.

When you play SerpentHead, you will be cast in the role of a knight who has

decided to infiltrate Castle SerpentHead.  It is important here to note that player

knowledge is not necessarily character knowledge--meaning that your hero not

know what you, the player, know.  But, most of the time, this will not present a

problem.  The hero does know the following story, however, and you should too

(especially since the story may contain hints that will help you during game play).

We, the authors, hope you enjoy both the story and game.


The Scepter
The Story Thus Far: The Scepter

Long ago in the land of Xanaria, there lived a great and powerful wizard,

Ophiuchus.  Ophiuchus was the Royal Mage (under King Ethor III), and he was as

good and pure as his White Magic.  The same cannot be said, however, of his vile

brother, Salorann, who is also known as the "Dark Sorcerer".

One night, Ophiuchus had a dream in which he saw Salorann among Dragons.  He

saw him swear allegiance to the King of Dragons, Stolm, in order to learn the

otherwise-forbidden lore of Dragon Magic.  He saw Salorann grow powerful, so

powerful in fact that his power dwarfed that of his brother.  In this same dream, he

saw Salorann lead an army of Dragons to Castle SerpentHead.  He saw a battle, and

the face of a fallen King; he saw a strange staff, and he heard a voice saying, "Seek

ye the Book of Serpents."

When Ophiuchus awoke, he knew that this was no ordinary dream.  He knew that

Salorann must be plotting to amass an army of Dragons to besiege the castle and

overthrow the King.  He also knew that his White Magic alone could not destroy

him.  He needed a weapon powerful enough to defeat Salorann.  So he set out to

create the staff he had seen in his dream.

In his dream, Ophiuchus had seen a staff which appeared to have a double-headed

snake with glowing eyes coiled about it with a glowing orb on each end.  He

recognized the staff with the coiled snake as his own, but the orbs and the snake's

eyes were unfamiliar to him.  For the answers as to what these objects were, he

went to Kendar the Weaponsmith, the master creator of magical weapons such as

Axalar, the Sword of Virtue.  As it turned out, Kendar himself had the two orbs,

which he gave to Ophiuchus.  After listening to Ophiuchus' description of the staff,

Kendar concluded that the snake's eyes must be the twin Stones of Drakkhenar, a

volcano known as the Home of Dragons.

Ophiuchus then set out to obtain the Stones.  On his way to Kendar's smithy,

Ophiuchus had met a man named Lorin, whose homeland had been ravaged by

Stolm.  Lorin himself was on his way to Kendar, in search of a weapon which could

destroy Stolm.  Kendar presented Lorin with the dagger "Drakkhencist" ("Dragon-

Cutter"), which works as a homing missile on Dragons, searching out their weakest

point.  Because a great number of the Dragons normally present on Drakkhenar

were busy attacking Castle SerpentHead, Ophiuchus and Lorin were successful in

their quest when ordinarily they couldn't have survived.  This event is known as the

First Trek Up Drakkhenar.*  Ophiuchus now had all three magical objects, so he

combined them and called the assembled staff the SerpentScepter.

*The land's leading mystics have stated that there will be a Second Trek Up

Drakkhenar, but its purpose is unclear.


The Nine Days War

As Ophiuchus was busy on Drakkhenar, Salorann and his army of Dragons launched

their attack on Castle SerpentHead.  For eight days, the King's Royal Guard kept

them back, but by the ninth day, the Guard was so depleted that Salorann's army

stormed the castle.  But fortunately, Ophiuchus returned with the SerpentScepter

and unleashed its power on Salorann.  Salorann crumpled beneath its might, and the

remaining Dragons fled when they saw their leader defeated.  The Nine Days War

was over.

Ophiuchus had defeated Salorann, but he couldn't bring himself to bring the full

power of the Scepter to bear on his brother, for surely it would have killed him.

Salorann escaped by casting the spell of Teleportation saying, "You were a fool to

spare me, Ophiuchus!  One day, I shall return and use that Scepter of yours to

conquer all the world!"  Salorann's threat made Ophiuchus realize that the

SerpentScepter was much too powerful a weapon to leave assembled, so he

separated it into its component parts and hid them within the ruins of the ancient and

monstrous Castle IronGate.  Because Ophiuchus knew that Salorann would be after

these artifacts, he created special box-shaped containers and locked them with

special spells that would prevent anyone with an evil heart from opening them.

