PC/CD Gamer UK 39/PCGAMER39.bin/walkthru/anvil/anvil1.txt

Text File | 1996-06-22 | 37.9 KB | 701 lines

ANVIL OF THE DAWN WALK-THRU
By James D. Hudnall (76507,1175) - Yes, I am the comic book writer

The purpose of this walk-thru is to help you make it through Anvil of the Dawn
without too many headaches. The game is fairly easy, but there are a few
places that are hard to figure out. I am not going to list where every item is
to be found in the game, but only tell you what you absolutely need to know.
That way, you won't have the whole game spoiled for you.

The game allows a player to take any course they want, rather than follow a
predestined path. But there is a right order to follow and a wrong order. Some
people have made it into desolation without getting all the pieces of the
chest they will need. Here is the dungeons one should conquer, in order:

Gryphon Keep
The Dark Lantern
The Undersea Maze
The Sunken Ship
The Underground City
The Land of Roots/Elder Tree
The Barrier
The Temple of the Moon
The City of the Dead
The Eye of Clay/Sanctuary
Gorge Keep (optional)
The Reed Plain (optional)
The Iron Titan
The Quagmire
Fire Mountain
The Warlord's Tower
The Anvil of the Dawn

We'll detail what you need to do in these places, but first let's deal with
the basics.

STARTING OUT

You can choose from five different characters. Each has an advantage in the
four statistics (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Power), except the mire lurk, who
has even stats across the board. You can modify any character's stats if you
want, so you don't have to choose Brice (the big hairy guy) for a strong
fighter. But the stats are limited to the amount given and only a modifier
like a talisman or a potion will allow you to increase them later. You don't
get to increase them permanently later in the game. So choose them well.

CONTAINERS

The inventory screen has an area that shows what you're carrying. Everything
is placed there in a jumble if you right click to add your items to inventory.
In order to keep things organized you will come across containers in the game.
They come in two forms: Sacks and Chests.

I recommend you use sacks to hold rocks and chests to hold other items. There
are a lot of places in the game where you will need to weigh down a pressure
plate with ten rocks. You won't always have a block figurine to spare. Using a
bag full of rocks is a lot easier to deal with because to can pick it back up
in a jiffy when you're ready to leave. Fill each sack with ten big rocks and
you will have perfect tools for dealing with those annoying plates. Always
test a plate first to see if it can take only one to three rocks, because you
don't want to tie up a whole sack of you only needed one rock. AND ALWAYS
REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR BAG WHEN YOU LEAVE THE AREA. You will get three bags in
the game. One in Gryphon Keep, one in the Dark Lantern, and one in the Sunken
Ship.

The Chests are great for storing items. You get three of them eventually. I
recommend putting all pieces of the quest in one chest, use another for money
and temple tokens and a third for magic items like potions and power-ups. That
way you will be able to access things without sorting through a big mess. Keys
should be left available on the main screen in a neat pile, because you won't
be carrying them around long.

ARTIFACTS

These come in many forms. Most are offensive spells, but there are also
amulets that enhance your stats and potions that enhance them temporality.
There are two potions in the game that enhance your stats permanently. They
are the potion of Mortal Enhancement and the Potion of Magical Enhancement.
When you take these they raise your maximum health or mana (magic) points
permanently. However, the number they give you is random. Always save before
drinking one, then restore and try again if the new points are low. The max
for health seems to be 10. I never accept less than an 8. The max mana seems
to be 80. I never accept less than 65.

The block figurine is one of the most useful items you come across. Using one
creates a stone block for weighing down a pressure plate. Use these things
sparingly. I will tell you where you need to use them. You should use rocks
whenever possible, and save these for the places where a block is really
needed.

THE MAP

The auto map is very useful in this game because it will not only show you
what areas you missed, it can be used to spot enemies and see if doors have
opened outside of your field of vision. When you step on a plate or throw a
switch you can check the map to see if it changed anything on the map. This is
very useful. Monsters appear as green squares and those annoying rolling rocks
are shown also in relation to where they are when the map was called up.

