Times of Lore - Manual

     Merideth Lamby stood on her tiptoes, her hands gripping the
wooden edge of the half-door as she strained top see over it. Today
her grandfather was traveling from Rhyder for a visit. He always
brought her, and her brother Stephan, the most wonderful wooden toys
carved by his own hands. She peered down the cobbled path for any sign
of his arrival. He had always seemed like a fabled giant to her;
swaying side to side while his cheeks puffed in and out with the
effort of his stride. She spied the large oak tree at the end of the
path and thought back on the times she and Stephan had spent beneath
its boughs listening to enchanting tales in their grandfather's arms.
Each visit brought a new story under the tree with their grandfather's
warm deep voice reciting a fantastic tale. Suddenly she heard the
hollow snapping of small twigs followed by a heavy puffing and
grunting which grew louder by the second.
    "GRANDPA!" she screamed as she ran to meet him at the end of the
path.
    "Hello Meri!" he chortled as he swept her up in his arms. "How's
my little Wisp?" he asked, rocking her like a baby in his arms. With a
rustling and a thump, Stephan plunged onto the old man's back from the
tree overhead. "Aha, and hello to you as well my feisty Stephan!" he
said as he lovingly lifted the boy down from his shoulders.
    "Please Grandpa, a story, tell us a story!", Stephan shouted,
jumping with excitement.
    "Yes Grandpa, do!" Merideth joined in.
    The old man paused a moment, rubbing his bearded jaw, "Ah yes, I
will tell you a tale; one of mystery, villians, and heroes! But first
fetch me some of your father's tobacco for my pipe!" Merideth and
Stephan leapt from his arms and ran to the house, reappearing moments
later with two fluffy pillows and Stephan bearing a leather pouch.
They met the old man under the tree, climbed into his arms, and
snuggled deep into their pillows. Digging a hand into the contents of
the pouch, the old man drew out a loose pinch of dark fibers causing a
few of the looser strands to tumble to the ground. Stuffed it in the
strands into his pipe, he sat back and gazed up at the sky, "Let me
see if I can remeber....oh yes."
   "THERE WAS ONCE A TIME when chaos roamed the land and the common
folk abandoned their hope of ever living in a peaceful kingdom
again. A time when no High King sat upon the throne of Albareth!"
Smiling, Grandfather lit his pipe and waited for the shocked
expressions of the grandchildren to subside. "But first a little
history. Almost eight hundred years ago, the first of the Elden
arrived along the shore of the Great Sea. Our forefathers trembled
as the huge ships anchored off the coast. You see, back then our
forefathers fought amongst themselves over little matters, such as
whose land lay under the fences, or which of two farmers should draw
water from the river that divided their land. There were no grand
cities, no brave castles, only small groups of people living in fear
of one another. It wouldn't surprise you then that out forefathers,
seeing the Eldens as invaders, attacked them"
    STEPHAN STOPPED PLAYING with the old man's thumb and look up at
him, "You mean we attacked the eldens?"
     "Yes,Stephan. Those who would eventually instuct us in building &
esatblishing fair leasdership, were at first out foes! It took
time, much time, but after a hundred years of patience and learing, the
kindom of Albareth finally began to prosper.
     "Over the years, the Elden became respected leader and guides for
Albareth. The newly unified kingdom needed a king, and about seven
hundred years ago, a such revered Elden prince assumed the position
of a High King of Albareth with the people's hope and blessing.
     "The original High King brought with him three powers from the
homelands. They were mighty artifacts of magic created by wizards to
aid the governing of the realm. These articfacts were the Tablet of
Truth, the Foretelling Stones, and greatest of all - the Golden
Medallion of Power. With the Tablet of Truth, the High King had power
to answer any question of great importance to the kingdom. Only
Eldens of the purest blood could employ the powers of the Tablet. It
was given to the Warden of the Southern Marches, who was such a man.
     "The Foretelling Stones were imbued with the ability to show version
of places and times far away, to aid any Elden or native with
worthy cause.
