********************************
                       *                              *
                       * A Guide to the Advanced Game *
                       *                              *
                       ********************************

                                  Version 3.0

                                   By Snafu

                                February, 1994

                               Table of Contents
                               -----------------

Chapter One    ..........................................  Introduction
Chapter Two    ..........................................  BG Versus AG
Chapter Three  ..........................................  Preparation
Chapter Four   ..........................................  The Journey
Chapter Five   ..........................................  New Found Goodies
Chapter Six    ..........................................  New Lands
Chapter Seven  ..........................................  The Quests
Chapter Eight  ..........................................  Strategy
Appendix A     ..........................................  Experience Chart
Appendix B     ..........................................  The Lairs


                           CHAPTER ONE: Introduction
                           -------------------------

WHO SHOULD READ THIS?

     This guide was not written to aid those new to the Island of Kesmai (IoK)
game; it was written for Basic Game (BG) players who are experienced and ready
to move to the Advanced Game (AG).  Those new to the AG might also enjoy the
guide.

     Those new to the *game* should stay in the BG, enjoy it, and develop a
feel for IoK.  A number of good help files written with the newer player in
mind can be found in Library 7 of this (MPGames) forum.


VERSION 3.0 - By Snafu

     Version 3.0 of this guide is a complete revision.  Quests, lair info,
descriptions of each segment, and experience chart are included.


VERSION 2.0 - By Don Juan

     Version 2.0 of this guide contains complete revisions in all chapters.
New information relating to IoK version 3P and the new skill, experience and
magic systems has been added. *Thanks* to the many players whose help and
insight have made this guide possible, including Rk, Lynn de'Leslie, Dunbal,
Amber.alf, Ctheorl, Ruddy, Entharion, and Power Lord...tag.


COMMENTS?

     Send all suggestions, corrections, new information, or hate mail to me
via E-mail:  Snafu 75140,2237.


                           CHAPTER TWO: AG Versus BG
                           -------------------------

WHY GO TO THE AG?

     Should the advanced player move on to the Advanced Game?  Not necessarily.
In fact, many of the game's finest characters are quite content to remain in
the Basic Game.  The BG has loads of interesting locales, new weapons and
equipment are introduced every so often, and one can always find a worthy
challenge (try the Vampire, Mama or the Ninja lair if you doubt me).

     Moral:  The AG does not have to be in a successful character's future.


AG ADVANTAGES

     On the other hand, the AG can be quite rewarding.  High level magic spells
are found only in the AG.  The creatures are more powerful, YOU will become
more powerful, and the treasures found are far more varying and valuable than
those in the BG.  In fact, one might picture the AG as a large scale version of
the BG; you have more hit points and skill, and the creatures have more hit
points and skill, but the combat strategy remains mostly the same.

     Experience, skill, and hit points (hps) come quickly in the AG.  Unlike
the BG, hit points are not capped according to your level.  In all of the AG
segments, which currently include Annwn, Torii, Rift Glacier, and Shukumei,
HPs may be bought, up to your class maximum, from the Hit Point Doctor found
in each segment's main town.  Although the doctor's prices are outrageously
high, purchasing HPs is the most important survival technique in the AG.  See
Chapter Eight for more about hit points.


                          CHAPTER THREE: Preparation
                          --------------------------

EXPERIENCE AND SKILL

     A character does *not* have to be high level to enter the Advanced Game.
In fact, a third leveler could safely make it to the Annwn town.  Of course,
that third leveler would have to be well endowed with gold and/or gems.

     Weapon, magic, and thieving skill can be all be gained rather quickly in
the AG, so high skill levels aren't a prerequisite for the journey either.

     Your *first* AG character, however, should be somewhat experienced and
skilled.  A more advanced character will have an easier time adjusting to
AG life.  Most characters making the trip have over 100 hps and are at least
"competent" in some weapon category.  Other skills one might specialize in,
such as magic, martial arts, and thievery, are usually above the seventh or
eighth level.

     Players with established characters and bank accounts in the AG have the
resources to bring over and train low level relatives; first time AG
characters have only what they can carry.  So, one *can* take a low level
character to the AG, and be successful, but things are much easier with an
experienced and properly *prepared* character.


PREPARATORY ARMOR


     If you don't already own a set of drake scales, try to find one before
coming over; it is equivalent to +3 plate and protects well against fire and
ice (F & I).  Of course, ice dragon scales (equivalent to +4 plate) would be
even better <g>.

     In addition to scales, a character should wear at least one other form
of F & I protection to be shielded properly from the fire and ice of the AG.
A robe is usually the best choice for that additional protection; it has
twice the F & I protection of scales, weighs almost nothing, and will allow a
character to regenerate magic points at twice the normal rate (i.e. two at
a time instead of one at a time).  Spell casters can really benefit from this.

     Other F&I protection includes the F&I amulet and the F&I ring.  These are
both very effective.


