STARTING OUT
You start the game one morning in Tambry. Your character is Julian, who
has the highest bravery score of three brothers. As long as you stay
within the village walls, you will not be attacked. Your first task is
to thoroughly explore the village to look for magical items that will
help you on your quests. Go to each of the buildings, and look for
hidden objects, particularly near fireplaces. You should find: 1) a
glass vial, which contains a healing potion that will restore lost
vitality points; 2) a Bird Totem, which is a navigational device that
gives you a "bird's-eye" view of your surroundings (useful when you're
lost in Holm -- a common occurrence); 3) a jade skull, which will
destroy any and all enemies attacking you; 4) a quiver of arrows; 5) a
gold key. Keep in mind that all magic items and keys can be used only
once, so be careful and use them wisely.
Once you have collected these things and have saved your game, you are
ready to begin. Soon after you step out of the village, you will be
attacked. Monsters usually come in groups of four or less, and your
bravery score will go up 1 point for every kill you make. Vitality will
also increase as bravery goes up, although at a slower rate. Your
maximum vitality is usually about one third of your bravery score. If
you are lucky enough to defeat a group of monsters, save the game
immediately. Then search each of the bodies (using the "take" command).
You will often find weapons, magic items, and gold coins this way. Be
prepared to die a lot in your initial encounters. There's no simple way
to develop a strong character; you'll just need to keep saving and
restoring until you've won enough battles to accumulate about 100
bravery points. By that time your character should be able to survive
many, if not most encounters, provided his vitality doesn't run out.
When you have a few hundred more bravery points, your character will be
invulnerable to all but the bowmen.
SURVIVAL TIPS:
1) Once you have a sword, your chances of surviving a battle improve
significantly. You can buy one at the inn in Tambry, but you start the
game with very little gold; you'll need that to buy food. The best way
to get a sword is to take it from a dead monster.
2) There are treasure chests scattered throughout Holm, and you will
find one just a little southeast of Tambry by the side of the road.
These usually contain magic items, but their contents are completely
random. Save the game just before opening a chest. If you don't like
what you find inside, restore the game, open the chest again, and this
time you will receive a different treasure. You can keep doing this
until you get something you like. You might try to get a jade skull,
which can save your life when you're losing a battle.
3) If you're hungry and your money is critically low, go to the stone
circle east of Tambry near the coast (if you look carefully you'll see
it marked on your map). There you will find 50 gold coins and some other
treasures.
MAGIC ITEMS
Some of the magic items were explained above. Here are others you will
find:
1) Green Jewels: These provide light for traveling at night.
2) Crystal Orbs: These will reveal secret doors in some of the
dungeons. They're particularly helpful in Hemsath's tomb.
3) Gold Ring: This stops time for a while, and it's useful when you're
under attack. You can't slay an opponent while time is stopped, but you
can take his weapon and magic items.
4) Blue Stones: There is a network of large stone circles scattered
throughout Holm. When you use a blue stone while standing in a stone
circle, you are transported to one of the other stone circles. Which one
you go to depends on which direction you are facing when you use the
blue stone. For example, if you go to the stone circle near Tambry and
face west while using the blue stone, you will be transported to the
Isle of Sorcery. If you face east, you will be transported to the
southern edge of Holm. You can use trial and error to "map out" the
connections between all the stone circles, or you can follow this
"transportation matrix" (courtesy of Ted Haskell):
The circle you will be transported to is a result of the direction you
last moved just before using a blue stone.
Remember that if you were staggering when you entered a circle, you
might not have moved in the direction you thought.
I numbered the circles as follows:
1) West of dragon's cave.
2) Isle of Sorcery.
3) North of Lake of Dreams.
4) West of Grimwood.
5) East of Grimwood.
6) South of Pixel Grove.
7) East of Tambry.
8) South of Tambry.
9) South of Burning Waste.
10) Near mountains with Temple.
11) Extreme south near ocean.
When standing in the circle whose number is in the left column, you
will be transported to the circle whose number is under the column
heading in which you last moved before using the blue stone.
N S E W NE NW SE SW
Circle 7 is highlighted because it is the closest to Tambry and may be
thought of as home base.