When you enter a dungeon or exit a stairway, ALWAYS turn around and look back
the way you came so the map will register it. Otherwise the exit will show up
blank. You should want to know where the exit is at all times. You can also
make notes on the map by clicking on the pen box. I recommend this for
confusing areas.

Now for the game...

THE CASTLE OF THE LADY

Okay, your character has just awoken and you have to start the game. Grab
what's in the chest in your room, turn the knob on the wall that opens the
door (it's on an artsy pattern next to the door) and talk to each character on
your way down the stairs. You don't need to talk to the guards or the servant
boy, but you can if you want to.

The first person you need to see is the castle wizard. He will teach you the
spell of healing and an optional offensive spell. I recommend choosing the
water spell "Shackles of Ice". This spell freezes your opponent temporarily so
he can't fight back. The other spells are okay, but they are slow and don't
give you as much of an advantage. You will get all these spells later so don't
worry about missing them here. But make sure you talk to the wizard because
he's the only source of the heal spell and you need it to win the game.

Next up is the armorer. I suggest you get a sword (Slashing weapon). Swords
are the best weapon in the game. You will end up with two really powerful
swords later on, so spend your skill points on slashing before you start to
improve any others.

Always check the damage a weapon does when you get it by bringing it up to the
eye on the inventory screen and clicking on it. The higher the damage, the
more deadly the weapon. Ranged weapons aren't much use in this game except in
a few places. You don't really need them.

Finally, you meet the old man who tells you what your mission is. He will
direct you to a portal that will  take you to the wine cellar of Gryphon Keep.
Enter and you are on your way.

GRYPHON KEEP

Goal: Find the Spell of Heavenly Mend, Find Exit

This is the easiest dungeon in the game and serves to educate you on the game
mechanics. You start out in a wine cellar. Make your way to the door opened by
a pressure plate on the floor. Stepping on the plate opens it. Step inside and
fight the guard. You may find it closing on you before you can do that. This
is because the guard stepped on a plate on his side. Step back on your plate
and the door will open again.

The wine cellar/basement level is pretty small. There are a few guards to
kill. Two will drop keys which will open the rooms on this level. In one room
you will find Lord Gryphon, who is dying. Talk to him and he will give you his
signet ring. You will need this when you finish the keep.

The ground floor is pretty straight forward. In four corners of the keep are
stairs that go to four separate towers. Each has some useful items. There are
long halls on either side of the castle and lots of rooms in between. I will
break down the areas by compass direction on the map.

The South West Tower entrance has no door. There is a healing altar nearby.
This is where you use the strange looking tokens that you find to heal
yourself. The gold ones heal all your points, the flesh colored ones heal a
random amount of points. Upstairs in the tower are two pressure plates. You
need to weigh down the one in front of the door first, with three rocks. Then
step on the other plate. This will open the door to the next room. A round
switch on the wall opens an alcove where two chests are hidden. There is also
a chest on this level with the spell of "Heavenly Mend of Unseen Artisans". Do
not leave the keep without this spell. It is essential to winning the gam and
this is the only place you find it.

The South Corridor of the Keep has a flying skull spell coming down the hall
like clockwork. Wait for it to pass. You will see a door with no way to open
it. Find a side passage nearby. At the end is a switch on the side wall. Throw
the switch. A rock will roll back and forth, opening the door in the south
hall every now and then. Go to the door and wait for it to open. You may get
hit by a skull spell, so make sure you are healed up.
Inside you get your first shield in the game.

The South East tower entrance is opened by pushing a stone block onto a nearby
plate. You will enter a room with rolling rocks. Find the stairs. In the tower
is a Mana Altar which can only be accessed by putting a gold coin in the hole
in the wall next to the door.

At the East side of the keep is the exit to outside. Make sure you finish the
keep before leaving. You can reach the exit by pushing a block onto a plate
near the door. This leads to a hallway with some chests before the true exit.

