Key & Compass presents:
Rings for Bony Fingers
by John Olsen

Rings for Bony Fingers is a MS-DOS interactive fiction game written with The Quill and is © 1992 by John Olsen. It was sold as shareware and as Volume 1 of the "Nightmares From The Crypt" collection. The other games in this collection are Ghost Rider of El Diablo and Dr. Death's House of Horrors.

You are being buried alive! Can you escape your coffin of death? If so, your nightmare has only begun. Descend the Steps of Doom. Enter the crypt in search of the ten rings of Zoltan. Elude the walking skeleton. And if you heed the words of the whispering skull, you may awake from this chilling nightmare.

This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Version 3.0 of the game. I played this game in 2018 using the DosBox emulator program.

SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.

Map
Walkthrough
Extras
- Characters, Credits, Endings, Inventory
Thank You to my Patreon supporters
Support me on Ko-Fi
External links:
- This game at IFDB, and IFWiki.
- Tweet about this walkthrough on Twitter.

Map

Walkthrough

To escape this nightmare, you must place the ten rings of Zoltan on the fingers of his headless skeleton.

Darkness (Inside Your Coffin)

> open coffin. open coffin. (You fall out.)

Darkness (Small Cave)

> n. u.

Hilltop

Ignore the ghost for now.

> e.

NW Corner of Graveyard

> exam tombstone. ("Joseph")

> s.

SW Corner of Graveyard

> take spike. exam spike.

> exam marker. (Has your name!)

> e.

SE Corner of Graveyard

> exam grave. ("Unknown Patriot")

> exam vase. take topaz. wear topaz.

> exam flowers.

> n.

NE Corner of Graveyard

> take whistle. exam whistle.

> drop whistle. (You don't need it.)

> n.

Moon-lit Path

> take wrapper. exam wrapper. ("SNICKER")

> drop wrapper. n.

Outside Crypt

> pry door. (using the spike)

> n. d.

Burial Vault

> exam coffin. (It'x Zoltan's.)

> exam wall. push wall. (North passage is now open.)

> n.

Low Room

CAUTION: If you pull the hook, the floor opens and you'll be hanging from the hook above a pit! To close the pit, put the torch in the bracket.

> take torch. exam torch.

> take jade. exam jade. wear jade.

Head back to your coffin:

> s. u. s. s. s. w. w. d. s. u.

Inside You Coffin

CAUTION: You have only one turn to read the writing!

> read writing. ("May the ghost of Ator watch your corpse rot!")

Your torch sets the coffin on fire!

> d. u.

> take bronze. exam bronze. (A key was under the silk.)

> d.

Small Cave

> dig. (You find a diamond ring.)

> take diamond. exam diamond. wear diamond.

> dig. (This time, you find a way south.)

> s.

End of Rock Cave

> exam box. open box. (Locked.)

> exam fedora. (You don't need it.)

> exam rope. take rope.

> n. n. u.

Hilltop

> exam ghost. ("Speak my name and receive my gift.")

> say Ator. (He leaves, dropping a sapphire ring.)

> take sapphire. wear sapphire. exam sapphire.

> e. e. n. n. n. d.

Burial Vault

> pry coffin. (with spike. An undead skeleton emerges! Run!)

> n.

Low Room

> pull hook. (The skeleton falls into the crypt.)

> put torch in bracket. (The pit closes.)

> tie rope to hook. take torch.

> pull hook. d. (via rope)

Bottom of Pit

> take skull. listen. ("Carry me, and I'll help you. Beware of the Steps of Doom... my coffin.")

> u.

Low Room

> put torch in bracket. take torch.

> s.

Burial Vault

> drop spike.

> enter coffin.

Inside Zoltan's Coffin

The way down appears if you're wearing the sapphire ring.

> exam garnet. take garnet. wear garnet.

> d.

Bottom of Stone Steps

If you have the torch, the rats shouldn't attack you.

> listen. ("Beware of snakes. Wear the diamond ring. It will protect you, but only briefly.")

