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STORY:
The lower levels of Durlag's Tower are full of treasures, gold and magical weapons, but also of tests, dangerous monsters, murderous traps, puzzles and many other challenges. While the top of the tower is fairly easy to loot, the lower levels are a real challenge, even for seasoned adventurers. Be on your guard, because evil is around every corner. Also, assume that each passageway you are about to traverse and chest you are about to open is trapped.
QUESTS "AT-A-GLANCE":
- Assemble the Gong Mallet and strike the Gong to solve Fear's riddle.
- Bring Avarice the Glittering Beljuril Gemstone to solve his riddle.
- Read Drulag's 4 feasts in order to make his sword glow and thus solve Pride's riddle.
- Find the grapes, start the engine in the engine room, press the grapes into wine and bring the bottle of wine to Love, thus solving hi riddle.
ITEMS "AT-A-GLANCE":
- Please refer to below locations for the items you can find on this level. List too extensive to write.
LOCATIONS:
1- STORAGE ROOM:
Two Wraith Spiders (1400 Exp./* Difficulty): An easy fight for your warriors. Make them use missile weapons and the spiders will soon be dead.
Trapped Box: 12 Acid Arrows.
Box: 4 Potions of Healing.
2- LIBRARY:
Two Trapped Bookcases: 10 Bullets +1, 11 Bolts of Biting, Potion of Hill Giant Strength, Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Monster Summoning III, Cloudkill.
3- MEETING ROOM:
Three Greater Dopplegangers (12000 Exp./*** Difficulty): As soon as they see you, they cast Mirrored Image and Haste. Strike fast using missile weapons and magic as the dopplegangers have low HPs but a good THACO and may do some damage to your party if you take too long to kill them. Dispel Magic also helps in this fight.
Two Trapped Bookcases: Monster Summoning II and Mallet Head. Once you have the Mallet Head and the Mallet Handle from location (19), bring them to the forge at location (5) to forge the Gong Mallet.
4- STORAGE ROOM:
Two trapped chests: 20 Bolts of Lightning, 15 Arrows of Ice, 16 Acid Arrows, Potion of Perception, Potion of Absorption, 4 Antidotes, 2 Potions of Master Thievery and Hold Monster scroll.
5- FORGE:
Anvil: Bring the Mallet Head from location (3) and the Mallet Handle from location (19) to forge the Gong Mallet. Then, go and strike the gong at location (8).
Trapped container: 20 Bullets +1, 20 Bolts +1, 20 Acid Arrows, 20 Darts of Stunning.
Barrel: 20 Darts +1, 20 Arrows +1, 20 Bolts +1.
6- BEDROOM:
Three Ghasts (1950 Exp./* Difficulty): An easy pick for your party using missile weapons.
Trapped Night Table: 15 Darts of Wounding, 20 Bullets +2, 20 Arrows of Fire, 20 Darts +1, 20 Bolts +1, 13 Potions of Healing and Potion of Cloud Giant Strength.
7- PASSAGEWAY:
Six Zombies (390 Exp./* Difficulty): A very easy pick, even for a lonely fighter. Just use melee weapons and you should get through quite easily.
8- GONG ROOM:
Gong: Once you have forged the Gong Mallet at location (5), use it to strike the gong and thus solve Fear's riddle (see locations (5) and (20) for more details).
Barrel: 10 Potions of Healing.
9- CIRCULAR ROOM:
Four books: Read the 4 books in this room to make Durlag's Pride glow. Then, go at locations (10) to see it glowing, thus solving Pride's riddle at location (20).
10- DURLAG'S PRIDE:
Glowing Sword: After reading the 4 books at location (9), Durlag's Pride (his sword) will start glowing again, thus solving Pride's riddle at location (20).
11- BEDROOM:
Skeleton Warrior (4000 Exp./**** Difficulty): A very tough opponent awaits you in this room! The Skeleton Warriors are fairly immune to slashing, piercing and missile weapons and also to magic. Normally, I would advise you to use blunt weapons in this fight, but this would expose you to the Skeleton's hits, which are very accurate and powerful. Instead, if you don't want to end up dead, summon some monsters and use your best missile weapons to take this monster down. After the fight, pick up the Skeleton's Two-Handed Sword +1.
Trapped Wardrobe: 2 Oils of Speed.
Wardrobe: Potion of Freedom, 7 Arrows +2.
12- PASSAGEWAY:
Two Mustard Jellies (4000 Exp./** Difficulty): Fairly immune to missile weapons, use melee weapons and magic to finish off those jellies.
13- BEDROOM:
Trapped Chest: Plate Mail +3, "The Practical Defense", 2 Arrows of Detonation, 14 Bolts +1, Potion of Heroism, Potion of Master Thievery, Confusion and Feeblemind scrolls.
Trapped drawer in closet: 510 gp., Grapes, Sling +1, 18 Bullets +2, Elixir of Health, Mental Domination.