Across from the Exit hall is a big Throne room where there are several chests.
You can enter this room by putting one stone on the plate in front of the
door. In this room is a messenger monster. These guys are really tough to
fight. I suggest using the offensive spells you find earlier to soften him up
first. If he is hurting youbadly, try running away and healing up, then come
back and finish him off.

The North East Tower entrance is opened by entering the room next door and
placing three rocks on each of the two pressure plates inside. There are two
doors that open periodically due to a rolling rock. Wait for them to open. One
leads to the tower. Upstairs you will find two pressure plates next to a
switch in the wall. Move back and forth on the plates until you can throw the
switch. An alcove opens revealing two chests.

The North West Tower entrance is opened by a switch in the wall. Near this
entrance is a room with armor. It doesn't hurt to get it before you go on.
Upstairs in the tower are two pressure plates you have to walk over before
reaching the chests. Move fast and then sidestep. These chests activate traps
that send Earthen Fists flying at you from behind.

After you have searched every room, go outside the castle and turn to face the
ruins one step from the door. You will meet Parselfal, whom Lord Gryphon spoke
to you about. Parselfal will hand you a bag of gold coins which come in useful
later.

Head on straight down the way you were coming to the Dark Lantern, your next
dungeon.

THE DARK LANTERN

Goal: Talk to Wizard, Get Sea Shell of Summoning

When you reach the causeway leading to the Lantern Tower, you will see it is
gone. Use the spell of "Heavenly Mend of Unseen Artisans" to repair the
causeway, then head to the tower.

This is a small place except for the basement. On the first floor you will
have to put three rocks on the pressure plate near the entrance to make a
teleporter vanish. Then, put a rock on the pressure plate the teleporter was
hiding. This will open the door to the rest of the tower.

In the north is the exit to the pier. You will leave this way when you finish
the tower so make a note of it. There is a block nearby. Push it onto a plate
to open the two doors leading down and up. Take the down stairs first. You
should finish the basement level before going on to the rest of the tower.

Next to the stairs is a healing altar. A gargoyle guards the entrance to the
north section of the basement. Talk to it and find out you need to "unsummon"
it.

Go south to a long hall, then west.  In a north side passage is a switch. This
opens a wall to the south. In this area are some chests and a clue to
unsummoning the gargoyle.

Down the hall, west of there is a side passage to the north. There are lots of
chests in here, guarded by Wyverns. The chests are hidden behind illusory
walls. You can always tell an illusory wall because it flickers. Pay close
attention to each wall.

Further west is a pressure plate that makes a teleporter appear. Enter the
teleporter and find yourself in an area guarded by a juggernaut. There is
better armor in a chest nearby.  There is also a section with two rolling
rocks. This section will have a chest with one part of the unsummon spell. You
need to get it then teleport out and reenter the hall teleporter. This will
take you to another identical area. Go to the rolling rock spot and get the
second part of the unsummon spell.

At the west end of the long hall is a plate and a wall switch. Step on the
plate and then flip the switch. It opens a door to the south.

This area comes in two parts. Behind an illusory wall is a big room with four
wyverns guarding chests. The middle chest contains a sea shell. You need this
to get to the sunken ship. The other area has two hidden chests revealed at
the far west end by stepping on a pressure plate. Unfortunately, the plate
also causes a screaming skull spell to come flying at you. If you avoid the
spell, it goes into a teleporter nearby and comes around again. Every time you
step on the plate, more skulls fly. If you keep avoiding them you will soon
see lots of flying skulls. This is very dangerous because you will get hit
sooner or later, so take it like a man and empty those chests.

Now you can go back the way you came and unsummon the gargoyle. You will then
find a long hall with a door to the south and a door to the west. You need a
key to go west so enter the south door.

You will find yourself in a large room with rocks neatly laid out. Walk the
length of the room along the north wall and head south toward the entrance to
the next room. There is a spinner going on in this room that will try to mess
up your sense of  direction. Try doing moves in reverse when this happens and
make your way into that room. It takes some effort. You will find a chest with
the key and three teleporters guarded by a juggernaut. The middle teleporter
will take you to the exit of the rock room so you don't have to deal with the
spinner again.

Once you unlock the west door you find yourself in a similar room. The far
west door needs a key, the door to the south is opened by a pressure plate.
There is a stone block you need top destroy to free a pressure plate. This
will open the door to a room with a bunch of chests. One of the has the key to
the third area.

The third area is the same. You'll need a key to go further west. Entering the
south door you'll see rolling rocks. Enter their halls and find the gaps to
get across to a room. Throw any switch you see. Get the key in a chest.

The fourth area is the final area. A door to the south leads you to a room
full of switches. Throw all the switches. Doors open revealing chests. One
door leads to the final room. To get in you have to go to a side passage, kill
the juggernaut and put a block on the pressure plate. The other pressure
plates will then let you in the door.

Now head upstairs to the second floor of the tower. There are three doors
leading to the stairs to level three. To open them you must do the following:
Near the doors is a switch                    in a recessed area. It causes a
stone to roll onto a plate. Throw it. Now, there is a pressure plate east of
the stairs. Put three big rocks on it. Another plate in the south requires a
block. A wall opens and closes periodically. It has the block, but I'm not
sure if you push it into one of the plates in this area or on the plate to the
north. I just made sure there is a block on the first plate in the hidden area
and the one exposed.

The doors will then be open, go on the way to the stairs is a side passage
with an illusory wall. Throw the switch on the other side and rob the chest.
Head upstairs and you will walk across a plate that opens a wall. Inside,
behind a illusory wall is a chest with a key inside. Get it. East of the
stairs is a Mana altar. Throw the switch nearby. This will cause rocks in
another room to roll which will open the door to the Wizard's lair.

You will find that he's already dead. Get the yellow globe on the floor and
put it in the fish's mouth. Go to the nearby chest and read the scroll inside.
Then click on the globe. The wizard will tell you his story. In the locked
room is a chest with a good sword.


Now that you've cleared the tower, make your way to the pier exit on the
ground floor. You can take the teleporter in the hidden room where in the key
was, but it takes you to the causeway exit. Use the pier exit. Go to the end
of the pier and use the sea shell. Talk to the elemental, then enter...

THE UNDERSEA MAZE

Goal: Get to ship

This area is pretty simple. It's a maze with the center as the goal. But you
must inspect every square inch of the place before you try to enter the
center. You'll need to find eight pearls to reach the center. You should also
find Aegis, the best shield in the game. Throw away your old shield when you
find it. The maze has blood thorns which can poison you, so save up on those
poison cures. Only use them when you really need them. If you can fight a
couple monsters while poisoned, hold out until you must use the cure. That way
you won't run out.

There is a teleporter on each side of the maze that will take you to the
opposite side. There are two exits. One takes you to a land pier to the south
of the underground city. The other takes you to the lantern pier. If you
accidentally exit the maze, call the elemental with the shell again and click
on GREET.

The Mana Altar is in the North West part of the maze, the Health Altar is in
the South West part of the maze.

Once you reach the center of the maze, teleporters will block your way. You
need to enter them until you are next to a chest with the final pearl.
Teleport back and put the pearl in the hole in the wall. The next teleporter
will take you to the center where another teleporter whisks you away to an
area north of the maze, the entrance to the ship.

THE SUNKEN SHIP

Goal: Talk to Demon

You enter the ship and find yourself in a room with two exits to the north.
Either one takes you to a huge room in the center of the ship. The far west
side of this room is a altar of healing. You need a gold coin to get in. The
far east is a room with the demon the wizard told you about. The demon wants
eight hearts, which you get by killing the sailors on the ship. You get four
on the first level and four on the upper level. You may want to wait until you
have all the hearts before talking to the demon to save trips back and forth.

