Kelfour Edition volume I number III

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|    xXX     XX xX             XX        The Kronicles                     |
|   XXX       XXX            xXX               of Kulthea:  Vol.1 No. 3    |
|                         XXX           X                   August 1990    |
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|  Editorial by Usul Lu'Nak ........... 2   Festival Daze ............ 10  |
|  A Wedding to Remember .............. 3   Hall of Fame ............. 17  |
|  Designing a Fighter by Eron Kulsen . 4                                  |
|  Vanity by Astarte Ameranthe ........ 5   GemStone CrossWords            |
|  Jabberwicker by Angelique Lovelin .. 6      by Phaedra Bleu ....... 25  |
|                                                                          |
|     Interview With a Dragon by Leonardo HalfShell ................. 8    |
|     More Bits on Roleplaying by Eron Kulsen ....................... 8    |
|     Song of the Fall of Quellbourne by Wisraith Winterwind ........ 9    |
|     Traveling Macros for Atari ST by Lavim Springtoe ............. 11    |
|     The Lone Ranger Part 2 by Caliban Eilorn ..................... 12    |
|     Origin of Kulthean Treasure by Owlet Stalmorgan .............. 14    |
|     Descent Into The Barrow by Lythe L'Green ..................... 15    |
|     The Art of Parrying by Eron Kulsen ........................... 17    |
|     Ballad of the Birth of Kelfour by Lythe L'Green .............. 18    |
|     Herbs and their Effects on Injuries by Anglique Lovelin ...... 19    |
|                                                                          |
|  The Kelfour Edition of the Kronicles of Kulthea is devoted to the game  |
|  GemStone III on the GEnie Information Network. Submissions are welcome  |
|  and  may  be  edited  for  space,  accuracy  and readability.  Contact  |
|  KE Editor-In-Chief Usul Lu'Nak (GEnie ID: ST-ING) or Publisher Phaedra  |
|  Bleu (P.HERRINGTON) for further information.      Banner art by Dagger. |
|   _______________________________________________________________________|_

                      Zen and the Art of Scribbling
 ~|_|~~|~|                   by Usul Lu'Nak
  |~|  haedra and I wish to extend     within your mind. You must learn the
 ~~~~  our whole-hearted thanks to     difficult lessons that go with seizing
those of you who contributed to this   a single idea and dragging it out of
issue. We think your work is a fine    the cloud into other people's sight.
example of creativity and we are       
gratified to be able to present it.       As you can tell, this is a problem
We encourage you and everyone else to  for me as I sit in front of my key-
continue to support Kelfour Edition.   board. There are hundreds of potential
                                       projects on my hard disk, and even
   The moral of this story, however,   more in my head. Far too many for one
is that many and subtle are the traps  human being to get around to in a
of being a writer. Just about every-   normal lifetime. The crowds in the
thing wonderful has a flipside which   Jousting Arena never roared as loudly
turns up sooner or later. For yes,     as my ideas do. And tomorrow there'll
Virginia, there can be too much of a   be more. Not a week passes without
good thing -- even when it's intan-    new ideas rising up to join the clamor
gible (not to mention legal, moral     for my time and attention. This column
and non-fattening).                    is a good example. When Phaedra
                                       suggested I write a few words thanking
   Why three morals (and a parenthe-   those who contributed to this issue,
tical addendum)? What's he going on    I wondered what the heck I would write
about this time, you ask? Has he       about. Need I say more?
finally gone over the bank, down the   
lurid path of stark raving madness,       Don't get me wrong; I'm not brag-
bashed on the noggin by critters one   ging, I'm complaining. I grew up an
time too many? Not at all. I have a    idea junkie and when that side of me
serious point here. More than one --   goes out of control I become
in fact, a whole slew of them!         incredibly creative and monstrously
                                       unproductive at the same time.
   Okay, okay! I'll stop. I'll remove  
my crystal amulet, sparing y'all the      There are three types of creative
broadcast on the drawing board of my   paralysis. The first is emptiness,
thoughts; all the reflections and      the second is injury, and the third
variations and discarded approaches    is burnout. If polled, most people
that bounce through my brain as I      would cite emptiness or injury as the
squeeze abstract notions into          wall between them and creativity. I'm
unavoidably concrete sentences. Some   betting that they're wrong. Emptiness
of you will have grasped my meaning    is rare and injuries heal, but over-
already, and I suspect the rest are    load is the common point of human
within easy range of it.               existence. We are bombarded with
                                       sensations and experiences, numbed
   So here it is: Creativity is a      with ideas, buried in minutia, and
cloud, a nebulous cloud of infinite    burdened by constantly shifting
possibilities. But creation itself --  possibilities. Our neurochemistry
the act of drawing substance from      has evolved to mute and regulate
that cloud -- is a line. And by far    the intensity of our own perceptions
the hardest part of drawing that       and thoughts. Small wonder, then, that
line is throwing things away. It's     for most of us the infinite cloud of
not enough to chart the structure and  ideas is just that, a great, blurry,
anatomy of creativity's fuzzy cloud    featureless fog.
   At one point in "Zen and the Art             A Wedding to Remember
of Motorcycle Maintenance," Robert M.           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pirsig tells the story of what           
happened when a teacher he calls            Our last Edition neglected to
Phaedra (a familiar name ;-) tried a     mention the joyous joining of two
new kind of writing assignment. The      prominent Kelfour's residents, mage
dullest of the students wanted to        Angelique Lovelin and thief Lal
write a 500-word essay about the         Nirandra. Their wedding was con-
United States. Phaedra suggested he      ducted by cleric Slaughn Wellborn at
narrow his focus to the city he          beautiful Ocean View.
lived in. But the due date came and        
went; he was frozen. She suggested          Angelique was dressed gorgeously
that he limit himself to the main        in the color of purity: a full white
street of the town. No good. If he       gown topped by a wedding veil over
couldn't find anything to say about      flowers and mistletoe in her golden
the whole town, he asked, what could     hair. She carried a traditional bou-
he say about its main street? At         quet of flowers and wore a shining
that point Phaedra got angry. She        ruby amulet for contrast. The groom,
told him to narrow it down yet           Lal, stood tall in black tunic,
again, to the front of a single          pants, leather boots and cloak, and
building on the street and to start      also wore a crystal amulet.
with the upper left-hand brick.            
                                            Their union was symbolized by
   At the next class he handed in a      matching gold bands which have,
five-thousand-word essay.                ironically, since been the cause of
                                         double deaths for the couple when
   Try it yourself. Start small.         one stayed to save the band of the
Take little bites. Go slow. Remove       the other who had fallen in battle.
distractions. Work with one idea and       
banish all others from your mind.           Angelique and Lal received many
Empty yourself before you begin by       wedding gifts from loyal friends
whatever method you enjoy most --        among which was a beautiful topaz
sex, exercise, meditation, cathartic     stone presented myseriously by the
music, perhaps long walks. Come at       bride's sister, Valeria Deering.
this one single thing with one             
single focus. Should you fall back          The ceremony was attended by many
overwhelmed, narrow the focus even       Kelfour's citizens too numerous to
more and come at it again, and           mention here. Kelfour Edition wishes
again until it yields, until your        the happy couple a long and enduring
grip on its possibilities is firm.       marriage with many blessings from
                                         the gods.
   To repeat, this time to isolate       
my point rather than for effect:                                  __
To create something you must throw                               /  \
everything else away. We look forward                            |  |
to your continued contributions.                                 |  |
                     Happy Hurling!                              |  |     
                                                                 |  |     
  ______________________________________________________________ |  | ___ 
 |! We want   .          .         .       .         .         . |  |  .!|
 |!.   ______   ________  _________ _____    _____      ______   |  |  .!|
 |!.  /~/~~\~\, ~|_|~~|~| ~|_|~~~|| ~|_|~    ~|~|~     /~/~~\~\, |  |  .!|
 |!. |~|    ~~~  |~|  |~|  |~|   ~~  |~|      |~|     |~|    ~~~ |  |  .!|
 |!.  \~\____    |~|__|~|  |~|__|    |~|      |~|      \~\____   |  |  .!|
 |!. ___~~~\~\   |~|--//   |~|--|    |~|      |~|     ___~~~\~\  |  |  .!|
 |!. |~|    |~|  |~|       |~|   __  |~|   _  |~|   __|~|    |~|  \/   .!|
 |!.  \~\__/~/   |~|       |~|___||  |~|___|| |~|___|| \~\__/~/  _/\_  .!|
 |!.   ~~~~~~ . ~~~~     .~~~~~~~~~ .~~~~~~~~.~~~~~~~~ .~~~~~~  . \/   .!|
Help for Beginners
                           Designing a Fighter
                             by Eron Kulsen
                          With some help from
              Natasha's No-Nonsense Tourist Handbook to Kulthea,
   ______     available in the Games Library, Page 806, Files
  /~/~~\~\    Number 1903 and 1904.
 |~|    |~|
 |~|    |~|
 |~|    |~|
 |~|    |~| kay, if you're reading     and earn more experience, and IN
  \~\  /~/   this that means you       helps in picking locks and other
   ~~~~~~  probably already have a     things. RE helps absorb field
GemStone personna, right?  Well,       experience into real experience,
chances are good that if you're        and EM is for magic and its
new to the game, the character you     usually too costly in skill points
have couldn't stand the bite of a      for fighters and thieves.
torkaan! You may want to re-roll       
upon studying this along with          Speaking of skills, you might
Natasha's Guide after getting some     concern yourself now with:
advice from others. Following are a    
few suggestions about the kind of       One-handed slicing/crushing, which
statistics you'll need to enjoy the     ever you please. Train in it twice
game. Dieing all the time is not what   each time you can as it adds 5 to
I call fun.                             your OB every time you do.
When designing a fighter the impor-     Lockpicking also twice each time.
tant thing to know is that you later    Comes in real handy!
automatically get a 90 in both CO and   
ST, which you can arrange to replace    Body Development is a must as it
your two lowest rolls. Just keep on     adds to your concussion points
rerolling until you get at least two    which lets you stay live longer.
more fairly high 90s. Let's say you     
finally get a 96 and 94 like this:      Trading: Natasha says once, but I
                                        stress three or more. Things can
You roll 84, 96, 58, 23, 13, 72, 94,    be expensive and you can bring
79, 64 and 47. Doesn't look too good,   the price down dramatically.
eh? Well, just arrange them thusly:     
                                        Climbing training, at least twice.
  * CO - 13 ->90     * ST - 23 ->90     
    AG - 94            QU - 96          Brawling, in case the weapon gets
    SD - 58            PR - 47          knocked from your hand; adds 5 to
    EQ - 84            IN - 79          your OB each time you train in it.
    RE - 72            EM - 64          
                                        Perception helps you find loot
Put 13 in CO and 23 in ST because       on monsters, or so I am told.
they will both be changed to 90         
(which holds true for thieves, too).   And whatever else you think might
It is wise to put your highest         come in handy. Note that swimming,
rolls in AG and QU (notice the 90+s    disarming traps and some others
you rolled are there) because they     aren't yet implemented.
add to your DB which makes you          
harder for monsters to hit. SD and     These are just the basic skills
PR don't have much of an effect so     needed to start off before really
don't worry about them. EQ and IN      building your character. After that
are good for higher rolls. EQ lets     it's up to you. All of this pretty
you stay out hunting longer, and       much applies to bards and rangers
                                   -4-                         Continued...
                             Designing a Fighter
as well except they are magic users,    apply so get all you can on your
too, and can train in spells. You       OB: ST plus your race bonus and
might want to wait for Level Two.       training in weapons. For DB it's
                                        your QU plus your race bonus. Do
On the subject of race, I prefer the    it right and you can end up with
ones with a bonus in ST and AG, which   35 to 45 in OB and 25 to 40 in DB.
adds to you OB and DB respectively.     Again, these are just ideas. Refer
I believe the best are High Man and     to Natasha's Guide and the GemStone
Half Elf.                               Manual to design a character you
                                        can live with for a long, enjoy-
Remember: Only your bonuses really      able time.
                               -= Vanity -=
            ___                   ~~~~~~
           / ~|            by Astarte Ameranthe
      /~/   |~|fter ten applications of Harfy Resin
     ~~~    ~~~
          You'd think that I'd have learned my lesson.
          Just a small bite or two of Curfalka Fruit
          Should have cured this addiction, to boot.
          But night after dark night rabid torkaans I bash,
          As wolverines turn me into hash.
          It seems I've developed a permanent stutter,
          And some inclination to mutter.
          With cave trolls I have danced, beneath a bright full moon;
          But gnomes, I've found, can't carry a tune.
          And kobolds are worthless -- they can't dance and don't sing;
          But once they are dead, it's no big thing.
          Come closer and put your one good arm around me.
          You'll have to take me as you found me.
          I pray you'll overlook my scar if it disturbs --
          I fear I've no money left for herbs.
          I'll notice not your mangled leg, your missing arm;
          If you'll fall for my dubious charm.
          Together, my darling, we will hack, we will slash --
          And see if we can't get enough cash
          From dying creatures of the Kelfournian mist
          To pay Surtey and the Alchemist.
          Then youth and beauty, they will once again adorn
          These limbs, 'til by greater orcs they're torn.
 ___     ___
 ~\~\   /~/~           by Angelique Lovelin-Niranda
   \~\ /~/
    \~ ~/
     |~| esterday, in the temple, I      I was there more for pride than
     |~|  met Bander Blew. He            money. I was determined to show my
     ~~~  announced that his father,     friends that I could walk alone and
Jabberwicker, was dead! This news hit    live through dangers that a pro-
me very hard and I grieved. Yet, in      fessional fighter could survive.
my grief, I realized I hardly knew       In my prideful arrogance, I thought
him. We had shared none of the things    that I was equal to the test, but I
that friends usually share. Other than   was a fool. My skills do not lie in
an exchange of greetings, we barely      armor or blade, but in weaving magic
spoke. So why did I grieve so? Well      spells, and at my tender age it
naturally, I grieve all deaths, but      takes time to speak the words that
somehow his hurt me beyond the loss      construct a spell. In the moments it
of a casual acquaintance. So I sat down  takes to chant, a monster can strike
in my room at Thrinn's Inn and composed  me down if I'm not quick to dodge.
this letter to calm myself... and to     
help me remember.                        Suddenly, I saw the red glow of
                                         multi-faceted eyes reflecting my
I first met Jabberwicker in Tralog's     lamp light back at me. With a
Silver Mines. I was alone because my     sinking heart, I realized I had
beloved Lal was away to the south,       found a Greater Spider. Although
seeking more silver to pay for his       certain I could defeat the Lessor
lady's extravagances. Against his        variety, I was uncertain about this
firm orders to hunt only in a group,     Greater beast. Nevertheless, I drew
I was alone, for I was younger and       my rapier - a delicate lady's
more reckless then. I came upon          weapon with a thin, flexible blade -
Jabberwicker in a sub-chamber of the     and as the monster approached me,
mines. We were not actually in the       I chanted my most powerful spell and
mines proper, but in a grouping of       readied it to cast. The beast, how-
small chambers that can only be          ever, did not politely wait for me
reached by squeezing through a small     to finish, and pain shot through my
crevice. When I saw him in the           arm as it bit me. I was horrified to
flickering light of my lamp -- a huge    see the spider shrug off my spell.