> take pearl. wear pearl.

> s.

Low Damp Room

CAUTION: Wearing the diamond ring only protects you from the snakes for a short time. If the snakes are approaching you, go north immediately!

> exam snakes.

> exam designs. (Portrays a swinging blade from the ceiling.)

> take emerald.

> listen. ("Put me on the floor by the marble door.")

Unfortunately, the snakes are moving. Retreat briefly.

> n.

Bottom of Stone Steps

> wear emerald. s.

Low Damp Room

NOTE: You can't just drop the skull. You must specify the floor as its destination.

> put skull on floor. (The marble door opens.)

> crawl south. (to evade the swinging blade trap)

Deepest Catacombs

CAUTION: Immediately kill any spiders that crawl on you! If you don't, they bite you and you die! They attack every third turn.

> take opal. wear opal.

> kill spider.

> unlock strongbox with bronze key.

> take turquoise.

> kill spider.

> wear turquoise.

> take silver key.

> kill spider.

Note that the swinging blade trap is only triggered when going south into the catacombs. Don't crawl when going north.

> n. n. u. out.

Burial Vault

> drop bronze key.

Head back to the cave where you found the rope:

> u. s. s. s. w. w. d. s. s.

End of the Rock Cave

> unlock box with silver key. drop silver key.

> take ruby. wear ruby.

Unfortunately, you can't examine the ruby ring. The game thinks you're trying to interact with the rubble, even when you're nowhere near the rubble.

Head back to the skeleton in the pit:

> n. n. u. e. e. n. n. n. d. n. pull hook. d.

Bottom of Pit

Drop all ten rings:

> drop topaz. drop emerald.

> drop pearl. drop sapphire.

> drop ruby. drop diamond.

> drop garnet. drop jade.

> drop opal. drop turquoise.

You're waking up! You've won! Congratulations on surviving your Nightmare from the Crypt. You have taken several turns. END OF GAME

Extras

Characters

A ghost is on the hilltop, oddly described as a menacing ghostly object. According to the writing in your coffin, his name is Ator.
Rats, thousands of ferocious looking rats, are at the bottom of the stone steps below Zoltan's coffin, but they stay away from your torch.
Snakes are slithering all over the Low Damp Room. The diamond ring gives you some protection, but if they're approaching you, RUN!
An undead skeleton, who must be Zoltan, emerges from his coffin when you first pry it open. You'll need to drop him into a pit.
Spiders are crawling all over the deepest catacombs. Kill them whenever one crawls onto you.
An owl can be heard sometimes when outside.

Credits

From the associated README.TXT file, these are the two most relevant sections:

SHAREWARE These games are Shareware, and are copyright (c) 1992 by John Olsen. If you play them, register by sending your $20 (US) Shareware fee to: John Olsen P.O. Box 181 Newberg Oregon 97132 USA By sending your Shareware fee, you are compensating the author for his time, effort, and creativity. This will encourage further efforts. And by sending in your Shareware fee, you also will become a registered user and receive maps, hints, and full solutions to all three adventure games. Specifically ask for CLUE KIT #4 to make sure you get the proper solutions, hints and maps for all of these games. TECHNICAL STUFF These games are copyright (c) 1992 by John Olsen. You are free to use, copy and distribute RINGS, RIDERS, and DEATH for NON-COMMERCIAL use if: They are not modified in any way. No fee is charged for use. Only a nominal fee not to exceed ($5) for expenses and handling in copying and distribution.

Endings

END OF GAME (death endings)

if you fail to escape your coffin quickly enough. You suffocate.
if Zoltan's undead skeleton catches you. He crushes your neck.
if you stay in your coffin when it catches on fire. Your clothes catch on fire too and you die.
if the rats bite you. You pass out as they eat you.
if a snake bites you. You die of poison.
if you go south normally through the marble door instead of crawling south. A swinging blade cuts you in half.
if a spider bites you. You die of poison.

END OF GAME (winning ending)

if you drop all ten rings in the bottom of the pit where Zoltan's headless skeleton lies.