The north east door of the great hall is opened by pulling the anchor switch.
Inside the room are seven switches. Pull them all. You can now enter seven
doors off the hall.

The south east door leads to the stairs going up. Save them for after you
finish clearing level one.

Somewhere near the western end of the great hall are two doors facing each
other. They are opened or closed by a pressure plate. To hold down the plate,
put a bag on rocks on it. Take them off to enter the opposite door. Both rooms
are identical. They have a teleporter and a wall switch. Two pebbles will be
on the floor. Get them, pull the switch, enter the teleporter. Put a pebble on
each pressure plate in the room you have arrived in, then step in the
teleporter to get sent back to the hallway. Only one teleporter does this. The
other keeps you in the room.

You can now get into four rooms at the west side of the ship.

Now go upstairs. To the east of the ship is a area with rooms and chests. A
hidden room can be accessed by fining an illusory wall near the area where a
rolling rock is standing in a side room. Enter the wall, throw the switch and
two rocks roll onto plates, opening up the hidden room to the far east.

The middle section of the ship has a large room with four blocks in the
center. Push them onto the four plates in each corner. This opens a door to
the north that leads to the captain's quarters. On the way watch out for the
rolling rock. There are alcoves you can jump in to let the rock pass.

The captain's quarters is in a hidden area. You can only reach it by stepping
on the pressure plate in the center of the room. A wall to the north opens. Go
into the south room, pull the wall switch. Do the same to the north room and a
west wall will start to open and close. Enter and find a suit of shell armor
and some other stuff. The suit is the best one so far. It looks goofy, though.


Go back and talk to the demon, give him the hearts. Now that you've
accomplished that and found out what you need to do in the game, go back into
the sea maze.

The north west corner of the sea maze is the exit leading to the underground
city. That's the best way to go.

THE UNDERGROUND CITY

Quest Items: Heartstone, Sun Disc, Trumpet of Earthen Quake

This place is pretty creepy.  If you came out of the sea onto the land pier
you will enter the city from the East. If you go in from the Gryphon Keep side
you will enter South. At the South entrance is an NPC who will tell you the
story of the city. It is haunted by some horrible monsters. The Blood Spawn
are especially tough. There are two other exits to this place. North is the
Exit to the Elder Tree. West takes you to the Barrier.

If you enter from the East follow the outer wall south until you get to the
south entrance. This is a good starting point. Talk to the weird looking man.
Following along the outer walls is usually safe. No monsters are around there
unless they chase you there. The only threat are Iron fist spells which fly
along a set path. These are easy to avoid. You can use a reflecting pool spell
to deflect them anyway.

There are two levels to this place. A huge main level with lots of buildings
to explore and a small mine level where you will find the heartstone needed
for your quest. Worry about the mine later. Save it for last.

Throw away the Sea Conch if you want to. It's no longer needed.

Since most of this dungeon is pretty cut and dry I will only describe the
tricky parts. The main thing to remember is look for illusory walls, all picks
stuck in walls are switches and be careful of those monsters.

Like the sea maze, there are teleporters at each side of the dungeon, next to
the exits, that will take you to the other side of the city. The altars are in
two separate areas. The Health Altar is in a open area surrounded by a lot of
monsters. It's near the center, north of the Enclave Area. You can just ignore
the monsters and heal up if you are desperate. They don't immediately attack
you unless you face them. The Mana altar is slightly north of the West exit.
You need an Amethyst Hex key to get in. This is found in a house nearby,
surrounded by four pressure plates. (See description below)

We'll start with the south entrance and work our way around in no particular
order. There are plenty of other places I don't describe here. Make sure you
check everyone. Don't leave any section of the map blank.

Directly to the north of the south entrance is an area I call the Enclave. It
is a large walled off area full of houses. The entrance has rolling rocks and
spikes guarding it. Go straight through, watching out for the rocks and fire
spells. You will find the place has lots of houses. Directly north of the
entrance is the first place you should enter. Here are a couple Sword Thanes
(like the one's guarding Gryphon Keep) inside. One of them will drop a gold
skull key when you kill him. To the west of this room is another room opened
by a pressure plate. A messenger will be guarding it. Kill him and take his
hat. These hats are the best headgear in the game until you get the knight's
armor, so throw away that stupid seashell helmet. An adjoining room is entered
by stepping on the pressure plate again. Inside you will find a sun disc. This
is an important item you will need later on.

Two houses on either side of the enclave have pressure plates. They take one
rock each. Now go around the enclave and clean out the other houses. The one
locked by the gold skull key has a flame shooting crossbow inside. It's
helpful against blood spawn. Especially when you enter the rolling rock house
I describe later.

Finished with the enclave? Okay, let's now go north of there to the healing
altar. It's in an open area surrounded by what looks like square pillars.
There are a lot of monsters here, so be careful. It's also a no magic zone, so
you will have to use your weapons on the beasties. If you don't look at them,
they usually won't attack, so if you are desperate for healing, just ignore
them and head for the altar. One of the quivering pool monsters will drop an
ankh when you kill him. This is needed to enter a house near the east exit. If
you don't get an ankh in this area, you will probably get it from another
quivering pool elsewhere. They are really small, so pay close attention to the
ground.

To the east of the enclave, just south of the altar area, is a house that must
be opened with a blue tear key. Inside a rolling rock moves across your path.
Monsters block your away ahead. You have to kill them without stepping in the
way of the rock which will clobber you. The Inferno weapon comes in handy
here. Also, the throwing star you found in the sea maze that comes back to
your hand. Another method is just step up when the rock passes, take a whack
at the monster, then step back. When the monsters are dead, go into the far
room and throw a wall switch. This will open a door in the hall where the rock
is rolling back and forth. Go right, raid the chest, then return to the
switch, throw it again, and go left down the hall when the rock passes to find
another chest. You will find an hour glass artifact that comes in real handy
later.

In the South East corner of the city is a house with three pick switches in
its walls and a teleporter blocking the door. Fire spells keep starting
periodically. Wait for the fires to die down. Go to the west/left switch. Pull
it, then go to the east/right switch, pull it. The teleporter will have
vanished. Then, pull the middle switch and enter. There are illusory walls
directly in front of you. Behind them are some chests.

Next door is a house with a rolling rock sitting motionless between two
pressure plates. Nearby is a chest with a key and a wall switch. Get the key,
throw the switch. Open the locked door with the key and you will see a rock
rolled away to reveal a chest. Raid the chest, go back to the switch, throw it
again and return to find another chest revealed.


Near the East exit is a big house requiring an ankh key. There is a hole in
the wall next to the door and a speaking statue. Use the ankh to enter, go to
the door that has a wall switch next to it in the north east of the place.
Throw the switch, enter and you will see a pressure plate. Step on the plate
four times and it will open the other doors. Two rooms are empty. Two have
monsters. One has a chest with another hourglass artifact.

North East of the city, next to the Ankh house is a house opened by a blue
tear key. Entering you will see two pressure plate doors and a door opened by
a wall switch. The wall switch opens the center door which only leads outside.
The north room has a chest containing the Trumpet of Earthen Quake. The south
room has a sleepy imp inside. Talk to him then leave the room and shut the
door. Now, without entering the room again, step on the plate and open the
door. Use the hourglass you found to stop time. Enter the southern room and
you should see the imp sleeping with a thought bubble over his head. Wait for
the time spell to wear off and you will learn the spell of  Fire Haven.

Slightly west of the south exit is a house with two closed doors and a stone
block. Destroy the block with your sword and the doors will open. The door
farthest away from the block may need coaxing. Step on and off the plate until
it opens up. You can check it with your map.