PREPARATORY WEAPONS

     Any of the better BG weapons can be relatively effective in the AG if one
has the proper amount of skill.  The +4 greataxe, the +4 black broadsword, the
+4 greatsword, +4 crystal gauntlets, +4 magic xbow and the +4 raxe will all
work well enough until better weapons can be found.  There is a +5 greatsword
in the Annwn weapons shop that I would recommend buying if you want to use
greatsword skill.  The raxe and jumpkicking are the favored distance weapons
in the AG, and those without offensive spells will probably want to keep the
raxe and try to obtain griffin boots.


BG RINGS

     There are many possible *effective* ring combinations, and the right
combination can add tremendously to a character's power.  The most important
types are strength, shield, and recall.  Other rings can also be a great help
in certain circumstances but, all can be found in the AG and it is not
necessary to waste sack space or ring fingers to bring them over.

     Strength rings are found in three varieties: +1, +3 and, +6 (str glower).
Tests have shown that a combination of strength rings totaling a power of 6
will give one strength add (which affects combat only), a total of 12 power
will give another add, and 24 will give a third add.  Beyond 24 power, no more
adds are apparent.  Also, any amount of ring power will increase your carrying
capacity.  If your character has not yet found four strength glowers (don't
worry-- they are more common in Annwn), make do as well as you can.  I
wouldn't suggest that you start off wearing more than four strength rings, as
there are other rings to consider (eventually, you might want to switch to
only strength and recall rings).

     BG shield rings come in the +1 and +3 variety.  Wearing one can be
adequate, but many players (especially naked MAs or poor little wizards)
wear two or more.

     Knight characters have one less ring finger, so they must be especially
thoughtful when choosing finger wear.


OTHER EQUIPMENT

     Other items one should take, or think about taking, to the AG include:
          F&I amulet or F&I ring
          neutralize poison amulet
          feathers or a blindness protection ring
          crocodile boots for waterbreathing
          night vision helm
          feather fall boots


GOLD AND GEMS

     It's important to find gold and gems with which to buy hit points before
moving to the AG.  An AG character can do very little with under 150 hps, so
the more bought right off the bat, the better.  Unfortunately, AG bound
characters may only take over what they can carry; AG banks do not acknowledge
BG accounts, and the AG lockers are separate from the BG lockers.

     Chaotic Town in Axe Glacier has a shop which sells 10,000 gp sapphires.
Fill your sack with twenty of the gems and all the gold you can carry (which
should amount to a fortune of 325,000 gp or more).  Some players take a banker
over with them to double their initial gold supply.

     Don't bother to leave much, if any, gold in the bank it's unlikely that
you'll never see your BG account again.  Of course, a little gold saved there,
just in case, is probably a smart idea <g>.

     If you start with 100 HPs or so, a sack full of gold and gems will get
your hps to over 200.  See Chapter Eight for more about the HP Doctor.


SOL GEMS

     If you are lawful, and specialize in weapons like the black broadsword,
the greataxe, or the +4 greatsword, then you will, in all likelihood, want to
go on the quest for the Sword of Light (SoL).  This weapon is considered one
of the best weapons in the game!

     Two of the gems needed to get the SoL can be found in the BG on level four
of the Kesmai dungeon and in the lower levels of Oakvael.  If you can get
either of them, you'll be saving yourself some work in the Annwn dungeon.  One
gem is shaped like a whale and the other is shaped like a stalking panther.


MAPS 

     Before teleporting over, download the maps of Annwn, Torii, Rift Glacier
and Shukumei from MPGames Library 6 (although the Annwn map alone will do for
now).


                           CHAPTER FOUR: The Journey
                           -------------------------

PORTAL ROOMS

     There are AG portals in both Kesmai and Axe Glacier.  They are labeled on
all current BG maps.  To make the big move, stand in the center of the portal
area and use the normal portal chant-- ashtug ninda anghizidda arrflug.


ESCORTS

     If you would like an escort to meet you and show you around the place,
try paging one of the players online or leave a message in MPGames.  Most
AGers enjoy helping new arrivals, and some occasionally throw in a valuable
gift or two!


YOUR FIRST STOP

     Your character will be teleported into the Annwn woods somewhere in the
general vicinity of the town entrance.  Once you get your bearings, head into
town and buy your HPs.  You should visit the pawn shop to look for any goodies
and the weapons shop to possibly buy a better weapon.

     Thieves should buy HPs right off the bat like everyone else, but might
consider visiting the Thieves' Guild and setting a recall to the area before
heading to town.  The Thieves' Guild is located below some ruins in the south-
central section of Annwn.  There the thief will find a balm salesman, a recall
ring salesman, a thief trainer, a general store, and a dungeon entrance.


                           CHAPTER FIVE: AG Goodies
                           ------------------------

ARMOR

     What fine apparel does the typical AG adventurer wear these days?  In
armor, most characters can be found wearing some combination of a robe, fur,
feathers, and scales.

     If you still need dragon scales, or would like a second set, they can be
found on a few of the inhabitants of the Annwn dungeon and nearly everywhere
in the Torii mines.  Wandering around in the mines, though, is a risky
proposition at best for those with under 250 hps.  Even if you carefully
windrun, mine ninjas, which can only be seen from one space away, will
jumpkick you and hit for 20-60 points, and ninja archers can hit for over 50
points a shot.  Be very careful if you try this!

     Ogres guarding Ydmos' tower of wizardry in Annwn wear drake scales.  If
you are careful, you should be able to lead one away from the area and
separate it from it's scales.  There are MA NPCs up there that wear robes
too but, be very weary of them, they hit very hard and can move up to two
hexes and hit in the same round (I would consider them just slightly weaker
than the ninjas in Torii).

     Robes are also very common in the mines, but a little time spent on
level -2 of the Annwn dungeon will usually produce one.


ARMOR TABLE

     Following is a table listing all popular armor types:

          Armor Type                        Equivalent Protection
         ---------------------------------------------------------------
        |                                                               |
        | robe ............................ none                        |
        | leather ......................... leather (worse than chain)  |
        | salamander scales ............... leather                     |
        | most undocumented furs/scales ... leather                     |
        | chain ........................... chain (worse than plate)    |
        | plate ........................... plate                       |
        | troll hide ...................... plate +1                    |
        | small dragon scales ............. plate +1                    |
        | normal dragon scales ............ plate +2                    |
        | drake scales .................... plate +3                    |
        | ice dragon scales ............... plate +4                    |
        | cloud dragon scales ............. plate +5                    |
        | serpent (Thisson) scales ........ plate +6                    |
        |                                                               |
         ---------------------------------------------------------------


NOTES ON TOP ARMOR

     The two best kinds of armor in the game to date are cloud dragon scales
(+5 plate) and serpent (Thisson) scales (+6 plate).  I would suggest *buying*
either of these, and not trying to acquire them yourself, for obvious reasons.

     Lucy, the cloud dragon, can cast lighting bolts for 150-300 points, claw
for over 280 points, and can only be killed with the +7 lawfully aligned Spear
of Ulfang (which can be found in two very rare pieces-- the diamond spearhead
and the shaft of light-- and can then be assembled by Ulfang, the smithy in
Rift Glacier).  This spear shatters, by the way, on the blow that kills Lucy.
Her lair is a no-recall zone and it is so high that jumping, even with FF
boots, is fatal.

     Thisson, Lord Demon of Serpents, is the toughest creature in the game,
period.  He casts 150-400 point death spells, he can bite for over 300 points
of damage, and he will commonly eat you off of the bite (sending you to the
UW).  He also has a deadly habit of hitting twice before characters can react.
He stuns frequently, and his lair is a no-recall zone.

     So, unless you become one of the toughest characters in the game (and even
then, these two would be quite capable of killing you), you'll eventually want
to *buy* one of these.  A few brave souls will sell them now and again, but the
prices are quite high.  The going rate for cloud dragon scales is 500k gps, and
the going rate for serpent scales is 1meg gps.

     Ice dragon scales (+4 plate) can be acquired by killing the titan (another
tough opponent that wanders Rift Glacier) and stealing his armor, killing the
Rift Glacier ice dragon and getting it tanned or, by killing the wraith in the
Shukumei gorges and pilfering its armor.


AG WEAPONS

     The AG has a vast range of effective weapons to choose from.  After you
arrive, check the inventory in the weapon shop and browse around the dungeon to
see what you can come up with.  Many common AG weapons make for good beginning
weaponry, including the steel greatsword, the halberd, the longsword, and the
+5 crossbow.  These weapons are all either +4 or +5.

     Most lawful characters will want to acquire the Sword of Light (SoL) as
soon as they're able.  This +6 lawful greatsword is a favorite among knights
and other classes, and can hit for over 150 hps in skilled hands.  It uses
two-handed skill.  The quest for the SoL is carried out in the lower reaches
of the Annwn dungeon, and requires four special gems and two keys.

     Martial artists, or non-martial artists that want to use MA skill, will
want to acquire dragon claw gauntlets as soon as possible.  These gauntlets
are +2 and non-magical and hit for decent damage on skilled hands.

     Maekong gauntlets are the second best martial arts weapon.  They are one
of the two weapons obtained by completing the Torii pagoda quest.  These
gauntlets are +4 and blue glowing and the only weapon that can harm the makon.

     The +6 Masamune katana (mama katana) is the other weapon acquired by
completing the Torii pagoda quest.  This weapon, which uses sword skill, will
hit almost as hard as the SoL, but it is terrible at blocking (although it is
seldom blocked).

     Makon gauntlets are the hardest hitting weapon in the game.  Only MAs can
obtain these gauntlets, and they can't be ancestored to other classes.  They
are +6 blue glowing and pack a wicked punch!  The quest for the makon gauntlets
is long and involved but, it starts at Shizukai.Mizu's hut south of the Torii
castle, high up in the air.

     Many thieves with high martial arts skill favor the gauntlets, allowing
them to have both hands free with which to steal and a powerful weapon too!

     The +5 steel crossbow is another favorite of the thief class.  It allows
the thief to hide while shooting opponents.

     The +5 naginata is a powerful, lawfully aligned, halberd-class weapon
used by giants in the Torii mines and frequently found in the Torii pawn
shop.  It is the best weapon available for those specializing in halberd-
class weapons, and it is magical.
 