Ophiuchus recorded the location of the components in a book written in his own

language--a special dialect that can only be translated by Royal Mages.


The Second Coming of Salorann

Many years later, long after the death of Ophiuchus, the Royal Mage Cendric, from

the line of Ophiuchus, had a dream like his ancestor's.  In his dream, he saw the

Dark Sorcerer (who had preserved himself using perverse necromancy and arcane

spells) returning to Castle SerpentHead; he saw himself lying dead; he saw the face

of a clock, and he heard a voice saying, "Seek ye the Book of Serpents."  After he

awoke, he consulted Ophiuchus' book.  He then went on a quest to bring back the

parts of the SerpentScepter (the details of which will be chronicled in SerpentHead

Zero).  Cendric was successful in his quest and brought the parts back to Castle

SerpentHead to be reassembled.  Unfortunately, Cendric had just finished

reassembling the Scepter when Salorann appeared behind him and attacked.  The

Scepter flew from Cendric's hands as he fell to the floor.  Salorann reached for the

Scepter, but right before he took hold of it, Cendric invoked a special spell that he

had prepared to hide the Scepter to keep it out of Salorann's hands. Enraged,

Salorann turned on Cendric, but he had already died. Salorann then took out his

anger by viciously murdering all those who were in the castle.

Because Cendric had foreseen his own death in his dream, he had told his young

apprentice, Tarm, of his plans to hide the Scepter. Cendric had told Tarm that, if he

died, Tarm was to go to the closest village and tell the people how to find the

Scepter.  Just as Tarm was fleeing from the castle, however, the Dark Sorcerer

appeared before him and seared him with a magic fireball.  Thinking that Tarm was

dead, Salorann went back into the castle.  Tarm actually was not dead, but was badly

injured.  He made his way to the village and told the people of the attack and of the

SerpentScepter being the only weapon that could destroy Salorann.  But, before he

could tell them where the Scepter was hidden, he died.  His final words were,

"Seek ye the Book of Serpents. . ."


   Your Quest

That was years ago.  Since then, the Dark Sorcerer has taken control of the kingdom

and the villagers live in fear.  Others have attempted to find the Scepter--many have

left; few have returned. Those that have come back have brought little information

of value except for a crude map of the castle.  Also, it has been learned that the

Dark Sorcerer has cast the spell of Protection from Weapons around the castle.  This

spell prevents anyone from bringing weapons and shields into the castle.  Therefore,

you must enter the castle armed with only your wits. Fare thee well.


History of the Land

      CHAPTER 2:  A History of the Land

The world on which exists the kingdom of Xanaria consists of only two large

continents, with seemingly infinite numbers of islands and other smaller land

masses.  The two major continents are separated by a vast ocean called the Sea of

Partition, which is so named because its tumultuous waters prevent all but the most

sturdy of vessels from crossing it.  For this reason, the cultures that dwell on either

continent have been for the most part isolated and have developed independently of

each other.

Intelligent life came into being at approximately the same time on both continents,

and both cultures developed at roughly the same rate until the Feudal Era.  During

this Era, nations and kingdoms did not exist.  In their place were individual estates,

usually owned by a lord who set his or her estate's own governmental hierarchy

and/or caste system.  Since there are no feelings of nationalistic unity within such a

system, estates constantly fought and bickered with one another.

On the continent of Xanaria, a race of mountain-dwellers known as the Charia took

advantage of feudal disunion.  While the estates fought with one another, the Charia

slowly grew their own army and resources, poised for an all-out war of conquest.

When they finally struck, the quarreling estates were no match for the Charia's

superior forces.  The Charia swarmed over the continent like a voracious swarm of

locusts, devouring everything in their path and growing stronger all the time.

Eventually, the Charia conquered all but the most powerful estates.  Lord Ethor,

master of one such estate, realized that only as a unified whole could the remaining

estates hope to defeat the Charia.  He gradually convinced the other lords, and in

doing so gave birth to the first nation the world had ever seen.  Ethor was

recognized as the leader of the new nation, and his coat-of-arms, a hissing snake,

was the basis for the nation's name:  SerpentHead.  The combined might of the

former estates was enough to stop the spread of the Charian Empire, but was

insufficient to completely defeat it.  The two forces continued to periodically wage

war on each other, neither one emerging a clear victor.