Near the West exit is a house surrounded by four pressure plates. Put one rock
filled bag (8 to 10 rocks per bag) on three of the plates. You should have
three bags by now. On the fourth plate place a stone block. Now you can enter
the house. If you don't have enough rocks or blocks, then try entering anyway.
A spinner will make it really hard but if you keep trying you will eventually
get in. It took me a long time when I tried it without the rocks. Inside you
will find the Amethyst Hex key needed to get to the Mana Temple.

The Mana Temple is slightly north of the west entrance. You need the Amethyst
Hex key to enter. There will be blood spawn guarding the place and it is a no
magic zone.

Near the North Entrance is a house opened by a steel circle key. This house
contains a great sword, the best weapon you will find up to this point in the
game. It can cause up to 16 points in damage. So I recommend you start using
it.

In the North West section is the entrance to the mine. It's a wood building
with a rock rolling in front of the entrance. But before you enter, next to
this building are two rows of small houses. Explore them and you will find a
little girl. Talk to her before entering the mine.

Back to the mine. Fight your way past two blood spawn to the stairs. The
stairs lead down. You will find you way blocked by a collapse. Use the
Heavenly Mend spell to raise all fallen debris. You will find a miner near the
entrance. He is the father of a little girl NPC you can find upstairs. The
miner will tell you about the heart stone and give you a tool for finding it.
Once you have the stone you can leave the mine. It's not worth exploring as
there are a lot of zones that steal your mana points and no treasure. You'll
also fight Jesters, who are a pain in the butt. You may want to use the
Reflecting Waters spell to avoid getting hit by their screaming skulls when
you're not looking.

Here is the directions to the heartstone if you want to get there without too
much bother.
Go south of the miner, take the first left, heading east, take the second
right, heading south, go around the bend heading south. The next right and you
will see the stone stuck in the south wall. Take it and get the hell out of
there. It's not worth hanging around.

Once you are finished with the underground city you will have one green leaf
key left. Throw it away. Some programmer made a mistake in the game. Now head
out the north exit and you will face the Elder Tree.

THE ELDER TREE/THE LAND OF ROOTS

Quest Items:  Dragon Amber, Hallowed Staff of Elder Wood

Now that you've beat the underground city, you should have the Trumpet of
Earthen Quake in your possession. Head toward the tree and you will see the
bridge is up, turn right and keep going until you see a big rock holding back
the sea. Use the trumpet. You can now enter the Elder Tree.

Once you enter the tree, you can get rid of the trumpet. You don't need it
anymore.

The Healing Altar is just outside the entrance room, to the west. There is no
Mana Altar in this Dungeon.

This place is divided into the ground floor called the Land of Roots, which is
rather large, and the Elder Tree, which is a series of small floors leading up
to the top. You need to go to the top floor before you do anything else.

When you enter the tree, you start out in a room with a door to the north and
a teleporter east and west. Go east to the teleporter that takes you to the
stairs. Go north to the stairs, fight your way to the top. The Fungus Man and
Earthbile monsters will poison you and there are no poison cure bottles on the
way, so use your stash sparingly.

The floors with the Fungus Men are a trap. There are hidden alcoves behind
illusory walls where fungus men lie in wait. When you get attacked by a fungus
man coming at you from the front, wait for him to come to you. DON'T stand in
front of those illusory walls or you will be slammed from three sides! Kill
the Fungus man and run for the stairs. If you really want to fight the others,
go ahead, but you can bypass these levels once you reach the top. You don't
need to come back this way.

At the fourth floor you will see a pressure plate. Drop a bag of rocks on it
and a wall opens up. You will get an Earthen Rot Spell inside a chest there.
Now go up to the top and exit the tree. Turn to face the west and the tree
spirit will appear. She will give you a wand of healing called the Hallowed
Staff of Elder Wood. This thing makes your healing spells a lot more effective
when you hold it.

Now go back into the tree and take the teleporter to the second floor and head
for the Land of Roots. You're ready to finish off the rest of this dungeon.

Okay, let's start from the stairs and work our way back to the entrance.

South of the stairs is a rolling rock that keeps entering a teleporter and
coming back around. Wait for it to pass then enter the teleporter. It should
take you west of it. If not try again, then move out of the way so you don't
get clobbered by the rock.

