Avernum Walkthrough FAQ 1.6 Started: 2/01/01 Copyright 2001 by AverMan Email:AverMan62@Hotmail.com | Warning | Anyone may reproduce this FAQ electronically, but don't sell it for money. If you want to use this FAQ for your website you must ask my permission, email me at AverMan62@Hotmail.com with Avernum Walkthrough as the title, and you must do it with this the Warning in it and do not modify any part of it. If you do use it and I find out, trust me I WILL, you'll feel some serious legal trouble!!! Avernum is a copyright of Spiderweb Software, Inc. ||| Updates ||| | 4/23/01 | - Changed my email address to Averman62@Hotmail.com. So it works. | 4/25/01 | - Added Special Skills section under Character Skills - Added some more Tips for Surviving section - Updated description for Fun with Avernum: Adventures for Hire section | 6/12/01 | - Added new section "Improved Skills" under the Character Skills section - Added a few more Tips for Surviving section | 6/24/01 | - Added finishing touches - Finally found out about the wards Khoth put up. Comments: Chances are that this is my final update to this FAQ. So I like to say thank you to everyone who has read or used this FAQ. And an extra thanks to ekiM for submitting the info. What will Averman be doing next? I'm current working on another FAQ. SHHHHH!! It's kinda top-secret. You'll find out soon enough. | 8/10/01 | - Added The List - Updated Warning - Updated Thanks, The List & The Warning! - Updated Mission Three - Revenge on the Empire - Updated Fun With Avernum Comments: I guess it wasn't my last update after all. THIS is probably my last update. Maybe. Anyway thanks to some helpful people my FAQ is really complete!!. So I'm gonna get back to work on my other FAQs, so this is Averman signing off for Avernum 1. I'm really looking forward to Avernum 3 and you can bet I'm gonna make a FAQ for it. | 2/16/02 | - Corrections Comments: Many of my fellow Avernum players have found mistakes in my FAQ. They we're minor so I fixed them. | Intro | The Avernum walkthrough is here! (Yeah!) This walkthrough shows how to get through the short beginning of the game and the three major missions and quests that are tied to the story. Most of the spells and item locations aren't listed because they're just too many different types of them. So you're going to have to find most of them yourself. Sorry :*(. All of the major items and artifacts are listed in the walkthrough to make finding them a lot easier plus they have their own section for easy reference. Keep in mind you don't have to play it the same exact way I wrote in the walkthrough. This is because you miss out on tons of other items, experience, and etc and you're party will be incredibly weak. For the most of the important dungeon quests I named the important things to do and what items to look for because writing a walkthrough for EVERY dungeon, EVERY item, and the EVERY spell location would be tooooo long. Even with all of the exemptions I'm sure that you'll be satisfied with this walkthrough. Plus theirs more to come. If their any comments or suggestions on how I can make this walkthrough better please E-mail me at AverMan62@Hotmail.com. Now lets get down to business. ||| Table of Contents ||| 1. The Story 2. Character Skills 3. Character Types 4. Character Traits 5. Creating A Party 6. Tips For Surviving - Recently Updated 7. Beginnings 8. Mission One - Royal Quests 9. Mission Two - Escape From Avernum 10. Mission Three - Revenge on the Empire - Recently Updated 11. Artifacts and Special Items 12. Fun With Avernum - Recently Updated 13. Special Events - Recently Updated 14. Thanks, The List & The Warning! - Recently Updated ||| 1. The Story ||| This is the storyline of Avernum as quoted from the website. You have been banished to the underworld, never to see the light of day again. You have been cast down into the dark, volcanic pits of Avernum, filled with foul monsters, constant warfare, and thousands and thousands of your fellow prisoners. This is your punishment for not fitting in, for speaking out against the powers that be, for being an inconvenience to the government of the cruel Emperor Hawthorne. You have been sentenced to life imprisonment in the caverns, eventually to die there, forgotten and unmourned. But you need not accept your fate. There are those who wish to struggle against this injustice, who wish to return to the surface world and to fight against tyranny. But first, they need a hero, they need inspiration, and, most of all, they need someone who can find an escape route. Can you help them? Will you be the first person to escape from Avernum? ||| 2. Character Skills ||| These are all of the character skills in the game including the special skills I found. Since the cost and the skill points increases as you increase the skill, I didn't mention it. I put the name of the skill and everything effects. I also put my opinion on it as well. Here is the format I used: Name of Skill (Abbreviation) - Cost skill points/gold to train Description My recommendations | Base Skills | These skills determine your overall character. Strength (STR) - 5 skill points/20 gold Strength determines how much damage you can do and how much items you can carry. This skill is mainly for the fighters but make sure your mages have a decent amount of this skill just in case. Dexterity (DEX) - 5 skill points/20 gold Dexterity helps you hit more often with melee and ranged attacks, act sooner in combat, and have a greater chance of dodging attacks. This skill is for archers, so they can hit more with arrows, fighters, so they will be agile in combat, and the thief, so picking locks will be a breeze. Intelligence (INT) - 5 skill points/20 gold This determines how smart you are. More of this makes your spells powerful and gives you more spell points. You mages should focus on this skill the most and your fighters shouldn't bother with this skill. Endurance (END) - 4 skill points/10 gold The more endurance you have the more health points you have and the more poison resistance you have. Every class should have allot of this skill especially the fighters. | Weaponry Skills | These skills along with some of your base skills determine how well you are in combat skills. Melee Weapons (MEL) - 2 skill points/10 gold Your base chance of hitting with a melee weapon (Examples: Swords, hammers, daggers, ect.) is 30% plus 5% for every level of melee weapons you have. The base value for this skill is (Strength + Dexterity)/3. Don't put allot of points in this skill because it increases as your strength and dexterity increases. Pole Weapons (POL) - 2 skill points/15 gold Pole weapons are halberds and spears; its base value is 30% plus 5% for every level of melee weapons you have. The base value for this skill is (Strength + Dexterity)/3. Halberds are the strongest weapons in the game so give them to your strongest fighters. Bows (BOW) - 2 skill points/10 gold Bows including crossbows are the strongest ranged weapons. The chance of hitting is 40% plus 5% for every level of bows you have. The base value is Dexerity/2. Everyone should have allot of this or the next skill. Thrown Missiles (THR) - 1 skill points/5 gold These are javelins, rocks, etc. The chance of hitting is 40% plus 5% for every level of thrown missiles you have. The base value is Dexerity/2. Your mages should have some of this since it's easier to train in. Hardiness (HRD) - 3 skill points/15 gold This is your characters natural body armor. For every level of this, there is a chance of reducing damage by 1. The base value is Stregth/4. Save your skill points for other skills. You should but a little points in this skill though. Defense (DEF) - 2 skill points/15 gold Defense is a better version of hardiness. For every level of this, the chance of enemies hitting you is reduced by 4%. The base value of this skill is Dexterity/4. Invest some of your skill points into this skill instead of Hardiness. Assassination (ASS) - 3 skill points/15 gold This expensive skill gives you the ability to inflict more damage against weaker opponents. The damage done increases as your level increases. Give this to anyone who will fight because this is a very useful skill. | Magic Skills | Mage Spells (MAG) - 5 skill points/30 gold This skill gives you the ability to cast mage spells. Each spell has a minimum requirement and this determines the effectiveness of your mage spells. Your mages will need 18 points to cast the strongest spell. Don't put more than 20 points into this skill because it's a waste. Priest Spells (PRI) - 5 skill points/30 gold This skill gives you the ability to cast priest spells. Each spell has a minimum requirement and this determines the effectiveness of your priest spells. Your priests will need 18 points to cast the strongest spell. Don't put more than 20 points into this skill because it's a waste. Arcane Lore (ARC) - 1 skill points/20 gold This determines how well you read runes and identify weapons. The base skill for this is INT / 2. This skill increases as you intelligence increases so don't spend allot of skill points in this skill. Potion Making (POT) - 1 skill points/20 gold This is the potion making skill. The more of this you have, the better chance of your potions being successful. You'll only need to have 15 points of this skill to make every potion in the game successful. | Useful Skills | Tool Use (TUS) - 1 skill points/10 gold This is how well you pick locks and disarm traps. The base skill for this is dexterity/2. Focus this skill on one character. Cave Lore (CLO) - 1 skill points/5 gold Cave Lore aids in finding potion ingredients, avoiding monsters, and some outdoor events. Spread this skill around to everyone in your party. First Aid (AID)- 1 skill points/5 gold First Aid skill is used to heal wounded characters. As you put more into this skill you can heal more damage but if this skill is low, you may do harm. But you'll need First Aid Kit to even use this skill. Luck (LCK) - 4 skill points/0 gold Luck gives a small bonus when to most of your skills and helps in random events. | Secondary Skills | These are other skills that are effect by the skills