101 OnLy ThE BeSt GaMeS 6/101 OnLy ThE BeSt GaMeS 6.iso/stratgy/serpent/readme.doc

Text File | 1995-12-11 | 33.1 KB | 637 lines

You may send for a SerpentHead Hintbook by sending a check or m.o. for
$5.00 plus $1.00 shipping to:      William Cassidy
                   P.O. Box 796
                   Hillsboro, OH 45133



THE GAME SCREEN
The game screen is divided into four sections:  the View Window, the Map,
the Text Box, and the Command Buttons.  The View Window is where the game
takes place.  What you see is exactly what your character, Sir Mharim, sees.
The Map displays the floor plan of Castle SerpentHead along with your current
position.  The Text Box is where game messages are displayed.  The Command
Buttons are explained below.

THE COMMANDS
There are eight Command Buttons in the center of your game screen.  To
select a command, position the hand cursor over the Command Button and
click the left mouse button.  NOTE:  If you are using the keyboard instead
of a mouse, use the arrow keys to position and press ENTER to choose a
command.  In these instructions, "Click" refers to clicking the left mouse
button or pressing the ENTER key.

LOOK
This Command allows you to look at any section of the View Window.  Position
hand icon on LOOK button and click.  Then position hand icon where you want
to look and click.


TAKE
This Command allows you to take items in the View Window.  Position hand icon
on TAKE button and click.  Then position hand icon over item you wish to take
and click.

OPEN
This Command allows you to open objects in the View Window.  Position hand
icon on OPEN button and click.  Then position hand icon over what you wish to
open (for example, a door) and click.
USE
To make use of an item you have taken, position hand icon on USE button.
Click the mouse button and your inventory of items will be displayed.
Position hand icon over the item you wish to use and click. Then position
hand icon where you want to use the selected item in the View Window.
NOTE:  You CANNOT use one item on another item.

ITEMS
This command displays a picture of the selected item along with a short
description of that item. Position hand icon on ITEMS button. Click mouse
button and your inventory will be displayed.  Position hand icon over the
item you want described and click.
MOVE
Choosing the MOVE button will allow you to move to different rooms in the
castle. Your character will move North, South, East or West according to
the castle map regardless of which direction your character may be facing.
Position hand icon on MOVE button and click mouse button.  The hand icon
will be positioned on the direction indicator which consists of four arrows.
Click the arrow that corresponds to the direction you want to go. Be sure
to note your position on the castle maps at right hand side of the screen.
NOTE:  Pressing the ESC key will cancel an impending MOVE command.

QUIT
Click the QUIT button to return to DOS.  Be sure to save your game before
quitting.



OPTIONS
Clicking the OPTIONS button will bring up the Options Screen. From the
Options Screen you may load a saved game, save a game, adjust brightness,
and turn sound on or off.

OPTIONS SCREEN COMMANDS

SAVING A GAME
From the options menu, choose SAVE GAME.  Use the arrow keys to highlight
a game slot.  Press ENTER key. Give your saved game a name and press ENTER.
If you pick a slot that was not empty, the game that was previously saved
there will be replaced by your game.

RESTORING A GAME
From the options menu, choose LOAD GAME.  Use the arrow keys to select
a game slot. Press ENTER key to restore saved game.

Choose SOUND ON/OFF and press ENTER to toggle sound on/off.
o increase the brightness of your game screen, press the right arrow key.
To decrease the brightness, press the left arrow key.

Read on for the story of SerpentHead...




          The Story of SerpentHead

               Foreword


The pages that follow contain the complete Story of SerpentHead--
not only a description of events immediately preceding the game,
but also a history of the Land of Xanaria where the game takes
place, complete with a list of Kings and Royal Mages.

You may ask, "Why such a long story for one game?"  It is true
that much of the information contained herein will have no direct
bearing on your actual game play, but we felt that having a sense
of history and purpose would give you a greater overall enjoyment
of the game.  In addition, this history provides an excellent source
for sequels and prequels, which, unlike some game designers, we
have planned out well in advance to give those games a credible
storyline, should they materialize.  In the following pages, you may
find a reference to SerpentHead Zero, a prequel we plan to release
if we see sufficient response to this game.

