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Key & Compass presents:
The Apprentice
by Saevar Benjaminsson

The Apprentice is a TADS 2 text adventure game and is © 2006, 2010 by Saevar Benjaminsson. An incomplete version was released in 2006; the complete version was released in 2010.

It is 1660. You play as an adventurer ordered by important people to find the Holy Grail. Good luck!

This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on the complete version of the game.


Map

Up ina palmtree Largecave Smallcavern Passage-way Narrow passage/Canyon ledge You havedied enter river d leave raft d u u d By thewaterfall A sandybeach Far out onthe lake Out onthe lake By thelakeshore Rockycove By thevolcano At theBig Lake A greenfield River-side Holdingonto asmall rockin theriver By thecottage In thecottage On top ofthe cliff Insidethe shack Staircase Cathedralentrance Staircase Dustypassage-way Thebottom-less pit On thebridge Eternalbridge A platformin thecliffside The grailchamber A smallcave u throw harpoon at whale enter raft climb dragon u d d d u

Walkthrough

GENERAL CAUTIONS:


Part 1: Beginning the Quest: Lake, Raven, and Dragon

Would you like instructions ? yes

At the Big Lake

You don't have to "cheat", but you are looking at a walkthrough and it doesn't hurt to do this right away.

> xyzzy

Are you perhaps thinking of cheating ? yes

You now know the magic word YAGWAD, which is is short for Yes, Another Game with a Dragon!

> yagwad. (You now have five extra UNDO chances in case of death.)

You find the rope the second time you swim.

> x me. i. (Empty-handed.)

> x lake. x mountains. x trees.

> swim. x seaweed. swim. (+5; rope found)

> x rope. pull rope. x raft.

Explore a bit first before using the raft:

> w.

By the volcano

> x dragon. x rock. x sword. x lava. x craters. x sulphur.

> ask dragon about sword. ask dragon about sulphur.

> take sword. (It's stuck.)

> dragon, take sword. (He can't do it either.)

> e. e.

A green field

The riverside to the east has nothing useful; you can skip going there.

> x harpoon. take it.

> x cottage. x trees. x garden. x forest.

> n.

Rocky cove

The raven sometimes flies here.

> x river. x oar. x rod. take oar. take rod.

> s. w.

At the Big Lake

> enter raft.

By the lakeshore

> n.

Out on the lake

You want to stockpile some fish in case you need to eat later.

> fish. fish. look. (repeat fishing and looking until you've caught three different fish.)

> x codorx salmonorx trout.

> s. leave raft.

At the Big Lake

> drop rod.

> take cod. drop it.

> take salmon. drop it.

> take trout. drop it.

> enter raft. n. n.

Far out on the lake

> z. (Repeat waiting until you see a whale.)

> x whale.

IMPORTANT: It's VITAL that the rope is tied to both the harpoon and the raft. If you fiddled with the rope earlier, you might've unknowingly untied the rope from the raft and this is dangerous. If you throw the rope at the whale when it's only tied to the harpoon, you will die.

> take rope. tie rope to harpoon. tie rope to raft.

> throw harpoon at whale. (+5)

A sandy beach

All your possessions are lost in the crash.

CAUTION: The berries are poisonous. Don't eat them.

CAUTION: The fog is also dangerous. If you spend too many turns on the beach, it will eventually reach you, then force you to hallucinate monsters until you kill yourself.

> x lake. x fog. x sand. x trees.

> x vegetation. x berries.

> climb trees.

Up in a palm tree

You don't need the egg.

> x nest. x egg. x emerald.

> take emerald.

> d. (You discover a shovel!)

A sandy beach.

> x shovel. take it.

> dig sand with shovel. (+5. You find a helmet.)

> x helmet. take it. wear it. (You are invisible.)

You must be invisible to go north from the beach; arrows fire at you otherwise.

> n.

By the waterfall

CAUTION: If you take the bag, and the helmet isn't on the rock, you die.

CAUTION: If you enter the river with the helmet, you die.

> x bag. (Endless bag of Sulphur!)

> put helmet on rock. take bag.

> x waterfallorx river.

> enter river. (+5. You are carried to the cove; you lose the shovel.)

Rocky cove

> s. w. w.

By the volcano

> give bag to dragon. (+5)

> e.

At the Big Lake

Take just one of your fish. The other two are insurance, just in case you need them later.

> take cod.

> e. s.

By the cottage

The raven flies off soon after you meet it, but will fly back. It also seems to have throat problems.

> x raven. give emerald to raven. (It drops the key.)

> take key. x key. x door.

> x images. x lion. x ring.

> unlock door with key. drop key. s. (+5)


Part 2: Secrets in the Cottage: Cobra and Gargoyle

In the cottage

> x mantelpiece. x coin. take it.

> x furnace. open it. (Empty; a button turns it on and off.)

> x bed. look under bed. x bowl. (It has a ring mark.)

> put coin in bowl. put bowl in furnace.

> push button. x bowl. take ring. (Too hot to take.)

> push button. z. z. (It should now be cool enough.)

> take gold ring. wear it. (+5. Magic passage south seen.)

> x window. x shelf.

> x red book. read it. (+5. Something falls out; learn of Surtur.)

> look. x necklace. (Crucifix with "YAW YHT MA I".)

> take necklace. wear it.