     The Dragon Horn Flail is another good weapon.  It is obtained by rescuing
Bwlngeria from the Annwn torture chamber and leading her to the sage in town.
It is a +6 lawful blue glowing monster basher.  It seems to hit harder when
wielded with both hands than with just one hand.  It is a good blocker too.

     If your character has a nasty evil streak, there's even a weapon for you.
The +4 evil scythe can be acquired by killing Ydmos, a dangerous wizard who
dwells in the Tower of Wizardry found in Annwn.  It uses staff skill, hits hard
for those with high skill, and is the best blocking weapon in the game.

     The Hammer of Thunderbolts, or Hammer of Thor, is a powerful returning
weapon which casts a lightning bolt with every throw.  It is a very rare item,
and is found as randomly at the end of the Rift Glacier Crypt.  The Thor uses
mace skill, and is harder hitting weapon than even the SoL.  This hammer,
unfortunately, is destined to fly away forever at an undeterminable time.

     Ulfang's spear, a +7 lawfully aligned diamond head spear, once upon a
time, it was considered to be the best weapon in the game, alas some skills
were lost in its creation years ago and it isn't as effective as it used to be.
It is extremely rare.  You have to find a blue crystal staff as random treasure
in Rift Glacier and steal a spearhead from Lucy's lair.  Ulfang's spear uses
staff skill.

     Titan's maul is a great weapon, even for low skilled players.  There are
two downsides to this weapon:  first, it is a large iron maul that is wielded
by a large titan and is very, very heavy;  second, it can't be belted (neither
can the scythe or naginata for that matter) so, if you want to get to the top
of a two handed climb, you need a recall ring.

     The beautifully balanced throwing daggers, +5, are also excellent distance
weapons.  At high skills they hit harder and more often than the raxe but, they
are a pain to have to fetch after throwing.


TEN BEST WEAPONS

     Following is a list of the ten best weapons* in the game:

               1  Makon Gauntlets
               2  Sword of Light
               3  Hammer of Thor
               4  Titan's Maul
               5  Maekong Gauntlets
               6  Masamune Katana
               7  Scythe
               8  Dragon Horn Flail
               9  Scythe
              10  Steel Crossbow

     * This list is my own personal opinion and doesn't necessarily
represent that of the management.


BRACELETS

     There are a number of interesting bracelets in the game.  Four thaum
spell bracelets are relatively common.  One increases your chance of saving
against a death spell, and the others provide complete protection from stun,
fear, or blindness spells.  These are most common in Rift Glacier but, can
sometimes be found in Torii.  There is also a +6 strength bracelet that is
fairly common in Rift Glacier and has found it's way into a lot of the lair
critters loot around the various segments.  Since there are a number of duds,
you will have to identify a bracelet to find out which spell it contains.


AMULETS

     The fire & ice amulet is currently the most popular in the AG.  This is
due to the fact that wearing double scales or a robe over scales does not
protect your character quite well enough from the hot AG fires.

     There are three new amulets in the AG:

     A torc (protection from magic) amulet can be found ever so rarely in
Rift Glacier.  It protects the wearer to a certain degree from any form of
magic.

     The neutralize poison amulet can be found randomly in any AG segment,
can be very handy in Torii and Shukumei.

     The best amulet in the game is probably the protection from death and
stun amulet, which is commonly referred to as a Thisson amulet-- it is only
found in Thisson's sack.  It will provide complete protection from stun
spells and an automatic save against any death spells (which means a
character will take only half damage).


RINGS

     Some rings one might consider wearing in various AG locales include the
F & I ring, the lightning protection ring, the blindness protection ring, the
fear resistance ring, and the +6 shield ring.

     The +6 shield ring (also called a "shield glower" due to it's description-
an iron ring with a glowing black stone) is one of the rarest items in the
game, and can be found randomly in any portion of the AG.


OTHER ITEMS

     Other items one might want to acquire include:
          Night Vision Helm - found randomly in the Rift Glacier Crypt
          Griffin Boots - most common in Rift Glacier but, can be found in
               any segment.  These boots are not armor blocked when kicking
               or jumpkicking and have a feather fall spell in them too!
          Magic Point Restore Potions - common in most lairs and can be
               found in any segment, they seem most abundant in Torii and
               Rift Glacier
          Drake Potions - in all segments, most common in Torii and Rift
          Intelligence Potions - the Annwn dragon sometimes carries one
          Charisma Potions - somewhat common in Rift Glacier
          Wands - there is a wide variety of wands in the AG some contain
               powerful death spells, others cast fear, stun and more.


                            CHAPTER SIX: New Lands
                            ----------------------

ANNWN

     With the exception of the, very rare, giant and some trolls, the surface
of Annwn is probably no worse than level two or three of the Kesmai dungeon.
That giant, who probably found his way from -3 to the surface chasing someone,
can be a real beasty, hitting for up to 180 points and having so many HPs
himself, so run from *any* giant you see until you've gained more HPs and
skill. Also, beware at first of individual trolls bearing huge black maces
or silver longswords with a moonstone pommel - they pack quite a punch.

