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The most important gameplay decision is whether to acquire the Grey Crystal Ring. It is useful against the Shadow Reavers in The Prisoners of Time, but it forces you into a difficult fight in Tharro.

Walkthrough criteria[]

The gamebook can be completed in many different ways. This walkthrough is compiled according to the following criteria, in order of importance:

  1. assume that several previous adventures have been played, except for some items;
  2. collect and use as many items as possible;
  3. avoid combat as much as possible, especially the strongest enemies;
  4. see as many illustrations as possible.

Getting started[]

Suggested Magnakai disciplines[]

  1. Weaponmastery with bow and main weapon. Choose sword if you intend to enter Tharro - even if you don't have the Sommerswerd, you will be using a sword in a difficult fight.
  2. Huntmastery (completes Lore Circle of Fire for +1 CS +2 EP)
  3. Divination
  4. Curing
  5. Psi-Screen

Suggested equipment[]

Choose any one weapon:

  • Sword
  • Mace
  • Dagger

It is highly recommended to take the following two items:

  • Bow (Weapon)
  • Quiver (Special Items), containing six Arrows.

Choose two of the following five items:

  • Rope (Backpack Items)
  • Potion of Laumspur (Backpack Items): restores E+4
  • Lantern (Backpack Items)
  • 3 Meals (Backpack Items)
  • 3 Fireseeds (Special Items)

You need to have more than 30 Gold Crowns, especially if you're going for the Grey Crystal Ring, otherwise you will need disposable special items (Lodestone). If you have completed previous adventures, you should have more than enough.

Useful items from previous gamebooks[]

  • Shield: CS+2, also required in one instance.
  • Silver Helm: CS+2
  • Silver Bow of Duadon: Adds 3 to your score when instructed to fire an arrow.
  • Sommerswerd: CS+8, it is specifically mentioned in more than one instance.
  • Chainmail Waistcoat (found in book 4; special item): +4 EP.
  • Padded Leather Waistcoat (found in books 3, 6, and 7; special item): +2 EP.

Walkthrough notes:[]

1. There are several options that will lead you to instant-death results. These will be pointed out indirectly in italicized text.

2. The discipline of Curing is very useful. Unless you avoid Tharro entirely (see walkthrough), you will need to heal your travelling companion; failure to do so (if you do not have healing potions) leads to mission failure. Also, if you are required to fight creatures with venom attacks, this discipline prevents you from doubling your Endurance points losses.

3. If you don't have the Sommerswerd, a high combat skill is extremely important: near the end of the book you'll need to win a fight against two foes with 21-22 combat skill and 54 combined endurance points in only six rounds. It doesn't help that you need Psi-Screen or you suffer -2 to your combat skill. You might want to consider choosing Psi-Surge or Psi-Screen, preferably Psi-Surge if you can only have one of the two, to help win this fight.

4. The afore-mentioned fight also makes this book very difficult for a new character. You might also want to take the Great Northern Road and visit Tadia the Prophetess to pick up a Potion of Alether (using the Alether now will unfortunately make the next adventure, The Cauldron of Fear, significantly more difficult).

5. It is possible that the Silver Bow of Duadon is destroyed in this adventure.

Walkthrough[]

Part I: Garthen to Tharro[]

(1) For the purpose of getting the Grey Crystal Ring, we will use the Great North Road because this route will allow you to enter a part of Tharro that you can't explore if you take the barge route (you can still explore it if you have the Silver Bow of Duadon, but it will be destroyed in the process). This is also the only route in which you can pick up an Alether potion, which will be very useful in the future (especially if you brought all your Alether into Castle Death, losing your backpack at the end). Stop at the inn and buy some food / drinks to avoid a possible skirmish. Talk to the farmer, whose name is Jako, and he will mention his sister Tadia.

(318) Go to Topham but do not stop by the abbey with monks nearby. At the barge head to the Ferry House where Tadia is waiting for you. This assumes that you've talked to Jako in the inn. You can stock up on healing potions here, as well as an Alether potion. At this point of time, if you are careful, you should not be infected with korovax. Don't board the ferry, since that switches to the barge route.

Note: If you don't have 30 Gold Crowns, you can try fighting the monks (actually undead Vordaks) to get the Lodestone, which is a barter item for the Grey Crystal Ring.

(280) The toll man at Stia will ask you a riddle in exchange for the toll waiver. The question can be word-twisting but the answer is (3). Since you still have the Pass in hand, just hand the pass to an inspecting officer then head to the Hog-Foot-Run. Enter the emporium to get the Grey Crystal Ring.

