You're a spelunker on a dangerous expedition to find the fabled Jewel of Knowledge. The Druids of Amylya told you that whoever possesses the jewel can know any fact, can solve any problem. But Ariana has already died, and Jacob soon follows her. And now it's just you alone, deep underground, searching for the lairs of three ancient dragons, and hoping you can prevail where so many others have fallen.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 2 of the game.
Note that you're not allowed to open the rucksack at the very beginning. Also, you cannot skip your conversation with Jacob. Getting the backstory from him is the trigger for the accident to come.
> x me. i. x Jacob.
> x rucksack. x firebug. x sword.
> ask Jacob about jewel. ask Jacob about dragon.
> ask Jacob about Ariana. ask Jacob about druids.
> ask Jacob about Amylya.
You never get the chance to ask, as the ground beneath you breaks open. You fall and black out.
When you wake up, you find your rucksack and firebug gone and Jacob is dead.
Rocky Plateau, Sixth Layer
A caution about exploring the lava tube to the north: don't bother. It only leads to lava and death.
> x body. take sack. open it. x salt. close sack.
> x rocks. x hole.
> verbose. w. nw.
Mineralized Corridor
> x minerals. x onyx. take it.(Can't.)
> x garnet. take it.(Can't.)
> x quartz. take it. pull it.(+2)
> x line.(This is a new exit up from this location.)
> x opal. take it.(Can't.)
> u.
Tight Fit
> u.(Not with your stuff.)
> d. drop all. u. u.(+2)
Fifth Layer Dropoff
> x gaping hole. x outcrops. x insect.
> take firebug.(Can't quite reach it.)
Be careful. If you throw the book the bug itself, then it'll be killed. And if you just throw the book into the hole, you won't have any way to get the bug.
> x book. throw book at outcrop.(+3; both book and bug fall)
> d. d.
Mineralized Corridor
> take all. se. e.
Rocky Plateau, Sixth Layer
> take bug. take book.
There's only enough salt for one visit to the Druids.
> open sack. rub bug. light salt with bug. smell smoke.(+2)
The Amylyan Druids' Temple
> x Allarah.
> tell Allarah about Jacob —or— tell Allarah about Ariana.
> ask Allarah about jewel.
> ask Allarah about Helspeth.
> ask Allarah about white dragon.
> ask Allarah about black dragon.(+3. You get a key.)
> enter mist.(+2. You return to where you were.)
Rocky Plateau, Sixth Layer
> w. w. w.
Carved Steps
> x steps. x stalactites. n.
Moss-Filled Cave
> smell. x dirt. x moss. dig dirt.(Can't.)
> take moss. clean dirt with moss.(+2. Trapdoor found.)
> open trapdoor. d.
Cleaning Closet
> x lye. take it. u. s. s.
Lonely Burial Ground
> x skeleton. search skeleton. move skeleton.(Can't.)
> pour lye on moss. clean skeleton with moss.(+3. Skeleton collapses.)
> x bladder. take it. read label.
> take crampons. x them. x skeleton.
> n. e. e. nw. w. w.
Gaseous Geyser
Water momentarily gushes up from the hole into the shaft and back down!
> x hole. x shaft. x vapor.
> wear crampons.
We really don't want to be hit by the geyser's blast of water, so timing is important. Only climb immediately after the geyser blasts. It happens on the fourth turn after you enter here.
> climb porous.(+2)
Shaft Base
> u. u. e.
On the Ledge
> x Ariana.(boots. sash. crossbow.)
> x boots. x bulge. look in boot. take lockpick.(+2)
> x sash. x crossbow. take bow. x arrow.
Oddly, you don't need to wait for a second geyser once the first is past.
> w. d. d. d.
Gaseous Geyser
Again, the geyser will erupt four turns after you enter here.
> x porous. search porous.(See remnants of fire pit.)
> break porous.(Need something more powerful.)
> put bladder in hole.(+3. Porous wall is gone.)
If you mistimed this, leave the room, return, and wait four turns. By the way, now that the porous wall is gone, you can no longer climb up the shaft.
> look. take bladder. w.
Quarry
> x firepits —or— x refuse.
> take pickaxe. x it.
> e. e. e. se. w. w. n. n.
Fungus Forest
> x fungi. x mushroom.(Looks like an archery target.)
Learn to use your crossbow.
> shoot mushroom with bow. take arrow. put arrow in bow.