above. This is the format. Name - Base () Description Health - Base (7 + END * (1 + Level / 2)) This determines how much damage you can take before you die. Spell Energy - Base (2 * INT + 2 * MAG + 2 * PRI) This is how much energy you have to cast spells. Poison Resistance - Base (END + LCK + HRD / 2) This helps you resist the effects of poison and disease. For every level of it increases your chance of resisting a poisonous attack by %5. Magic Resistance - Base (MAG / 2 + LCK) Helps you resist the effects of magical attacks. Each level of it increases your chance of resisting magic by %5. Willpower - Base (INT + MAG / 2 + PRI / 2 + LCK) Helps you resist the effects of charming, paralysis, and other mental attacks. Each level of it increases your chance of resisting by %5. Resist Elements - Base (DEX / 4 + HRD / 2 + LCK) Helps you resist the effects of fire, ice, and other elemental attacks. Each level of it increases your chance of resisting by %5. Item Lore - Base (INT / 2 + MAG / 2 + ARC) Item Lore helps you identify items you find in your during your adventures. Rune Reading - Base (INT / 2 + PRI / 2 + ARC) Helps you understand unknown runes and tomes you find during your adventures. This the most common form of getting your spells. | Special Skills | This section has all of the special skills that I found in the game and I listed if they are trainable or not. Special skills are different from the normal skills because they are so rare. You can get these skills from people in towns and sometimes by mind crystals. Unfortunately, most of them you can't put skill points in. This is the format: Name - (abbreviation) - Trainable or Not Description/What it effects Recommendations Barter - (BAR) - Trainable This skill determines how well you trade with shopkeepers. The more skill points in this skill, the more you'll get when you sell items. This skill is ok but I hardly cared how much I sold my items for because you can get rewards and such for money. Find Herbs - (HRB) - Not Trainable Any character with this skill will sometimes find potion-making herbs while wandering in the wilderness. Unfortunately, you can't train in this. This skill is one of the most helpful ones to get but it's incredibly hard to find. Bladesmaster - (BLD) - Trainable Characters with this skill get bonuses with any hand-to-hand weapon. With this skill you'll get a higher chance you'll have hitting and doing more damage with your weapon. When you get this skill give it to your fighter and put allot of points into it so he/she can do more damage. Anatomy - (ANT) - Trainable Anatomy gives you the increased First Aid ability and you can do more damage when fighting humanoid creatures. Give this skill to your priest or your mage so they can do a little more damage and heal more damage. Don't put allot of points in this skill though because first aid can only heal so much damage. Gymnastics - (GYM) - Trainable Having this skill greatly increases you character agility. It makes them act sooner in combat and harder to hit. Invest in this skill because it really gives you an advantage in combat. Pathfinder - (PAT) - Trainable Pathfinder helps you get through hostile terrain. It decreases your chances of being poisoned when traveling through swamps. Don't bother putting points in this skill because it's use decreases over time. Magery - (MGR) - Not Trainable Magery makes any spell you cast more effective. The more of this you have the greater its effect but too bad you can't train in it. | Improved Skills | These skills improve the Special Skills you have already obtained. Unfortunately you cannot train in any of them. Improved Bows This is the advanced level of your bow skill. This just increases your Bow skill you already have. Improved Cave Lore This is the advanced level of cave lore skill. This just increases your Cave Lore skill you already have. Improved BladesMaster Increases the Blademaster skill you already have thus making you even more dangerous with swords. Improved Mage Spells Increases the effectiveness of your mage spells ||| 3. Character Types ||| In this section I listed the ten character types to choose their description and some have my opinion but most of them are self-explanatory. For more information check the character creation section. Soldier Soldiers received excellent military training on the surface, the best the Empire had to offer. You should have either this or a Berserker in your party since they're good all around fighters. Berserker Berserkers are wild swordsmen from the remote areas of the Empire. Their wildness tends to get them dumped into Avernum. They're extremely hardy and their sword skill is unmatched. The Berserker is more skilled in fighting while the Soldier is a well-rounded character type. Cleric A Cleric is a priest in one of the faiths disapproved of by the Empire. They have excellent healing and protective skills, although they often end up having to use them in Avernum. Sorcerer Sorcerers are practitioners of the wizardly arts. Their spells are powerful, both on offense and defense. Alas, because of their dangerous research and eccentricities, they tend to be sent down to Avernum. Rogue Rogues are nimble, good with swords, and able to handle locks and traps. They also tend to walk off with things they don't own. Unsurprisingly, the Empire loves to send them to Avernum. Archer Archers were either hunters or trained members of the Empire army, highly skilled with missile weapons. In the Empire army, a dishonorable discharge tends to mean exile to Avernum. Rebel Some people dare to rebel against the Empire. They have to be good at everything if they want to survive, though they don't have the freedom to excel at one thing. A rebel tends to have some skill with weapons, traps, and lore. Hedge Wizard Hedge wizards live in the remote villages of the Empire, where they help the locals with their magical skills. This sort of character is good at magery, has a little bit of training in Priest spells, and has had a bit of practice making potions. Shaman Shamans are the priests of the back hills. A shaman isn't quite as good at spells as a cleric, but makes up for it with weaponry and knowledge of herbs. Shamans are hardy folk, but their wildness tends to make them run afoul of the Empire. Custom Anyone who has played any of the Exile games before know how to use this character type. If you're new to this, then I suggest you use the pre-generated characters. Custom characters start with 60 skill points you can allocate to make your ideal adventurers. ||| 4. Character Traits ||| These are the Character Traits that determine how fast you gain levels. The two types are disadvantages and advantages. They can either increase or decrease the performance of your character. Be sure not to give everyone different traits and not the one that you think is the best. Here's the format I described them in. Name - Exp Penalty or Bonus Description My Opinion | Advantages | These are all of the traits that increase the performance of your character but have an experience penalty. This means the more advantages you have the slower you level up. Great Renown - %10 xp You were well known on the surface, well known enough that your fame has even spread to Avernum. You will receive a bonus to your Reputation, and certain special encounters will be easier for you. I haven't seen how this helps since after your first few quests, you're pretty famous. Nimble Fingers - %15 xp You have a natural aptitude for tools, traps, and delicate machinery of all sorts. You will receive a bonus whenever you have to deal with these sorts of objects. You'll need this trait if you want to disarm traps and such. Beastmaster - %15 xp Many animals have taken a liking to you, to the extent that they will follow you and help you. Every day, you can summon one beast to your aid. It will fight in your defense. The higher your level, the better a creature will come. At first I thought this trait was the best one but after a while I noticed everything I summoned get killed after one round. If you want a trait that can take a little damage for you for one round, go ahead and give your character this trait. Strong Will - %15 xp Certain creatures in Avernum will attempt to use their clever magical powers to cloud your mind. Fortunately, when you have this ability, you are much more likely to resist this trickery. This is a good trait to give your fighter(s). Good Education - %15 xp Before you were banished to Avernum you received the best education the surface world has to offer. You are much more likely to be able to handle situations which require lots of knowledge, such as decoding magical runes. Give this trait to your spell casters. This plus their bonus for reading runes will help you out in the early parts in the game. Toughness - %20 xp Your body is very resilient, and your constitution is unusually strong. You are less likely to take serious damage in hostile situations, and disease and poison will have less of an effect on you. This is a good trait for any character. Fast on Feet - %20 xp You are very fleet of foot and your reaction time is among the best. You will act much more quickly in combat, and, sometimes, you will receive bonus action points. This is a very good trait to give your fighter(s) so they can hit more often in combat. Natural Mage - %25 xp Some people learn magic. For you, it's a natural skill, as ingrained as walking and breathing. All of your spells receive bonuses, and you can cast mage spells even while wearing encumbering armor. This is a must for any mages or priest because they get spell casting bonuses. Elite Warrior - %30 xp You were trained in the ways of war almost from birth. When other children were learning to walk, you were learning how to hold a knife. Your skill in battle is unmatched, and these bonuses increase as you gain levels. This is a good trait to give your fighter(s) and you get the ability to go berserk. Divinely Touched - %40 xp One of your ancestors was not entirely human. There is a touch of divine blood flowing in your veins. Everything you do, you do well, and you will have several special abilities, each of which can be used once per day. Small wonder that one as exceptional as you made the Empire nervous enough to send you to Avernum. | Disadvantages | I don't know why you would want to put any of these on your character but here is the list. Instead of a penalty you get an experience bonus so you'll level up faster. Cursed At Birth - %20 xp bonus A mage took an unfortunate dislike to your parents. As a result, you were cursed when you were born. Through no fault of your own, you will sometimes receive penalties to your actions, and some magical effects will harm you more. Sickness Prone - %20 xp bonus You were a sickly child, and this frailty has plagued you even in adulthood. Disease, poison, and similar afflictions will have more of an effect on you. This is one of the worse traits. Sluggish - %30 xp bonus You are slow on your feet, and your reaction time is poor, at best. You will receive less action points in combat, and your turn to act will come later than normal. Brittle Bones - %30 xp bonus On the surface, there is an unfortunate childhood ailment that causes all who suffer it to have very brittle bones. Unfortunately, you were counted among its victims. Going into combat is a very bad idea for you. The blows of enemies will be devastating. Completely Inept - %40 xp bonus The adventuring life is a completely bad match for you. You freeze up when creatures attack you. The slightest chill causes you to catch cold. Enemy blows are devastating to you. You stumble a lot. Every day is a struggle just to keep moving. ||| 5. Creating a Party ||| This is the most important part of the game. If end up creating a weak party than you'll find yourself dying a lot, running out of every battle, and frustrated. It is best to create a party with different abilities so you'll be prepared for what Avernum will throw at you. There is a default party already made that is a standard party. It has the fighter, rebel, and the priest and mage. You can get through the whole game with this party but making your own is allot more fun. For your party, I suggest a custom Warrior, Rouge, Cleric, and a Hedge Wizard. Here is how to adjust them and this is also the party I adventured with. The first character and the leader should be a fighter. Make him a Custom Warrior and modify the following stats: Strength to 5, Dexterity to 5, Endurance to 8, Melee to 5 Assassination to 1, and Cave Lore 2. For his Character Traits give him Strong Will or Toughness & Elite Warrior. This way he will get the special ability Berserk from Elite Warrior and with Toughness or Strong Will, you'll get resistance bonuses. The Rouge should be your next party member. A Rouge is better than a Rebel because it is good for fighting and has a high tool use. Assign the 5 points to strength since he/she will be the other fighter. Since the Rouge will be picking locks and such give him/her the Character Trait Nimble Fingers. For the third member of your party, create a Cleric. Add Points to Endurance, Mage Spells, Thrown Missiles or First Aid. The traits to give him/her are Natural Mage, if you gave Mage Spells, or just Divinely Touched. The final member should be a Sorcerer or a Hedge Wizard. This will be you main spell caster. Assign Points to Endurance because he'll be the weakest character you have or you can save it to put points in Intelligence later on. Make sure he/she has the trait Natural Mage and give him Good Education. This is because you'll get enemy targeting bonuses if you give you mage natural mage and good education. Plus you'll get a little more item lore. | Other Options | Hey if didn't like the party I created, you should explore other options. You can create a party of one member. This will make the game extremely hard but don't worry you can find other party members along your journey. Also try using the other unique character types like the archer and the shaman. Now that we got the character creation finished with, we can move on to playing the game. ||| 6. Tips For Surviving ||| Here are some tips on how to survive and stay alive in Avernum. This includes battles, adventuring, and how-tos on dungeons. | Adventuring | Here are a few tips for the day-to-day adventuring. 1. Always remember where you left your boat. It will save you time and money when you are looking for it. 2. Make sure you have a decent level of Cave Lore so you can avoid those battles you don't want to fight and it also helps out with some of those outdoor encounters. 3. Complete those mini-quests. Some of them either give money, a special item, or even a better special ability. 4. Search and take everything that doesn't belong to anyone. This mainly applies to food but you can also find other useful items like alchemy ingredients laying around in storage rooms or shops. 5. Speaking of alchemy, this is a very useful skill but you'll only need one person with this skill at least 12 skill points of this. 6. Always check the random items shops (Fort Dranlon has one) they usually have good and rare items there. 7. If you have allot of item lore and you find and item you can't identify, chances are it's cursed. 8. Make sure you keep valuable items like emeralds and jeweled rings to sell them because you can't rely on the editor for money forever. 9. In the beggining of the game, when your low on thrown missles, pick up a rock. It's cheap and very common. Plus it will do some damage to anything you throw it at....well at least in the begining of the game. 10. Sometimes taking the magical armor instead of the non-magical armor is best. They provide magical protection from certain elements and they are less encumbering. In example steel plate mail blocks 1-16+2 damage and a 20% attack penalty while icy plate mail block 1-12+4 damage, protects from fire, and 16% attack penalty. Something to think about. | Battles | Here are some tips for surviving and winning battles. 1. Make sure you put your mages to the rear of the battles. Since they have a lower HP they will die allot quicker. 2. If your mages end up having to fight, summon creatures to stall enimies from getting to them. 3. Be sure to cast haste and bless on your fighters. This will make them hit harder and be harder to hit. Casting Divine Warrior at level 3 makes your character incredibly strong and almost invisible. 4. Get the spell casters first. When you take the a spell caster out, in a group of enemies, your chances of winning increases. You won't have to worry about anyone getting slowed or enfeebled. | Dungeons | These apply for all dungeons that you'll encounter in Avernum. 1. Bring plenty of potions. The last thing you want to do is be deep into a dungeon and run out of energy and healing potions with your characters dying and with no spell points. Don't forget about the "other potions" like Hasting Potion, Protection Brew and Heroic Brew. These types of potions are most useful when mages and priests are running low on spell points 2. Bring some arrows. Arrows are useful for hitting those "hard to reach" baddies. Plus they give your mages a break from casting spells. 3. Close that door! If you ever open a door to a room full of monsters and such, just close it. Don't worry the monsters will take their time about coming after you. You can either cast a spell like Beast Ceremony or run away. Running away may be considered a cowards approach but hey it makes those long dungeons a breeze. ^_^ ||| 7. Beginnings ||| In Avernum their are three missions to complete but you can't get started until you've developed a big enough reputation for yourself and become a lot stronger as well. This section describes what you'll have to do before you can even get started with the main missions. This section is a lot more detailed because I feel that the beginning is the most important part of the game. The main enemy you'll be fighting will be the Nephilim and Nepharim. They are cat people who were sent down into Avernum because they were such a problem on the surface. Nepharim are smaller and weaker compared to Nephilim, their older and stronger cousins. Their leader is a human named Anastasia. She uses her magic and such to help them out and you can tell already that she isn't really liked by other human. You'll clash with Anastasia later on. After you watch the beginning sequence, you'll arrive in Fort Avernum. When you come out of the portal talk to the guy as the base of the hill. (Note: Don't try to walk into the portal or you'll take some damage and don't talk to the brown-looking guards because they won't talk to you). The guy at the bottom of the hill is Andrew. Andrew will tell you to go to Tor, to get supplies, and Thrail, to get information. Tor is the to the first building you see to the west and Thrail is to the south of his building. Once you've done that you should explore Fort Avernum. Getting a little experience is incredibly important right now so talk to every one you see, they just might give you a quest. For example, talk to Warrick in the northwestern part of Fort Avernum. She'll be looking for someone named Anastasia (who is her sister who owns an armor shop in Silvar). It is not a mandatory quest but when starting out you'll need all of the exp you can get. (Note: You can store characters in Fort Avernum so you can come back and get them later.) On the North Western part of the outer wall of Fort Avernum there is a dead body with some boots and wooden large shield and outside on the southeastern wall there are two Cave Rats. You should be able to beat them easily. You'll also find some boots here as well. After this it's time to leave and make a name for yourself. You can either head to Silvar or Fort Dunvo. | Silvar | In Silvar you'll find Anastasia who owns the armor shop and there is also a weapon shop, training area. In the training area the guy there will teach your whole party improved barter up to level 5. Talk to Anastasia about her sister and head back to Fort Avernum to talk Warrick and get some exp and a reputation boost. The innkeeper in the northwestern part of town name Gary will give you a small quest to find some hot springs. In the middle of town you'll hear a humming statue. It