Several years following the first clash of SerpentHead and the Empire, a mysterious

woman came before the Charian Emperor. The woman was an immensely powerful

Sorceress who had made the mistake of believing the Charia to be benevolent

leaders and had come to help the Emperor improve the living conditions of his

subjects.  The Emperor saw a grand opportunity to exploit her power, thereby

increasing his own might enough to defeat SerpentHead and expand his rule over

the entire continent.  The Sorceress was given the grandiose title of S'hi Sharim,

which in the language of the Charia means "Imperial Mage."  Although the title was

impressive, it actually gave her no political power whatsoever. All power continued

to rest with the Emperor, who instructed the Sorceress to perform various feats of

magic (under the guise of helping the citizens of the Empire) that were, in truth,

engineered to further his own interests.  After some years, the Sorceress discovered

the treachery of the Emperor.  Furious that her magic had been used for evil ends,

she vowed to leave Xanaria never to return, but not before she furnished Ethor with

some powerful enchanted weapons that would enable him to defeat the Charia once

and for all.

Ethor's army, now augmented by the Sorceress' weaponry, launched an attack on

the Empire.  The ensuing war was won quickly, but at a high cost.  Many of Ethor's

soldiers fell, and every last member of the Charian Imperial race was slain during

the battle.  The oppressed were now free, however, and the oppressors were no

more.  But what had happened forced everyone to realize that they could not return

to the old feudal ways. Overwhelmed with a feeling of togetherness unlike any ever

felt before, the people of Xanaria decided to unite under one ruler. That ruler, they

decided, would be the hero of the war, Ethor.  In order to show that his leadership

would be nothing like the Charia's, Ethor abandoned most everything associated

with them, such as their castle, IronGate, and the title "Emperor" (however, he liked

the idea of having an Imperial Mage, so he did in fact appoint one, but changed the

title to "Royal Mage").  So, in an elaborate ceremony, Ethor was crowned King of

Xanaria at the newly-constructed Castle SerpentHead, which was named after the

land's first nation.

The Sorceress, who by that time was known only by her title, decided to retain that

name but remove the imperial S'hi from it. Following that, the Sharim (or "the

Mage") traveled to the other continent, whose inhabitants were still experiencing

the constant quarreling of feudalism.  By teaching them the ways of peace and

diplomacy, she united the fragmentary estates into a single nation. Under her great

leadership, the nation has prospered and has not experienced the horror of war in

over two hundred years.  Although she was never a Royal Mage, her actions on

SerpentHead's behalf have earned her official recognition as The First Royal Mage.

She is honored as a great hero by the people of Xanaria, who often pay her homage

by naming their first-born child after her ("Sharim" for girls, "Mharim" for boys).

What became of the Sharim's weaponry is in question.  It is known that many of the

Sharim's weaker weapons were broken in battle. Others were pried from the death-

grips of fallen soldiers by Charian looters.  It is not known where these weapons are

kept, but they are rumored to be in a hidden armory at IronGate.  Since the war,

many have ventured to IronGate and some weapons have been recovered, but the

location of the armory, if it exists, is still a mystery.

AN INTERESTING FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY:  The Dark Sorcerer's ultimate

goal is conquest of the entire world, but even his sorcery is no match for the power

of the Sharim.  For this reason, the Dark Sorcerer seeks the SerpentScepter, with

which he could defeat the Sharim.  However, he has been unable to find it. This is

why he lets adventurers into Castle SerpentHead in the first place:  It is his hope that

one of them will discover the Scepter for him, in which case he will kill the

adventurer and steal it for himself.  Therefore, it is likely that he closely watches all

those who enter the Castle.  Your only hope for victory is that he has grown lax in

his vigil after so many years.  For details of Xanaria's subsequent history, consult

Chapters 3 and 4:  "The Line of Ethorian Kings" and "The Royal Mages."