> shoot mushroom with bow. put arrow in bow.
> shoot mushroom with bow.(+3)put arrow in bow.
> s. s. w.
Frozen Foyer
> x glacier.
> break ice with pickaxe. g. g. g. g.(+3. You've opened a passage.)
> s. se.
The White Dragon's Lair
> x dragon. x claws. open claws.
> take coat.(+2)wear coat.
> x coat.(It can absorb something and take its properties.)
> x fangs. open mouth.(The dragon isn't breathing. It's dead.)
> x eyes. open eyes. x tail.
> s.
White Dragon's Antechamber
> x treasure. search treasure.(Find nothing useful.)
> n. nw. n. e. e. e. e. ne.
Ebony Expanse
> x outcroppings. x breeze. e.
Gypsum Flower Gardens (several locations)
CAUTION: Anything dropped here is lost forever.
> x flower. break flower.(powder blows northeast)
> ne.
> break flower.(game won't let you do it again)
I've forgotten how I got through this maze originally. Trial and error? But another walkthrough says you should disturb the flowers in different ways each time. So, do that.
> push flower. s.
> pull flower. w.
> smell flower. n.
> squeeze flower. e.(+2)
Obsidian Door
> x door.
> unlock door with key.(A second keyhole is revealed.)
> unlock door with lockpick.(+3. The door is open.)
> e.
Black Dragon's Lair
The door slams shut as you enter. You have 13 free turns available for chatting, examining, or other actions. I choose to chat. But be careful! He'll blast you with acid on the 14th turn.
> ask dragon about black dragon. ask dragon about white dragon.
> ask dragon about Amylya. ask dragon about trinket.
> ask dragon about Raif. ask dragon about red dragon.
> ask dragon about treasure. ask dragon about cousin.
> ask dragon about goblin —or— ask dragon about orcs.
> ask dragon for ring. ask dragon about ramp. ask dragon about plague.
> ask dragon about door.
That's enough chatting. He's about to kill you now.
> put lye in coat.(+5. The coat, now a base, counteracts the acid blast.)
> kill dragon with sword.(+2. One claw severed, but sword is gone.)
> se.(+2)
At the Top of the Ramp
> push boulder.(+3)
> nw.
Black Dragon's Lair
CAUTION: If you shoot the dragon with the crossbow, he dies, his body turns into gas, and the arrow is gone. Please don't do that. You need him alive and you need the arrow for later.
> ask dragon for ring.(+2)
> ask dragon about door.(He opens it.)
> x ring. wear ring.
> ask dragon about red dragon.(+5. He offers a secret way to her lair.)
> sit on head.(He walks east.)
Black Dragon's Antechamber
While on the dragon's head, you get three turns here.
> x paper.(The map of Paris is a reference to Curses by Graham Nelson.)
> x cube.(The cube is a reference to Spellbreaker by Infocom.)
> x statue.(The statue is a "red herring".)
If you didn't attack the dragon before, he kills you now. Otherwise, he flies up through the ceiling.
Well-Lit Passage
> x mosses. z.(The dragon heads west.)
Steep Cliff Face
> x cliff. z.(The dragon flies down.)
Red Dragon Gate
> x gate.(Dragon touches the insignia.)
> z.(He says some words and the gate opens.)
> z.(+2. He walks west.)
Red Dragon's Lair
Rasha drops you off his head and is now about to kill you.
> w.
On The Divide
Make your stand here and let the dragons wear themselves out using their breath attacks. The black dragon's acid won't kill you while you're wearing the coat of lye, but it will make the water rise. The red dragon's flames won't kill you while you're wearing the ring of heat protection, but you will lose some of your stuff, and it manages to rip the lye out of the coat!
> z. z. z.(Black Dragon begins his attack.)
> z. z. z.(Black Dragon exhausted. Red Dragon begins her attack.)
> z. z.(+10. Red dragon collapses, and flooding begins to the east.)
> i.(You've lost the firebug, moss, lye, lockpick, and pickaxe.)
> w.
Red Dragon's Plateau
> shoot chandelier with bow.(+3)
> look.(Otherwise you won't notice the embers.)
> take ember. put ember in coat. n.
In the River
> z. z. z.(+2)
Underground River
The ring is preventing the coat from warming you!
> z. z. remove ring.(+5)
After a rough ride, you arrive at a beach. The bladder is lost.