isn't important until you meet Erika. In Gruber's Weapon shop that is, closed and locked, you'll find a wand of bolts. Once you've opened the door, head to the southern wall and there will be a secret passage that is booby-trapped. You'll see the crate with the wand at the end of the passage. In the City Hall you will find an Ice Lances scroll in their little library. At the rations and supplies shop you'll meet Carol. After talking to her she'll tell you that she hears noises behind her shop. If you go outside where she feeds her cows (Note: An unlock spell or lock picks are needed to get their) and search the farthest corner, you'll discover a secret passage. DANGER! Here you'll find 2 Nephil Warriors and a Nephil Shaman. Use blesses and haste spells to aid in beating them. Once you've beaten them take their items and search the dead body. Then go back to Carol and tell her what you've done. You can also take the food that's in her shop ^_^. | Outside (the Fort Dunvo Area) | There are a few things to do outside of Fort Dunvo. First, to the east of Fort Dunvo you'll find a small group of goblins that you should be able to take out with no problem. A little to the north of Fort Dunvo their will be a lone Slith warrior to fight. Be careful because he is a little stronger than you are. He also doesn't have any valuable items though. Outside of the Nephil cave there is an abandoned house. If you decide to investigate, you'll fight a few thugs and some archers. There is a bat cave that you should go to get some experience and some things to sell. | Fort Dunvo | Here in Dunvo there is a healer, a sage (identifies items), weapons shop, Fletcher, and "Farming Supplies". The sage will identify items and will sell you the alchemy recipes for Energy and Hasting Potion. When you buy alchemy you buy it for your whole party. In the Fort Dunvo barracks, you'll get two missions here from the general: One two kills a mage in a ruined fort and to neutralize the Nephil fort to the north of fort Dunvo. You don't have to do them in order I put them but it's highly suggested that you do. Here are the walkthroughs for the two missions: Before taking the mission to the Nephil cave to the north of Fort Dunvo. I suggest you go to Formello and get some level two mage and priest spells along with some alchemy, potions, new weapons and armor. Formello also has a mission but I suggest you wait until you've gotten a lot stronger. At Formello you can also find food for the rest of the game. Here is how KevlarKid did it: In Formello, there's this woman who sells food. (Duh) There are around 5 crates in her shop, search for the box with mushroom in it. (There's also another crate filled with dried meat) To steal it safely, either push it out of town or push it into a nifty secret toolshed near the temple below the mayor's house. If stolen successfully you will have 100 mushrooms and 50 dried meat. Don't have to buy anymore food! Mission 1: Kill the brigand Mage Before you enter the Bandit fort you'll notice a dead body and lying there. Search it and then move on. Search around and when you reach the barrack just barge in but be prepared for a pretty easy fight. You should be able to beat them easily with a level. 1 party. When you enter the barracks the mage your looking for is in the north room. I killed the mage with my strongest fighter in two hits. Once you've defeated the mage, you should read his bookshelf you'll get the spell Light level. 3. In the room across from the mage's you'll find a chest and with enough Disarm Trap skill you should be able to open it and get some money. Once you've killed everyone their head back to Fort Dunvo and collect 100 coins, your reputation will increase and you'll get 25 experience. Mission 2: Nephil Cave Now to the cave. Inside the cave you'll immediately fight some goblins that are pretty easy to beat. Head toward the northern part of the cave, their you'll find the Nephil leader, who is just as easy to beat as the others. In his quarters you'll find an Ash Bow. You'll also find a small place where Nephil worship. In there you'll find a treasure room. You'll find a bronze key that will be helpful later on in defeating the Nephil. On the western side, as soon as you walk in, of the Goblin Cave, you'll find a prisoner locked up. Talk to him and free him and then you're done with this mission. Head back to Fort Dunvo and collect your reward. | Formello | Now, if you haven't already, talk to the Mayor of Formello. She'll tell you that her necklace was stolen and is in the Nephil fort. It is to the west of Formello and north of Corta. If you're feeling lucky and a little evil then you can steal the town's treasure. >:) Head to the mayor's quarters. It is north of city hall and to the east of the healer. You'll walk in the first door (you'll know if your their when you see two guards sitting down) and then unlock the next two. In the second room there will be a secret passage in the northern corners. There will be two traps as you head into the hidden corridor. If you can disarm them good but if you can't and you get hurt, then head to the healer right next door. If you head straight ahead their will be a chest with the towns treasure. But if you're party has a low hp they will get die from the non-mechanical traps in the first chest. If you headed left, you'll find some Gauntlets of Might (Very useful). BE WARNED! You'll be Dread Cursed if you take them and you'll have to head to the Tower of Magi to remove the Dread Curse. :( | Outside of Corta | A little to the north their is a small cave. There you'll discover six crystals missing. You'll find them in the around the area that you are in. Once you've completed this quest than you'll gain some exp. | Corta | You'll find an armor/weapon shop, young adventure, potion shop, a boat works, an inn, and a new mission. If you talk to Nance, a lady found around the potion shop, she'll tell you about a blue crystal in a statue in Fort Avernum. It is really a mind crystal, which give you the Summon Beast ability. (Note: Mind Crystals are blue crystals that can teach one character a special ability once). Once you decided to buy a boat (250 gold), you should head directly south to a deserted island with a rock formation on it. Walk into it and you'll find a quartz crystal. They are party of the legendary Crystal Cave (Ooooooo). You'll find the other five around this area. In the boat works room, you'll find Andrew. He will want to join your group if you have space for him. He has a high amount of tool use and has the skills barter, pathfinder, and resistance. To get the mission started you must talk to the mayor in city hall. He will tell you of some of his were soldiers captured in a Nepharim fort not to far north of Corta and their is a reward for anyone who rescues them. This mission is not that hard (walkthrough below) and once you've completed this mission you'll receive a drakeskin cloak, some gold, exp, and a reputation point. | Nepharim Fort | Before you enter the Nepharim fort you'll notice two groups of Nepharim outside of the fort that you should be able to take them out easily. Once you get in there is two ways to get into the fort: Go straight ahead or go to threw secret passage. If you just barge right in threw the front door, you'll be in for a long fight with Nepharim guards. (Note: If you ever get overwhelmed just run because the enemies you've killed don't come back). Their are two secret passages. As soon as you walk in there is one 4 paces north to the west on the west wall and 5 north paces the east on the east wall. Taking either one is good. Using this strategy you'll end up fighting the Nephar guards but in smaller numbers. If you decided to go straight, you should use blesses and haste spells to make your fighters stronger. Make sure to take out the archers with the Spell Ice Lances and have your Cleric heal when needed. After you've cleared the first wave of Nephar defenders this mission will be a lot easier. There is a Nephar temple (east side of the fort) with a Diamond Dagger (2-12+8 damage) on it if you decide to take it you'll be dumfounded and you'll fight three demons. On the west side of the fort you'll find a Nephar library that will teach you the spell Curing level 3. In the center of the fort there is the prisoners you were sent to rescue but first you must open a gate. The wheel to open the gate is on the east side of the town. The wheel will open the portcullis to the west and now you talk to the prisoners. When you go threw the gates you opened, head west, and you'll reach a small temple. It is guarded by two demons. Once you've killed them, search the coffin and you'll find the pommel to the mighty DEMONSLAYER! The DEMONSLAYER is the almost strongest weapon in Avernum against demons that does extra damage to demons but to bad it was broken into several of pieces. I will continue to tell you where the rest of the pieces are in the walkthrough. Once you've completed these head back to Corta and collect your reward. | Preparations | By now your party should be about level 5 or 6. Now should be the time that you take on the heart of the Nephilim menace. I advise you stock up on haste/healing/energy potions. If you have the bronze key (from the Nephilim fort earlier on), you'll be able to find the Mayor of Formello's stolen necklace. This will be a long fight with plenty of experience to gain along with gold and treasure. It is located far north of Corta. You'll know you found it when you see two groups of Nephilim guards in front of it. They shouldn't be too much of a problem to defeat. The Nephilim have the front door guarded very well. It guarded so well that if you survive the arrows shooting at you, you'll have to deal with the burning oil being poured on you. If you want you can choose this way of entering the fortress but it's a WHOLE lot safer if you use the "back door". (Note: That is just what I call it. It's really just a rear entrance to the fort.) It is right behind the fortress but you'll have to fight two groups of Nephilim to get there. Once you've beaten them, search the walls behind the fortress and then you should find the "back door" and you'll be able to enter the Nephilim Fortress. | Nephilim Fortress | Now that you've entered through the behind of the Nephilim Fortress, you'll have the element of surprise. Take note that you are on the first level of the Nephilim Fortress. There are three levels of the fort all together: lower, middle and upper. Instead of writing a step-by-step walkthrough for this one, I will tell you where all of the important things are on each level. Lowest Level: There is nothing of real importance on this level. If you haven't gotten the bronze key yet, than you'll find it here. This level is mainly called the Lair of Darkhaz. The Bronze key is toward the south and you'll also find some treasure as well. Second Level: On this level you'll encounter the guards that were guarding the front entrance. This will be a kind-of a long battle and you'll lose the element of surprise after this. You'll also encounter an ogre mage locked in his room on the east side of the second level. You'll find a few scrolls, a wand, and IF you search the southern wall..........some more scrolls and some alchemy ingredients. North of his room will be the way to the third level where the gold necklace and Anastasia awaits. Third Level: This is the highest level of the Fortress. You'll find a mage in his room with three ghasts. Kill them and go toward the northern wall. There you'll find the spell Healing level 3. Across from his room you'll find the Nephilim gambling hall. Fights your way threw and enter the door closest to the stairs. You'll now enter room with the entrance to the Nephilim temple. You'll need the bronze key to get in which you should already have. Inside the temple you'll fight a group of zombies and Nephil priest. If you decide to destroy the altar, you'll encounter two demons and get 20 exp. In this temple you'll find some alchemy ingredients, a blessed cloak (blocks1-1 + 2 damage), and the gold necklace, the one the mayors looking for :O. Not too far from the temple there will be a place called the Crypt of the Honored Dead. There you'll find the Mind Crystal that will teach you lay on Hands. This will give you the ability to heal yourself. Toward the most southern part of third level you'll find Anastasia and a hand full of Nephilim. She has a few mage spells and a Rod of Minor Call that summons creatures. You should aim for her first and then take out her Nephil friends. When she's dead you can get her Rod of Minor Call. If you search along the northern walls of that room, you should find Anastasia's chambers and if you keep going north you'll find the spell Fire Bolts level 3 and an under ground passage. It will lead you to the area of around the Lair of Darkhaz. If you take the stairs north, you'll end up near the "back door". Exit. And head to Formello. | Formello | Talk to the mayor and give her the necklace. When you give it to her she'll give you a Flaming sword (20+3 damage plus fire damage) and a token that will allow you to talk to the king. This has concluded the Beginnings part of this walkthrough. By now you should be ready to head to the first mission. If you feel you're not strong enough yet, there is a bat cave that you can gain some experience from and talk to some people around, theirs a chance they might have a quest. ||| 8. Mission One - Royal Quests ||| The in this mission you'll be completing the hard quests of killing Sss-Thsss and Grah-Hoth. Sss-Thsss is the slithzerikai (slith for short) leader who terrorizes the land of Avernum. He can be found in the heart of slith territory and getting there will be a tough. Slithzerikai are lizard men who specialize in spears and javelins. Their mages and priest have a pretty good magic ability plus they usually leave a wand or alchemy ingredients when you kill them. Grah-Hoth is the demon chieftain that used to live in Avernum. But luckily he was trapped by several mages and warriors trapped him into a bottle and sealed away forever. Too bad you're going to free him again... Getting Started: The only thing you will need for this mission will be the royal token that you got from the mayor at Formello. To get started you'll need to go to the Castle of Avernum. It isn't really hard to find because it's the only one in Avernum. In order to even get in the castle, you must have a high enough reputation. At this point I had a reputation of 20. But even if you have a big reputation they wont let you in without a royal token. When you get to the king talk to him he'll inform you of the location of the evil slith leader....Sss-Thsss. He is located north on island slith territory. To kill Sss-Thsss you're going have to get an onyx key. You'll find them in some of the slith forts. One of them is west of Fort Dranlon and there is another in a swamp south, southwest of Fort Dranlon. | Slith Castle | What You'll Need: An Onyx key and lots and lots of potions and arrows. You'll know your their when you see a big castle on an island in the slith territory. You'll also notice two patrols outside the castle. They aren't to hard but if you decide to fight them, it's just a decent sized fight. Once inside you'll face one of hardest battles in the game. There are two ways of getting inside of the slith castle. One of them is to dock your boat in the dock to the south and enter there or to go through the front gate. You can't enter through the sides because of the gates blocking them. Either way you'll end up doing the same thing but the using the boat is a lot faster to get in and out. If you decide to go through the front than you're in for a long fight with a large amount of sliths. I suggest taking out the mages and the priests first (that way they can't slow you down or heal their friends), using summoning spells (to even the odds), and use spells that can hit more than one enemies like lightning spray or ice lances. First Floor: There is storage and a treasure room with plenty of money and potions to loot. All the real fun is on the second floor. Second Floor: This is the floor that you'll find Sss-Thsss. He is in the northwestern part of this floor. When you get to Sss-Thsss's throne room, a gate will close and trapping you in that room. There you'll fight Sss-Thsss along with a couple of buddies he's brought with him. It doesn't matter if you go for his friends or him either way THEY ARE ALL GOING TO DIE. Sorry I get so wrapped up when it comes to sliths. Once you've defeated him use the Far Sight Spell. On your map you'll notice two passages. Take the one on the left first. This is the Chambers of Sss-Thsss. Here you'll find some wine, Control Foes level 3, and a fine slith spear. Then head to the door to the right and to use Unlock Doors spell to open it. Turn the wheel and then head to the other secret passage to the north. You should now be able to cross the bridge and then enter the treasure room. Once you've done this you can leave and collect you reward from the king. Before you go on to the next section, head to Fort Remote. There is nothing really important at Fort Remote but just take a look around and leave. You'll understand in the next section. | GRAH-HOTH? | Once you return to the Castle. Talk to the king about killing Sss-Thsss. He will reward you and as you leave the king's throne room the unthinkable happens......DEMONS! They've just attacked Fort Remote. Talk to the king and he'll tell you to investigate. Once in Fort Remote you'll see the devastation caused by the demons and closer inspection shows that Grah-Hoth is back and is striking back from his prison. You'll get three options in the encounter with Grah-Hoth either way you'll end up fighting a horde of demons, mung demons and imps. Demons are kind of hard because of their magic ability but the Mung Demons are twice as hard. Imps can be smacked around easily so don't worry about them. Mung Demons will use dumfound ray and it will dumfound your magic users that will cause the temporary loss of there magic points and the loss their spells. This battle will be long since most of your magic will be disabled so have a lot of haste potions and etc. After the battle, head to the Castle and speak to the king. He'll tell of Grah-Hoth and tell you that he is hidden in a place called Skarragath. Skarragath is where Grah-Hoth is supposed to be imprisoned for eternity. Spirits to make sure no one can free Grah-Hoth guards it. You can't just head to Skarragath right away without completing a few quests and getting an item called the Blessed Athame. To start you'll need the go to Grah-Hoth's old stomping grounds, Akhronath. Akhronath used to be the main fort of Grah-Hoth when he ruled Avernum and some of his followers are still waiting for some uninvited guests to greet. Why head to Akhronath? Because it has an Empire Royal Seal that you'll need later on that is extremely important. To get started you must first head to the Patrick the mage's tower which is located south of Blosk. He'll tell you that his wife is sick and the only thing to cure is some graymold salve. This is how you find it: you'll have to get a boat and go straight north up a river from Sss-Thsss's castle. Keep going until you see a lone eye beast. The graymold is right on an island north of it. Once you've located the graymold salve, head to Patrick's Tower to heal his wife. He will then tell you to search his journal. It will contain phrase that you'll need later and to go to the castle to get a gold key. The gold key will help you get into Akhronath. Head to the castle, grab the gold key, look in the in the southern part of the castle in a jail cell, and go to Akhronath. Where is Akhronath? It is in the middle of a lava pit west of the Tower of Magi. You should use Safe Travel or the Orb of Thranli to avoid being hurt by the lava. Inside Akhronath there will be lots of undead, spirits, imps, and especially demons. Repel Spirit spell at level 3(Note: it must be at level 3 to effect demons) and the DEMONSLAYER (if you have it) will come in handy. Remember the thing your after is the Royal Seal so don't leave Akhronath until you get it. You will also find an Obsidian Spear (2-20+4 damage nothing special). When you get to the top you'll notice you a room that you can't get into. There is a wheel that requires the gold key to turn use Far Sight and you should be able to see the secret room with the wheel in it. It is located on the northern side of the Akhronath. Once you have done that a room will open up and the Royal Seal is in there. Once you decide to take the Royal Seal then a lot of Mung demons will attack you. Cast haste's and blesses immediately because the Mung demons will dumbfound and slow your characters along with summoning a lot of weak creatures to slow their impending death. Now that you've gotten the Royal Seal, it's time to go to the Tower of Magi. If you haven't noticed most of the people there are freaked out about a demon they summoned and are holding captive. It's n-not any ordinary demon it's...it's a HAAKAI LORD!! It's named Adze-Haakai. He is in a secret laboratory within the Tower of Magi. You'll also find THE BLESSED ATHAME hidden there as well. You'll need the Blessed Athame later on to free the mighty Grah-Hoth. If you're anxious to beat the Haakai Lord, then you'll have to find a wizard named Solberg. First find a wizard apprentice at the southern part of the tower and he will tell you how to find Solberg. He is located around the lava pits around Formello. Solberg will give you a crystal key in order to get to the Haakai Lord in the Tower of Magi. Solberg will also mention an onyx scepter that you can also find in the Tower of Magi. Grab the key then leave but don't forget to search the area and his tower for some goodies. Head back to the Tower of Magi's secret lab and search for a secret passage, after a long find with minor demons, you'll reach the ADZE-HAAKAI!! He's not that hard just circle him and gang up on him and leave on person with spell points to heal and etc. In the box near Adze you'll find the Black Scepter that will be useful later. | Unleash The Beast | Now it's time. Time to free Grah-Hoth himself. Grah-Hoth is imprisoned in Skarragath. It is located at southwest of the capital of the Abyss. Make sure you have the Blessed Athame before you even think of coming here. Once you enter you'll notice that the guards are all spirits and one lich. You can talk to the lich if you want but their more important things to do. You need to find the wheels to open the gates that lead to Grah-Hoth's true prison. One of them is toward the north and the other is to the south. You'll need to pull both of them in order to get to Grah-Hoth. When you open the gates all the spirits and the lich will attack you only to prevent you from freeing Grah-Hoth. Aim for the lich because it can summon more spirits to make the battle harder. In the prison of Grah-Hoth, you'll fight guardians (invisible warriors who are very hard to kill) encounter golems (also very hard to kill), black shades (these are invisible spell casters that take forever to kill). This is only if you don't turn off the defenses by entering a hidden room located southwest. The bottle Grah-Hoth is kept is in the northern part of the tower. Walk up to pedestal and free Grah-Hoth. You will take some damage and it will attempt to poison you and, after talking with Grah-Hoth, you'll gain 50 exp points. AHHHHHHHH! Is what you'll say when you return to Skarragath (Well maybe). Demons, Imps and a Haakai will be will be left behind by Grah-Hoth after destroying Skarragath. Haakai's have the highest level in priest and mage spells so watch out. Their is an imp their as well who will tell you where Grah-Hoth's fort is. | Grah-Hoth's Fortress | If you don't have the Orb of Thranli, stop, and go get it, (Note: Walkthrough for it in the artifacts section) without it you can't get into Grah-Hoth's tower. When you manage to get to Grah-Hoth's territory, you'll fight demons that are guarding the entrance to his territory. Skeletal Warriors are the new enemies introduced here. They are a lot stronger than the normal skeletons. Once you find the tin key you'll get further into Grah-Hoth's fortress. You'll see imps around that are somewhat friendly, tell them that you plan on killing Grah-Hoth, and they will tell you to talk to another imp called Tyoarick. He will tell you of a secret passage they didn't seal up to the east of a storeroom in the east wall. While traveling the secret passage you'll have to jump some of the way down and encounter some undead baddies. At the end of the passage you'll need a hammer to break the wall but if you don't have one you can find a hammer in the storeroom to the north. Once you get past the wall, you'll enter the demonic chambers and be prepared for ALOT of demons and mung demons wait. On the plus side, you'll find a Mind Crystal. If you want to avoid the headache of fighting a lot of demons, then head straight and you should see an opening. Head north and Grah-Hoth's throne room waits (Note: Be sure to cast beast ceremony if you have it). You'll find Grah-Hoth, a Haakai, and a lot of demons and skeletons. Aim for Grah-Hoth and your troubles with all of Grah-Hoth's friends will vanish. Grah-Hoth looks like Adze-Haakai and he shoots fire at your characters plus he does a lot of damage. Watch out for Mung Demons and the Haakai but you should really pay all your attention on Grah-Hoth. Once you've killed Grah-Hoth, pat yourself on the back, and then head east to Grah-Hoth's treasure room. DON'T TOUCH THE BOXES!! They will kill you as soon as you open them. You'll some rare items lying around though, including a steel halberd. Once you've looted it leave and you've just completed the first mission. Don't forget to get your reward from the king. ||| 9. Mission Two - Escape From Avernum ||| This mission is to find an exit to the surface world. There are many things to do in this mission. You'll be running all over Avernum retrieving items and completing quests. Trust me there be a lot of treasure and tons more experience in this mission to get so lets get started. After the defeat of Grah-Hoth, it's time to get to the surface world. How? By joining the Scimitar, of course. The Scimitar is an underground group who plan on taking out the Empire and setting everyone free from Avernum. To start first by talking to Malka, who is at the Dhramon Inn, then go to Royce who is in the Blosk Inn, and finally the innkeeper of Bargha. He will tell you the password to enter the Scimitar underground base. Once you find the Scimitar base (Hint: It's in Bargha), they will give you a mission to complete. It's not very hard...just destroy an Empire communications orb. There will be a portal puzzle to solve (Hint: just touch the rune twice in a hidden room), a few empire soldiers, and a lot of gremlins. When you get to the orb, destroy and don't look into it. On the good side you'll find lightning spray level 3 and a blessed spear. The exit to the surface is guarded by Sulfras the Dragon. His tower is located in the northern part of the caves past Fort Remote. Sulfras is the strongest of all the dragons so don't think about going for his treasure. Anyways, in order to get past his tower, you're going to have to get Pyrog the Silver Circlet and the Black Scepter. You should have gotten the black scepter from the Tower of Magi already but the Silver Circlet is another story. | Silver Circlet | The Silver Circlet was brought down from the First Expedition but know one knows what it can do. I guess Pyrog wants to know what it does, so this is how to get it. First start off by talking to a man named Scab who lives in Spire (the capital of the Abyss). He will ask you to go through the arena twice and then he will tell you the two things on how to get it. First a key to the west of the town and his friend, Asp, can be found in the inn, in Corta. Once you get back to Spire, you'll need to locate Meena's bedchambers. Right next to it you'll find the room with the Circlet in it. There will be three guardians in there though. Don't tell Meena you stole it or she'll attack you. By now you should have met up with Erika, the most powerful mage in Avernum. In order to get there you'll need two things: The five brooches and the four-part password. I listed them below but before you start looking for the four-part password talk to Erika. Here are the locations to the four-part password. First Part: Athron the Dragon knows it. Her lair is located in the Honeycomb. The Honeycomb is basically a maze with a few creatures and such roaming around. It is located west of Mertis and getting there is just the easy part. Second Part: It is located in the northern most islands of Avernum. A hermit, named Aimee, in a house all by herself has it. Third Part: Talk to Patrick the mage and he'll give it to you. Fourth Part: Just ask Erika for it. Once you've gotten both of the items, it's time to move one past Sulfras's tower. | The Final Gauntlet | The name "Final Gauntlet" suits this dungeon very well. You'll be fighting a lot giants, golems, and undead. Not to mention the puzzles to solve. Good thing you have a your trusty walkthrough to aid you through this dungeon. As you walk in a giant will attack you. Don't head north because it is a trap instead head west from where the giant came from. As you enter that room, a voice will ask you for the four-part password and to perform the ritual of safety. I did have the password but I didn't know the ritual. In a matter of fact, their is no ritual of saftey so, if you have the password, just keep going. ( This was pointed out to me by Carney2K, thanks!!) As you continue, you'll see a bridge. Don't cross it yet, you need to pull a wheel that is located southwest of it. Take the western passage and battle you way up past cave giants. On the fourth level you'll find some elixirs and on the third you'll find a passage that will lead to a room full of magic barriers. If you haven't noticed the giants are behind the barriers so you can hit them with arrows and spells and they cant do anything about it. >:) Turn the wheel, its important. Exit out to the secret passage to the southeastern part of that room. This is the hard part. You'll have to pull switches that, you can't see because of the darkness, and you have