Conquests of Camelot

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Zenobi
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Conquests of Camelot

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CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT
Part 1

INTRODUCTION

In CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT you play King Arthur, legendary warrior and king. For
most of your reign, the kingdom has known prosperity. Now, however, a blight has
appeared and hunger stalks the land. A vision has revealed that the blight will
not end until the Holy Grail is found. Your three best knights, Launcelot,
Gawain, and Galahad, have left in search of the Grail. Yet they have not been
heard from for many months. It is time for the King himself to go out and search
for both the Grail and his knights.

CAMELOT

The first thing to do is to get ready for the journey. After the introductory
cartoon is over, hit RETURN to enter your room. Here you will find your
traveling clothes, a purse, and your trusty sword, Excalibur. CHANGE CLOTHES and
TAKE PURSE, and you will be suitably attired for travel. Walk out the door, and
into the castle hallway.

Walk northeast, to the Queen's Bower. (Again, hit RETURN to enter.) Here you
find what remains of a beautiful garden, and your lovely, if unfaithful, wife,
Queen Gwenhwyfer (called just plain "Gwen" by fumble-tongued Saxons such as
Arthur). Since the Queen is, er, a good friend of the missing Launcelot, she
might know where he is. ASK GWEN ABOUT LAUNCELOT. She tells you that Launcelot
went off to talk to the Lady of the Lake at Ot Moor.

Before you leave the bower, pause to look at the garden. Everything has
withered and died -- except for one lone rose. LOOK AT ROSE. Gwen will tell you
to take it as a gift. TAKE ROSE. Gwen explains that the rose will "guide you
through danger if you recite the Message of the Rose." File that fact away in
your kingly brain, and take your leave of Gwen. Give her a smooch or two for the
road, and leave the bower. It's time to talk to the mysterious wizard, Merlin.

Walk southeast to the Treasury. Skip the Treasury for now: Continue on to
Merlin's room. Enter Merlin's room and take a look around. What a collection of
stuff! If you LOOK AT RUG, you'll be informed that the symbol on the rug, the
pentagram, helps keep out evil spirits. If you READ SCROLL, you'll discover the
fascinating fact that mules are expensive in Jerusalem. Memorize these esoteric
items: They will be vital later in the game.

Also be sure to note the chest in one corner of the room. Being a curious
adventurer, OPEN CHEST. Inside is a lodestone (compass,) which will come in
handy on the road. ASK MERLIN ABOUT LODESTONE, and he'll tell you what it is and
how it works.

Now, walk over to the giant map of Britain Merlin has on the wall. LOOK AT MAP.
The display will change to a close up of the map. Selecting a location will give
you the location's name and a little information about it. Fix the locations of
the following three places in your mind: Glastonbury Tor, Ot Moor, and
Southampton.

Last of all, talk to Merlin himself. He can't tell you much about the missing
knights, but he does tell you who would know. If you ASK ABOUT GAWAIN, he will
tell you to ask the treasurer. If you ASK ABOUT GALAHAD, he'll tell you to ask
the castle guards. And if you ASK ABOUT LAUNCELOT, he'll tell you to talk to
Gwen. (Big deal! You figured that out already!)

Leave Merlin's room and walk southwest to the Treasury. Here you'll find your
glittering treasure horde, and your formidable treasurer. Before you go out on
the road, you'll need to get some cash. ASK ABOUT MONEY. The treasurer will tell
you to give him your purse, so GIVE PURSE TO TREASURER. He'll ask you what sort
of coins you want. You'll need all types, so GET GOLD, GET SILVER, and GET
COPPER. Now you have a full bankroll.

In addition to the treasure in the room, you may have noticed some bundles in
the corner. ASK ABOUT BUNDLES. The treasurer will tell you that they belong to
Gawain. ASK ABOUT GAWAIN, and he'll tell you that Gawain had headed out to
Glastonbury Tor to look for the Grail, and that he took copper with him.

Before leaving, type HAM AND JAM AND SPAM A LOT, and the Knights of the Round
Table will demonstrate that they can do far more than fight. What talent!

Walk over to the westernmost tower. Time to meditate a bit in the Chapel. Walk
over to the cross and KNEEL. Just praying isn't enough, however. As you will
discover in this game, supernatural forces are just as interested in material
things as people are. To put some leverage behind your prayer by offering some
money. (Control-O in the IBM version.) If you give one gold, you'll be rewarded
with a vision of the Holy Grail and a blessing. STAND and walk over to the
symbol of Mithras. KNEEL and offer another gold piece. You'll receive a vision
of the three missing knights, all of whom seem to be in serious trouble.

STAND, leave the chapel, and walk to the outer courtyard. You'll find your
warhorse and a pack mule waiting for you. While you're here, walk over to the
guard at the lower left-hand side of the screen. ASK ABOUT GALAHAD. The guard
will tell you Galahad went to Southampton and took a ship to the east.