Pebble Beach
> x pebbles. x river. x light.
> n.
Hall of the Ancients (3 rooms)
> x tiles. x columns. x lattices.
> x murals.(One of Icarus.)n.
> x murals.(One of Pandora.)n.
> x murals.(One of Adam and Eve.)n.
Jewel Room
CAUTION: Don't take the jewel!
> x mirror.(You see your parents looking disturbed.)
> x pedestal. x jewel.
> touch mirror.(+10)
You return home without the jewel. You lie to the Druids, saying there is no Jewel to be found. You then live a good life in peace.
*** You have won ***
Extras
Characters
Jacob Hess is your friend, fellow campaigner, healer, and storyteller. Unforunately, he dies soon after the game begins.
Ariana died in the search for the Jewel. She was the thief of the expedition. You'll discover her body at On the Ledge.
Allarah, the Amylyan High Priest, is in the Amylyan Druids' Temple. She can give you some tangible help.
Timbork, the White Dragon, lives in a cold lair and breathes a deadly cone of frost. He's the oldest and wisest of the dragons. Fortunately, for you, he's dead when you discover him.
Rasha, the Black Dragon, breathes acid, but he is lazy and likes baubles.
Helspeth, the Red Dragon, breathes fire and is the strongest. She'll attack first and talk later.
The Druids of Amylya enchanted you so that your hands glow and that you don't need to eat. They discovered the Jewel's whereabouts five years ago.
Your parents look quite disturbed in the mirror. They're quite happy to have you back in the winning ending.
Many villagers listen to your speech at the end of the game, eager to hear what you have to say about the Jewel.
Mentioned:
Phixio, the Green Dragon, is Rasha's cousin and is in the remote north of Amylya.
Electra, the Blue Dragon, is Rasha's other cousin who's in Eagle's Claw Canyon.
Big Al's Air Bladder Co. is mentioned on the label as the bladder's manufacturer.
King Volkoff (or maybe it's King Volker) rules the Kingdom of RAIF.
Goblins, kobolds, and orcs used to live down here until the plague killed them all.
The mythological characters of Icarus, Pandora, and Adam and Eve are depicted in murals.
Years later, you'll have two children and a loving spouse, according to the epilogue.
Credits
The in-game credits text:
Author: Francesco Bova
Text Editor: Dave Gatewood
Beta Testers: Chad Schultz, Dave Gatewood, Eric B. Mitchell, Geoff Wallis, Henrik Jensen, Karvic, Leslie D. Wagner, Tom Lorimer, Vincent Lynch
Omega Testers: Chad Schultz, Al Golden, Daniel Giaimo
Map: Al Golden
Walkthrough: Chad Schultz
Endings
You have died
if you run out of oxygen in the Molten Landscape,
if you drown in the lava river (to manage to reach this death, you must open the bladder at Molten Landscape and be wearing the ring of fire resistance),
if you try to kill the Black Dragon when he's not helpless,
if you fall through the illusionary floor at Sinkhole,
if the Black Dragon blasts you with acid and you're not protected against it,
if the Red Dragon blasts you with fire and you're not protected against it,
if you drop the air bladder in the Underground River because your numbed hands can't keep ahold of it,
if you try to take the Jewel (a paralyzing poison slowly kills you).
You have won if you touch the mirror in the Jewel Room and return home safely without the Jewel.
I note that the geyser doesn't harm you even if you're in the shaft when it erupts. You just get a little wet.
Inventory
a rucksack. You're wearing this from the beginning. Although it's openable, the game won't let you do it while you're with Jacob and you lose the rucksack in the fall that kills him. So, uh, forget about it.
a firebug. You're carrying this from the beginning, but it's temporarly lost in the fall that kills Jacob. Re-find the bug at Fifth Layer Dropoff on an outcrop of the gaping hole. Regain the bug by throwing the book at the outcrop (NOT directly at the bug) and picking the bug up below at Rocky Plateau, Sixth Layer. You can light things with the bug; rub the bug first to get a flame. I don't know how to extinguish the bug's flame. Burn the moon salt with the bug and smell the smoke to visit the Druids' temple.
a gleaming silver sword. You're carrying this from the beginning. After the Black Dragon attacks you, try to kill him with the sword. You'll manage to chop off a claw before you lose the sword.