     The Annwn dungeon should be avoided until getting at least 100-150 hps.
Most of the inhabitants on level -2 can hit for as much as 50, or more, on
a good roll of the dice.  Also, the apparitions on level -2 and -3 will cast
fear spells which force you to run helplessly in terror for 15 rounds or so
while all the creatures you run past go after you!  Your character must reach
the 14th experience level before these spells become ineffective.

     Level -3 of the Annwn dungeon is definitely harder than level -2;
special care should be taken to avoid fighting more than one or two creatures
at once down there.  Watch out for the wandering giant and the martial artist
NPC that yells "Eat dirt dogface!" when it sees you.
 

TORII

     When you get bored with the Annwn dungeon, you should probably move to
Torii.  From the ninjas in the mines to the top of the pagoda you will feel as
though you have entered an oriental land.  There is even a fountain of youth
in town, a youth potion seller hawks his wares just southeast of the bank.

     Try the cliff area and lower floor of the haunted castle before moving to
the second level.  There is no single monster to be too afraid of on the cliff/
1st floor of the castle.  On the second level of the haunted castle, there are
a lot more chaotics and there is a giant rat that has been nicknamed Willard.
You can recognize Willard by his loud roar when he sees a victim, ahem... I
mean a player.  He is poisonous and hits with stuns a lot.  Definitely run
from him or lure him to somewhere that you can fight him alone.

     The mines are the other hunting ground in Torii.  You might want to try
Rift Glacier before facing the might of the mine ninjas.  These ninjas have a
permanent hide spell and can only be seen when on you or next to you.  They
pack a mean punch, probably being 5th or 6th dan black belt.  If you ever see
a *serpent, RECALL IMMEDIATELY, that is the fabled Thisson!


RIFT GLACIER

     Rift Glacier is a tough land.  There are three wandering critters that
people consider lair critters and it is worthwhile to carry locate amulets so
that you can steer clear of them.  They are the titan, drake and dragon.  There
is also a lair critter named dragon but, it lives so high up in the clouds that
you can't locate it from the normal hunting grounds, it's nickname is Lucy and
only the foolhardy try to fight her.  Rift is named for the giant rift that
was created by a glacier years ago.  It has many levels accessible only from
single handed climbs (so maul, halberd, naginata, scythe and other non-beltable
weapons users need to make sure to carry lots of recall rings.

     The haunted house below the Rift Glacier town is fairly tame.  The only
critter to really worry about is a darkling, it casts death spells in the 150
range.  You will need to get a key to enter the haunted house.  The key is
found as random treasure all over Rift Glacier.  So, you sort of have to hunt
Rift Glacier before you are able to visit the haunted house, this seems
backwards because the house is much easier then Rift.

     Rift Glacier is full of NPC fighters and thaums.  I find it rather
strange that none of them wear robes.  Instead, they tend to wear furs of
various sorts to battle the cold.  There are lots of trolls, ogres, orcs,
wyrms, lizards and wolves.  All of these are very easily dealt with by a
good dose of fire.  Quite often, I stop in the Torii mines to pick up fire
wands before coming to rift (fire wands are all over the mines).  Carrying
locate AMULETS is mandatory when hunting Rift Glacier to avoid, or find,
the titan, drake or dragon.

     High up in the mountains there is an ancient crypt that can only be
entered by holding a mirror that contains an undead lair.  In this lair there
are golems, wraiths, wights an apparition and an audrey casting spells while
never even showing her face.  Sometimes, after running through the gauntlet of
this lair, you can find a thor hammer or a night vision helm!

SHUKUMEI

     Shukumei is the hardest segment in the AG.  It also seems to be the land
of quest endings.  Both the knights HP quest and the Makon gauntlets quest
come to a termination here.  In the gorges, there are stalkers that love to hit
for 100 and stun often, and these aren't the worst critters around.  There are
two main hunting areas in Shukumei: the gorges, and the valley of doom (the way
to the makon).  There are also two other areas in Shukumei worth mentioning:
the cliffs (above the gorges) and the knight quest area (known as the 'Happy
Valley').

     There are two hostages that need rescuing in Shukumei too.  Nuthor is
trapped in a tower at the eastern end of the cliffs and wants to get home to
his throne room just west of the cafe.  PanUmbra is at the eastern end of the
gorges, living in a cave with a balm fountain in it (keep those empty balms
to refill them for the trip home)!  PanUmbra wants to be led back to her
father the HP doc, west of the temple.

     95% of all hunting in Shukumei seems to take place in the gorges.  Four
main reasons apply:  great experience, great gold, great skill and everyone
can get to the gorges to recover your death pile <g>.  This area is usually
so populated that, to get to the next zoo, you just move 3 hexes!  It is
definitely not for the weak of heart or small of HPs.  In the forest, there
are vines that have electrical charges in them and lift you to the cliffs,
damage you and sometimes stun you, leaving you an easy mark for some of the
nasties up there.

     The valley of doom, the way to the makon, is inhabited by as many critters
as the gorges but, it is an MA area only and only a few of the crts in there
are fighters, most like to cast spells or use ice or archery, and it is a pain
for the true MA to fight them all.  But, if you are on the Makon quest, you are
eventually going to have to move through this valley.

     The cliffs are a necessary evil.  There is little or no treasure, the
critters hit extremely hard and give very little experience points.  Be wary
of the wyrms and griffins.  If you do any hunting in the gorges or want to
rescue Nuthor or do the Knight's quest, you'll end up up here, be prepared!

     The Knight's quest area is a winding passageway through gorges.  There
are two lairs in the quest and many other critters seem to live there too.
The first lair is that of the lindwyrm, this lizard isn't bad.  The next lair
is the home of the *wyrms (each one is as bad as +Mama in the BG).  Six wyrms
live there together... be scared, be very scared.


                           CHAPTER SEVEN: The Quests
                           -------------------------

     There are many weapons quests in the AG:  Sword of Light (SoL);  Torii
Pagoda for the Masuma katana or Maekong gauntlets;  Makon quest;  and,
Knight's HP quest.


SoL Quest

     You will need to collect 4 gems shaped like animals from fighter NPCs
on Annwn -2 and get two keys from the MA NPC on Annwn -3 that yells "Eat
Dirt Dogface!".  Each gem gets you through a teleport on Annwn -3.  Go to
the NW corner of Annwn -3 and use the swallow gem to get you through the
portal.  Kill the phoenix and give the swallow gem and a key to Ulluvial to
get a gem that looks like a fossilized shell of an ancient gastropod. Jump
down to the north from there and visit Rhiannon.  Give Rhiannon the dragon
gem and the other key.  Rhiannon will give you a gem that looks like a tiny
quartz sword.  Run around the lair and climb up the stairs, or recall to
Annwn -3.  Head to the SE corner of -3 and use the panther gem to get through
the teleport.  Visit Arwen and give her the gastropod gem to get a broken
haft of a greatsword.  Then visit the SW corner of -3 and use the whale gem
to get through that teleport.  There is a teleport in the south center hex
of the 3x3 room.  Swim to the NE corner of the island and climb up.  Visit
Morrigan in the top of the tower on the island.  Give her the tiny quartz
sword and she will give you a sharp blade!  (Almost done)  Take the blade and
the haft to Muramasa in Torii and he will rebuild the sword!


Torii Pagoda Quest

     You need Yttril (common on Annwn -2), a cord (giants carry them in the
Torii castle), a flawless black pearl (FBP, obtained from either Willard in the
Torii castle or Thisson in the Torii mines.  I suggest trying Willard first),
a tsuba (giants carry them in the Torii mines), and a tiger menuki (rare
random treasure in the Torii mines).  Take the yttril to Sato in the first
level of the pagoda tower.  Hold the katana in your hands as you climb up the
stairs to the next level of the tower.  Give the tsuba to Shingen in return
for dragon claw gauntlets.  Hold the gauntlets in your hands as you climb up
the stairs to the next level.  Give the FBP to Ikag in exchange for a steel
threestaff.  Hold the threestaff in your hands as you climb up the next set of
stairs.  Exchange the cord for a dragon menuki from Shukuei.  Take both the
dragon and tiger menukis to either Masamune (for the +6 Masamune katana) or to
Zatokujira (for the menuki gauntlets) on the south east island on the Torii
surface.


Makon Gauntlets Quest

     The makon gauntlets are a MA only weapon and they are the best weapon in
the game.  To get them, you should have already done the Pagoda Quest or have
a good friend that will kill the makon for you since, the menuki gauntlets
are the only weapon that can harm the makon.

     Start by visiting Shizukai.Mizu south of the haunted castle, high up, in
Torii.  He will give you a task to perform.  The references are sometimes
obscure, ask other players in the game exactly what he means if you have
questions.  Once you perform this task, you can head to Shukumei to kill the
makon.  In Shukumei, buy a key from the cafe, it unlocks the door to the
"Valley of Doom."  You have to go to the far, NE, corner of the valley to get
to the makon.  Before going to the makon, set a recall ring to the tanner in
the cliffs just to the south of the makon lair.  Go visit the makon and kill
it.  Don't worry, it isn't that bad of critter, it has about a bjillion hits
but, never hits you very hard.  Take the corpse to the tanner and then take
the paws to the makon gauntlets maker.


Knights HP Quest

     Start by visiting Difrod in Rift.  From there, go back to Annwn and rescue
Bwlngeria.  Take the flail to the Bywall in the SE corner forest of the Annwn
surface.  Bywall will give you 37 HPs and give you double HP raise/level.  Then
obtain a scythe from +Ydmos and head to Shukumei.  In Shukumei, you need to go
through the "Happy Valley" to visit Gwron.  Gwron wants to see the scythe and
the flail.  From there, go back to town and visit the knight quest npc on the
second level of the town for your final 16 HPs.


                            CHAPTER EIGHT: Strategy
                            -----------------------

HIT POINTS AND SKILL

     Hit points and skill are the two most important indicators of a successful
character, and while low skill can lead to longer hunts and more difficult
kills, low hit points can most certainly lead to death.  In other words,
increasing your HPs should be the first priority.