But that is for the future.  For the present, there is some
information you will need to know before you continue reading.
When you play SerpentHead, you will be cast in the role of Sir
Mharim, a knight who has taken it upon himself to infiltrate Castle
SerpentHead.  It is important here to note that player knowledge is
not necessarily character knowledge--meaning that Mharim may
not know what you, the player, know.  But, most of the time, this
will not present a problem.  Mharim does know the following
story, however, and you should too (especially since the story may
contain hints that will help you during game play).  We, the
authors, hope you enjoy both the story and game.



                        The Story Thus Far

                           The Scepter

Long ago in the land of Xanaria, there lived a great and powerful
wizard, Ophiuchus.  Ophiuchus was the Royal Mage (under King
Ethor III), and he was as good and pure as his White Magic.  The
same cannot be said, however, of his vile brother, Salorann, who is
also known as the "Dark Sorceror".

One night, Ophiuchus had a dream in which he saw Salorann
among Dragons.  He saw him swear allegiance to the King of
Dragons, Stolm, in order to learn the otherwise-forbidden lore of
Dragon Magic.  He saw Salorann grow powerful, so powerful in
fact that his power dwarfed that of his brother.  In this same
dream, he saw Salorann lead an army of Dragons to Castle
SerpentHead.  He saw a battle, and the face of a fallen King; he
saw a strange staff, and he heard a voice saying, "Seek ye the
Book of Serpents."

When Ophiuchus awoke, he knew that this was no ordinary dream.
He knew that Salorann must be plotting to amass an army of
Dragons to besiege the castle and overthrow the King.  He also
knew that his White Magic alone could not destroy him.  He
needed a weapon powerful enough to defeat Salorann.  So he set
out to create the staff he had seen in his dream.

In his dream, Ophiuchus had seen a staff which appeared to have a
double-headed snake with glowing eyes coiled about it with a
glowing orb on each end.  He recognized the staff with the coiled
snake as his own, but the orbs and the snake's eyes were
unfamiliar to him.  For the answers as to what these objects were,
he went to Kendar the Weaponsmith, the master creator of magical
weapons such as Axalar, the Sword of Virtue.  As it turned out,
Kendar himself had the two orbs, which he gave to Ophiuchus.
After listening to Ophiuchus' description of the staff, Kendar
concluded that the snake's eyes must be the twin Stones of
Drakkhenar, a volcano known as the Home of Dragons.

Ophiuchus then set out to obtain the Stones.  On his way to
Kendar's smithy, Ophiuchus had met a man named Lorin, whose
homeland had been ravaged by Stolm.  Lorin himself was on his
way to Kendar, in search of a weapon which could destroy Stolm.
Kendar presented Lorin with the dagger "Drakkhencist" ("Dragon-
Cutter"), which works as a homing missile on Dragons, searching
out their weakest point.  Because a great number of the Dragons
normally present on Drakkhenar were busy attacking Castle
SerpentHead, Ophiuchus and Lorin were successful in their quest
when ordinarily they couldn't have survived.  This event is known
as the First Trek Up Drakkhenar.*  Ophiuchus now had all three
magical objects, so he combined them and called the assembled
staff the SerpentScepter.

*The land's leading mystics have stated that there will be a Second
Trek Up Drakkhenar, but its purpose is unclear.


                      The Nine Days War

As Ophiuchus was busy on Drakkhenar, Salorann and his army of
Dragons launched their attack on Castle SerpentHead.  For eight
days, the King's Royal Guard kept them back, but by the ninth
day, the Guard was so depleted that Salorann's army stormed the
castle.  But fortunately, Ophiuchus returned with the
SerpentScepter and unleashed its power on Salorann.  Salorann
crumpled beneath its might, and the remaining Dragons fled when
they saw their leader defeated.  The Nine Days War was over.

Ophiuchus had defeated Salorann, but he couldn't bring himself to
bring the full power of the Scepter to bear on his brother, for surely
it would have killed him.  Salorann escaped by casting the spell of
Teleportation saying, "You were a fool to spare me, Ophiuchus!
One day, I shall return and use that Scepter of yours to conquer all
the world!"  Salorann's threat made Ophiuchus realize that the
SerpentScepter was much too powerful a weapon to leave
assembled, so he separated it into its component parts and hid
them within the ruins of the ancient and monstrous Castle
IronGate.  Because Ophiuchus knew that Salorann would be after
these artifacts, he created special box-shaped containers and
locked them with special spells that would prevent anyone with an
evil heart from opening them.  Ophiuchus recorded the location of
the components in a book written in his own language--a special
dialect that can only be translated by Royal Mages.