Travel tip: You can avoid Tharro and head straight to the Danarg by not showing your pass to the guards at the entrance to town. Doing this avoids the hardest fight in this adventure, but you also miss out on much of the lore, and you will not be able to get the Grey Crystal Ring. If survival is your only goal, then avoiding Tharro is likely worth it.[1]

Part II : Tharro to Mondril Forest[]

(204) You are now at the quadrangle. The only viable option is to pass the night at the temple (78). You are served with a stew, but do not eat it for it is been poisoned. (Hint: Gaj kog zutag - this is Giak for "Die in agony".) Next a Helghast reveals itself. The Helghast will attack you psychically, and if you have Psi-Screen you're able to deflect it. Psi-Screen helps in your fight against the Helghast as well. If you do not have the Sommerswerd, grab your companion's blue sword.

Note: The Helghast's combat stats in the Mongoose edition has been adjusted slightly, making it slightly easier but still challenging to beat if engaging with Sommerswerd.

(195) After defeating the Helghast, you can choose either to escape via the hatch at a cost of a random number of Endurance Points or fight the monks. You can open the door or go up the stairs. You will need either Curing or a Laumpsur potion to heal your companion.

Combat tip: You do not have to face the monks if you were poisoned prior to facing the Helghast (however, in that case, you are dead unless you have Primate-level Curing).

(259) You are now at the northern part of the monastery. However, the monks are riding your horses so you have to find another way to leave. Escape to the archway and then hide in the wagon. The driver is a member of the Redeemers.

(347) You should ignore the mine and just proceed to the valley. You can get sacks of silver in the cabin, but you must fight a rogue miner. A man will warn you to turn back, but continue west.

(212) The Anapheg appears in front of you. You can choose to fight (Psi-screen helps) or fire an arrow but if you choose the latter, you must do an escape-or-die test if your arrow finds the mark. Unless you have Huntmastery, you only have an 80% chance of success. You may consider fighting the creature hand-to-hand if you do not have that discipline.

Part III: The Danarg Swamp to the Temple of Ohrido[]

(91) In the forest, to restore some Endurance points, choose heads.

(138) Head to the southern side of the pool, then to the western spur. The improved Nexus will alert you to some gas on the southern spur. At the mound, simply wait for Paido to finish his readings before moving on.

(307) You likely have to fight the swamp python. Fortunately, since you have Curing, you can avoid having to lose more Endurance points than usual.

(58) You are approaching a Ghagrim settlement. If you have Pathsmanship, the secret trail removes the need to encounter them. However, if you happen to encounter one, just throw a Fireseed. Once you see another track up ahead, follow the new track.

(102) Depending on the number chosen from the Random Number Table, you may encounter a Taan-Spider. You can evade it by dropping an unused meal or you can fire an arrow.

(220) Finally you have reached the temple. Once you have acquired the lorestone, you will be on board on the Levitron. However you will encounter some Vordaks that you must fight.

(79) You should start throwing all the black cubes out from the Levitron because one of these can cause the craft to explode. Nonetheless, your friend is eventually captured and taken away, leaving you alone for the trip to Dessi.

Congratulations, you have completed this adventure!

Appendices[]

Enemy roster[]

Only unavoidable enemies will be shown.

Unavoidable enemies[]

Enemy  CS  EP  Section  Avoid  Notes 
Two Vordaks

22

21

28

26

s.287/13 (unavoidable) If you're fighting without the Sommerswerd you must finish the combat within 6 rounds.
Silver Swarm Python 20 60 s.155 You must have the improved Animal Control and Invisibility, then you must score a 7 or more in a scenario. Unless you have improved Curing, you must double the damage you incur.
Anapheg 18 50 s.333 If you pass an arrow accuracy test (7 or more). If you manage to kill the creature with an arrow shot, there's a 20% chance of death unless you have Huntmastery.
Gnaag Helghast 34/38/28 48/40 s.183/30/308/47 Do not take the barge to Tharro in section 1; do not show your Pass at the gate to Tharro in section 135. CS:EP varies depending on whether you're wielding the Sommerswerd or otherwise, and whether you ate the poisoned stew or otherwise. In the Mongoose edition of the book, its stats have been revised significantly.
Monks of the Sword 25 45 s.323/110 You can escape via the hatch at the EP cost of one roll of the RNT. Also, similar to the Gnaag Helghast, can be avoided by not entering Tharro. CS:EP varies on whether you've killed one of them with a bow and arrow or otherwise

Notes[]

  1. The Grey Crystal Ring is only useful in The Prisoners of Time, where it can add 3 CS in an unavoidable fight against Shadow Reavers. If you choose to engage them in psychic combat, they have CS 25 EP 40, which is lower than the Gnaag Helghast's stats, but you cannot use items such as a Shield or the Sommerswerd. You do however receive bonuses that might still make the fight easy. You can also engage them in physical combat which allows you to use combat-related items, but they have CS 34 EP 40. See the Prisoners of Time walkthrough for more information.
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