     Following is a list of AG locales and my advisory list of suggested hps
and suggested skill levels (corresponding to weapon (W) and magic (M) skill):


   Locale                            Suggested Hps    Suggested Skill Level
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 |                                                                          |
 | Annwn Surface                     50-100           3-5 (W), 3-6 (M)      |
 | Annwn Dungeon, Level -2           100-150          4-5 (W), 5-6 (M)      |
 | Annwn Dungeon, Level -3           150-175          5-6 (W), 6-7 (M)      |
 | Torii Cliffs                      200-225          7-8 (W), 9-10 (M)     |
 | Torii Haunted Castle              250-275          8-9 (W), 10-11 (M)    |
 | Torii Mines                       275-300          9-10 (W), 11-12 (M)   |
 | Rift Glacier Haunted House        225-275          8-9 (W), 10-11 (M)    |
 | Rift Glacier Higher Elevations    300+             9+ (W), 11+ (M)       |
 | Shukumei                          300+             10+ (W), 14+ (M)      |
 |                                                                          |
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Remember, these are only guidelines that apply to the *usual* encounters.
Creatures to be especially wary of are giants of any sort, Ydmos in the Tower
of Wizardry, the roaring rat of Torii's haunted castle, individual trolls with
heavy black maces, griffins, the titan, the drake, the ice dragon, sabertooth
tigers that roar in Shukumei, any group of normally-not-so-dangerous creatures
(such as skeletons, ninjas, NPCs, or onis), and all other "unique" creatures.


HIT POINT DOCTOR

     The Hit Point Doctor will sell the following number of HPs to the
following classes:

                 Class                        Maximum Hps Sold
                 -----                        ----------------
                 Fighter/Knight               400
                 Martial Artist               400
                 Thaumaturge                  350
                 Thief                        325
                 Wizard                       300


     One good strategy is to buy your character the maximum number of HPs at
the lowest possible experience level.  This way, you can receive more HPs than
the Doctor will sell you by gaining HPs as you rise in level.  Only two HPs
are gained after getting 200 or more of them, so a 10th level knight with the
full 400 HPs could look forward to having 412 HPs at the 16th experience level.

     The process is very expensive.  To completely "max out" your character's
hps costs 3 to 4 million gps.  The last hit point alone costs about 190,000!


HEALING

     In the AG, it's a good idea to balm or cast CURE after almost every
injury.  Most AG creatures can hit for a *lot* of damage, and stuns are not
uncommon.  Fill your sack with balm before every expedition.


ZOOS

     Never, ever, take on a large zoo in the AG.  Fighting too many creatures
at once has led to many a good adventurer's death; one or two beasties at a
time is usually enough to keep any character busy.


LOCKERS

     Your character has one locker in each of the AG segments except for
Shukumei.  It is a good idea to store spares of all your equipment in your
lockers; you never know when an unexpected death will occur <g>.  Spare drake
potions and permanent strength potions are also helpful after an unexpected
death.


AGING

     Youth potions may now be bought in the Torii town, so old age can be
permanently avoided.  Drink a YP after becoming "old," and you'll be
"middle-aged" or "young" again.




FINAL NOTE

     Remember, it is very easy to die in the AG, so balm often, and use all
the caution, patience, and strategy you can muster.

     Good luck, and see you soon!



                         APPENDIX A:  EXPERIENCE CHART
                         -----------------------------

     All of the experience listed in this chart is an average.  Sometimes, only
a few critters were killed but, usually, I tried to get more that 10 kills of
each critter to form a good sample set.


Annwn level -2
-----------------------------
Critter Type     Exp. (in k)
---------------  ------------
Hobgoblin               1.3
Little Troll            1.7
NPC - Thaum            15.0
Banshee                15.0
Wraith                  4.9
Apparition              4.5
Orc - MU                3.2
NPC - Wizard           14.8
Orc - Bow Weapon        1.7
Kobold                   .8
Gargoyle                1.3
NPC - Fighter          33.1
Orc - Fighter            .5
Big Troll (mace)       15.9
Salamander              3.2
NPC - MA               30.5


Annwn level -3
---------------
Critter Type     Exp. (in k)
---------------  ------------
Elemental              11.1
Wight                  11.6
Ogre                   16.3
Shadow                 15.0
Troll                  15.5
Wraith                  4.5
Giant                 225
Dragon                230
Phoenix               230


Annwn tower
---------------
Critter Type     Exp. (in k)
---------------  ------------
ogre                   15
NPC - MA               30
NPC - Thaum            15
Ydmos                2125


Torii Mines
---------------
Critter Type     Exp. (in k)
---------------  ------------
Skeleton               35
Ninja                  36
Oni                    29
Apparition              5
Elemental              17
Giant                  72
Wraith                 14
Spectre                15
Serpent (Thisson)     900


Torii Castle
---------------
Critter Type     Exp. (in k)
---------------  ------------
Ogre                   15
Little Rat              0.4
Medium Rat             29
Large Rat (Willard)   231
Goblin                  4
Spirit                 19
Ghost                  56
Oni                    31
Skeleton               31
Giant                  70
Snakeman               15