Locked night table (key found at location (14)): Chaos scroll and Switch for an Engine.
14- TREASURES ROOM:
Skeleton Warrior and 2 Skeletons (4130 Exp./**** Difficulty): Another one of those mad skeletons that wants you dead. Refer to location (11) for strategies on how to fight Skeleton Warriors.
Big Treasure Pile: Glittering Beljuril Gemstone, 2137 gp., 30 Bullets +1, 20 Arrows of Fire, 20 Darts +1, 10 Acid Arrows. 18 Arrows of Ice and 2 Arrows of Dispelling.
Small Treasure Pile: Odd looking key, Pearl Necklace, Pearl, Water Opal, Small Shield +1, 11 Bullets +2, 20 Bolts +2, 20 Arrows +2 and Potion of Frost Giant Strength.
15- ENGINE ROOM:
Command panel: On the northern wall of this room you'll find a command panel. Use the switch from location (13) to start the engine. You need this engine to supply power for the wine machine at location (17) in order to do wine with the grapes from location (13).
16- TRAINING ROOM:
Two Flesh Golems, Phase Spider and Skeleton Warrior (9400 Exp./**** Difficulty): A tough fight awaits you in this room. Your best bet is to pick your foes one by one and to drive them into the corridor linking this room to room (13). Once in the corridor, use summoned monsters or undead to hold back your foes while you finish them off with missile weapons.
17- WINERY:
Grape pressing machine: Once the engine in room (15) is functioning, bring the grapes from room (13) to the grape pressing machine in order to turn them into wine. This wine is required to solve Love's riddle at location (20).
18- KITCHEN:
Corridor: Be warned that the corridor linking the kitchen to locations (19) and (20) is full of traps. Some are removable but one is not and continually sends fireballs into the person who steps on it. Avoid at all costs.
19- BARREL:
Barrel: In a barrel around this spot you'll find the Mallet Handle and 3 Potions of Healing.
20- RIDDLES AND EXIT TO LEVEL 2:
Around this spot, you'll meet 4 Wardens, each with a riddle you have to solve. Once you do, return to them. When the 4 riddles have been solved, you'll have to fight the 4 Wardens in order to gain the Level 1 Exit Wardstone that allows you to reach level 2 of the basement.
Warden (AVARICE): Bring him the Glittering Beljuril Gemstone from location (14) in order to solve his riddle.
Warden (PRIDE): You have to read the 4 books about Durlag's feasts in room (9) in order to make Durlag's Pride in room (10) glow again to solve his riddle.
Warden (FEAR): You have to collect the Mallet Head and Handle from locations (3) and (19) respectively. Then, go to the forge at location (5) and use the anvil to obtain the Gong's Mallet. Once you have it, head for room (8) and strike the gong in order to solve Fear's riddle.
Warden (LOVE): In room (14), you find an Odd looking key. Use it to unlock the night table in room (13). Get the Engine Switch from the night table and head for room (15) to reactivate the machine using the control panel on the northern wall of the room. Once the engine is running, head back for room (13), pick up the Grapes and bring them to the grape pressing machine in room (17) to turn them into wine. Bring back a Bottle of Wine to Love in order to solve his riddle.
Fight (10200 Exp./***** Difficulty): Once you have solved the 4 riddles, the wardens turn into Avarice, Pride, Fear and Love and attack you. Avarice is a thief who continually hides in shadows and backstabs your NPCs, Pride and Fear are both tough fighters while Love is a magic user. This fight is VERY HARD if you are not well prepared and may even be impossible is you run blindly into it. Therefore, do the following prior to the fight:
- Position your party in the room to the North of the Wardens, the one that leads to the entrance of this level (where you came from…).
- Summon 2 groups of monsters and/or undead. Use Monster Summoning II or III and Animate Dead but not Monster Summoning I.
- Cast Resist Fear, Chant, Draw Upon Holly Might, Aid, Bless, Protection from Evil, Haste, etc. on your party. You might also drink potions of strength or Oils of Speed if you wish.
- When the fight begins, stick to the room North to the one in which the wardens are and kill them with missile weapons. Let your monsters take all the damage. Avarice and Fear will be the first to fall.
- Love is a bit more tricky as he casts Dire Charm, so you will need a Potion of Clarity to counter that. Otherwise, he will easily fall to missile weapons.
- Pride should be the last one you fight. He is a straightforward fighter and a tough brute. Be sure to have enough monsters or undead to hold him back.
- After the fight, pick up the Level 1 Exit Wardstone and open the way to level 2. There is also a Short Sword +1 and a Plate Mail lying around.
REMEMBER: Pick up the wardens one at the time and don't let them get to your NPCs. The more monsters you summon, the better. If you are having trouble, it's probably that you didn't cast enough protection spells on your party and that you haven't drank enough potions. Also, watch out for the Cloudkill and avoid it!
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*. Traps (deadly, so watch out!)