5) Keys: These aren't magic, but they do disappear after one use; you
will need many of them. Keys may be colored green, gray, blue, red,
gold, and white. Use trial and error to find out which color key opens
which door. One hint: White keys are rare and can only be found on the
bodies of wraiths.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT MONSTERS
Skeletons are the easiest enemies to kill, and they will often have
green jewels or glass vials. The hooded wraiths are deadly when you
first start out, but after you've accumulated enough bravery points,
they can do you little harm. Wraiths will often disappear when you kill
them, but there is a way to get their treasure before they vanish. Watch
carefully while you're battling a wraith. When you see its body start to
crumble, stop fighting and immediately use the "take" command. If you
time your actions correctly, you'll get the wraith's treasure just
before it vanishes.
Ogres are usually armed with maces or swords and won't pose much of a
threat to a strong character. However, bowmen are always deadly no
matter how many experience points you have. Kill them quickly.
FAERY TALE ADVENTURE
Part 2
THE GRAVEYARD AND MARHEIM
The following will describe of all the important places you will need
to visit. You don't need to use my sequence exactly, but there is a
rough order you must follow to complete your quests successfully. Before
leaving on a long journey, make sure that you are well fed and your
vitality points are high. Food is very scarce in Holm, and you will be
starving for much of the time. Hunger won't diminish your ability to
fight, but it will slowly drain your vitality.
Once you start exploring, visit the various inns and keeps around
Tambry. (Keeps are marked as little towers on the map.) You'll find
treasures and gold in these places. There is a graveyard southeast of
Tambry on the road leading to Marheim. (You'll see it on your map marked
by a little headstone.) The graveyard is a good place to gain bravery
points because you will be attacked often there -- usually by wraiths
and skeletons. There is a crypt in the corner of the graveyard, and you
can enter it if you have a gray key. Hang around in the crypt until
midnight, and you will meet the Spectre who will give you a quest: He
wants you to find the bones of the ancient king and bring them to him.
Next you might want to go to Marheim, the capital city of Holm. The
king's palace is here, and you can enter if you have a white key and a
few gold ones. The king is upset because his daughter has been
kidnapped. One of your quests will be to find her, but you won't be able
to accomplish this until much later in the game. Search all the
buildings in the city, and you'll find treasure. You will also meet the
priest. If you ask him to, he will restore your vitality points to
maximum (about one third of your bravery points). There's no tavern in
Marheim, but there are apples in some of the buildings. You can carry
these with you and eat them as you travel, but they will run out
quickly. As far as I know, there is no other portable food in the game.
TURTLE POINT AND SORCERY ISLAND
By this time you should have considerable bravery points and be ready
for a long journey. Head north towards Turtle point. There you will see
three small, round objects which are the sea turtle's eggs. You will be
attacked by some red serpents, which you should be able to easily kill.
The sea turtle will then appear. If you have enough kindness points (25
or 30 should do it), you can talk to her. She will thank you for saving
her eggs from the serpents, and she will let you ride on her back. She
will also give you a seashell that you can use to summon her anytime
you're near coastal waters.
Once you're riding the turtle, sail west to Sorcery Island. Visit the
crystal palace where the sorceress lives. You will need two blue keys to
get in. Talk to her when you find her, and she will give you one of the
five golden statues you must find to complete the game. Keep talking to
her, and your luck score will go up five points at a time. If you use
your save function conscientiously, you won't need much luck for most of
the game, but it will come in handy when you reach the endgame. Now, if
you want a short cut home, go to the stone circle in the northern part
of the island. Face northeast, and use a blue stone. You will be
transported to the Tambry stone circle.
THE DRAGON'S CAVE
Your next quest will be a little more complicated. The dragon's cave is
located in the northern part of the snow mountains, east of the stone
circle. (If you look closely, you will see the cave entrance marked on
the map.) The easiest way to get there is to go to the Tambry stone
circle, and use a blue stone while facing west. This will take you back
to Sorcery Island. Now, face northwest, use another blue stone, and you
will arrive at the stone circle near the snow mountains. From here, go
south until you hit water. Then go directly east, and you will come to a
mountain range. You should arrive right at the cave entrance or very
near to it.
When you enter the cave, you will go through a twisting tunnel until
you reach a forked intersection. Take the branch on the right. (If you
go left, you will find a maze of caves and tunnels that are interesting
but contain no important treasure.) Soon, you will see the dragon.
The best way to get around her is to stop time using a gold ring, and
sneak by. After you pass her, you will come to a dungeon. It's only one
level, but it's large. Make a rough map and explore thoroughly. There
are magic wands in two separate locations, but you'll only need one.
Once you find the wand you can explore for fun, but there are no
important items to be found. Return to the dragon, and use a gold ring
to go past. When you reach the stone ring, use a blue stone while facing
north to return to Tambry.
THE TOMBS OF HEMSATH
Now you are ready for an even more complex task. Make sure you have a
large number of gold keys and crystal orbs. You should also have a
number of red keys. Set out early in the morning for the tombs. Make
sure you're well fed before you leave.
Upon entering the tombs, take the first right. Go to the end of the
corridor, and turn right again. You will now go south through an
extremely long corridor. You will eventually come to a corridor leading
east. This will take you to a stone maze with rooms connected by golden
doors. There's no easy way to tell you how to negotiate the maze. Of
course, the golden doors unlock with the gold keys. Occasionally, you
will see two rooms that are close together but have no connecting door.
Use a crystal orb, and a secret door may be revealed. Use a red key to
unlock secret doors. Explore the maze thoroughly, and you will find a
gold statue and a bone (which represents the bones of the ancient king
that the Spectre wanted you to find).
There is a bug in the Amiga version that might help you if you're short
on gold keys. Save the game before entering the stone maze. Unlock a few
doors, then immediately restore to your original position. The doors
will all be unlocked, and you will get back all the keys you used. I
don't know if this will work for the Commodore version. Additional Amiga
Note: There are still a couple of different versions of the Amiga game
disks on dealers' shelves, and you'll need the current version to
function properly with expansion memory.
After leaving the tombs, go see the Spectre in the graveyard crypt at
midnight. Give him the bone, and he will give you the crystal shard.
FAERY TALE ADVENTURE
Part 3
THE DREAM KNIGHT AND THE WITCH OF GRIMWOOD
You will now embark on a series of quests that will culminate in the
rescue of the king's daughter. First you need to find the "Temple of the
People who have Gone Before." This is located in the mountains south of
Marheim but is not marked on your map. Fortunately, it's not too hard to
find. Go to the stone circle near Tambry, and use a blue stone while
facing northeast.
You will be transported to a place west of a mountain range. Before you
go anywhere, use a bird totem, and you will see the temple to your
northeast. It is almost completely surrounded by mountains, but you can
reach the temple from the south. Once you arrive, you will face the
Dream Knight, who will challenge you to a duel. By this time you should
have enough bravery points to defeat him with your sword. Then you can
enter the temple and find the sunstone. Go back to the stone circle, and
use a blue stone while facing west to return to Tambry.
Now you are ready to enter Grimwood to find the witch's castle.
Grimwood is a dense forest with a complex maze of paths. Finding your
way through the forest maze is probably the most difficult part of the
game, and the castle's location is not marked on the map. There's no way
I can give you specific directions to find the castle, but here are a
few guidelines. At the Tambry circle, use a blue stone while facing
south, and you will be transported to the circle west of Grimwood. The
entrance to the forest is to your east. Once in the forest, take the
paths that head north. Use bird totems often to keep track of where you
are, and make a map as you go along.
Shortly after you enter the forest, you will hit a large quicksand
trap. You can walk around the edges, but if you enter the sand, you will
sink and be taken to an underground cavern. The exit back to the forest
is to the south. Once you get around the quicksand, keep heading north.
Here and there you will find cave entrances; one of them will take you
to a long, winding east/west path in the most northern part of the
forest. Follow this path east, then south, and it will eventually lead
you to the castle.
When you enter the castle and approach the witch, she will shine a
death ray on you that drains your vitality and pushes you away from her.
Use the sunstone and watch what happens. The witch loses control of the
death ray and becomes vulnerable to attack. You can now kill her with
your sword and take the magic lasso.
There is one other important object to find in the forest. From the
forest entrance, take the paths that run to the southeast, and you will
come to the forest keep. (Its general location is marked on your map.)
When you arrive at the keep, use a bird totem. Just west of you at the
end of a cul-de-sac, you will see a few red markings. This is the ogre's
den, and there is a golden statue there. Unfortunately, to reach the den
you will have to take a long path that winds north of the keep. My
advice would be to forget about this statue until later in the game,
when you've tamed the golden swan. Then you can fly right to the den,
take the statue, and fly home -- saving a lot of time.