     The Stones, The High King left in the care of the Prior Marabout,
the great monastery near rhyder in the north.
     "MOST SACRED of the three wizardly artifacts was the King's own
Medallion of Power. No High King can hold the throne of Albareth who
does not wear the the Medallion, and none may wear the Medallion
without being recognized by it's own mystic essence as a true
descendant of High King Strebor. The Medallion's power gave the
wearer the ability to command whole armies; to lead them as one to
victory against the darkest of odds. But the Medallion's strength
must come from within it's wielder's heart, and therefore only an
Elden with the blood of a King may use it.
     "The Kingdom was content for a time, But that was to end with the
coming of the barbarians. Immense warriors charged up form ther South
and overran the outpost of Ganestor. The armies of Albareth marched
forth and met the aggressors in the rocky foot land of the Ganestor
mountains. For ten years the armies fought, and each day the war raged
on. The High King Valwyn's sorrow grew...
     "Finally, the king himself gathered the flower of Elden knighthood
and  headed south to confront the Barbarian hordes in what would come
to be known as the Battle of Ganestor. The Medallion sang for victory,
and Valwyn's forces seemed then times the number they actually were.
They opened up gaping breaches in the Barbarians' ragged lines, but
there seemed no end to their reinforcements. Never had Albareth's
knights fought so mightily, but there was a limit to what even they
could do.
    Neither side could break the stalemate.
     "AT LAST the High King used the power of the Medallion to halt the
battle so he could talk with Heidric, the Barbarian leader. They
talked for many days and finally the two came to an agreement.
Ganestor was give to the Barbarians, but they, in return, had to
swear allegiance to the throne. The two men grew to respect each
other over the years that followed and on the anniversary of the
truce, Valwyn presented Heidric with the Tablet of Truth granting him
the title of Warden of Ganestor.
     "Valwyn had grown old and his spirit was all but drained of life.
The ten year was had taxed his inner strenght dearly, and no longer
could he use the Medallion to the zenith of it's might.
     "So it was that he took up his Medallion and his infant child and
departed for the Elden folk's homelands, where he would rest and renew
his powers of High Kingship. Valwyn, leaving his trusted steward, and
Elden lord called Dariel, in charge of the kingdom, promised to return
in one score years."
     "Did he come back?" questioned Merideth looking at he grandfather
with big green eyes.
     "I'm coming to that part, Wisp." He drew a long puff on his pipe
and gazed up at the orange,evening sky.
     "With Valwyn's leadership gone, Dariel was expected to deal with all
of Albareth's problems by himself."
     "BUT I THOUGHT the troubles were over when the Barbarians has
signed the truce!" interrupted Stephan as he twisted to face the old man.
     "AH, but there was many Elden lord from the south who disagreed with
the pact Valwyn had made with the Barbarians in give up Ganestor. Over
time this disagreement grew into hatered and the Elden lords attacked
Ganestor  hoping to wrest it from Prince Avar, Heidric's son and
leader of the  Ganestor garrison.
     "The steward Dariel found himself unable to gain acceptance among
the other high lords of albareth,and his rule was an ineffectual one.
He became a prisoner in his own castle. Rarely would Dariel set foot
outside Eralan's protection,and it's was often rumored that the man
was ill with fear of his enemies in the outside world. Without strong
leadership,the kingdom once again fell into chaos. Few traders dared
to travel the old roads for fear of being ambushed by bandits or
ruffians. To make matters worse, orcs began to cross over the
mountains to the north of Albareth. The Kingdom was desperately in
need of a suviour..."
     A CALL came from a woman who stood in the door of the cottage.
"Father!  You're here at last. Come and tell me of your journey,over
dinner. Stepan, Merideth! Inside!
     "But Mother,Granpa hasn't finished his story!" cried the children as
they clung to his arms.
     "Hurry and wash up. Now!" Came their answer.
     "Come along little ones, let us go and I will finish the tale
later."
     With that the made their was into the cottage, Grandfather following
behind.