                The Second Coming of Salorann

Many years later, long after the death of Ophiuchus, the Royal
Mage Cendric, from the line of Ophiuchus, had a dream like his
ancestor's.  In his dream, he saw the Dark Sorceror (who had
preserved himself using perverse necromancy and arcane spells)
returning to Castle SerpentHead; he saw himself lying dead; he
saw the face of a clock, and he heard a voice saying, "Seek ye the
Book of Serpents."

After he awoke, he consulted Ophiuchus' book.  He then went on a
quest to bring back the parts of the SerpentScepter (the details of
which will be chronicled in SerpentHead Zero).  Cendric was
successful in his quest and brought the parts back to Castle
SerpentHead to be reassembled.  Unfortunately, Cendric had just
finished reassembling the Scepter when Salorann appeared behind
him and attacked.  The Scepter flew from Cendric's hands as he
fell to the floor.  Salorann reached for the Scepter, but right before
he took hold of it, Cendric invoked a special spell that he had
prepared to hide the Scepter to keep it out of Salorann's hands.
Enraged, Salorann turned on Cendric, but he had already died.
Salorann then took out his anger by viciously murdering all those
who were in the castle.

Because Cendric had foreseen his own death in his dream, he had
told his young apprentice, Tarm, of his plans to hide the Scepter.
Cendric had told Tarm that, if he died, Tarm was to go to the
closest village and tell the people how to find the Scepter.  Just as
Tarm was fleeing from the castle, however, the Dark Sorceror
appeared before him and seared him with a magic fireball.
Thinking that Tarm was dead, Salorann went back into the castle.
Tarm actually was not dead, but was badly injured.  He made his
way to the village and told the people of the attack and of the
SerpentScepter being the only weapon that could destroy Salorann.
But, before he could tell them where the Scepter was hidden, he
died.  His final words were, "Seek ye the Book of Serpents. . ."

                     Sir Mharim's Quest

That was years ago.  Since then, the Dark Sorceror has taken
control of the kingdom and the villagers live in fear.  Others have
attempted to find the Scepter--many have left; few have returned.
Those that have come back have brought little information of
value except for a crude map of the castle.  Also, it has been
learned that the Dark Sorceror has cast the spell of Protection from
Weapons around the castle.  This spell prevents anyone from
bringing weapons and shields into the castle.  Therefore, you must
enter the castle armed with only your wits.
Fare thee well, Sir Mharim.


             CHAPTER 2:  A History of the Land

The world on which exists the kingdom of Xanaria consists of
only two large continents, with seemingly infinite numbers of
islands and other smaller land masses.  The two major continents
are separated by a vast ocean called the Sea of Partition, which is
so named because its tumultuous waters prevent all but the most
sturdy of vessels from crossing it.  For this reason, the cultures that
dwell on either continent have been for the most part isolated and
have developed independently of each other.

Intelligent life came into being at approximately the same time on
both continents, and both cultures developed at roughly the same
rate until the Feudal Era.  During this Era, nations and kingdoms
did not exist.  In their place were individual estates, usually owned
by a lord who set his or her estate's own governmental hierarchy
and/or caste system.  Since there are no feelings of nationalistic
unity within such a system, estates constantly fought and bickered
with one another.

On the continent of Xanaria, a race of mountain-dwellers known
as the Charia took advantage of feudal disunion.  While the estates
fought with one another, the Charia slowly grew their own army
and resources, poised for an all-out war of conquest.  When they
finally struck, the quarreling estates were no match for the Charia's
superior forces.  The Charia swarmed over the continent like a
voracious swarm of locusts, devouring everything in their path and
growing stronger all the time.  Eventually, the Charia conquered
all but the most powerful estates.  Lord Ethor, master of one such
estate, realized that only as a unified whole could the remaining
estates hope to defeat the Charia.  He gradually convinced the
other lords, and in doing so gave birth to the first nation the world
had ever seen.  Ethor was recognized as the leader of the new
nation, and his coat-of-arms, a hissing snake, was the basis for the
nation's name:  SerpentHead.  The combined might of the former
estates was enough to stop the spread of the Charian Empire, but
was insufficient to completely defeat it.  The two forces continued
to periodically wage war on each other, neither one emerging a
clear victor.

Several years following the first clash of SerpentHead and the
Empire, a mysterious woman came before the Charian Emperor.
The woman was an immensely powerful sorceress who had made
the mistake of believing the Charia to be benevolent leaders and
had come to help the Emperor improve the living conditions of his
subjects.  The Emperor saw a grand opportunity to exploit her
power, thereby increasing his own might enough to defeat
SerpentHead and expand his rule over the entire continent.  The
sorceress was given the grandiose title of S'hi Sharim, which in the
language of the Charia means "Imperial Mage."  Although the title
was impressive, it actually gave her no political power whatsoever.
All power continued to rest with the Emperor, who instructed the
sorceress to perform various feats of magic (under the guise of
helping the citizens of the Empire) that were, in truth, engineered
to further his own interests.  After some years, the sorceress
discovered the treachery of the Emperor.  Furious that her magic
had been used for evil ends, she vowed to leave Xanaria never to
return, but not before she furnished Ethor with some powerful
enchanted weapons that would enable him to defeat the Charia
once and for all.

Ethor's army, now augmented by the sorceress' weaponry,
launched an attack on the Empire.  The ensuing war was won
quickly, but at a high cost.  Many of Ethor's soldiers fell, and
every last member of the Charian Imperial race was slain during
the battle.  The oppressed were now free, however, and the
oppressors were no more.  But what had happened forced everyone
to realize that they could not return to the old feudal ways.
Overwhelmed with a feeling of togetherness unlike any ever felt
before, the people of Xanaria decided to unite under one ruler.
That ruler, they decided, would be the hero of the war, Ethor.  In
order to show that his leadership would be nothing like the
Charia's, Ethor abandoned most everything associated with them,
such as their castle, IronGate, and the title "Emperor" (however, he
liked the idea of having an Imperial Mage, so he did in fact
appoint one, but changed the title to "Royal Mage").  So, in an
elaborate ceremony, Ethor was crowned King of Xanaria at the
newly-constructed Castle SerpentHead, which was named after the
land's first nation.

The sorceress, who by that time was known only by her title,
decided to retain that name but remove the imperial S'hi from it.
Following that, the Sharim (or "the Mage") traveled to the other
continent, whose inhabitants were still experiencing the constant
quarreling of feudalism.  By teaching them the ways of peace and
diplomacy, she united the fragmentary estates into a single nation.
Under her great leadership, the nation has prospered and has not
experienced the horror of war in over two hundred years.
Although she was never a Royal Mage, her actions on
SerpentHead's behalf have earned her official recognition as The
First Royal Mage.  She is honored as a great hero by the people of
Xanaria, who often pay her homage by naming their first-born
child after her ("Sharim" for girls, "Mharim" for boys).

What became of the Sharim's weaponry is in question.  It is known
that many of the Sharim's weaker weapons were broken in battle.
Others were pried from the death-grips of fallen soldiers by
Charian looters.  It is not known where these weapons are kept, but
they are rumored to be in a hidden armory at IronGate.  Since the
war, many have ventured to IronGate and some weapons have
been recovered, but the location of the armory, if it exists, is still a
mystery.

AN INTERESTING FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY:  The Dark Sorceror's
ultimate goal is conquest of the entire world, but even his
sorcery is no match for the power of the Sharim.  For this
reason, the Dark Sorceror seeks the SerpentScepter, with which he
could defeat the Sharim.  However, he has been unable to find it.
This is why he lets adventurers into Castle SerpentHead in the first
place:  It is his hope that one of them will discover the Scepter for
him, in which case he will kill the adventurer and steal it for
himself.  Therefore, it is likely that he closely watches all those
who enter the Castle.  Your only hope for victory is that he has
grown lax in his vigil after so many years.

For details of Xanaria's subsequent history, consult Chapters 3
and 4:  "The Line of Ethorian Kings" and "The Royal Mages."