Rift Glacier
---------------
Critter Type     Exp. (in k)
---------------  ------------
Darkling               65
Dragon (Ice)          250
Dragon (Lucy)        1120
Drake                 250
Griffin                 1
NPC - Fighter          31
NPC - Thaum            17
Ogre                    8
Orc                     1
Shadow                 30
Tiger                  34
Titan                1251
Troll                   8
Wyrm - Little           8
Wyrm - Large          116


Shukumei Gorges
---------------
Critter Type     Exp. (in k)
---------------  ------------
Apparition             22
Giant                  66
Goblin                 12
Hellhound              10
Ogre                   23
Oni                    39
Orc                    20
Parrot                  1
Rat                     3
Sabertooth - small      1
Sabertooth - medium    30
Sabertooth - large    448
Skeleton               31
Snakeman               24
Spider                 23
Stalker                93
Waft                   21
Wraith                 93
Yasai.kyofu            21


Shukumei Cliffs
---------------
Critter Type     Exp. (in k)
---------------  ------------
Bat                     1
Crow                    1
Ghoul                   2
Golem                  12
Griffin                 1
Wyrm                    5


Shukumei KQuest
---------------
Critter Type     Exp. (in k)
---------------  ------------
Apparition             24
Giant                   8
Griffin                12
Lindwyrm               39
Wyrm                  119



                              APPENDIX B:  LAIRS
                              ------------------

     Unlike the BG, there are no "easy" or "test" lair critters such as Trog or
the Leng sandserpent.  The AG lair critters range from bad to worse to doom and
sure death!  We'll jump segments here and list the lair critters in order of
difficulty.

     The makon is probably the easiest AG lair critter, just make sure you have
tons of balms cause it has tons of hits.  Another problem with the makon is you
have to be a MA and you have to trek across the valley of death.

     The Annwn phoenix is probably the easiest and safest AG lair critter to
try.  It hits for about 80-160 and doesn't stun you that often.  The nice thing
about this lair is, if you get in trouble, just jump down and you are in a 99%
safe area!  This fellow has a few more hits than the Annwn dragon and can only
be harmed by magic/magic weapons, so, come prepared.  Seems to be worth about
250k exp average.
 
     The Annwn dragon is next on the scale of things.  The dragon has a very
tight lair area, once you go in there, you are committed and, he loves to knock
you around so, not only do you have to worry about balming but, moving away
from walls at the same time.  The dragon seems to have just a tad more variance
in hit range, like from 70-170.  It does have a lot less hits than the phoenix.
Seems to be worth about 225k exp on average.

     Then there is this tremendous jump in difficulty in lair critters.  I
consider the titan, dragon and drake in Rift as lair critters, Rift is their
whole lair.  Titan is easy if you have a phantasm handy.  Titan hits really
vary, I've seen a range from 50-270.  Titan has somewhere in the range of
10,000 hits, so if you fight him one-on-one, he is bound to get lucky sometime.
Titan is probably the next easiest and is worth a respectable 1.1meg.
 
     The Rift dragon also likes djinn.  It ices for 40ish each round and swipes
at you with claws for damage up too 200 hits.  The dragon is only worth about
350k.

     The Rift drake is one to stay very far away from.  It has killer lightning
and isn't worth but about 250k exp.  I've run into this fella a couple times
and regret almost all of the encounters.
 
     Ydmos, who lives in the top of the tower of wizardry in Annwn, is hard in
some ways and easy in others.  There are two Audreys (plants that can't be
silenced for long) that cast death, web and magic missile that love to throw
a monkey wrench into the encounter whenever possible.  Ydmos carries the
+scythe and is very skilled with it but, still seems to fumble on occasion.
Using the scythe he hits for 40-140 averaging 100.  Without the scythe, RUN!
He must be about 8th dan MA skill and doesn't pick the scythe back up.  He hits
for somewhere between 70 and 270 with each swing!  The lair is a no recall zone
with the exception of the door hex.

     The cloud dragon (Lucy) that lives high up in Rift is the second toughest
critter in the game.  It lives so high up in the air the feather fall boots
won't help if you make a wrong step!  This dragon sniffs magic so, don't cast
unless you want to draw it's attention.  Lucy has four spirits that live in her
lair with her.  The first two can be killed by area spells, I've never found
a way to kill the two that live in the inner lair area however, they don't cast
in darkness.  Lucy is bad enough without them, she hits for 200-300 per swipe
of her claws, eats and casts lightning that hits for up to 270!  This lightning
stuns you quite often too.

     Last but, certainly not least, is Thisson!  Thisson is the only serpent
that lives in the Torii mines, if you see him, it is best to recall and ask
questions later.  Thisson has a NASTY death spell that hits for 500ish HPs!
Like Lucy, thisson has a catch-22 situation in the fact that thisson carries
a prodeathstun amulet in his sack.  Thisson hits for 300ish and loves to eat.
He also has a real nasty habit of targeting the weakest player in sight.  Just
say no to Thisson!


---EOF---