Now it's time to go rescue your knights. Walk over to your warhorse and MOUNT
HORSE. Ride off through the castle gates (don't worry, the mule will follow
you.) It's a good thing that you made those offerings back at the chapel: If you
hadn't, you would have been crushed by the portcullis while exiting the gate.

After leaving Camelot, you will find yourself on a large map of Britain like
the one you saw in Merlin's room. Selecting a location will move you there.
Select Glastonbury Tor, where Gawain disappeared.


CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT
Part 2

THE FOREST PERILOUS

Before you can get to Glastonbury Tor, you must pass through the Forest
Perilous, which is, well, perilous. The first thing you come across is a
dilapidated shrine dedicated to some obscure god. Ride a little closer to it. A
strange spirit, Windershins, appears and begins to rant about copper or tin.
It's best to appease the little guy, so give him a copper coin or two to keep
him quiet. With him out of the way, exit the screen off the left side.

Here you'll find a hunter selling his wares. TALK TO MAN. Strangely enough, he
doesn't get much business in the spooky, deserted forest, so he's in dire
financial straits. ASK ABOUT PELTS and he'll tell you what swell furs he's
selling and what a poor fellow he is. You're a kind, generous soul, so buy the
pelts. More interesting than those ratty furs is the spear standing behind the
hunter. If you ASK ABOUT SPEAR, he'll tell you it's the only thing that can
defeat the boars in the neighborhood. You'll need to kill the boars to get to
the Tor, so BUY SPEAR. Exit off the left side of the screen, and prepare to do
some pig-sticking!

(By the way, you will have noticed that your mule has bolted. Don't worry about
her; she'll reappear when the time is ripe.)

Next comes the game's first arcade sequence. Three boars come trotting out in
succession, and you have to stick them with your spear before they gore you with
their tusks. Be sure to set the arcade difficulty to EASY before starting the
sequence. (Hey, if you wanted to do things the hard way, you wouldn't be reading
this!) Save your game just before the sequence begins so you can easily restore.
Hitting the spacebar causes Arthur to jab with the spear. The trick is to wait
till just before the boar reaches the horse before hitting the spacebar. If
you're having no luck, try hitting the spacebar a little earlier; it takes some
time for Arthur to jab.

Having offed the porkers, continue to the next screen. A nasty black crow
perched above a skeleton is waiting for you. TALK TO CROW. The crow informs you
that the invincible Black Knight has wounded Gawain. The crow asks if you want
to joust with the Black Knight? Bravely say YES, and the crow will fly off to
make the arrangements.

What could have happened to our skeletal friend here? LOOK AT MUSHROOMS. Looks
like Bony did not heed his mother's warning about eating strange fungus. LOOK AT
SKELETON. Nothing left of Bony except one piece of silk. TAKE SILK. Why, this
silk sleeve is still in mint condition! There is "Magick" at work here. Exit the
screen, and prepare to meet the fearsome Black Knight.

When you meet on the jousting field, the Black Knight seems like a reasonable
chap. He offers to let you go at the cost of Gawain's life. Since you are a
noble and selfless king, however, you decline; instead, you must joust with the
Knight. If you unseat the Black Knight three times, you may pass, and Gawain
goes free. If the Black Knight unseats you three times, you die. (Well, he never
said it was a fair trade.) Accept the Black Knight's challenge.

The joust itself is an arcade sequence. Again, be sure that you are in EASY
mode, and be sure to save your game just before it begins. Do a dry run of the
joust just to familiarize yourself with the keys. Note that when the Black
Knight gets close to you, a small skull appears on his shoulder. This is his
vulnerable spot: If you hit him there with your lance, he will be knocked down.
My strategy was to lift up the lance, then move it down and to the left so that
it hit the skull as the Black Knight rode by. I also kept my shield up at all
times. I don't know if it helped, but it certainly didn't hurt. After practicing
a couple of times, restore and do it for real. Knock the Knight on his wazoo
three times, and then go off to save Gawain.

You'll find Gawain on the next screen, badly wounded and chained to a large
tree. You need to get him down first. So, ride over to the tree, and BREAK
CHAINS WITH SWORD. TALK TO GAWAIN. Gawain tells you that he believes the Grail
is on the Tor, and that you should beware the Mad Monk. Gawain is in no
condition to go Grail hunting, however, so PUT GAWAIN ON HORSE. The horse will
take Gawain safely back to Camelot where he can get medical attention. (Don't
leave the screen before putting Gawain on the horse; otherwise, when you return,
he will be dead.) Of course, now you're out one prime war horse, but that's a
small price to pay to save a friend. Exit off the right side of the screen.