Half-Elf Ranger -- I tensed. Were        It merely angered the brute, and
he a murderer, I'd be no match for       suddenly it spun a web of tight
such as him. He seemed to sense my       strands about me. To my further
tension and smiled to calm my fears.     horror, I was pinned with shield
He greeted me politely. We spoke         down and my belly exposed. I
then of spiders, the monsters which      screamed for help as the monster
infested the very chambers in which      closed upon me and I heard rapidly
we stood. I was hunting them and         approaching footsteps. The spider,
Jabberwicker had seen some to the        seeing its meal immobilized, raised
east. With a sinking feeling, I          its stinger and with a swift motion
continued onward, exploring the maze     buried it in my belly. Just then
of chambers which were cut from the      Jabberwicker burst into the chamber
rock not by picks, but by spider         and struck the spider a ringing blow
mandibles! Occasionally, Jabberwicker    that split its chitinous shell. As
and I would meet, smile and wave,        its black ichor poured out, the
and part again to continue the hunt.     spider whirled to face its new foe.
Others were there too, for the           Jabberwicker however was not as easy
bounty on spiders was high and           a meal as was I. Evading stinger and
their legs fetched a nice reward.        mandible he scored hit after hit.
With an unearthly hiss, the spider      horse that had been ridden to death.
died under a particularly strong        As we neared the Upper Kaldsfang
blow which found its vitals.            Forest, my wound opened again and
                                        more blood poured out. I muttered
But I was far from safe. My own         the dark spell once more and felt the
blood spilled from my belly, its        Unlife take a bit more of my soul in
black color telling me it was a         exchange for stopping the bleeding.
fatal internal wound. Others had        Jabberwicker was oblivious to this as
come, attracted by my screams, but      he carried me through the gate and
no healers were among them. Quickly,    into town. Still he moved quickly,
Jabberwicker cut the webs from my       though his endurance was fading and
limbs and tried to stanch the flow      he staggered and weaved as he ran.
of blood from my wound. With shaking    
hands, I reached for my Navigator       As we reached the tent of the quack
ring and as I stammered a thank you,    called Surtey, my wound suddenly
I slipped it on my finger, only to      burst open again. I had only seconds
find myself staring at a mummy,         left as Jabberwicker laid me gently
claws reaching out for me!! My ring     upon Surtey's carving table. But
was mis-set!! As my vision blurred,     after strapping me down, Surtey spied
I ringed back to a surprised            a minor wound upon Jabberwicker. Ever
Jabberwicker and pleaded for my life.   vigilant for business, he ignored my
                                        pleas and invited Jabberwicker to
Since no healers could be found,        receive treatment. Jabberwicker real-
Jabberwicker came to a desperate        ized I was almost gone and fled the
decision. He gathered me in his arms    tent so as not to distract Surtey.
and ran though the mines to the         With a sigh, the butcher turned to me
exit. This was a terrible plan and      and stopped my bleeding with contam-
it had no chance of success but he      inated herbs and soiled bandages. I
dared to try it anyway. He was going    wept to see the permanent mutilation
to carry me all the way back to         scars on my belly. Jabberwicker came
town, knowing I'd never live to the     back then, for he was not the kind
end of the trip. My blood streamed      leave a woman under his protection
from me and stained the ground as he    until she was safe. He gave me silver
ran, marking our passage through the    to pay the overpriced healing bill
valley and the upper reaches of the     and saw me safely to the temple.
Kaldsfang. I clung to Jabberwicker      
with one arm as I clutched my ravaged   And that is how I remember my first
stomach with the other. I knew my       meeting with Jabberwicker. I saw him
life was almost at an end. As my        since then, often in the mines where
vision began to fade, I tried a         we both liked to hunt. When Lal
hopeless measure of my own. Silently,   returned, he paid the outrageous
I whispered a dark spell of a           prices for the Wekwek and Tarnas
blasphemous nature, the origin of       potions needed to restore my health.
which I dare not tell. My blood         But to this day I bear a small silver
burned as the spell took effect, and    mark on my stomach to remind me of
the horrible bleeding stopped. I now    Jabberwicker's noble efforts. Another
had a slim chance to live but all       would have given me up for lost and
depended upon Jabberwicker. I was a     continued their hunt but Jabberwicker
light load but the journey was long     took a desperate chance and I have
and the terrain rough.                  one less blotch on my soul for it.