to fight golems and undead as your going. (Tip: An easy way to see the surroundings when everlasting darkness is present is to cast light during battle mode. You'll see the what's around you and any enemies approaching. ). You're going to have to pull some switches in a certain order to open up passages to other switches. I will leave this one up to you. (I can't spoil all the fun.) Once you've completed this puzzle, head north, and you've just completed the second mission. Walk in the portal and leave. Now it's time to head on to the third mission. | Other Things Important Things To Do | Find the five brooches, the royal seal and talk to Aydin. Accomplishing these to tasks is important for the next mission. If you've been following my walkthrough you probably got the Royal seal already. (Note: If not, check the artifact section) The brooches along with the royal seal are used for teleportation. Don't worry you'll find out more about this later. Aydin used to be an Empire mage who got sent into Avernum. He is now looking for revenge and you to help him. Here are the locations to all of the brooches: Malachite Brooch: It's located in the Friendly Spider Cave. In order to get it you must free a spider from the areana's in the arena cave. Pearl Brooch: Can be found in the cave of ghosts and zombies that are plaguing Mertis. Platinum Brooch: In order to get this brooch, you must first talk to a prisoner held in Drahmon. She will tell you of her partner who stole a brooch. He is hiding behind the church in Mertis. To get the brooch from him, you'll have to buy it for 100 hundred gold. Chalcedony Brooch: You'll have to take out Pyrog the dragon to get this one. Ivory Brooch: It's in Mortax's lair in the part with the fire lizards in it. Once you've gotten all the brooches, head to back to the northern islands (Remote Islands). There, if you haven't noticed already, is a tower that you can't get into because of a barrier that kills you. A pool that will give you enlightenment in order to get passed the barrier but do it quickly because the enlightenment wears off after a while. Once inside find Aydin. Aydin will teach you how to get passed the trap in a tower called Black Spire. He also gives you some directions to it. (Better take note of it.) When you're done talking to him, talk to Josie on how to get out of their alive. ||| 10. Mission Three - Revenge on the Empire ||| Now that you've gotten the brooches and the seal, you can move on to the final mission. You should get rid of most of your useless items and bring lots of arrows and TONS of potions. This will be the BIGGEST and HARDEST battle in the whole game. The goal of the mission is to kill the evil King Hawthorne. He is the one responsible for sending everyone into Avernum but, before you go after him, you'll need to do a few things. Head to the Scimitar headquarters, if you joined, and tell Rogow that you've found the exit to the surface world. You won't get anything but at least tell her. Most importantly tell Erika because she'll let you see some of her spells tomes and the instructions on how to get revenge on the Empire. Don't forget to return the Dragon Scroll to Khoth the dragon as well. He will teach you a ritual that will be important in this mission. (Note: If you don't have it check the artifacts section). With the instructions Aydin gave you it's time to move on to......... | Black Spire | Now got to the tower that Aydin described which is called Black Spire. Once inside you'll fight Black Shades. They are invisible spell casters that are extremely annoying because they are invisible. They will constantly summon smaller creatures but nothing you can't handle. You must place the seal in a painting in the northern part of Black Spire. (You have to talk to Aydin to accomplish this.) Then turn the wheel and head onto another tower. (Hint: Use Far Sight) | Tower of Barriers | This tower is called the Tower of Barriers. As soon as you walk in, you'll be attacked by a group of demons and imps. In the center of the tower you'll find two talking statues. After talking with both of them you'll find out about the wards. The wards are the barriers that Khoth put up. Once you walk up to them and if you know Khoth's ritual, you'll get past them. You'll notice a fountain nearby but be warned that first and second time you drink from the fountain you lose 2 dexterity points. The third time you gain 5 dexterity and are healed. After that it does nothing. This info was submitted by ekiM. Follow that passage; you will encounter some demons, until you get to the end. Step on the platform in the lava and Erika will come and when you're ready she'll transport you to the surface. | Final Bout | Before I came here most of my characters were at level 30. It's not important I'm just bragging. Anyway, this is the final fight of the game. DO NOT HEAD WEST! That is the exit to the castle and you'll be overwhelmed and killed if you leave. Head east and keep going until eventually you'll get to the main throne room where you'll meet King Hawthorne plus hordes of soldiers. (Note: Try not to explore any of the rooms in the castle because there is nothing really in them). As you move on more and more royal guards will come from behind and attack you. Once you're inside the throne room, the king, royal mages and royal guards, and some golems are waiting for you. Before you enter King Hawthorne's throne room cast Battle Ceremony, it will help a lot. The Royal mages will be the headache of this battle because they have all the strongest spells and most spells don't do a lot of damage to them. Plus they always love to cast summoning spells to get in your way. The royal guards are tougher than most guards and they have top of the line armor and weapons. Luckily, if don't have any strong armor, you'll find Steel Plate Mail King Hawthorne is a different story. He has a lot of HP and can cast some spells along with some resistances to some spells. Try to get your strongest fighter close enough to do some damage to him or hit him with arrows from afar. Once you defeated him, you may leave with the satisfaction that you've beaten the game. Once you've beaten the game, you are left free to do whatever you want to in Avernum. This is mainly to let you discover new things and finish some of the smaller quests. For more on this check my "Fun with Avernum Section ". ||| 11. Artifacts and Special Items ||| Here are all of the special artifacts and special items that can be found in the game. They are put into no particular order. More will be added later. | Orb of Thranli | This item enables you to fly and it is very important. Some places you can't even get into without it. To get it first head to the Waterfall maze called Waterfall warren. It is west of Fort Dranlon. Start from the sign that says Water Fall Warren. Head south one, Go 5 west, 1 south and down a waterfall, then 1 south, 3 east, 3 south, 3 east, 1 south and down another waterfall, 2 south, 5 west, 1 south and down the waterfall. Keep heading roughly south. After the second waterfall, the dungeon you're looking for is to the east. Once inside that dungeon, head north but be warned that their are basilisks that will turn your characters into stone. I recommend giving your priest a crystal shield that can prevent them from being turned into stone. Once at the northern part of this dungeon, you'll find the Orb of Thranli plus you'll see a tomb as well. Inside of it you'll fight Vengeful Shades and a lich. Liches are undead priests with the highest levels of priest spells and I have seen some use mage spells as well. Once you've defeated them, search the books on pedestals and you'll get the first mage and priest spells at level 2. You'll also find a few goodies when you use Far Sight and search the northern parts of that room. | Dragon Scroll | This is a scroll, owned by Khoth the dragon that was stolen by the empire. It really has no value to you but Khoth will give will teach you a ritual that will be useful later on. You can find this in a secret empire fort located south of the giant's fort. | DemonSlayer | The Demonslayer is a sword, brought down by Karzoth, leader of the First Expedition of Avernum. It's also my favorite weapon :). Unfortunately he was slain by a Haakai Lord and the sword was broken into three pieces. I highly recommend you find all of the pieces because it's one of the strongest weapons in the game and it will make fighting those demons allot easier. Here are the locations of all three pieces. Demon Slayer Pommel: The Nephil have it. It is located north of Corta in a Nephil fort Demon Slayer Tip: Slith temple in a swamp south west of the fort that is south of Fort Dranlon Demon Slayer Blade: Crypt of Drath - Located in the Scree Pits Crypt of Drath This isn't a real hard dungeon just a lot of undead. You'll need a lot of energy potions for repel spirit and light spells. Also bring some lamps and torches just in case your mage's run out of light spells. In the Crypt of Drath you'll need the Far Sight Spell/Automap will be you because their is everlasting darkness and light spells won't work in some areas. It will be all worth it because you'll get the Demon Slayer tip. By now you should have all of the Demon Slayer. Head to Fort Draco and talk to Boutel the Blacksmith. He will repair the Demon slayer for free and you can keep it. | Silver Circlet | The Silver Circlet was brought down from the First Expedition but know one knows what it can do. I guess Pyrog wants to know what it does, so this is how to get it. First start off by talking to a man named Scab who lives in Spire (the capital of the Abyss). He will ask you to go through the arena twice and then he will tell you the two things on how to get it. First a key to the west of the town and his friend, Asp, can be found in the inn, in Corta. The key is guarded by a bunch of spiders but it shouldn't be too much trouble. Once you get back to Spire, you'll need to locate Meena's bedchambers. Right next to it you'll find the room with the Circlet in it. There will be three guardians in there though. Don't tell Meena you stole it or she'll attack you and the whole town will be against you. | Brooches | The five brooches are used in order to teleport to the surface. 