Jacob's travelling sack. Take it from his body at Rocky Plateau, Sixth Layer. Open it; it contains moon salt.
some moon salt. It's in the sack. To use it, light it with the firebug then inhale the smoke. This lets you visit the Druid Temple, but only once.
The Book of the Dragons. Implied to be originally in your lost rucksack, you can find it again at Fifth Layer Dropoff. Read it. Throw the book at the outcrop (where the firebug is) and retake the book below at Rocky Plateau, Sixth Layer.
an ebony key. Allarah, at the Druid temple, gives it to you when you ask her about the black dragon. It unlocks the first lock on the obsidian door.
some spongy moss. It's in the Moss-Filled Cave. Use it as a cleaning sponge.
At Moss-Filled Cave, clean the dirt with the moss to reveal a trapdoor.
At Lonely Burial Ground, pour lye on the sponge then clean the skeleton with the moss to reveal the bladder and crampons.
a bag of lye. Found in the Cleaning Closet.
Pour some lye on the spongy moss to make it foamy; clean the skeleton at the Lonely Burial Ground with the moss.
Put the lye in the coat of many colors to make you functionally immune to the Black Dragon's acid breath attacks.
an air bladder. Found at Lonely Burial Ground once the skeleton is gone.
At Gaseous Geyser, after you've got everything you needed from Ariana's body, put the bladder in the hole and wait. The force of the blocked geyser unblocking itself will break open the porous wall, giving you access to the Quarry. Take the bladder again.
At Underground River, you must be carrying the bladder to stay afloat until you reach the Pebble Beach. To maintain your grip on it, wear the coat of many colors with the embers in it and don't wear the ring of heat protection!
At Molten Landscape, you can open the bladder to give you enough air to continue north there, but be aware that persuing that route will eventually kill you.
a set of crampons. Found at Lonely Burial Ground once the skeleton is gone. Wear them so you can climb the wall up from the geyser.
Ariana's lockpick. At On the Ledge, find it inside Ariana's boot. Unlock the second lock of the obsidian door with the lockpick.
Ariana's crossbow and an arrow. The bow is with Ariana's body at On the Ledge; the arrow is in the bow. You will need to practice shooting the arrow at the mushroom in the Fungus Forest to gain some proficiency with the crossbow. At Red Dragon's Plateau, shoot the conveniently-placed chandelier with the bow to disable the Red Dragon long enough to get past her. The arrow will be lost.
a pickaxe. It's in the Quarry; examine the refuse to find it. Break the ice wall with it; you'll need to hit the ice several times to break through.
a coat of many colors. It's held in the claws of the White Dragon; open the claws. Wear and examine it. It will absorb the properties of whatever item is put into it.
Put the lye into the coat. The lye, being a base, will protect you from the acid attacks from the Black Dragon.
The ferocity of the Red Dragon's attack will force the lye out of the coat, giving you a rare chance to put something else into it.
Put embers into the coat. This will keep you warm from the river's deadly chill unless you're wearing the ring of heat protection!
ring of fire resistance. The Black Dragon is holding this in his lair. After you've subdued him (by pushing a boulder on top of him), ask him for the ring and he'll give it to you. Wear the ring. It will protect you from heat and fire and you'll need it to survive the Red Dragon's attacks. However, when you're past her and in the river, remove the ring so that your coat will be able to keep you warm.
some burning embers. Found at Red Dragon's Plateau. Put them in the coat of many colors to keep you warm in the chilly river. However, if you want that warmth to reach you, you need to remove the ring of heat protection!
Score
You have so far scored your-score out of a possible 90, in several turns, earning you the rank of ranking.
2 points for uncovering a fault line.
3 points for dislodging an unstable outcropping of rock.
2 points for inhaling some lit moon salt.
3 points for obtaining the ebony key from Allarah.
2 points for leaving the Druid's Temple.
3 points for creating a new passage.
2 points for cleaning a dirty floor.
3 points for revealing an air bladder and some crampons.
3 points for becoming an expert marksman with your crossbow.
3 points for breaking through the ice wall.
3 points for unlocking the obsidian door.
5 points for withstanding the Black Dragon's attack.
2 points for taking advantage of the Black Dragon's surprise.
3 points for pushing boulders onto the Black Dragon.
5 points for obtaining a free ride from the Black Dragon.
10 points for withstanding the combined efforts of two dragons.
3 points for shooting the chandelier.
5 points for surviving the river.
10 points for touching the mirror and returning home.