The Line of Ethorian Kings
         CHAPTER 3:  The Line of Ethorian Kings

There have been five Ethorian Kings, beginning with Ethor the

Great.  As a tribute to him, all subsequent Kings took the name

Ethor when they assumed the throne.  The people of Xanaria feel a

great sense of loyalty and respect for their Kings, and as a sign of

their affection they have given Royal Surnames to each monarch

(for example, Ethor III is called "the Valiant," and Ethor IV, "the

Pious").  Because of the Dark Sorcerer's evildoings, there will be

no more Ethorian Kings; so remember these great men well.

Ethor the Great:  Lord Ethor was originally the head of the

continent's largest estate during the Feudal Era.  During the

Charian Expansion, he unified the larger estates to fight the

Charia.  After they were deposed, Ethor was selected as the first

King of Xanaria.  Ethor established Xanaria's governmental

system, instituted the Royal Mage system, wrote the Kingdom's

first legal code--his list of achievements is endless.  He is certainly

worthy of the surname, "The Great."  For more information about

Ethor, consult Chapter 2:  "A History of the Land."

Ethor II the Unsung:  Ethor II was the first son of Ethor the great.

Shortly after his birth, his mind was manipulated by then Royal

Mage Andrache, who planned to use Ethor II as a puppet to gain

control of the kingdom.  As a result of Andrache's manipulations,

Ethor II never really was able to live his own life; his day-to-day

existence was a battle between his own will and Andrache's.

When Ethor the Great died, Ethor II was made King, although his

mind was still being controlled.  Andrache's plan nearly

succeeded, but fortunately, a young but gifted magician named

Ophiuchus who happened to be staying at the Castle was able to

detect Andrache's use of Black Magic.  When he confronted the

Black Royal Mage, Andrache attacked Ophiuchus.  The two

mages then entered into a magical battle of immense proportions.

The battle so distracted Andrache that he lost his hold on Ethor II,

who stepped in front of Ophiuchus to shield him from Andrache's

attack--an act of heroism that would prove to be fatal.  Andrache

raged at his accidental destruction of his puppet and briefly let his

guard down.  Ophiuchus seized the opportunity and vanquished

Andrache.  Ophiuchus then went to attend to the dying Ethor, but

it was too late.  Ethor II's final words were a plea for forgiveness of

all he had done under Andrache's evil influence.

Ethor III the Valiant:  Following the death of Ethor II, his younger

brother ascended the throne.  The newly-crowned Ethor III's first

act was to officially grant his brother a pardon for his unintended

actions.  His second act was to appoint Ophiuchus as the next

Royal Mage--a decision which would prove to be exceedingly

wise.  For with Ophiuchus' help, Ethor III was able to root out all

corruption which had festered within the government because of

Andrache.  Ethor III's great leadership prevented the kingdom from

sinking into civil war after its deterioration.  Ethor III perished

during the Nine Days War at the hands of Stolm's army; his

actions on the battlefield earned him the surname, "the Valiant."

Ethor IV the Pious:  Although Ophiuchus was unable to save Ethor

III's life during the Nine Days War, he was able to save the life of

his son, who eventually became King Ethor IV.  Ethor IV was a

benevolent leader and his reign was a time of complete peace.  A

simple and holy man, Ethor IV felt that wealth was unimportant if

not used for the betterment of life.  As a result, he gave great

amounts of money to the poor--a characteristic which won him

great favor with his subjects.  When Ophiuchus died, Ethor IV

honored him by building a Chapel within the Castle in his name.

Ethor IV then appointed Imeri as the next Royal Mage.  Ethor IV

eventually died of old age.

Ethor V the Stoic:  The son of Ethor IV was also a peaceful man,

benevolent and good like his father.  He is known as "the Stoic"

because he never outwardly expressed himself, although he was in

fact very kind and holy.  His reign was essentially peaceful until

the return of Salorann.  After Imeri died, Ethor V appointed

Ophiuchus' grandson Cendric as the next Royal Mage.  Ethor V,

Cendric, and the entire royal family were murdered by Salorann;

therefore, Ethor V is the last of the Ethorian Kings.


The Royal Mages

                CHAPTER 4:  The Royal Mages

The Royal Mage is the Kingdom's leading magician--the highest-

ranking wizard in the land.  A Royal Mage has duties in many

areas, including research in the field of magic, the drafting of

magical legislation, and defense--specifically overseeing the use of

enchanted weaponry in the Royal Guard and the security of the

King within the Castle.  Beyond these duties, however, lies a

Royal Mage's most important role--friend and advisor to the King.

