|
|
|
|
Route 1b. The Great Hall
This, we are told, was a place where, in the days of Arnakkian Slowfoot, the citizens of the Kingdom gathered in festive celebrations. The Great Hall welcomed them with magical games conjured by Arnakkian (he was clearly more fun in those days!).
Oh look, a chess board! That's what greets you almost as soon as you enter. You must make your way across using 'knight moves' and must be carrying the Chess Piece to do so. Some squares hold fights against chess pieces. At F3 you win a Queen of Spades fighting Pincers Cobras and a Chess Queen, and at H4 you win a King of Spades fighting a Chess King and Were Minotaurs. To get straight across the board, go through the doorway at G2, go forward, turn north, go forward, turn east, go forward, go forward, turn east and go through the doorway at J10. On the other side are two doors. And, at H12 you meet a woman's spirit who invites you to bob for apples and win a prize. But if you do, to I12, you bite into an apple to find it is rotten and enter a fight against lampreys and death leeches. A ghost elf bard at I13 sings a tale of how 4 coloured magical gems placed side by side can form a rainbow to a far away land.
Well, the door at E12 leads to another confusing section. Behind the door at C12 is a platform with a bottomless pit spanned by a broken bridge. Upon each board are the symbols for 10, Jack, Queen and Ace. A voice proclaims, I call your bluff. Use the King of Spades. A Royal Flush beats a Joker and a bridge forms across the pit. After you cross, the Poker Bridge collapses.
At E16 a small button shaped like a crescent moon lies just out of reach and a door north proclaims, I am all hearts! Face the button and select the Queen of Spades and the voice says, You shot the moon! You can now go north through the door. At H14, facing west, the Jack throws dust in your direction. Facing south, you're given the message 'The 22nd room of this fine castle ... on the floor is a five, on two walls are fives and the third wall holds a jack. A voice laughs, You stand on face up.' Use the Jack, it scores the hand 22. Cribbage is the game. The door unlocks. But I still couldn't get through; luckily it doesn't seem to matter.
A King guards the wall at I14. You enter a treasure room without any treasure. A dwarf thief voice says, the Kings guard their treasure. Only one can find it. Use the Ace to score it as 11 points, scoring blackjack, to be told you unlock the door. (However, you can go through it before playing the card ...) The Blackjack Fountain at K14 is made of playing cards and makes you feel healthier and more agile. A voice says the Jack has come home and thanks you for your help. The Jack vanishes from your inventory. If you now return to H14, the door is unlocked. (Maybe each card unlocks the OTHER door?) There are Wyverns and Dragons through here. The Cribbage Fountain at F14 restores your Mana and the Ace is returned home.
Back to the doorway at E12. There are one way routes where a wall closes behind you. Beware of doors that lead back onto the chess board; you will have to trudge across again. Fights are against gangs of ghosts, not hard at this stage and ghouls which are slightly tougher.
The door at l12 has a sign beside it, at K12 to say a maze made of dice lies just to the north. The door says 'Lucky sevens on the first roll!' when you face it. Inside you'll find a maze of doors. Some have Lucky Seven messages. Some say 'Snake eyes'. Other doors have two squares of silk, 'box cars'. In these are useful messages, some as runes that need translating. Some rooms have fights. Some doors are one way. Some won't open at all!
The middle of the maze has a short corridor, then you enter another maze of the same design. There's an exit at M2, going south (one-way). More messages can be found in 'box car' rooms and you will eventually leave by a corridor down the left side.
The info is as follows:
