Ultima VIII: Pagan - Walkthrough and Tips

Pagan, while not an especially difficult game, tends to be vague in some areas on what you're supposed to do or where you're supposed to go. Also, the catacomb caverns can be a confusing place, and you will be spending a lot of time down there.

Further, while it doesn't appear so on the surface, the game is actually quite linear. There are certain actions you must do in
order to trigger other events. For instance, you won't be able to visit the Sorcerers until after Hydros is free and you've talked
to Devon. If you go to the lava cave before that, there is no way to get across to the Sorcerer enclave.

Combat in this game is a pain. I generally avoided fighting whenever possible, and that was most of the time. Unless there
really isn't much room to maneuver, you can easily run around or away from anything.

On the other hand, you certainly want to bring your strength up to maximum as quickly as possible, so you can carry more
stuff. The easy, if tedious, way to do this is to find a quiet place (the palace cellar, for example), and just stand there bashing
away at a wall or door for awhile. Eventually, your ST and DEX will reach their maximums of 25 (25 is the highest you can get). However, the only way to increase INT is to cast spells, and plenty of them.

Money isn't all that important in the game. You will need 250 coins at the end to purchase Ethereal Travel from Mythran, so make sure you have that much at least put aside. You do NOT need any of the other spells he knows, so if you want to save money,
don't buy them. You DO need to buy the secret door scroll, though, as it comes in handy in a couple of places later on.

The only other use for money is to buy armor from the blacksmith. However, you will be finding all kinds of armor along the way
(and weapons, too), so you don't have to buy anything here, either, if you'd rather not.

You can steal anything in this game without penalty, provided you follow the one golden rule: don't touch if someone is in the
room with you. You have to be alone in the room to move things or take them. People can be outside, or in the next room, or anywhere else.

As for all the jumping, I don't have any tricks to share. It is wise to save after every jump when possible (there are times when
you don't want to save, though, as for example on a vanishing platform). Angles are often tricky, and it isn't always easy to judge distances correctly. I did a lot of saving and restoring during the game. You probably will, too, especially on the path to Lithos,
which is the single worst sequence in the game. After that, it's not so bad, but you will be doing leaps and jumps right through
to the end, so get used to it.

After you have learned Sorcerer spells, especially Flash, jumping around is less of a problem. Flash can teleport you instantly
to any visible location on the screen. Unfortunately, you don't get these spells until almost near the end.

Starting In Tenebrae

Okay, so you begin at the fisherman Devon's camp. The only thing worth taking is his bedroll. The bedroll allows you to rest almost anywhere. Just keep it rolled up in your backpack and double-click it (no need to remove it from the backpack) whenever you need to sack out. This is the best way to recover hit points and mana.

Then you move off NW to the docks, where you witness the execution of Toran. Nothing you can do about that. After it's over, follow the path into the town of Tenebrae. This place can be irritating, because of the layout. The palace is the center of the town.
The south gate leads to the docks, and the north gate to the mountains. East and west of the palace are where all the inhabitants live. Be sure to walk up to the top of the palace to activate the receiver there. This will allow you to use the recall device to return quickly and easily to Tenebrae throughout the game.

Since there is no time limit in the game, you can take your time to become familiar with the town. On the east side, you particularly want to find Salkind (the Seneschal's) house; just north of there is Aramina's house, the door of which is locked until Bloodwatch.

Salkind also has a nice treasure cache. When he's not around, look for two keys (they are in different rooms, hidden under items). One unlocks the door to the chest and the other unlocks the chest itself. The chest is trapped, so be sure you either use a detrap scroll, or have a lot of hit points to survive the explosion. Among other things, the chest holds 300 coins. You can leave those there until you're ready to buy Ethereal Travel from Mythran.

Also on the east side, you want to find the library and talk to Bentic. This is the beginning of the main path through the game. Talking to him will trigger certain responses from Mythran that otherwise do not appear, so make sure you find the library and have that chat.

Toran's widow lives on the east side, too. She is only important if you want to make some money selling gems. Otherwise, you don't have to bother too much about her.

Moving to the west side, locate the house of the blacksmith. If you want some armor, go to the next room and sleep until he leaves the shop. Then help yourself to whatever you want, and sleep again until the shop reopens so you can leave. While you may not be buying anything from him, he will be important later on, for constructing the foci for the Air spells.

Another place you want to locate is the burned out building with the undead wandering around it. Just remember where it is, as you will have to come here later to pick something up. There is nothing of interest inside the house or in the basement, unless you
need a bedroll.

When you've finished your tour of Tenebrae and have spoken with Bentic, leave by the north gate and follow the path up to the cave that leads to the Plateau. Stop off at the guardhouse on the way. You can get in by jumping up to the little bridge that connects the buildings. Inside one building is a key ring you can use for the keys you find. Just "use" a key and click on the ring. After that, you can just click on the ring and then a door to try and open it.

The cave is basically a straightforward path, although do be careful at the jumping stones. One way leads to a trapped chest. The other goes on to the hermit. The only place of real difficulty here is the area with the levers. In order to open the southern gates,
you have to cross over the bridge to the ruined building. Do not touch the single lever standing apart from the others. Pull all levers that do NOT have bones or bodies in front of them. Then go back across the bridge and pull the lever by the winch, opening the
south gates.

You will have to dodge some electrical traps on your way in to see Mythran. Fortunately, you only have to do this once. During your conversation, be sure to purchase the secret door scroll. While he tells you it only works once, you can in fact use it several times, so one is all you'll ever need. You also want to be certain he mentions the Necromancers, so Vividos will be around when you come to visit.

When the conversation ends, Mythran gives you the recall device, a small disk that can teleport you instantly to any active receiver
on the island. It will work anywhere except one place: the Sorcerer enclave. You CANNOT teleport out of that area, although you
can 'port in. Many people thought the recaller ran out of uses because it didn't work here. THAT IS NOT THE CASE! It still functions, just not anywhere in the enclave or the lava cave before it. You have to go all the way back to the double doors before you can teleport.

After talking with the hermit, feel free to help yourself to anything you like. In this instance, you aren't stealing, as Mythran has allowed you to take whatever catches your fancy. Do go upstairs to turn on the receiver up there, so you can get back here the easy way later.

From here, you might want to walk out and get the Hammer of Strength (see Neat Weapons at the end of the file), or teleport directly back to Tenebrae (and maybe go for Slayer, also in the Neat Weapons section). Whatever, the next thing is to go visit the cemetery, out the east gate. Just follow the path and you'll get there.

Necromancy & Catacombs

Vividos will tell you about the stolen dagger, and of course you offer to bring it back. This is where you have to visit Aramina at her house. Remember, she's only there at Bloodwatch. You will probably have to talk to her twice, being certain to assure her she won't get into trouble. She'll hand over the key that unlocks both the closet and the chest.

The key to the queen's bedroom is under a cushion in the throne room. You can grab that anytime the room is deserted. If you want an easy time of it, after getting Aramina's key (and the one under the cushion), sleep until the queen has woken up and is having breakfast. Then you can waltz right in and grab the dagger. The chest, by the way, isn't trapped.

Return to the cemetery and hand the dagger to Vividos. After the ceremony, he will make you his apprentice and send you out to
pick up a couple of special reagents. The executioner's hood is in a pit to the south of the graveyard entrance (the stone arch). A couple of changelings wander around in it. The hood is on the tree in the center. There are several leaves on the tree; they are hard
to see, so look close.

The sticks are under the tree by the burned-out house in West Tenebrae. No other wood will do the job, so you do have to go there
for them. The ghost can make this difficult; kill it or lure it away and then grab the sticks (they look sorta like twigs). After you bring these items back to Vividos, he'll send you out once more, this time to talk to previous Necromancers in the catacombs.

The catacombs are reached through the small building to the north of where you talk to Vividos. Enter through the door on the east side, go up the middle aisle, and cast Open Earth to create the entrance to the catacombs.

This is a nasty place, with plenty of undead roaming around, traps here and there, and floors that occasionally give way, dropping
you to a sudden and unpleasant death. Be careful where you walk, and save often (it's usually safest to stick close to the walls,
but that isn't a complete guarantee of safety).

What you're looking for is a small, freestanding room with a ghoul and a jewelry chest inside. You can see this from the top (ie, the room has no roof). When you step inside, the floor gives way, dropping you down to the beginning of the path to the Necromancers.

Help yourself to any reagents from the barrels, then move on along the passage until you come to the first Necromancer. Use Death Speak to talk to him, and learn the Mask of Death spell. Then go back the way you came, keeping an eye out for the wall he mentioned (it's on the right-hand side).

Climb over this wall and keep going. You'll have to get past four demons blocking the way. You can use the Mask of Death spell to make them ignore you. I preferred to do some fancy broken-field running and just slip past them (which isn't all that hard if you can break up the group by moving away and getting one or two to follow you, then running past them). Go roughly north and east to the next Necromancer, who will tell you the Rock Flesh spell.

You will need this spell to get through the passage with the lightning bolts. Although you get no message or special effects when you cast Rock Flesh, it is actually active. Run up the corridor and on to the next Necromancer, who gives you Summon Dead. When
this conversation ends, you are teleported to a new section of the caves.

The fourth Necromancer is beyond the electrical barrier. He gives you Grant Peace, and teleports you to another new place. Head northeast to the small patch of woods. Here you will see a room with a couple of chests outside. These are safe to open. When
you walk inside the room, you are teleported yet again to another new area.

Jump across the chasm, and head south. You will come to a raised area with some magic armor. Most of the floor is a trap, and
will give way if you step on it. Go up the right-hand side, and stay as close to the wall as you can. After you have the armor, go
back north and jump across the lava. Climb up to the top of the stone island and head north. Keep an eye out to the right for a
single large stone. Jump to that, and you're teleported once again.

Run up past the fireball spitters to the fifth Necromancer, who will give you the Resist Death spell. My notes become a little
sketchy here, and it isn't mentioned whether or not you get teleported again (but it's likely). Continue on in the new area until you reach the sixth and last Necromancer, who is next to the stairs out. He will give you the Create Golem spell. A ghost and other
undead will appear when you try to walk up the stairs, so be ready with a Grant Peace or two for the occasion.

The Path To Lithos

The exit brings you back to the catacombs. Jump down and head roughly south to the small door leading to the caves. From
there, go generally southwest and then west, until you reach an area with two stone bridges. Cross the lower one, and continue
on until you come to an area with a fire dart trap with a wall in front of it. In the center of this area is a pedestal with a switch.
Make your way to the switch and pull it. Then climb the pedestal and jump over to the door that leads to Stone Cove.

In the cove, head to the east, where you should see a pair of big double doors and a smaller door to the south. Call up a golem
to open the double doors. Note that you must cast the spell on *dirt*, not stone. Some people had problems with that. Remember
this is an earth golem and it can only be created from earth.

You are now on the path to Lithos. Go northeast first to the ruined house. Approach this carefully, as part of the ground here is
not stable and you'll die in a pit if you don't watch where you walk. Pull the lever outside the house, then walk around to the left
side and climb in.

Pull the lever inside the house. Some ghouls will appear at this point; it's best to just avoid them and climb back out again. Then
go around and up to the northwest, passing a large rock with an "A" rune on it. Dodge the fireball spitters and continue up to the
end of the passage. A bridge has now appeared across the chasm to the left.

Unfortunately, half the bridge fades out while the other half fades in. I found it best to run quickly over the near half when it's solid,
and jump to the other side about a third or so of the way across the second half. There is an earth golem on this side, but it's not
hard to avoid.

Now you come to the sliding platforms. Sorry to say, there is nothing for it but jumping over to them, one a time (save often here). Even worse, on the other side is another earth golem, and a set of vanishing platforms. These don't move, but like the bridge, they fade in and out, so these jumps will be very tricky (especially with the golem around). There are some solid platforms along the way, and these are good places to save. Never save on a disappearing platform; it's very likely to vanish right out from under you if you restore to that position.

You get a breather from jumping for awhile after you make it across the chasm (about time, too). This area has a lot of nasty force fields between the stone pillars (and between the pillars and the wall). Pick up some of the green and blue mushrooms, and toss them ahead of you to pick out the safe path through the fields. Alternatively, you can just push on ahead, taking damage from the
fields, and sleeping when your hit points get too low. It's certainly the less tedious way to get past them.

At the end is a chest. Climb up to it (after the stalactite falls). Inside is a key and a gem of protection. The gem will keep you safe from harm on your way back through the forcefields (just walk right through them). The key opens the locked door at the other end.

Go through the door and follow the tunnel to the fire mushroom cave. Go carefully up to the northeast and the sinking stones.
These are like the ones on the way to the hermit, except that they slowly sink and rise. As with the vanishing platforms, time your jumps carefully and do not save on any stone that is not stationary.

At the other end, as you go up north, stay close to the west wall and watch for two narrow passages (these are very easy to miss,
so watch carefully!). The first passage leads to a chest with some potions. Under the potions is a key. This key unlocks the door in the second west passage.

Go through that door and around to more sliding platforms. These, however, are not a problem. I found that by jumping to the right-hand rim of the chasm, and walking as far along it as possible, I was able to jump to the other side, thereby avoiding the platforms completely.

Fortunately, you're just about done. After you get across, simply walk north, between the rows of undead, and have your little
meeting with Lithos. West of the chasm is another of those receiver platforms, although there isn't much point to activating it, as
there isn't any reason to come back here. When you're done, use the recall item to get you back out quickly, and then return
to Vividos.

He'll question you about your meeting with Lithos, then hand you the Key of The Scion and tell you to bury Lothian. She's just
outside in the northeast corner, where the skull candles have been placed. She's also a little hard to see, but if you look closely,
you can discern her location. Simply stand next to the body and double-click on it (you do not have to click the Scion Key on
her or do anything elaborate).

With that accomplished, you return to Vividos once more (your last visit to him, by the way), and he'll tell you it's time to go on
your pilgrimage to Morien's grave. This is a fake. You'll never find the grave, so there is no point in looking for it. The supposed idea behind this canard is to get you to thoroughly explore the Pit of Death, thereby finding the Conventicle of the Dead, and the Heart of Earth buried inside.

Interlude - Pit of Death

You can reach this area in two ways: by suffering through the lower catacombs (the Scion Key opens the door), or the easy way,
by going through the small door in Stone Cove (Scion Key opens this door, too). After going through the Stone Cove door, head west. You'll come to the Conventicle of the Dead pretty quickly.

Walk right up as close as you can to the building. Note you can see a patch of dirt inside. Cast a golem spell on the earth and have the golem open the door for you (you may also want to have him attack the skeletons to keep them off your back). Hurry in to the dirt patch, and cast Open Earth on the center of it. This reveals the Heart of Earth. Once you have that, you are finished with the Pit of Death.

There is also a key for the Conventicle doors. This is at the other end of the Pit (which is actually a series of caverns), near to where you would come in from the lower catacombs. It's with the body of Someone-or-Other Conventicler, which is inside a gate that has a lever next to it. If you came in from the lower catacombs, you may want to look for this, but going through Stone Cove and using the golem is much easier.

Interlude - The Fate Door

In the upper catacombs is a building with the sign "Towards Fate Do You Travel". The door is opened with the Scion Key. Inside,
jump over the lava patch and continue on through the "Do Not Enter" door.

This series of caves is something of a respite, as you won't have to fight or evade anything along the way. In fact, it's pretty much a straightforward jaunt. Every time you come to a door outlined with white bricks, summon up a golem from the nearby earth patch
and have it open the door. Unfortunately, you won't be able to have the golem follow you through the doors, so you'll have to call up
a new golem for each door along the way.

As you proceed, be sure to pick up the Zealan ceremonial shield lying on the ground. Somewhere on the way, you'll come to an
area with chests and boxes and a beam across the entry way. Jump over the beam and help yourself to whatever you want in here. You especially want to pick up any keys, as one of these opens the door to the statues of the Zealan gods at the end of the Fate path.

When you arrive at the statues, drop the shield anywhere on the floor. The statues will talk to you automatically, telling you about Khumash-Gor and the important item (obelisk tip) he holds.

The only way through the door to him is by using the secret door scroll. Also, very important, the Zealan shield must still be on the floor for this to work. On redoing this section, I had a lot of trouble getting through that door; the scroll didn't work until I dropped the shield again (I had picked it up so the statues wouldn't keep telling me "We can't do any more for you" as I walked around the room).

You can fight Khumash-Gor if you like; I just nipped in, grabbed the obelisk tip, and zipped right on out again. This can be done by walking up the left-hand side of the room, staying very close to the wall. You can then get part way across the north wall before Khumash notices you. The tip is in one of the jewel boxes behind his throne. After he summons the ghost, just move closer to the boxes, open them, snarf the obelisk tip, and run out again, remembering to shut the door behind you so the ghost won't follow.

The statues will then tell you that your fate is to become the Titan of Ether by stealing the power of the other four titans. This is a
little vague, but they aren't going to provide any more information. Good thing you have this walkthru to fill in the gaps.

In any case, you are finished with the Fate path and can go on to better things.

Argentrock Isle

Argentrock, like every other place, is reached through the caves of the upper catacombs. You want to find a cavern with a double stone bridge and a single door with a spiked wall (door opens with Scion Key). Going through this door, following the path, and crossing the bridge will bring you to the Theurgists. Make sure you find and activate the receiver along the way (it's south of the
village).

There aren't many to talk to: only Stellos, Cyrrus, Torwin, and Xavier have anything to say. You should, of course, talk to all of
them, especially Xavier, who will start you on the tests of the Theurgists.

The test of wisdom is tricky, as there are NO books in the library about their philosophy; all the reading material is about the air spells. This makes answering the questions properly somewhat difficult.

The key to the correct answers is to keep in mind the precepts of honesty, compassion, and humility. For instance, if you get the question about the dying commander, you would be honest and tell him the battle has been lost. Likewise, if you get the one about the prodigal, you welcome him back. If others are boasting about their favorite Titan, you keep your mouth shut and say nothing
about Stratos. Etc. And, of course, you would prefer the breezy porch (Stratos being an air deity).

The second test is fairly simple. You go to Windy Point (west of the village), climb up to the air symbol, and try not to fall off, by walking in the opposite direction to the one the wind is blowing you.

Having passed those tests, you will be sent on to Stellos, who gives you the key to the silver mine under the monastery. This one
is also simple; you just pick up as many pieces of silver ore as you want for air spells. You certainly want Fade From Sight,
Reveal, Restoration, Hear Truth, and Aerial Servant. The rest are optional (Air Walk is special; you will get that from Stratos later).

When you have all the silver you want, bop back to Tenebrae, have the blacksmith forge the symbols (free of charge!), then return
to Argentrock to activate them on the altar in the monastery. Just put the foci on the altar, one at a time.

Now you hear about Xavier's stolen healing focus. Well, there aren't many suspects, so it's pretty obvious the thief is Torwin. A
little proof, however, would help. Talk to both Xavier and Stellos, mentioning that you have talked to Torwin. After hearing what they have to say, find Cyrrus, cast Hear Truth, and question him about Torwin. You'll learn that Torwin has gone to Windy Point.
NOTE: Torwin does not appear at the Point until you hear about it from Cyrrus.

Go there yourself, and witness Torwin's last moments. Tough luck on Torwin. Pick up the ring and the focus and return to town. Stellos will now send you on your final test, back under the monastery. Go west (left) when you get down there. Use Aerial Servant
to bring the torax to your side of the chasm, then cast Restoration on it.

That completes the tests, and now you are ready to meet Stratos. Sorry to say, this involves more jumping around. After the leap from Windy Point (yes, do have faith here), you will have to haul yourself from platform to platform until you reach Stratos. However,
at least these platforms are stationary. Remember the route you took, because you will have to come this way again later in the game.

Stratos gives you the Air Walk focus (already activated). At this point, you could use Reveal to see where the Breath of Wind is,
and use Aerial Servant to grab it. I don't recommend this course of action, as once you take the Breath, ALL air spells, except Air Walk, stop working. These spells are handy, so don't take the Breath until you are ready for the end game (ie, have gotten the
Tongue of Flame and Tear of Seas).

That finishes Argentrock, and you don't need to return here again until you want the Breath.

Interlude - Devon & Hydros

Somewhere along the line when you return to Tenebrae, a guard stops you with the cheery news that Bentic has been executed
and Devon arrested. It's a little late to help poor Bentic, but you can save Devon. Indeed, the game won't go much further if you
don't rescue him.

For that, you have to read Bentic's journal, which is in the evidence room in the palace cellar. This is the room at the far right side
that has no apparent entrance. Use the secret door scroll to open a way in and read the journal.

As soon as you finish, several guards will come in (talk about setups). It's best to go quietly; you can't defeat them in a fight. They hustle you to the docks, where Devon is on the verge of losing his head.

Do be careful what you say here; do NOT use the "no birthright" line, as that will just get you and Devon killed. Announce instead
that Devon is also a Tempest. When you've finished, the Queen will go bonkers, killing off Salkind and the guards, while knocking out everyone else, except Devon, who kills her.

After he goes splashing off, make another trip to the catacomb caves to visit Hydros (there is no point to freeing Hydros before
Devon has been saved, especially as the storms do awful things to the colors). NOTE: you must have gone through the Fate path
and obtained the obelisk tip before Hydros will talk to you.

You want to find a narrow passage that leads down to an electrical trap in the wall. Past the trap is a cave with a locked door. Use
the Scion Key to open the door to Hydros' area. Jump across the bridges until you reach Hydros.

She wants freedom before giving you any Tempest spells. Of course, she's lying, and why you'd want to trust someone (or thing
that has been trapped for centuries, I dunno. However, you do have to follow along and let her loose.

On the west side of her cave is an entry to another cave. Look for a wall with spikes on top. There is a gap where one spike is missing; climb over that and through the "window" in the next cavern. Keep going until you come to the grave. Cast Open Earth on
it, then use the recall device to return quickly to Hydros.

After she sneeringly tells you you're lucky to escape with your life, zip back to Tenebrae and talk to Devon. He's usually to be
found in the palace bedroom. If he's not there, try the dining areas.

He figures that maybe the Sorcerers, who deal with Pyros, can help with controlling Hydros, and sends you to see them. Note that there is no way to get to the Sorcerer Enclave until Devon sends you there.

Sorcerers

The way to their place is, again, through the catacomb caverns. This time, you want the double door with spikes on top. The lever outside makes one door go down and the other one come up. There are two ways of getting by here.

The first way is to pull the lever, move as close to the door as possible, then cast Aerial Servant on the lever and walk through as
the door descends.

The other way is to find the hard-to-see switch on the left-hand wall, that opens up a secret door on the right side of the wooden
wall.

Once past the door, you come to a cavern with lava. As you approach the edgeof the lava, you will automatically see Berren and
have a short chat with him. After he leaves, get as close to the edge of the lava as is safe, cast Air Walk, and jump to the stone island. Walk around to the left side and onto the the bit of stone sticking out that leads to the rest of the cave (this is what is no
there when you come here too early).

Continue on, jumping across the water, to the next cave, where the Sorcerers reside. There aren't many to talk to here, either. The main ones are Bane and Vardion. Both want to do away with the other, and both will ask you for the same thing, the other's true name. Ally yourself with Bane and tell her Vardion's true name. After she kills him off and talks herself out of trouble with Malchir,
she gives you the key to the library and tells you to study up on spells.

You probably noticed that the game manual doesn't have much to say about the details of Sorcerer spells. Unfortunately, you will have to write down on your own the constituents of all the spells, as well as the placement of candles and reagents.

When you've done that and read all the other books, return to Vardion's house, where Bane is now in residence as First Acolyte.
She will ask you to enchant items with three spells. Since an item can only hold one type of spell, it is best to use three items for this.

Things to keep in mind when enchanting: the library books only mention placement of the red candles. You must use black candles, too. All the points of the pentagram that do not have red candles must have black ones. All candles around the pentagram must be
lit.

Placing the reagents is a pain. They must be in exactly the right spot, especially if they are next to a candle. And since there are times when you can be too close to pick something up (as well as too far away), the enchanting process can be excruciating, especially if "Something is not right", and you have to sit there and figure out what. A lot of patience will be needed here.

After you complete this test, Bane will send you on to Malchir for the run through the Obsidian Fortress. You can make some extra spells before you take off, or wait until you're into the tests, as you'll have an opportunity or two to enchant items along the way.

Useful spells to have are Flash, Armor of Flames, Endure Heat, Extinguish, Ignite, and Banish Demon. For the final test with
Malchir, you will also need Flame Bolt, Explosion, and Summon Demon. You will find a talisman for summoning a demon in the tests, so you don't need to make one of your own. However, as you will be running into demons in the fortress, it's wise to have
a talisman with several Banish spells handy.

The Extinguish and Ignite spells can be put on the symbols. All the other spells should go into rods or wands. You may want to
have an extra rod of Flash spells, as these come in very handy, and not only in the tests. Be sure to pick up and keep with you an extra red candle.

At the fortress, Malchir greets you and then conjures up a couple of demons to make your life more fun. I simply evaded them and
ran into the next room, saving the banish spells for later on.

There is a demon here, too, but this one is nonhostile. He allows you to use the pentagram and supplies to enchant items if you so desire. When you're done with that (or have bypassed it if you've got everything you need), walk to the far end of the room to be teleported to the tests.

In each test, you must find and take a blue pentagram symbol. When you have all four of them, return to the starting room and step on the rock pad to return to the demon. After talking to him, you can take the teleport again, this time to Malchir's sanctum.

Each test begins at a plaque naming the spell you will need to get through it safely. The tests are fairly simple in themselves, so
long as you observe reasonable care. I found that using Fade From Sight was very handy during the tests, as not even demons can see you when you're invisible.

Endure Heat

Make your way through the narrow area (a real pain), avoiding or Granting Peace to the undead. When you reach the lava, cast Endure Heat, and splash carefully along to the end. Banish the demon, then climb up and use a detrap spell on the chest before opening. The symbol is inside.

Armor of Flames

The entire area is full of flame bombs and fireballs, as well as spiders and the occasional demon. Moving fast is a necessity here,
as the AoF spell won't last forever. There are two things you want to find here. One is the talisman with a Summon Demon on it.
The other is a pentagram with a demon shield on it. The symbol is due south of the shield.

You want that shield, by the way, because once equipped, it functions the same way as the Armor of Flames spell. You will have
to banish the demon in the vicinity before you can grab the shield.

Flash

This is an easy one. Just use Flash to get past the spike balls and fire mushrooms. Be careful about position, though. You won't
be able to flash to a new spot if something, such as a stalactite, is directly in your way.

Along this path, you will find Flame Sting on the floor, guarded by a demon. Banish that, grab the sword, and continue to the end of the passage, where you will find the third symbol.

Extinguish

Find your way to the flaming pentagram (being careful of the Troll; I used invisibility here myself, and had no problems). This one is
a little tricky. You must use extinguish on the *candles* (all of them), not the big flames. When the last candle goes out, all the flames will go out as well, allowing you to take the magic helm and the symbol below it.

Malchir & Tongue of Flame

When you complete the Obsidian Fortress and enter the Sanctum, Malchir gives you the final test, which is to cast three nasty
spells at him. Then he returns the favor by calling up a demon that you must banish yourself.

Right after that, you go automatically to the Ritual of Flame. It is for this that you need the red candle and the Ignite spell. Just
follow along, doing as everyone else does, watching the sequence play itself out.

When it's all over, you might as well finish up here by getting the Tongue of Flame. Unfortunately, the only way to do this is by
killing Malchir, as he has the Tongue on his person. You can return to the Sanctum and fight it out with him, or you can go there invisibly, bop him a couple of times with Slayer, and be done with it the easy way.

One thing you must be certain to do is read the book, "The Destruction of The Temple". This book has the only mention of the
"Tear of Seas". Until you have read the book, you won't be able to get the Tear from Devon.

So take the Tongue, anything else you may want, and leave the Sanctum. Go to the big outdoor pentagram (where the Ritual of Flame was performed), and toss the Tongue into it. After the fireworks stop (Pyros has been freed), take the Tongue back, return all the way to the double doors, and use the recall item to get to Tenebrae.

Tear of Seas & Cleaning Up

Once again in Tenebrae, find Devon and talk about the blackrock fragment. Eventually, he'll recall the odd rock he found, and give
you the key to the chest it's in. This chest is in the palace, in a room on the left-hand side. Only Devon's key, by the way, can
open this chest.

By now you have the obelisk tip, Heart of Earth, Tear of Seas, and Tongue of Flame, so it's time to say farewell to the air spells by returning to Argentrock Isle, making the laborious jumps to Stratos, and swiping the Breath of Air (I tried using Flash several times here to cut down on the jumps, but it didn't work too well; the game insisted on dropping me in the wrong places, where I promptly
fell to my death).

Now you have all the pieces, so pop over to the Plateau. Talk to Mythran once, showing him the Tongue of Flame. Then talk to him
a second time (new conversation), and say you want to re-create the gate. He will offer you the Ethereal Travel spell (he will only do this when you have all the pieces, the two titans have been freed, and he's seen the Tongue).

Reading the book once activates the spell. Clicking on the book again after that will send you to the Void, from which there is no return (recall will not work here), so be sure you have everything you need/want before leaving. You won't need money or gems
where you're going, so you can drop any excess to lighten your load. Also, as the air spells don't work now (others still do), you
can dump all the air foci except for Air Walk.

End Game

The Void has a large pentagram and four paths off it. These, of course, lead to the four titans. You can do them in any order.
However, it is vital that you remember which path leads to which titan, as this determines the order of the blackrock fragments
around the pentagram. You can start by placing the obelisk tip at Aphelion. This will be activated last, when the other pieces
are in place. Putting it here now just gets it out of your way and sets up for later. Okay, okay, the positions of the four activated fragments are: Breath SW, Tongue NW, Tear NE, and Heart SE.

Hydros

You arrive on a small, rocky, island with a lot of sinking stones around it. As you might expect, the right one to start with is the sinking stone farthest from where you arrived (roughly west northwest). Simply jump (or occasionally Flash) along until you come
to a familiar place, namely the symbol of Hydros. Have the Tear ready. When Hydros appears, double-click on the Tear, then
position the crosshair on her and click once. After her power is absorbed, you'll be ported automatically back to the pentagram.
Place the activated Tear on the pentagram, and continue to the next titan.

Stratos

Yes, more jumping and Flashing (I will NOT make jokes ;). You do have to be very careful here, as some of the stones break away when you step on them. This is especially true of the stones around the pieces of magic armor (which I ignored, having all magic armor by this time). You just keep on going until you reach Stratos, and do the same to her with the Breath that you did to
Hydros with the Tear.

Pyros

This one is a little more elaborate. Jump north across the lava from where you start. Go east, then south, watching for broken
bridges. Take the second one, jumping or flashing over. On the other side, go east, then north to the dead forest. Keep an eye on
the ground for little lava holes. I found it safest and fastest to walk along the outside southern edge of the forest.

At the end, up a small flight of stairs, is a jewelry box with ten white balls in it. Be careful in this area, as the ground is not stable,
and you might fall through into a lava pit. Since demons wander around here, I suggest taking the entire box and getting away quickly.

Go back the way you came, over the bridge, and north to the design with flashing colors. Put one ball on each color. When all the balls have vanished, a series of stepping (jumping?) stones appears in the lava. Flash is good to use here to get over them.

At the end, have the Tongue ready for your meeting with Pyros. He summons up a pair of demons to deal with you. The simple way
to handle this situation is to drink an invis potion or use an invis scroll just before you walk up to Pyros. The demons can't see you, and you'll be able to take care of the titan without interference.

Lithos

This one is perhaps the most difficult, as you have to make your way through a series of caves, and unlike the others, the location
of Lithos is not readily apparent. I didn't make note of the directions (it was somewhat confusing as it was), but you want to keep going until you come to the place with the lava and stones. I found that you don't have to jump the stones; you can walk around the edge of the lava and reach the other side that way.

Then continue on, until you come to a cave with a triangular corner in the north wall. That is where Lithos appears, so be sure the Heart is ready.

Finale

Once the four activated blackrock fragments have been placed on the pentagram, along with the obelisk tip, double-click on the tip, then on yourself. This activates the tip, and automatically brings the black gate into existence. Step through, and you're finally done.

Neat Weapons

There are several magic weapons in the game. Since even at max strength your carrying capacity will be limited, you probably won't be lugging all of these around, and besides, you can only use one weapon at a time anyway.

Hammer of Strength - This is in a cave west of where you exit onto the Plateau. Just follow the mountain edge west and you'll come to it; usually, there is a changeling or two in the vicinity. Just dodge them and enter the cave. There are a lot of traps here, so be careful. The hammer is in a chest to the SE of a pair of big double doors (I never got them open myself). The skeleton warrior
on guard will not attack until you pass him. The chest is trapped, so you will want to run down to the end of the passage and get
the detrap scroll from the body. I suggest waiting until after you've seen Mythran, so you can use the recall device to get out of here quickly.

Note: the Hammer does not actually increase your character's strength, but it is magical and will hit anything.

Mace Slayer - Out of the city, on the east side, is a ruined hut with a body in it. Walk far enough in and you'll fall through the floor. This will land you in a cave. Proceed generally west from here, keeping one step ahead of the trolls and other critters. The way is
long and hard, but these areas are small, and if you are thorough, you won't have too much trouble finding Slayer. Slayer can
deliver a killing blow to anything; when it does, you will hear a thunderclap. It usually takes several shots, however, before this happens.

Sword Protector - This is in the closed-up house under the monastery on Argentrock Isle. You must use the secret door scroll to open the way inside. Protector adds five points to your armor class when equipped.

Axe Deceiver - This is across the sinking stones south of Stone Cove. It adds 2 points to armor protection.

Sword Flame Sting - This is in one of the tests of the Sorcerers. You'll find it just lying there on the ground, ready for taking, so
long as you manage to elude or banish the nearby demon. It's one of the neatest weapons in the game, as when you use it, it
causes a wall of fire to appear around the target, helping the cause with a little immolation.

Sword of Striking - This is in the lair of the Master of the Sorcerers. I didn't use this one too much myself, having become
enamored of Flame Sting for some reason ;). It does seem to hit well, however.

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