THE BEGINING...

GETTING STARTED
     In your first glimpse of the rich and vast kingdom of Albareth,
your character is standing in an upper-story guest chamber of Eralan's
reowned Frothing Slosh Tavern. Eralan is Albareth's Captial city; on
the map in your game package,it is centrally situated in the western-most
part part of the continent, just south of the Dark Forest and some leagues
inland from the shore of the Great Sea. Albareth's is a vast land of high
mountains,great forests, sprawling plains and deserts,so your first few
ventures out of the tavern should be devoted to wandering around in Eralan
and making yourself comfortable with the game's commands and features.
     Before proceeding, read the REFERENCE CARD for instructions on
starting Times of Lore and how to select commands.

CONVERSATION
      Many of the inhabitants of Albareth's towns and cities can
offer you advise or assistance in your travels, and some may even
send you on great  quests of valor and fortune. To speak with a
villager, select the TALK symbol and a menu of conversation options
will appear (see the REFERENCE CARD for selection command options).
Characters may inititate conversation with you as well. When someone
asks you a question, the TALK command will be activated in
anticipation of your reply.
      It's is the established custom in the kingdom of Albareth to
greet one's  accqauintances with a cheery "Nice weather we're having!"
or perhaps "I Hope all is well with you." To hail a wayfarer in such
a manner, choose the START CHITCHAT option. Before long you will
notice that such a casual greeting is likely to set the mood for the
exchange of a word to two of friendly gossip, or even the imparting
of vital knowledge.
      ASK QUESTION, the second choice on the menu, allows you to pose
specific question to you acquanintance. After slecting the option,
the desired question must be chosen from a a list of subjects that
you currently "know  about" in the game. You can always ask about
RUMORS, but the person you are talking to may or may not be able to
answer your queery maenauingully.
      The list other subject you maye ask about is made of important
"keywords" for prior converstons. Whenever a person mentions a
matter of obvious weight, a soft bell will sound and that subject
will be added to you character's list of"knowen" question topics.
      SOME PEOPLE, depending on the situation, may have additonal options
in the converstion menus. Innkeepers ,for example, have muich more to
offer than the standard fare of pleaseantries. If you have the monet
to spend, they will give you a change to replenish you provisions or
check into their hotel for a good night's rest. When you ASK FOR
LODGING at a inn, your character's currrent postionns and status in
hte gmae are sved to disk. The  next time you boot up he game, you
will begin play on that same inn with all you possessions and "key
words" intact. It is usually a good idea t  check into an inn at the
end of along journey, or after you've accomplish a diffuclut or
dangerous task. During game play, you maye revert to you  saved
postion by slecting the LOAD GAME option.
     You should make a habit of chatting with everone you meet in the
cities and outpost of Albareth, king and knace alike. Subtle,but
improtant ,events in the game can be triggered by talking with some
major figures, and vital key words may be lost by neglecting the save
the game before ending session of play.
     ALL CONVERSATION and other game messages will appear in the message
window  near the bottom of the screen.
     In a fictitious example of TIMES OF LORE interaction, you might
approach a serf's wife as she busily plows her field.
     Activating the TALK option, you select START CHITCHAT from the menu.
     Gesturing at the serf's wife,you say, "You're looking rather well
today!"
     Looking you in the eyes,the serf's wife says, "Why thanks you. Oh,
and by the way,my husband's off fighting trolls somewhere."
     At this point a bell sounds,indicating that you know you now have
a new  "key word" to ask about. You select the ASK QUESTION option
from the menu and  you see that your question topics now include RUMORS
and TROLLS. You pick TROLLS.
     Looking at the serf's wife you say, "What do you know about trolls?"
     The serf's wife faces you and says,"My Husband's spent a lot of
time away from home of late. He claims the trolls have stolen a
treasure beyond price, and he means to reclaim it!"
     The bell gongs again. Your ASK QUESTION menu now includes RUMORS
and the new word TREASURE,which you select. The word TROLLS has been
removed, since you now have all the information you need about the
trolls.
     Looking at the serf's wife you say, "What do you know about the
treasure?"
     The serf's wife says,"Sorry, but I can't help there. Would you like
to come in for some nice warm turnip soup?"
     On the menu now are two more options,REPLY YES and RELPY NO. Eager
to get on with the treasure-hunting,you select the latter choice.
Peering into the eyes of the serf's wife you reply,"No thanks." The
serf's wife says,"Oh, well." You exit TALK mode and walk away.
     SINCE THE SERF'S WIFE was unable to elaborate on the subject of
treasure, you must now seek out other likely sources of information. A
visit to the tavern may be in order,or you might want to look around
for villages who can tell you more.

COMBAT
     Depending on which character class you've chosen and how tough
your opponent is, two or three solid hits will often be enough to
dispatch your foe. In the beginning you'll do your fighting with a
common hand weapon, but who's to say what a hardy adventurer might
stumble across in these treacherous times?
     During the daylight hours in fortified towns and most of the more
civilized villages, you will rarely encounter any of the wandering
monsters that plague the countryside. Until you are certain of an
approaching person's intent,stay your arms. Beside,attemping to take
over cities by slaughtering the peasants is one sure way to be
ostracized from society. When you venture out into the world,though,
it's a different story. Creatures ranging from ordinary brigands to
supernatural specters will confront you, turning a simple journey from
one town to the next into a deadly challenge. Don't hesitate to attack
THE MONSTER WON'T WAIT!

      The following is a list of the characters you are likely to
encounter in Albareth:
     GUARD - The guard in castles and larger cities are brawny
sorts,armed to the teeth. You'll have no trouble with these
mercenaries,as long as you stay on their good side.
     PEASANT - Albareth's humble,cheerful peasants are the likeblood
of the kingdom's towns and cities. Talk to everyone you meet-the
common folk usually welcome the change to shar their folklore
and companionship.
     INNKEEPER - The Innkeepers of albareth can be very accomodating,
especially when you're in need of a stiff drink or Game-save.
     ROGUE - Archer of lethal skill,these cloaked tradesman are the
nightmare of every tradesmen and caravan leader. Beware, for in these
troubled times many strong men have joined their ranks.
     ORC - In the not-too-distant past, these unwashed,pig-visaged
barbarians were seldom encountered outside their territories in the northern
mountains, but in recent times, the hated orcs have begun to invade
Albareth's forests. They have since become a nightmare of every
traveller and caravan scout.
     SKELETON - The living skeleton that hanut the land, viciously
hurling their daggers at wayfarers, are said to be magically animated
by malevoilent wizards who seek to spread disorder and evil
throughtout the kindom. Skeletons are formidable opponents in
battle,for they feel neither pain nor mercy.
     GHOST - Shades of evil men and monsters once slain in battle,
Ghost can be the most difficult to overcome of all dark
creatures...they have more to prove!
     SLIME - No one knows the orgins of this hideous creature. Though
unarmed, this creeping fungus can still pose a deadly threat to
careless adventurers. A slime creeps along dungeon walls toward its
enemies, secreting a corrosive fluid that turns swords and daggers
into tasty hors d'oeuvers. Then it goes after it's main course.
     CLERIC - The good clerics of Albareth are renowned for their
devotion to the preservation and sanctity of life, while the evil ones
tend to attack first and ask for donations later.

SURVIVAL
     Be sure to keep an eye on the candle in the tower right part of
your screen. The candle will burn down as you grow weak from the
battle wounds or lack of food. If the flame ever goes out, your
character will die, and you will have to start over from your last
saved position. Sleeping at an inn will restore your health. Standing
still to rest in a safe place will also restore your strength,
althought it will be long in returning. Certain magical items can help
as well. Don't be afraid to experiment with the effects of various
potions.

TREASURE
     Monsters sometimes carry assorted and sundry treasure, which they
will readily give to you as long as you killl them first. Gold, food,
magic potions, and scrolls may be found lying about in the bloody
after-math of a battle. A peculiar property of magical treasure is
that only one scroll or potion of each kind can be carried at a time.
This means that if you're carrying a blue potion, you won't run across
any more blue potions until after you drink the one you've got. Some
of these arcane items are very hard to come by, so use discretion when
employing their effects.

LEAVING HOME
     FOR NOW,try taking the stairs down the tavern's common room. Walk
over to the counter,between the barkeep's ale kegs and the massive
stone fireplace. Is someone in sight,and be patient. Often,a person
who has something intersesting to say may prefer not to share it all
with you at once. Even in the mornings the frothing slosh is a busy
place, and who knows? One of the montley crowd of customers might just
have some business for a young and enterprising adventurer such as
yourself!

Taking over cities by slaughtering the peasants is one sure way to be
ostracized from society. When you venture out into the world,though,
it's a different story. Creatures ranging from ordinary brigands to
supernatural specters will confront you, turning a simple journey from
one town to the next into a deadly challenge. Don't hesitate to attack
THE MONSTER WON'T WAIT!

---
Typed by THE FRIDGE & MR. DEATH. Edited by PARASITE.