Due North West of the stone teleporter is a illusory wall facing a north
passage. Enter and go to through the other illusory wall. Be aware that a
spinner will trick you and make you face the opposite direction, so watch the
map window on the lower corner of your screen. When your direction turns you
can back up into the wall, or just turn yourself around again. Heal the root
you find hidden away in there. Now go south the way you came, then west.

There will be a door with a teleporter nearby. Enter the teleporter and you
will find yourself in the room behind the door. When you're finished you
should have a stone claw key. Step on the plate and you will be let out.

Go south of there to find the room needing the stone claw key. The place is
large and full of fungus men. West of this room is an illusory wall where a
big rock rolls in and out. Follow the rock and you will find another root to
heal.

Back through the stone teleporter until you are back where you started. Head
due east, then south down a twisty passage. When it comes to the T crossing,
go east. You will enter a room with spikes and a rolling rock. Navigate around
the rock and head north, turn east then go down another long passage, being
careful to avoid another rolling rock. At the end are some chests with some
useful stuff and another root. Now go slightly north and enter an illusory
wall on the east. There is a teleporter inside. Take it.

You will find yourself in a room in the North East section of the map. It goes
in a circle around a area with no door. There are four pressure plates in this
area. One of them will move when you step on it. Weigh this one down with a
bag of rocks. Now repeat on plate, using blocks when you run out of bags. Go
back to the first bag and pick it up. A door wil open in the wall. Kill the
earthbile, raid the chests and heal the root.

After retrieving your bags from the plates, enter the illusory wall and go
around the teleporter. You will find another root to heal. Once you're done
with it, you can enter the teleporter and make your way back to that T
crossing.

Go west, young man, but the passage will turn south. Go all the way south till
you come to a room with four teleporters in it. The front two blink on and
off. Wait for them top blink off then step into the back teleporters. You will
find yourself in either a passage with a chest or a hall with a root to heal.
Whatever, do your thing then reenter the teleporter and get to the other hall.
When you're done, teleport out of there by reentering the 'porters until you
are able to leave the room. Head north and face the east door that needs a
copper sun key. You should have found one in the teleporter room. Open the
door and do your thing. You will find a illusory wall to the south. Put a bag
on rocks on it and it opens a wall in the main room, revealing a chest. The
chest has some armor that's better than the Sea Shell stuff, but just as goofy
looking. Don't worry. There's some fly armor coming up later in the game.

Now head west again. In an area where blue fires sprout you will see a door to
the south opened by a pressure plate. That's the entrance room. You want to
pass it for now and keep going west. Take a north west route first. It leads
eventually to a passage that heads south over two pressure plates. Step on the
first one and a wall opens up nearby. Go inside, do your thing. Explore the
rest of this small area, and so on.

Due west of the entrance you will come to a shut door. South of there is an
area with pressure plates and a block. Cast a Reflections on the Lake spell
and push the block all the way west. The door will now be open. Talk to the
purple rock and you will be almost be finished with this dungeon.

In the south west corner of the dungeon there is a shut door and two pressure
plates. Step on them to open the door. Heal the root inside.

East of this door is an area with a rolling rock. Moves north and south in
front of an illusory wall. Go inside and get some block figurines. They'll
come in handy later on.

Okay, you're almost done. Go back to the entrance room and take the teleporter
to the dragon (the western 'porter). Put the ruby shard you found earlier into
the hole in the wall next to a door and get the jar out of the chest. Now
Click on the ornate hole in the wall where the dragon comes out and say it's
name. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE JAR ON YOUR CURSOR ICON when you do this. A
dragon comes out and spits amber. Gather it up with the jar on your cursor.
You now have the second quest item the demon mentioned. Put it away with the
heartstone.

Now leave the tree through the way you entered. You are not ready to cross
over into desolation yet. Go back to the underground city and take the west
exit. Head for the Barrier.