After what happened with Andrache, all Royal Mages are required

to practice only White Magic--Black Magic and Dragon Magic are

forbidden to them, as they are to all mages.  White Magic consists

of those spells, potions, and incantations which are only used for

good purposes.  This contrasts sharply with Black Magic, which

can produce desirable results, but will also produce an evil

outcome in return.  However, Black Magic can be very tempting

because the evil it produces often seems quite insignificant when

compared to its desired effects.  This often incites a user to

continue practicing Black Magic.  Unfortunately, Black Magic

tends to have a cumulative negative effect on a user's soul--the

more one uses Black Magic, the more permissive of evil one

becomes.  Soon, users develop a complete disregard for others and

live only for themselves.  The effect is just the opposite with White

Magic.  Dragon Magic is a form of intensely powerful magic that

can only be wielded safely by dragons.  For them, it is neutral--it

can be used for good or for evil with no effect on the dragon's soul.

However, when a human uses Dragon Magic, it has an increased

Black Magic effect.  This is why Dragon Magic has been

forbidden.

Here, in order, is the complete list of Royal Mages to date:

The Sharim:  During the years of battle between the Charian

Empire and the nation of SerpentHead, a mysterious woman

approached the Charian Emperor and offered to use her vast

magical powers for the good of his subjects.  Unfortunately, the

Emperor tricked the woman into using her powers for evil.  The

woman, who eventually became known as simply "The Sharim"

(which in the Charian Imperial language means "The Mage"), later

discovered the Emperor's scheme.  She soon realized that the

Charia were not benevolent leaders, but in reality ruled as

oppressive dictators.  To correct her mistakes, she presented Lord

Ethor of SerpentHead with some highly powerful enchanted

weapons of her own design.  With these weapons, SerpentHead

finally defeated the Charia.  As a tribute to the Sharim, Ethor gave

her the title of "The First Royal Mage," although she in fact never

was one.  Following this, the Sharim left Xanaria and traveled to

another continent where she unified its quarreling inhabitants into

a peaceful, powerful nation.  It is only conjecture, but by all

available accounts, the Sharim is still alive.  It is unknown how

she has achieved such a long life span without the use of Black

Magic.

Tolidus:  One day in the time before the Charian Expansion, Lord

Ethor was traveling on horseback when out from the shadows

jumped three knights from a rival estate.  Their sudden movement

startled Ethor's horse, which reared back, throwing Ethor hard to

the ground.  One knight quickly unsheathed his sword, planning to

run it though the stunned Ethor.  But before he could act, a man

leapt upon him and ran his sword through the knight instead.

Immediately, the man turned and faced the other two knights, who

quickly drew their weapons and engaged him in battle.  The loud

clamor of sword striking sword awakened the dazed Ethor, who

then witnessed a most amazing battle.  Somehow, the lone stranger

was able to dispatch both knights without receiving so much as a

scratch.  After the battle, the stranger helped Ethor to his feet.  The

man said his name was Tolidus, and he had just happened to be

nearby when he heard the commotion caused by Ethor's horse.

Ethor rewarded Tolidus' heroism by making him a general in his

army.  Eventually, Tolidus became the supreme commander of all

of SerpentHead's armed forces.  Ethor and Tolidus became the

closest of friends, each man always looking out for the other.

Once, Ethor observed Tolidus using magic in battle against the

Charia.  This, coupled with the pair's close friendship, prompted

Ethor's decision to name Tolidus as the second Royal Mage,

although in truth Tolidus was not a very skilled magician.  Tolidus

was a good man, however.  He died of natural causes shortly after

the birth of Ethor's first son.

Andrache:  Shortly after Tolidus' death, Ethor summoned the

greatest mages from throughout the land to Castle SerpentHead to

find who would be the next Royal Mage.  One of the candidates

was named Andrache, and his adeptness at various forms of magic

greatly impressed Ethor, who was accustomed to the meager

magical ability of Tolidus.  Thus, Andrache was proclaimed the

third Royal Mage, despite his somewhat questionable character.