          CHAPTER 3:  The Line of Ethorian Kings



There have been five Ethorian Kings, beginning with Ethor the
Great.  As a tribute to him, all subsequent Kings took the name
Ethor when they assumed the throne.  The people of Xanaria feel a
great sense of loyalty and respect for their Kings, and as a sign of
their affection they have given Royal Surnames to each monarch
(for example, Ethor III is called "the Valiant," and Ethor IV, "the
Pious").  Because of the Dark Sorceror's evildoings, there will be
no more Ethorian Kings; so remember these great men well.

Ethor the Great:  Lord Ethor was originally the head of the
continent's largest estate during the Feudal Era.  During the
Charian Expansion, he unified the larger estates to fight the
Charia.  After they were deposed, Ethor was selected as the first
King of Xanaria.  Ethor established Xanaria's governmental
system, instituted the Royal Mage system, wrote the Kingdom's
first legal code--his list of achievements is endless.  He is certainly
worthy of the surname, "The Great."  For more information about
Ethor, consult Chapter 2:  "A History of the Land."

Ethor II the Unsung:  Ethor II was the first son of Ethor the great.
Shortly after his birth, his mind was manipulated by then Royal
Mage Andrache, who planned to use Ethor II as a puppet to gain
control of the kingdom.  As a result of Andrache's manipulations,
Ethor II never really was able to live his own life; his day-to-day
existence was a battle between his own will and Andrache's.
When Ethor the Great died, Ethor II was made King, although his
mind was still being controlled.  Andrache's plan nearly
succeeded, but fortunately, a young but gifted magician named
Ophiuchus who happened to be staying at the Castle was able to
detect Andrache's use of Black Magic.  When he confronted the
Black Royal Mage, Andrache attacked Ophiuchus.  The two
mages then entered into a magical battle of immense proportions.
The battle so distracted Andrache that he lost his hold on Ethor II,
who stepped in front of Ophiuchus to shield him from Andrache's
attack--an act of heroism that would prove to be fatal.  Andrache
raged at his accidental destruction of his puppet and briefly let his
guard down.  Ophiuchus seized the opportunity and vanquished
Andrache.  Ophiuchus then went to attend to the dying Ethor, but
it was too late.  Ethor II's final words were a plea for forgiveness of
all he had done under Andrache's evil influence.

Ethor III the Valiant:  Following the death of Ethor II, his younger
brother ascended the throne.  The newly-crowned Ethor III's first
act was to officially grant his brother a pardon for his unintended
actions.  His second act was to appoint Ophiuchus as the next
Royal Mage--a decision which would prove to be exceedingly
wise.  For with Ophiuchus' help, Ethor III was able to root out all
corruption which had festered within the government because of
Andrache.  Ethor III's great leadership prevented the kingdom from
sinking into civil war after its deterioration.  Ethor III perished
during the Nine Days War at the hands of Stolm's army; his
actions on the battlefield earned him the surname, "the Valiant."

Ethor IV the Pious:  Although Ophiuchus was unable to save Ethor
III's life during the Nine Days War, he was able to save the life of
his son, who eventually became King Ethor IV.  Ethor IV was a
benevolent leader and his reign was a time of complete peace.  A
simple and holy man, Ethor IV felt that wealth was unimportant if
not used for the betterment of life.  As a result, he gave great
amounts of money to the poor--a characteristic which won him
great favor with his subjects.  When Ophiuchus died, Ethor IV
honored him by building a Chapel within the Castle in his name.
Ethor IV then appointed Imeri as the next Royal Mage.  Ethor IV
eventually died of old age.

Ethor V the Stoic:  The son of Ethor IV was also a peaceful man,
benevolent and good like his father.  He is known as "the Stoic"
because he never outwardly expressed himself, although he was in
fact very kind and holy.  His reign was essentially peaceful until
the return of Salorann.  After Imeri died, Ethor V appointed
Ophiuchus' grandson Cendric as the next Royal Mage.  Ethor V,
Cendric, and the entire royal family were murdered by Salorann;
therefore, Ethor V is the last of the Ethorian Kings.


                 CHAPTER 4:  The Royal Mages



The Royal Mage is the Kingdom's leading magician--the highest-
ranking wizard in the land.  A Royal Mage has duties in many
areas, including research in the field of magic, the drafting of
magical legislation, and defense--specifically overseeing the use of
enchanted weaponry in the Royal Guard and the security of the
King within the Castle.  Beyond these duties, however, lies a
Royal Mage's most important role--friend and advisor to the King.