Here, amidst a small scale version of Stonehenge, you will meet a witch. She
demands that you give her what she most desires, or else she will turn you into
a rock. You don't have much _to_ give, but try GIVE SILK TO HAG. Zap! The ugly
green witch is transformed into youthful Lady Elayne. Apparently she gave this
sleeve to her lover a long time ago. Thrilled by her transformation, Lady Elayne
runs off to search for her long-lost love. Is she in for a surprise when she
finds Bony in the forest!

You will notice that something has appeared on the pedestal on which the witch
was standing. READ PEDESTAL. There's a rhyme about five poets being turned to
stone, ending with the line, "To pass through the middle, you must ask for
a...." The rest is illegible, but I'll tell you confidentially that the last
word should be RIDDLE. Exit the stone circle through the gate to the northwest.

Why, here's your mule! Why not walk over and give her a pat on the head? Hm,
there's this small problem of an invisible force field in the way. And what
about these 5 strange stones? Perhaps they have something to do with the rhyme
on the pedestal. Walk over to one of the stones. Making sure that no one is
watching, TALK TO STONE. Sure enough, the stone asks you a riddle. Answer all
five of the riddles and the force field disappears. Each time you leave the
screen the riddles will be different. So, if you can't answer the batch you were
given, exit the screen to the right, and return to get a new batch. (There are
25 different riddles in all. The text of all of the riddles and their answers
are given in Part 6 of this walkthru.)

After having answered all five riddles correctly, the force field vanishes, and
you are free to climb the Tor. Just walk past the stones, and...whoops, looks
like you've been teleported to the top of the Tor. That saved a long, hot climb!

GLASTONBURY TOR

You have been magically transported to the ruins atop the Tor. Head south from
where you materialized. You'll enter a screen with a tree, a well, and a monk
sitting peacefully in the corner. LOOK AT TREE. Looks like the Grail may be
here! After your tournament with the Black Knight you could use a nice cold
drink, so LOOK AT WELL. Unfortunately, the well is locked so you'll have to save
that drink for later. Last, but not least, TALK TO MONK. He seems like a
reasonable enough fellow, not at all mad. ASK MONK ABOUT GRAIL. It seems the
monk is rather touchy on this subject. He rushes off the screen after
threatening violence. Follow him off the screen.

Catching up with the monk you find not one monk, but three! The monk has
created two illusionary doubles, and all of them are out to get you. The two
illusions are harmless, but the real monk can kill you. Draw Excalibur and
prepare to fight. You can tell which monk is real because he shouts "Kill! Kill!
Kill!" before attacking, and yells "Ouch!" when you hit him with your sword. If
you keep your eye on the real monk and stab him before he gets too close, you
should be able to dispatch him easily.

Killing the monk is only the beginning of your troubles, however. After the
monk breathes his last, the Old Ones -- mysterious inhabitants of the Tor --
appear. Apparently the mad monk was their servant, and you have been drafted as
his replacement. You may not ever leave the Tor unless you somehow appease the
Old Ones. Sure enough, if you try to find a way off the Tor, you will find that
you are trapped within the ruins.

To appease the Old Ones, walk back to the screen with the tree and well, and
head south. Here you'll find an altar. Hm, perhaps the Old Ones are just as
materialistic as the gods back in the Chapel at Camelot. Open your purse and
offer five silver pieces. The Old Ones will not only accept your offering, but
they will give you a gift of a key. TAKE KEY and head north to the well. UNLOCK
WELL. You can drink from the well, but that won't do you much good. Instead,
SEARCH WELL. You will _not_ find the Grail, unfortunately, but you will find a
crystal heart. Merlin tells you that the crystal heart is what was causing you
to be trapped on the Tor, and that now that you have it, the spell is broken.
You are free to go. Head south twice, and you will be reunited with your trusty
mule. Head west to leave the Forest Perilous behind. It's time to go to Ot Moor
to rescue Launcelot.


CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT
Part 3

OT MOOR

From the map screen, select Ot Moor. Brrr, it sure is cold here in the north of
England! Over the frozen moor you can see a palace in the distance. Head east
through the snow. You find yourself on the shore of a frozen lake. Head north,
but stop as soon as you appear on the next screen. Save your game and try
walking across the ice. This ice is too treacherous to cross unaided! Wait a
moment...what did Gwen say about help in a dangerous place? Restore your game.
USE ROSE, then recite the Message of the Rose from page 7 of your manual. A
whirlwind of rose petals will appear. The whirlwind will begin to move across
the ice. If you walk within the whirlwind, you will be able to cross the ice
safely.

(If you don't have the rose but you do have the heart, USE HEART. The heart
will change color when you get near thin ice. If you don't have either the rose
or the heart, you'll have to go to Glastonbury Tor and get the heart before you
cross the ice.)

After crossing the ice you arrive at the Ice Palace. Enter the palace. Here you
will meet the Ice Maiden (apparently the Lady of the Lake frozen over for the
winter). The Ice Maiden has imprisoned Launcelot in a pillar of ice just because
he gave her the cold shoulder. TALK TO WOMAN. The Maiden will tell you that you
have something that belongs to her. What do you have that would suit a frosty
female? The crystal heart is rather chilly, so GIVE HEART TO WOMAN. The Ice
Maiden will tell you that to find the Grail you will have to go to Gaza, then to
Jerusalem. This is helpful, but there's still the matter of your deep-frozen
friend. Demand that the woman FREE LAUNCELOT.

The Ice Maiden takes you to a tree growing incongruously in an ice cavern. She
says that you can free Launcelot if you take a simple test. ASK ABOUT TEST. She
explains that if you take the test, Launcelot will go free if you pass, but if
you fail you will die. She offers to let you go if you recite the Message of the
Rose, but if you pick this option, Launcelot will be doomed. Say NO to this
suggestion, and BEGIN TEST.

The test consists of a series of riddles. You must figure out the answer to the
riddle, match the answer to the appropriate flower using the information on page
7 of your manual, then select the correct flower on the tree. So, if the answer
to the riddle was "laziness," and the flower that symbolized laziness is the
dandelion, you would select the dandelion on the tree. Simple, no?

The following are the first lines of the riddles and their answers. It's up to
you to match the answers with the appropriate flowers.

"In times of grief it gives relief...": CONSOLATION
"When light is dim and courage fails...": HOPE
"Oh, it is splendid...": HAUGHTINESS
"For its sweet sake...": TRUE LOVE
"If a dream is abandoned...": WITHERED HOPES
"Surrounded by giants...": MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD
"Wise are those who seek it...": TRUTH
"It alleviates all pain and sorrow...": DEATH
"Known to the priest...": CELIBACY
"It can be sweet on the tongue...": FALSEHOOD

After passing the test and saving Launcelot, the Ice Maiden will transport you
back to shore. Walk west two screens and you will be back to the map display.

The next item on the agenda is to go abroad in search of Galahad. So, select the
port town of Southampton.

SOUTHAMPTON

Once in Southampton, walk over to the harbormaster and TALK TO MAN. If you ASK
ABOUT GALAHAD, the harbormaster will say that Galahad has indeed sailed to the
East. Following the Ice Maiden's advice, you intend to follow him. ASK ABOUT
PRICES. Sure enough, boats sail to Gaza. BUY PASSAGE TO GAZA. This will cost you
3 gold pieces. Get in the boat, and prepare to sail to the mysterious east.

(Incidentally, you can buy passage to a number of other places, but sailing to
anywhere but Gaza results in your death.)

GAZA

You arrive in Gaza with your mule and a tremendous hangover. On the dock you
find two guides competing for your business. A slightly shady character named
Jabir warns you that you are not safe in Gaza, and offers to guide you to
Jerusalem. A small boy (whom your mule seems to like) insists that you must
first see his master before journeying to Jerusalem. Jabir looks a bit menacing,
so FOLLOW BOY.

The boy leads you to his master, Al-Sirat. Al-Sirat kindly invites you to
refresh yourself, so EAT FIGS and DRINK. After all, you don't know when you'll
get your next square meal! If you ASK ABOUT GALAHAD, Al-Sirat tells you that
Galahad has gone to Jerusalem. Now, ASK ABOUT GRAIL and ASK ABOUT GODDESS.
Al-Sirat tells you that the Goddess has the Grail, and that he (Al-Sirat) is the
first of 6 guardians you must pass to get to the Grail. Next, ASK ABOUT each of
the Goddesses listed on pages nine and ten of your manual. Al-Sirat will draw
the symbols for each of the goddesses for you. Be sure to write these symbols
down; you'll need them later! After thanking Al-Sirat for his information,
STAND, and exit the screen.

The boy will lead you to the outskirts of Gaza. Here you will find the sneaky
Jabir again. Jabir tells you that you could not possibly make it across the
desert to Jerusalem on your own, and offers to be your guide. Jabir isn't
trustworthy, but you don't have much choice, so HIRE JABIR.

DESERT

Follow Jabir through the desert. He will lead you to an oasis. After that long,
hot walk, a nice, cool drink seems in order. But wait: Your trusty mule refuses
to drink. Suspicious. And what about that camel skeleton? ASK ABOUT SKELETON.
Very suspicious! Apparently Jabir is waiting for you to drink the poisoned water
so that he can loot your corpse. You won't let him get away with it. Draw
Excalibur. This is enough to frighten away the cowardly Jabir.

You do need to find some fresh water before you die of heat dehydration,
however. (Shades of LEISURE SUIT LARRY III!) Exit off the right side of the
screen, then exit off the top side. You have found a structure of some sort. The
girl you frightened away is evidence that there is civilization nearby. Walk
down the steps on the right side of the screen. You have found the Pool of
Siloam. Your trusty mule will drink from the pool, so it must be safe. DRINK
WATER. Now that you're refreshed, climb back up the steps, and head north.

In the distance you can see Jerusalem. At this point, Jabir may reappear and
attempt to knife you. If he does, draw Excalibur and dispatch him with a blow.
Continue north. At last! You are at the gates of Jerusalem; however, a group of
guards bar the way. Walk over to them and TALK TO MAN. The leader of the guards
says that you must enter by another gate, and demands a bribe to pass. Offer him
5 copper pieces and he'll let through.

Exit to the west, go north, then west. Be careful not to fall from the
embankment. Now you find yourself outside the Jaffa gate. A disreputable fellow
named Yasser will attempt to extort money from you. He's a puny specimen, and
all alone, so you will be able to frighten him off just by drawing Excalibur.
After doing so, walk through the city gates. Here in Jerusalem you will find the
object of your quest.



CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT
Part 4

JERUSALEM BAZAAR

As soon as you enter Jerusalem, a thief will steal your purse. Don't bother to
chase him; you'll deal with the thief later. Instead, walk over to the fellow
closing up his shop, and TALK TO MAN. Mohammed, the weapons merchant, seems to
be interested in your mule, and your mule seems to like Mohammed well enough.
Remembering what the manuscript in Merlin's room said about the high price of
mules in Jerusalem, SELL MULE. Mohammed will give you a new purse full of money,
and explain the monetary system in Jerusalem to you. Having restored you to
solvency, Mohammed (and your trusty mule) depart.

The next thing to do is to explore the city. The best way to do this is to just
walk around. Be sure to TALK to everyone you see. (A few people walking in the
street won't respond: Don't worry about this.)

The following is a list of whom you'll meet in the Jerusalem Bazaar. The
directions given are relative to the weapons store. Here "top," "bottom,"
"left," and "right" are used instead of "north," "south," "east," and "west," as
the screen exits do not match the compass directions you'll get from Merlin's
lodestone. (If you don't understand what I mean here, make a map of the Bazaar.)

Exit RIGHT: Farabi, a pot merchant; Hayam, a fish merchant; and a nervous grain
merchant you won't be able to talk to.

RIGHT, RIGHT: Achmed, proprietor of the Star of Allah Inn. You'll have to KNOCK
ON DOOR before he'll talk to you, then all he'll say is that he's closed because
his cousin won't sell him a broom.

RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT: A beggar. Be sure to give him a copper or two.

BOTTOM: Ibrahim, a textile merchant, and Sarah, the originator of fast food.
There's also a starving boy here, drooling over the felafels. Since you are a
generous man, BUY A FELAFEL (it costs one copper) and GIVE FELAFEL TO BOY.

BOTTOM, RIGHT: Tariq, a lamp merchant, and Tamra, an apple seller.

BOTTOM, RIGHT, RIGHT: Ismail, a dealer in dubious relics, and Fawaz, a surly
butcher. (If you look carefully, you may get a glimpse of Fawaz's daughter in
the buff through a window. This makes Fawaz REALLY surly.)

BOTTOM, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT: A large, elaborate, locked door.

Having toured the neighborhood, return to Tamra the apple seller, and TALK TO
WOMAN. Tamra will tell you Galahad has been in Jerusalem, and tells you to buy
an apple. ASK ABOUT APPLE. She will give you a choice of apples. Give her one
gold for her top-of-the-line apple. She tells you that after eating the apple,
everyone will be compelled to tell you their most urgent need. It's up to you to
fulfill their needs. After eating the apple, head over to the textile merchant's
shop. It's time to begin your job as a medieval Mary Worth.

Walk up to Ibrahim and TALK TO MAN. Ibrahim pours his heart out to you.
Evidently, he had a brief encounter with a woman named Mari, which he now
regrets. The problem is that he gave Mari a veil he had promised to his wife.
Now his wife wants it, but Mari refuses to give it back.

It's up to you to get the veil back. But who could Mari be? You haven't met any
women by that name in the Bazaar. Ah, but wasn't there a woman closing a window
above the weapons shop when you first walked into the city? Walk over to the
weapons shop. Since the doorbell has yet to be invented, YELL to get the
attention of the second floor occupant. Mari will stick her head out the window
to see what the shouting's all about. ASK ABOUT VEIL. Mari tells you that she
will give the veil to you only if you give something to her that allows her to
"see great beauty as other see it."

Walk over to the shop of Farabi the pot merchant and TALK TO MAN. One of the
things he sells is mirrors. Just the thing for a vain woman like Mari! BUY
MIRROR (it costs 2 silver) and walk back to the weapons shop. GIVE MIRROR TO
MARI. Oops, easier said than done. Pray that Mari doesn't have butterfingers,
and THROW MIRROR. Mari will drop the veil down to you. Take the veil back to
Ibrahim's shop, GIVE VEIL TO IBRAHIM, and watch his steamy reconciliation with
his wife.

Time to do some good in another part of town. Walk over to the shop of Tariq
the lamp merchant. TALK TO MAN. Tariq tells you that he's had a falling out with
his cousin Achmed because he broke an oath. If you ASK ABOUT OATH, Tariq tells
you that Achmed had promised to give Tariq a relic of a saint. If you walk over
to the Inn and ASK ACHMED ABOUT BROOM, Achmed says that, because he broke his
oath, Tariq refuses to sell him a broom.

This one is easy to patch up. Walk over to the antique shop and ASK ABOUT
RELIC. The antique dealer will sell you a relic for whatever saint you like.
(You can enter anything for the saint's name; I used St. Rosella.) The relic
will cost 1 gold, but remember, it's all in the cause of furthering goodwill and
understanding. Ignore the dealer's offer to sell you the Grail: His grails are
just as phony as his relics.

After buying a fake relic, walk back to Tariq's shop. GIVE RELIC TO TARIQ.
Tariq believes that his cousin Achmed has finally sent him the relic he
promised. Overjoyed, Tariq will give you a broom to give to Achmed. Take the
broom over to the inn and GIVE BROOM TO ACHMED. Achmed will offer to let you
stay the night. (You can do so if you like, but it won't help you in your
quest.)

For your next good deed, go talk to the beggar. The beggar reveals that he
needs charcoal to keep warm. Trot over to Tariq's lamp shop and ASK ABOUT
CHARCOAL. Sure enough, Tariq sells it, so BUY CHARCOAL (cost: 2 copper). Go back
and give it to the beggar.

Walk over to the fish market and TALK TO HAYAM. Apparently, Hayam has an odor
problem. That is, Hayam's fish are stinking up the marketplace and angering the
neighboring merchants. Indeed, it's the fish smell that makes Fawaz the butcher
so surly. You need to find a way to cover up the smell.

Go back to the lamp shop. Hanging in the shop you'll notice some sweet-smelling
herbs -- just the thing to cover up the smell of those nasty fish. BUY HERBS and
walk back to the fish market. GIVE HERBS TO HAYAM, and viola! Bet you didn't
know that King Arthur invented air fresheners. Who says games aren't
educational?

Now, walk over to Sarah's felafel stand. TALK TO WOMAN. After years of munching
on felafels Sarah longs for some lamb to nibble. Walk over to the butcher's. Now
that Fawaz is no longer surly, it's easy to BUY LAMB (cost: 6 copper). Walk to
back to Sarah's and GIVE LAMB TO SARAH. Sarah is so overcome by your generosity
that she decides to adopt the poor starving kid. Mary Worth would be proud!

You're almost done with your social work. Walk back to the weapons shop. What's
this? A girl (who you have seen before walking along the street) has lost her
doves. The doves are perched atop the shop and refuse to go back in their cage.

After your other good works, this one is a breeze. Walk over to the grain
merchant's shop. The grain merchant has calmed down considerably since the fish
smell went away. BUY GRAIN (cost: 3 copper). Go back to the weapons shop. PUT
GRAIN IN CAGE, and the doves will happily fly back into the cage to get the
grain.

At this point the girl, named Ione, reveals that she is in fact one of the
guardians of the Goddess. She tells you to go back to talk to Tamra again. Tamra
tells you to find someone named Fatima "at the star and cross," and gives you an
apple that will remove hunger, thirst, and weariness. Hold onto the apple for
the moment. Finding Fatima isn't that difficult: There's a star and cross on
that house with the big locked door next to the relic shop. Walk over there and
KNOCK on the door. You're about to meet the mysterious Fatima!



CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT
Part 5

FATIMA

The door opens, and you enter the house. Within, you meet the sinuous, sensuous
Fatima ("Fats" to her friends). Type LOOK AT FATIMA for a closer look. Fats
offers you, er, a good time. Instead of becoming her love slave, just say NO.
After all, you're in a rush to save Galahad, not to mention your kingdom. For a
fun death, though, save your game, and say YES. What a way to go!

Fats then attempts to appeal to your materialistic side, offering you
immortality and power. Being a faithful and humble knight, say NO. Fatima t
hen
tells you that her temptations were all just a test, which you passed
brilliantly.

ASK FATIMA ABOUT GALAHAD. She reveals that he has "entered the catacombs,"
wherever they are, but that he did not have "the gift of the hierophant,"
whatever that means. Fatima then asks, as a final test, for you to give her your
purse. Walk over to her and GIVE PURSE TO FATIMA. Fatima opens a door on the
right side of the screen. It seems there's one more test to go through. (Yes,
another one.) Walk over to the right side of the screen.