Inventory

Note that you have a carrying capacity of five items. Wear things whenever possible.

Rings

When you have all ten rings, go to the bottom of the pit where Zoltan's skeleton fell and drop all the rings there to win the game.

a topaz ring. It's in the thin metal cemetery vase.
a jade ring. It's in the low room.
a diamond ring. Find it by digging in the small cave under your coffin. It looks like snakes.

Wear this ring to protect yourself from snakes for a brief time.

a sapphire ring. Say Ator to the ghost on the hilltop to find it. The ghost drops it before leaving.

This ring is inscribed with "Steps of Doom".
Wear this ring inside Zoltan's coffin to open a stairway below the coffin.

a garnet ring. It's inside Zoltan's coffin.
a pearl ring. It's at the bottom of the stone steps below Zoltan's coffin.
an emerald ring. It's in the low damp room crawling with snakes.
an opal ring. It's in the deepest catacombs.
a turquoise ring. It's in the locked strongbox in the deepest catacombs. Unlock the strongbox with the bronze key.
a ruby ring. It's in the jewelry box. Unlock the box with the silver key.

Useful items

an eight foot long iron spike. It's at the southwest corner of the graveyard.

At Outside Crypt, pry the door (using the spike).
In Burial Vault, pry the coffin (using the spike).

a thin metal cemetery vase. It's at the southeast corner of the graveyard.

Examine the vase to find the topaz ring. You don't need to take the vase.

a brightly burning torch. It's in the low room.

The torch's light, of course, helps you see in dark locations.
Take the torch to Inside Your Coffin. Immediately read the writing on the silk before the torch sets the coffin on fire! Leave and return to find the bronze key that was hidden under the silk.
In Low Room, open the pit by pulling the hook, and close the pit by putting the torch in the bracket. You'll need to do that when an undead skeleton is chasing you.

a small bronze key. It's in your coffin, after the silk is burnt by your torch.

The bronze key unlocks the strongbox in the deepest catacombs.

a small ornate jewelry box. It's at the end of the rock cave.

Unlock the jewelry box with the silver key. It contains the ruby ring.

a hundred feet of sturdy rope. It's at the end of the rock cave.

In the low room, tie the rope to the hook, then pull the hook to open the floor. Now you can go down, via the rope, to the bottom of the pit.

a yellowed human skull. It's with the fallen skeleton at the bottom of the pit.

Listen to the skull after you pick it up.
Take the skull to the low damp room where the snakes are. Put the skull on the floor, and the marble door to the south opens.

a silver key. It's in the locked strongbox in the deepest catacombs. Unlock the strongbox with the bronze key.

The silver key unlocks the jewelry box.

Useless items

some dead old flowers. They're at the southeast corner of the graveyard.

Ignore them. You don't need them.

a tarnished police whistle. It's in the northeast corner of the graveyard.

It makes a loud noise when you blow it.
Ignore it. You don't need it.

an empty candy wrapper. It's on the moon-lit path.

Examine it to learn it's a SNICKER wrapper.
Ignore it. You don't need it.

an old worn fedora. It's at the end of the rock cave.

Wear it or ignore it.

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

This walkthrough was funded via Patreon with

the support of Robin Johnson, Ville Lavonius, Andrew Schultz, Kenneth Hon, Carl Muckenhoupt, Mark Musante, Phil Tatro, Mitch, and Vivienne Dunstan;
the generous support of Janice M Eisen, Matthew Foxley, and Ashe C. Addams;
the very generous support of Karl Ove Hufthammer and Lance Campbell;
the extremely generous support of Emily Short, Allen Garvin, Jesse McGrew, Jacqueline Ashwell, Marius Müller, Jennifer Rexrode, and Durafen;
and the invisible support of several anonymous patrons.

Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!

Key & Compass presents: Rings for Bony Fingers by John Olsen

Map

Walkthrough

Extras

Characters

Credits

Endings

Inventory

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

Key & Compass presents:
Rings for Bony Fingers
by John Olsen