> x green book. read it. (One page of dragon "Draka" with "Sulper".)

> x flute. take it.

> s.

Large cave

> x cobra. play flute. (+5. Cobra sleeps.)

> drop flute. s.

Small cavern

The telescope only works in a few locations and not here. But the telescope and compass aren't really helpful, so leave them here.

> x lamp. take it.

> x desk. x telescope. look through it.

> x compass. g. (It changes direction?)

> push button. (Lamp is now lit.)

> s.

Passageway

> x symbols. x statue. x crown.

When you take the crown, the gargoyle animates!

> take crown. wear crown.

> n. n. n. n. n. w. w.

By the volcano

> take sword. (+5)

> e. e. s. s. s. s. s.

Passageway

> kill gargoyle with sword. (+5)

> s.

Narrow passage

> x liquid. smell it. listen. (Wind in trees to south?)

> drop lamp. push button. (Fire! Go!)

> n. (+5; boom!)

Passageway

> s.

Canyon ledge

> z. (Wait repeatedly until dragon appears and makes his offer.)

> climb dragon. (+5)


Part 3: Across the Canyon: Wizard, Skeleton, and Fire Demon

On top of the cliff

The dragon will fly you across the canyon from now on. I have no idea what the sign means.

I'm going to assume you're peckish by now, so eat the cod. If you're not peckish, eat it later when you are.

> eat cod.

> read sign. ("Sallied flesh too too melt - NE GE EINSTIEK")

> x plate. x shack. x door.

> x garden. x plants. x carrot. take carrot.

> move plate. x hole. x light.

CAUTION: Entering the hole is deadly.

> knock on door. knock on door. (The door opens.)

> e.

Inside the shack

Examine things or just wait until the wizard turns into a rabbit. If you get peckish while waiting, eat one of your fish!

Note: You may be waiting quite a bit longer than seems reasonable to wait. I suspect that the wizard won't turn into a rabbit until after turn 200, just to make sure you eat something, and perhaps trying to trick you into eating the carrot? But I can't prove that the game works that way. And I don't know of any way to speed this part up so the wizard becomes a rabbit sooner.

> x wizard. x wand. x silver ring. x lion.

> x candlesticks. x paintings. look.

> z. (Continue to wait.)

Once he's a rabbit:

> show carrot to rabbit. w. (The rabbit follows you.)

On top of the cliff

> put carrot in hole. (The rabbit jumps into the hole.)

> look in hole. take wand. (+5)

> x rabbit.

> e.

Inside the shack

The wealth was all illusion. You see a switch on the south wall.

> x switch. pull switch. (It pops back up again.)

> look. x trapdoor. d. d. d.

Cathedral entrance

Take the apple in case you get peckish again.

> x apple. take apple. x plants.

> x doorway. x drawings. (God-image with glowing staff.)

> x writings. ("Only the humble shall enter / Beware the wrath of Yahweh")

> s.

Dusty passageway

> duck. (Machete misses you.)

> s.

The bottomless pit

If the bridgekeeper is ignoring you, you can look around a bit until he talks to you:

And now for something borrowed from Monty Python; the questions may be worded slightly differently:

"Tell me what you seek, stranger..." holy grail

"Dare you accept the challenge...?" yes

"What... is your name...?" Arthur

"What... is your favourite colour...?" blue (+5)

Yeah, you're cool. Go on through.

> s. s.

Eternal bridge

> z. (Wait until a skeleton appears.)

> x skeleton. show necklace to skeleton.

> hit skeleton with necklace.

> z. (+5)

> s. u.

A small cave.

> x well. ("Well of the Fire Demon") look in well.

> x altar. x orb. x cloth.

> x tome. read tome. (Say the Fire Demon's name three times to summon him.)

> look through opening.

> d. e.

The grail chamber

> x guardian. x old sword. x armour.

> x grails. x tile. x hole.

> ask guardian about holy grail.

> ask about knight. (Nikolaj.)

> ask about tile. ask about Surtur.

> ask about armour. ask about old sword.

> ask about Excalibur. ask about wand.

> ask about orb. (On the demon's death, it will light the way to eternal youth.)

> w. u.

A small cave.

> take cloth. x orb.

> save.

> Surtur. Surtur. Surtur. (+5. He arrives and attacks you!)

Hit the demon with the wand and the sword on alternate turns! Repeat the cycle seven times (or more) until he's dead!

> hit demon with wand. hit demon with sword.

> hit demon with wand. hit demon with sword.

> hit demon with wand. hit demon with sword.

> hit demon with wand. hit demon with sword.

> hit demon with wand. hit demon with sword.

> hit demon with wand. hit demon with sword.

> hit demon with wand. hit demon with sword. (+5)

Hopefully he's dead by now.

> x demon. x orb. (Leave the orb on the altar!)

> d. e.

The grail chamber

> put wand in hole.

With the orb on the altar providing light and the wand in the hole, the light indicates one specific wooden grail.

> take grail. (+10)

******CONGRATULATIONS******


Extras

Characters


Endings

Note also that if you swim twice at Riverside, you're trapped holding onto a small rock in the river, unable to act. You can't even UNDO from there.


Inventory

In the approximate order you'll find them:

Honorable mention:


Score

In a total of several turns, you have achieved a score of this-many points out of a possible 100.


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