SWAN ISLAND
After you've found the lasso, you should visit Swan Island. To get
there, go to the Tambry stone circle, and use a blue stone while facing
southeast. This will take you to the stone circle near the burning
waste. Just go west towards the coast, use the seashell to summon the
turtle, and then sail southwest to the island, where you will find the
golden swan. If you have the lasso, she will let you ride on her back.
To control your flight, use the same keys that you used for walking. If
you find you're flying too fast in a certain direction, just push the
key for the opposite direction, and you will slow down. To dismount,
stop your flight, and use the same key that waves your sword. Mastering
flight is a little tricky, but it is a lot of fun and will make the game
go much faster.
THE FORBIDDEN KEEP
Now that you've found the swan, you are ready to rescue the princess.
She is imprisoned in the Forbidden Keep, which is located in the
mountains south of Marheim. This keep is completely walled off by
mountains and can be reached only by air. It's marked on your map and is
a little southeast of the Dream Knight's temple. When you arrive, land
your swan on the roof, and enter the keep. There you will find the
princess.
As you approach her, the screen will fade to black (darn!), and then
you will find yourself back in the king's castle with the princess
standing a discreet distance away from you. Talk to the king, and he
will give you a writ and 100 gold coins. Take the writ to the priest of
Marheim (located in the building just south of the beggar). If you talk
to the priest or give him the writ, he will give you a gold statue. You
should have four of these statues now, and you are very close to
finishing your quest. Take the swan back to Tambry.
FAERY TALE ADVENTURE
Part 4
THE FIFTH STATUE AND THE HIDDEN CITY OF AZAL
The fifth statue is probably the hardest one to find. As far as I can
tell, the game gives you no clues about its location. It's in the
Seahold, which is a castle on the southeastern tip of Holm (it's marked
on your map). Enter the castle, and you'll find the statue right there.
Once you have all the statues, take your swan and fly to the city of
Azal, which is in the burning waste. This city is normally invisible and
appears only when you have all five golden statues. Search the city
thoroughly, and you will find a red rose.
THE CITADEL OF DOOM AND THE ASTRAL WORLD
You now have all the objects you need, and you are ready to find the
necromancer. His citadel is not marked on your map, but it is located in
the Black Mountains just south of the lava pits. (On your map, these are
the little circles in the Plain of Grief.) You can't land the swan near
the citadel because the ground is too hot. You'll have to park a
considerable distance away and walk. When you arrive at the citadel,
you'll see a lake of fire blocking the entrance. You can walk right over
it if you have the rose. Inside the citadel there is a force-field
barrier, but the crystal shard neutralizes this. Once you've passed
these two obstacles, you will find the portal to the astral world, which
is the endgame.
The astral world is a series of colored walkways suspended in space.
The green walkways are safe. When you're walking on the orange squares,
your speed doubles. The blue sections are very slippery, and it is easy
to fall over the edge. Just go slow and you'll have no problems. If you
do fall off, your character dies and will be restored minus two luck
points. This is why it can be important to have a high luck score before
playing the endgame.
Explore the astral world for a while, and you'll eventually come to a
large black area where no stars shine. Just step into the blackness, and
you'll find that all your directional keys now work in reverse. For
example, the key that normally moves your character south, now moves him
north. In the center of the black area is an orange plane where the
necromancer is waiting for you. Use your wand to slay him, and he will
release the magic talisman. Take it, sit back, and enjoy the ending.
RED HERRINGS AND LOOSE ENDS
There are several places in Holm that are interesting to visit but
aren't vital parts of the game.
1) The Lake of Dreams. There is a raft on the southern edge of the
lake, but that's all there is to find.
2) The Pixel Grove: This is a mysterious stone structure that seems to
have no function.
3) The Red Knight: The story introducing the game mentions that the Red
Knight is missing. Don't look for him because you won't find him
anywhere in this game. His home, Vermilion Manor, contains treasure but
nothing vital to the game.
4) The Bog: Well, this isn't really a red herring. It does contain a
couple of hints which, if you weren't using this walkthru, would be
important for completing the game.
5) The Watchtower: If you don't want to travel to Turtle Point, you can
take the long journey to the Watchtower where you will find a seashell
for summoning the turtle.