Ethor did not realize, unfortunately,  that Andrache's magical

ability was greatly augmented by his use of Black Magic.  In

actuality, Andrache planned to use his position as Royal Mage to

gain control of the Kingdom.  To this end, he began to magically

manipulate the mind of Ethor's young son.  Andrache knew that

the boy would one day become king, and if the king was

Andrache's puppet, he would in fact have the power.  Andrache

continued his corrupt actions for several years.  As time wore on,

Ethor's health began to fail.  As a result, Ethor's son began to take

on more and more of the leadership responsibilities his ailing

father could no longer handle.  Andrache, whose control was still

in place, used his influence to have his friends appointed to

important governmental positions.  The stage was set for Andrache

to assume control of the Kingdom.  Finally, Ethor's health failed

completely and he died, whereupon his son assumed the throne

and took the name Ethor II.  Andrache nearly realized his goal, but

for a young magician who had come to the castle to attend Ethor's

funeral.  The magician's name was Ophiuchus, and he somehow

managed to detect Andrache's use of Black Magic when no one

else had been able.  When Ophiuchus confronted Andrache, the

Black Royal Mage attacked him.  The two mages fought a bitter

battle, during which Ethor II, who had broken free of Andrache's

control, sacrificed himself to save Ophiuchus.  Ophiuchus then

vanquished Andrache.

Ophiuchus: After defeating Andrache, Ophiuchus explained to the

new king, Ethor III, exactly what Andrache had been plotting.

Ethor III was wise enough to realize that Andrache's corruption

had likely spread throughout the government.  Consequently, he

ordered a full-scale investigation to be launched and named

Ophiuchus head investigator.  Ophiuchus uncovered most of the

corruption that had festered within, and advised the new king on

how to deal with it.  Ophiuchus, who also possessed uncanny

leadership skills, also advised Ethor III on how to assuage feelings

of civil unrest that arose when knowledge of the corruption

became public.  With the combined leadership abilities of

Ophiuchus and Ethor III, a civil war was averted.  Ethor soon

named Ophiuchus as the next Royal Mage, restoring the people's

faith in that position after Andrache's treachery.  Unfortunately,

Ophiuchus' ascension angered his jealous brother Salorann, who

had always envied Ophiuchus' superior magical ability.  To prove

his own might, Salorann began practicing Black Magic.

Eventually, he even chose to learn Dragon Magic, which

thoroughly corrupted his soul, but made him the most powerful

mage ever known.  To combat his brother, Ophiuchus assembled

the SerpentScepter, the most powerful magical weapon ever

created.  Ophiuchus defeated Salorann during the Nine Days War,

but the evil mage escaped, vowing to one day avenge himself.

This is only one example of the many great deeds of Ophiuchus,

whose exploits have become legend.  Ophiuchus eventually died of

natural causes because there is no known magic, White or

otherwise, capable of warding off death permanently.  Salorann

has achieved a long life span through some unknown spell of his

own design, although one can rest assured that this spell reeks of

Black Magic.  The Sharim has also lived an inordinately long

time, but no one can be sure how she accomplished this.

Imeri:  After the death of Ophiuchus, Imeri was chosen as the next

Royal Mage.  An accomplished magician, Imeri is best

remembered for the scientific methodology he applied to magical

research that had not received much use beforehand.  As a result of

his persistent research, Imeri made numerous discoveries in the

field of magic, greatly expanding the number and variety of

available White Magic spells.  Imeri's other major accomplishment

is the institution of Royal Mage Apprenticeship, which involves

the education of a magically inclined child in the ways of magic

by the Royal Mage.  An apprentice would eventually go on to

become Royal Mage.  Not only would this practice ensure

competent Royal Mages, but also reduce the likelihood of a second

Andrache receiving the title.  Imeri's time as Royal Mage was a

time of peace.  He died of natural causes.

Cendric:  Imeri chose Ophiuchus' grandson, Cendric, as his

apprentice.  So, after Imeri's death, Cendric became the Royal

Mage.  Cendric's time was essentially peaceful until he learned in

a dream that Salorann was planning to attack.  Cendric quested to

retrieve the SerpentScepter, but before he could use it, Salorann

slew him.  Cendric's final action was to hide the SerpentScepter in

order to keep it away from Salorann.  The Scepter must be found if

Salorann is to be defeated.