1. Malachite Brooch It's located in the Friendly Spider Cave. In order to get it you must free a spider from the areana's in the arena cave. The spider is located towards the back of the arena cave. 2. Pearl Brooch Can be found in the cave of ghosts and zombies that are plaguing Mertis. Be sure you have the dispel barrier spell. 3. Platinum Brooch. In order to get this brooch, you must first talk to a prisoner held in Drahmon. She will tell you of her partner who stole a brooch. He is hiding behind the church in Mertis. To get the brooch from him, you'll have to buy it for 100 hundred gold. 4. Chalcedony Brooch you'll have to take out Pyrog the dragon to get this one. 5. Ivory Brooch is in Mortax's lair in the part with the fire lizards in it. | Spider Queen Fangs | You'll find them in the huge areana cave west of the smaller Areana Cave. It's hidden very well so start looking. You won't get to use them but you will get rewarded when you give it to Phyella in Fort Draco. She lives right behind the alchemy shop. She will give you some Shadow Leather (1-4 +3 damage nothing special) that is good for your mages that can't cast with heavy armor. | Blessed Athame | This is another weapon that was brought down from the first expedition. The Blessed Athame is a small knife that has the reputation of cutting through anything. You'll find this in the secret laboratory in the Tower of Magi. You'll need this to free Grah-Hoth from his prison. | Royal Seal | You'll need to head to Akhronath which is in the middle of a lava pit west of the Tower of Magi. Before you go to Akhronath you'll have to get the gold key from Patrick. The royal seal is located in the northern corner of Akhronath. The seal is used along with the brooches to teleport to the surface world. | Crown Token | You get this from the mayor of New Formello. After you return her necklace to her from the Nephil. The Crown Token allows you to see the king of Avernum. | Keys | These are all of the keys and their uses in the game listed in no particular order. Bronze Key - This is used to open the Nephil temple door in the huge Nephil fortress. This can be found in the smaller Nephil cave near Fort Dunvo. Stone Key - This is found in an old battlefield near Mortax's lair. Onyx Key - This key is used to get into the second floor of the Slith Castle. This can be found in the fort south of Fort Dranlon. Diamond Key - This was around the neck of the mighty Pyrog. Gold Key - This key is found in a hidden room in the castle. It is used to turn a wheel in Akhronath. Tin Key - This is used to open the docks that the giants were guarding. You can find it in the giant's castle that is terrorizing the people of Bargha. Bone Key - This key will give you easy access to Erika's tower. Ask Erika for it. Black Iron Key - This will help you get around in Grah-Hoth's castle. You'll get it off a demon in Grah-Hoth's castle. ||| 12. Fun With Avernum ||| Now that you've beaten the game, what now? There is plenty to do in Avernum after you've beaten the game. In this section I listed all the things you could do after the game and some of the special events during the game. | Dragon's Treasure | Alright you've heard plenty about legendary dragon treasure now it's time to go and get some. Here is a list of what dragons you can fight and get their treasures and trust me it's worth it. And if you're feeling a little guilt, don't because they weren't going to use it anyway. >:)(Warning: Your reputation goes down for each dragon you kill.) Athron She is probably the easiest. She is all by herself and theirs no one to help her out. Cast Beast Ceremony and maybe even Divine Warrior on your fighter(s). Have your fighter(s) attack to her while your spell casters are far from Athron but not too far. Keep drilling her with spells and such and eventually she'll die. Head west from where she once stood. You'll encounter several traps on the chests but that's it. The items you'll find are: Scroll of Bitter Loss, Blessed Large Shield, and a Ring of Great Health. The ring is the only thing worth killing Athron for. Mortax Why would you want to kill the kindest dragon? For the treasure of course. So if you're crazy enough to try to kill him, here is how to do it. You should kill Mortax before looking for his treasure. This will be a hard battle because everyone their will attack including the hard to kill guards. If you manage to pull it off head to secret passage, it's south of Mortax's bed past a secret passage, follow the water path, and then enjoy the treasure. A fellow Avernum player, PantherShadow, says "It is possible to steal Motrax's treasure without making anyone mad. Just walk up to the traps (in as straight a line as you can get) and enter combat mode. Then, leave combat mode. Your party should move a few spaces forward. do this until you reach the boat. You'll still have to kill the statue, but Motrax and his friends won't know you did anything." Khoth has no treasure and you would be a fool to try to steal Sulfras's treasure | Erika | Well you've noticed that Erika has many items laying around but you're too scared to take any. Don't be afraid, she can't turn hostile since she is so important. You can hit her with spells and such and she won't turn hostile. I bet you didn't know that!! | Spire | This is the capital of the Abyss filled with people that couldn't behave in Avernum. If you got sick of their attitudes the first time you came, then it's time for you to set them straight. Once inside head to the mayor's office in the northern corner of the town. First cast Beast Ceremony, talk to the mayor, Meena, and tell her you stole her circlet. She'll call the guards on you and the town will become hostile. Killing Meena is no harder than turning on your computer but the guards are another story. They have lots of HP and use the top of the line arrows but, if your party is strong, you'll kill them in no time. Luckily there are no mages to deal with and the townsfolk fall like dominos. Once you've killed all the guards, feel free to loot everything. >:) You'll find potions, coins, and a large amount of steel bolts. To bad you can't kill those guards that run around begging for money. | The Royal Treasury | This is one of the most evil act you could try. Stealing from the people your trying to save. Well if you have no problem with it then the treasury is located in the southern corner of the castle. After you get past the magic barriers, the ur-basilisks, and the locked doors, you'll get to the treasure. You'll see two treasure chests. Inside you'll find some boots of speed and 5000 coins. If you took the boots than you'll get away without any trouble but if you took the coins, you are in for some BIG trouble. The whole castle will turn hostile and chances of getting out alive will be incredibly slim. | Adventures for Hire | Tired of looking at those old party members? Looking for new party member? Well here is a list of adventures that you can be found throughout Avernum. These adventures come with 5 skill points each but they don't have any Character Traits. To make up for this they have a unique special skill and specialize in a certain skill. Andrew - Located in Corta Level 5 He will join you if you have a decent reputation. Stats: He has a lot of tool use skill. He has some useful special skills like pathfinder and resistance. Overall, he's all right if you need another party member. Sabrina - Located in Blosk Priest level 15 This priest will only join you if you kill the Chasm Drake that is to the west of Fort Remote. Stats: She has some useful special skills, high first aid and arcane lore, and high priest spells. But is she worth going in a killing a cave full of Drakes.... Jay - Located in the inn at Silvar Fighter/Ranged level 3 Stats: Despite the fact that Jay demands 100 coins before joining you, he is a good fighter who is also good with ranged weapons. | Other Options | Now that you've tried your might against the dragons, you should try beating the game on the hardest level. It should be a real challenge that should hold you but if you want to try another great game try Avernum 2. ||| 13. Special Events ||| As the months go by in Avernum, special events occur during them. These are a list of events that happened during the time I was playing Avernum. Some of these are out of order, sorry. :( 1st of Any Month - The crypt door opens Ice Fall 1 - Low Ailment All melee attacks do half damage Frost 29 - Battle Eve This is the anniversary of when the mages defeated of Grah-Hoth. Effect: All spells are cheaper. Evermoon 3 - The Terror This is a day that is terrorized by rampaging monsters. Nobody knows why though. Effect: More wandering monsters. Suncome Nothing Happened Radiane 1 - ??? Day when Fort Draco opens. Effect: None Radiane 14 - Day of Recall Aaahhh a day of to remember all the good things in life. Too bad all stores are closed. Effect: All shops are closed. Remembrance 1 - Avernum's Birth. The anniversary of the day the first exiles arrived in Avernum. Traditionally spent in study and contemplation. Training doesn't cost any gold. ||| 14. Thanks, The List & The Warning! ||| Thanks to everyone who reads this FAQ. Thanks to ekiM for submitting the Khoth info. Thanks to everyone who asked to use this FAQ. ^_^ Thanks to PantherShadow for submitting some more dates and an extra hero for hire. Thanks to Carney2K for providing me with info on the ritual of safety. Thanks to KevlarKid for giving some secrets and dates to fix. | The List | You can always find updated versions of my FAQ at Gamefaqs.com & Neoseeker.com. | Warning | Anyone may reproduce this FAQ electronically, but don't sell it for money. If you want to use this FAQ for your website you must ask my permission, email me at AverMan62@Hotmail.com with Avernum Walkthrough as the title, and you must do it with this the Warning in it and do not modify any part of it. If you do use it and I find out, trust me I WILL, you'll feel some serious legal trouble!!! Avernum is a copyright of Spiderweb Software, Inc.