After what happened with Andrache, all Royal Mages are required
to practice only White Magic--Black Magic and Dragon Magic are
forbidden to them, as they are to all mages.  White Magic consists
of those spells, potions, and incantations which are only used for
good purposes.  This contrasts sharply with Black Magic, which
can produce desirable results, but will also produce an evil
outcome in return.  However, Black Magic can be very tempting
because the evil it produces often seems quite insignificant when
compared to its desired effects.  This often incites a user to
continue practicing Black Magic.  Unfortunately, Black Magic
tends to have a cumulative negative effect on a user's soul--the
more one uses Black Magic, the more permissive of evil one
becomes.  Soon, users develop a complete disregard for others and
live only for themselves.  The effect is just the opposite with White
Magic.  Dragon Magic is a form of intensely powerful magic that
can only be wielded safely by dragons.  For them, it is neutral--it
can be used for good or for evil with no effect on the dragon's soul.
However, when a human uses Dragon Magic, it has an increased
Black Magic effect.  This is why Dragon Magic has been
forbidden.

Here, in order, is the complete list of Royal Mages to date:

The Sharim:  During the years of battle between the Charian
Empire and the nation of SerpentHead, a mysterious woman
approached the Charian Emperor and offered to use her vast
magical powers for the good of his subjects.  Unfortunately, the
Emperor tricked the woman into using her powers for evil.  The
woman, who eventually became known as simply "The Sharim"
(which in the Charian Imperial language means "The Mage"), later
discovered the Emperor's scheme.  She soon realized that the
Charia were not benevolent leaders, but in reality ruled as
oppressive dictators.  To correct her mistakes, she presented Lord
Ethor of SerpentHead with some highly powerful enchanted
weapons of her own design.  With these weapons, SerpentHead
finally defeated the Charia.  As a tribute to the Sharim, Ethor gave
her the title of "The First Royal Mage," although she in fact never
was one.  Following this, the Sharim left Xanaria and traveled to
another continent where she unified its quarreling inhabitants into
a peaceful, powerful nation.  It is only conjecture, but by all
available accounts, the Sharim is still alive.  It is unknown how
she has achieved such a long life span without the use of Black
Magic.

Tolidus:  One day in the time before the Charian Expansion, Lord
Ethor was traveling on horseback when out from the shadows
jumped three knights from a rival estate.  Their sudden movement
startled Ethor's horse, which reared back, throwing Ethor hard to
the ground.  One knight quickly unsheathed his sword, planning to
run it though the stunned Ethor.  But before he could act, a man
leapt upon him and ran his sword through the knight instead.
Immediately, the man turned and faced the other two knights, who
quickly drew their weapons and engaged him in battle.  The loud
clamor of sword striking sword awakened the dazed Ethor, who
then witnessed a most amazing battle.  Somehow, the lone stranger
was able to dispatch both knights without receiving so much as a
scratch.  After the battle, the stranger helped Ethor to his feet.  The
man said his name was Tolidus, and he had just happened to be
nearby when he heard the commotion caused by Ethor's horse.
Ethor rewarded Tolidus' heroism by making him a general in his
army.  Eventually, Tolidus became the supreme commander of all
of SerpentHead's armed forces.  Ethor and Tolidus became the
closest of friends, each man always looking out for the other.
Once, Ethor observed Tolidus using magic in battle against the
Charia.  This, coupled with the pair's close friendship, prompted
Ethor's decision to name Tolidus as the second Royal Mage,
although in truth Tolidus was not a very skilled magician.  Tolidus
was a good man, however.  He died of natural causes shortly after
the birth of Ethor's first son.