The test begins. To pass it you'll need the symbols that you got from Al-Sirat
in Gaza, and the information about the goddesses given on pages 9 and 10 of the
manual. After jumping through this hoop, Fatima tells you to seek out the
hierophant. If you ASK ABOUT HIEROPHANT, Fatima tells you he is "shunned by
fools who fear his guise." After thanking Fatima for this gem of wisdom, leave
her house.

(The OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY, by the way, defines "hierophant" as "an
expounder of sacred mysteries." And here I thought it was an Egyptian elephant.)

CATACOMBS

The only inhabitant of the bazaar who is shunned for his appearance is the
leprous beggar. Walk over to him and TALK TO BEGGAR. If you ASK ABOUT CATACOMBS
he will warn you about the poisonous rats in the catacombs, and give you a vial
of poison antidote. Don't waste it: There's only one dose in the vial. Then,
exerting his mysterious hierophantic powers, the beggar will open a secret door.
Those dark steps lead into the catacombs. Take them down.

You find yourself in the catacombs. On the wall is a mural of Adonis and a
bull. In the catacombs, north isn't necessarily the top of the screen, nor west
the left side, etc. To get your bearings down here you'll need to use the
lodestone. Just USE LODESTONE and remember that the needle always points north.

The following is a "map" of the catacombs. Directions are relative to the room
with the mural of Adonis and the bull. Remember: To use these directions, you'll
have to USE LODESTONE in each room to get your bearings! The name of each room
comes from the symbol on the wall, or from the room's most prominent
characteristic.

BULL ROOM. Exits: North to Hippolytus room. East to 8-pointed star room.

8-POINTED STAR ROOM. Exits: North to Sarcophagus room. East to Mithras room.
West to Bull room.


MITHRAS ROOM. Here you'll find a small mummy with a medallion around its neck.
If you try to take the medallion with your hand, you'll be bitten by a poisonous
rat. So, draw Excalibur and TAKE MEDALLION WITH SWORD. If you LOOK AT MEDALLION,
you'll notice that it has a pentagram on it. Back in Merlin's room you learned
that pentagrams were good protection against evil spirits. Exits: North to
Galahad. West to 8-pointed star room.

GALAHAD. Here you'll find Galahad, and no matter what you do, you'll be bitten
by a rat. Galahad is dying from rat bites, but now, so are you. As you are a
selfless knight, you GIVE ELIXIR TO GALAHAD. Galahad tells you to "give
Aphrodite the..." before passing out. Exits: South to Mithras room.

HIPPOLYTUS ROOM. Exits: East to Sarcophagus room. South to Bull room.

SARCOPHAGUS ROOM. Here you find a strange sarcophagus. A gruesome hand appears,
and the "Thing" invites you to come closer. (This is apparently before Thing got
his regular gig on THE ADDAMS FAMILY.) Protected by your pentagram medallion,
walk right up to the coffin. The Thing will flee when faced with the pentagram.
LOOK IN COFFIN. You'll find a nice golden apple. Exits: West to Hippolytus room.
North to Pygmalion room.

PYGMALION ROOM. Exits: South to Sarcophagus room. West to Statue room.

STATUE ROOM. A statue of Aphrodite dominates this room. Her hand is
outstretched. Exits: East to Pygmalion room.

Having made your way to the statue room, you are inspired by the facts about
Aphrodite you read on page 10 of the manual. You GIVE GOLDEN APPLE TO APHRODITE.
The statue begins to talk! Touched by your devotion to the Grail, the statue
asks you to...take a test. (Yes, ANOTHER one. Is Aphrodite the Goddess of
Schoolmarms as well as the Goddess of Love?) The statue will ask you six
questions about Aphrodite, which you answer using the information given on pages
10 and 11 of your manual. After passing the pagan S.A.T., the statue gives you a
clay dove, and tells you that after proving yourself by sword and shield, it
will be time to use the dove. The statue then gives you instructions on how to
leave the catacombs.

Now, you have two choices. You can carefully copy the compass directions the
statue gives you, and USE LODESTONE in each room to find your way out. Or you
can cheat (after all, you are using a walkthru!) and just exit the screens in
the following directions: top, top, left, right, left, left, left.

ENDGAME

After making your way out of the catacombs, you find yourself in a ruined
temple. EAT APPLE, which will give you a boost and counteract the effects of the
rat poison for a while. Now wander around the temple until you find the Saracen.

The Saracen challenges you to a duel: Take him up on it, but be sure to take the
helmet he offers first. This is the last arcade sequence. It's simple to win,
provided: a) the arcade difficulty is set to EASY; b) you ate the apple before
beginning the fight; c) you read the instructions on pages 21-23 of your manual
carefully; and d) you don't try to make too many Great Blows. After whipping the
Saracen, he transmogrifies into a dove, and flies away.

This reminds you that after proving yourself by arms you are supposed to use
the dove. Walk to the screen with the stairs leading down and USE DOVE.
Aphrodite will appear and tell the you that the Grail is somewhere in the
temple. She refuses to tell you where, exactly, but mutters something about
"standing where you should stand and turning as you should turn," and
disappears.

LOOK AT STAIRS. You'll be told about the significance of the left-turning
spiral seen by devotees of Aphrodite as they exited the temple. Hm...stand
looking down the stairs and turn to Arthur's left. Then count off 6 columns.
(Just to confuse you, this will take you off the right side of the screen.)
Empty sockets where columns used to be count, too. You'll find yourself at the
second-to-last column on the screen to the right of the stairs. MOVE COLUMN.
There it is! The Grail! Your body is cured and your quest is ended!

You still need to get out of this place, though. Walk over towards the stairs.
Your old friend, the thief, steals the Grail! Follow him to a blank wall where
he tries to climb a rope. The rope breaks, putting him at your mercy. You have
to decide whether to kill him, or just take the Grail and let him be. You are a
forgiving man, so TAKE GRAIL.

Now sit back and watch the conclusion as the Grail deals with the thief,
Galahad, and the matter of curing your kingdom. Thanks to your courage,
devotion, and purity of heart, your kingdom is peaceful and prosperous once
more. Of course, there are still a few problems. Launcelot is still fooling
around with your wife, and there are strange rumors about this new young knight
Mordred...but that's a tale for another time. For the moment, take pride in your
accomplishments while you wait for the next installment of CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT!




CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT
Part 6

THE RIDDLES OF THE STONES

1. Three lives have I.
Gentle enough to soothe the skin,
Light enough to caress the sky,
Hard enough to crack rocks.

What am I?

2. Lighter than what
I am made of,
More of me is hidden
Than is seen.
What am I?

3. When I am filled
I can point the way,
When I am empty
Nothing moves me,
I have two skins
One without and one within.
What am I?

4. If a man carried my burden
He would break his back.
I am not rich,
But leave silver in my track.
What am I?

5. My life can be measured in hours,
I serve by being devoured.
Thin, I am quick
Fat, I am slow
Wind is my foe.
What am I?

6. To unravel me
You need a simple key,
No key that was made
By locksmith's hand,
But a key that only I
Will understand.
What am I?

7. Weight in my belly,
Trees on my back,
Nails in my ribs,
Feet I do lack.
What am I?

8. If you break me
I do not stop working,
If you touch me
I may be snared,
If you lose me
Nothing will matter.
What am I?

9. I turn around once,
What is out will not get in.
I turn around again,
What is in will not get out
What am I?

10. I am only useful
When I am full,
Yet I am always
Full of holes.
What am I?

11. You can see nothing else
When you look in my face,
I will look you in the eye
And I will never lie.
What am I?

12. I drive men mad
For love of me,
Easily beaten,
Never free.
What am I?

13. Glittering points
That downward thrust,
Sparkling spears
That never rust.
What am I?

14. When set loose
I fly away,
Never so cursed
As when I go astray.
What am I?

15. When young, I am sweet in the sun.
When middle-aged, I make you gay.
When old, I am valued more than ever.
What am I?

16. I am always hungry,
I must always be fed,
The finger I lick
Will soon turn red.
What am I?

17. Each morning I appear
To lie at your feet,
All day I follow
No matter how fast you run,
Yet I nearly perish
In the midday sun.
What am I?

18. Bright as diamonds,
Loud as thunder,
Never still,
A thing of wonder.
What am I?

19. You heard me before,
Yet you hear me again,
Then I die,
'Til you call me again.
What am I?

20. Lovely and round,
I shine with pale light,
grown in the darkness,
A lady's delight.
What am I?

21. Until I am measured
I am not known,
Yet how you miss me
When I have flown.
What am I?

22. All about, but cannot be seen,
Can be captured, cannot be held,
No throat, but can be heard.
What am I?

23. I am seen in the water
If seen in the sky,
I am in the rainbow,
A jay's feather,
And lapis lazuli.
What am I?

24. I go around in circles
But always straight ahead,
Never complain
No matter where I am led.
What am I?

25. At the sound of me, men may dream
Or stamp their feet
At the sound of me, women may laugh
Or sometimes weep.
What am I?

RIDDLE ANSWERS

1. WATER
2. ICEBERG
3. GLOVE
4. SNAIL
5. TORCH
6. RIDDLE
7. SHIP
8. HEART
9. LOCK
10. SIEVE
11. MIRROR
12. GOLD
13. ICICLE
14. ARROW
15. GRAPE
16. FIRE
17. SHADOW
18. WATERFALL
19. ECHO
20. PEARL
21. TIME
22. AIR
23. BLUE
24. WHEEL
25. SONG

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