Andrache:  Shortly after Tolidus' death, Ethor summoned the
greatest mages from throughout the land to Castle SerpentHead to
find who would be the next Royal Mage.  One of the candidates
was named Andrache, and his adeptness at various forms of magic
greatly impressed Ethor, who was accustomed to the meager
magical ability of Tolidus.  Thus, Andrache was proclaimed the
third Royal Mage, despite his somewhat questionable character.
Ethor did not realize, unfortunately,  that Andrache's magical
ability was greatly augmented by his use of Black Magic.  In
actuality, Andrache planned to use his position as Royal Mage to
gain control of the Kingdom.  To this end, he began to magically
manipulate the mind of Ethor's young son.  Andrache knew that
the boy would one day become king, and if the king was
Andrache's puppet, he would in fact have the power.  Andrache
continued his corrupt actions for several years.  As time wore on,
Ethor's health began to fail.  As a result, Ethor's son began to take
on more and more of the leadership responsibilities his ailing
father could no longer handle.  Andrache, whose control was still
in place, used his influence to have his friends appointed to
important governmental positions.  The stage was set for Andrache
to assume control of the Kingdom.  Finally, Ethor's health failed
completely and he died, whereupon his son assumed the throne
and took the name Ethor II.  Andrache nearly realized his goal, but
for a young magician who had come to the castle to attend Ethor's
funeral.  The magician's name was Ophiuchus, and he somehow
managed to detect Andrache's use of Black Magic when no one
else had been able.  When Ophiuchus confronted Andrache, the
Black Royal Mage attacked him.  The two mages fought a bitter
battle, during which Ethor II, who had broken free of Andrache's
control, sacrificed himself to save Ophiuchus.  Ophiuchus then
vanquished Andrache.

Ophiuchus: After defeating Andrache, Ophiuchus explained to the
new king, Ethor III, exactly what Andrache had been plotting.
Ethor III was wise enough to realize that Andrache's corruption
had likely spread throughout the government.  Consequently, he
ordered a full-scale investigation to be launched and named
Ophiuchus head investigator.  Ophiuchus uncovered most of the
corruption that had festered within, and advised the new king on
how to deal with it.  Ophiuchus, who also possessed uncanny
leadership skills, also advised Ethor III on how to assuage feelings
of civil unrest that arose when knowledge of the corruption
became public.  With the combined leadership abilities of
Ophiuchus and Ethor III, a civil war was averted.  Ethor soon
named Ophiuchus as the next Royal Mage, restoring the people's
faith in that position after Andrache's treachery.  Unfortunately,
Ophiuchus' ascension angered his jealous brother Salorann, who
had always envied Ophiuchus' superior magical ability.  To prove
his own might, Salorann began practicing Black Magic.
Eventually, he even chose to learn Dragon Magic, which
thoroughly corrupted his soul, but made him the most powerful
mage ever known.  To combat his brother, Ophiuchus assembled
the SerpentScepter, the most powerful magical weapon ever
created.  Ophiuchus defeated Salorann during the Nine Days War,
but the evil mage escaped, vowing to one day avenge himself.
This is only one example of the many great deeds of Ophiuchus,
whose exploits have become legend.  Ophiuchus eventually died of
natural causes because there is no known magic, White or
otherwise, capable of warding off death permanently.  Salorann
has achieved a long life span through some unknown spell of his
own design, although one can rest assured that this spell reeks of
Black Magic.  The Sharim has also lived an inordinately long
time, but no one can be sure how she accomplished this.

Imeri:  After the death of Ophiuchus, Imeri was chosen as the next
Royal Mage.  An accomplished magician, Imeri is best
remembered for the scientific methodology he applied to magical
research that had not received much use beforehand.  As a result of
his persistent research, Imeri made numerous discoveries in the
field of magic, greatly expanding the number and variety of
available White Magic spells.  Imeri's other major accomplishment
is the institution of Royal Mage Apprenticeship, which involves
the education of a magically inclined child in the ways of magic
by the Royal Mage.  An apprentice would eventually go on to
become Royal Mage.  Not only would this practice ensure
competent Royal Mages, but also reduce the likelihood of a second
Andrache receiving the title.  Imeri's time as Royal Mage was a
time of peace.  He died of natural causes.

Cendric:  Imeri chose Ophiuchus' grandson, Cendric, as his
apprentice.  So, after Imeri's death, Cendric became the Royal
Mage.  Cendric's time was essentially peaceful until he learned in
a dream that Salorann was planning to attack.  Cendric quested to
retrieve the SerpentScepter, but before he could use it, Salorann
slew him.  Cendric's final action was to hide the SerpentScepter in
order to keep it away from Salorann.  The Scepter must be found if
Salorann is to be defeated.


      "SerpentHead"   Copyright (c) 1994 by Kathy and Bill Cassidy
       Midpak MIDI drivers  Copyright (c) 1994 The Audio Solution
       General MIDI patches (c) 1994 The Fat Man and K. Weston Phelan