Jabberwicker's breath came in ragged    So, Friend Jabberwicker, wherever you
blood-flecked gasps because he ran      are, know that in Kelfour's Landing
full tilt over rocks and through        there is a little blond magess who
brambles without pacing himself. I      remembers you, and mourns your
began to fear he would drop like a      passing.
                            Interview With A Dragon
                             by Leonardo HalfShell
 ~~  |~|  ~~
     |~| he once peaceful, some even    Anyway, here I am, deadline upon me
     |~|  say boring, town of Kel-      and I know no more about the dragon
    ~~~~~ four's Landing is quiet no    than when I started. Looks like once
 more! Thanks to the arrival of our     more it's up to the citizens to
newest resident -- an adorable baby     clean up the town. Oh yes; I'll send
dragon. Knowing first-hand how strict   Kelfour Edition my medical bill and
our laws are, I was shocked and sur-    bail bond charges under separate
prised that the town officials would    cover.
permit such a thing -- even a baby      
one -- to roost on the east tower.      
So in order to find out what was up,    (Editor's Note: Little did Leo, Noble
I decided to pay a visit to the Mayor.  Reporter, realize that journalists do
                                        risk burnout in the exercise of their
   Since his door is always open I      craft! But alas, the lil dragon has
had no problem getting an appointment.  now gone back whence she came.)
When I confronted him with the dragon   
problem, however, he remained stub-     
bornly silent, resting his feet on      
his desk and staring off into space.    
(Who elected this guy, anyway?!)                More Bits on RolePlaying
Finding out little from him, I decided   _____  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
my next option was the Town Constable.   ~|_|~      by Eron Kulsen
     After searching all over town I      |~|
finally tracked the Constable to the      |~|
front of the bakery -- imagine that!     _|~|_ must say that as a regular
He glanced at me and before I even       ~~~~~  GemStone player, I have seen
had time to flash my press card,         some distasteful events going on and
mumbled something about attacking        it is getting worse. Characters are
defenseless birds and tossed me in       becoming mindless and not much of
jail! You can imagine my surprise        anybody is roleplaying. Worse yet,
and dismay! (Anybody know a good         some people are going out slaying
Kelfour lawyer?) By the time I got       monsters just to make their personna
out of jail the Constable refused to     more powerful. Heck, I've even seen
acknowledge my existence. Time was       a couple of murders committed just
running out, my deadline approaching     so the perpetrator could loot the
and I had yet to get the definitive      victim's equipment.
story about the dragon. Since the        
Mayor and Constable seemed hush-hush         People who do this are missing
on the subject and (of course) a GM      the whole point of GemStone! Take a
was no where to be found, I decided to   look at the way the more seasoned
confront the dragon herself. Donning     people play. No, they aren't doing
my best asbestos under garments, I       this because they have to, it's
climbed the tower. (Have I mentioned     because they want to. It really is a
what lovely emerald green eyes she       lot more fun if you meet people and
has?) Well... OUCH!.. that interview     make new friends. Just spend a bit
didn't... GROAN!... go as well as I'd    time where people hang-out (like the
hoped... OUCH! Excuse me a minute.       temple) and watch. You might find
Surtey, could you be just a LITTLE       yourself joining the conversation
more careful!? Geesh! Where was I?       and having some fun as well!
Festival Bard Contest
                     Song of The Fall of Quellbourne
                         By Wisraith Winterwind
  Wisraith takes out a shining golden lute and begins to strum quietly.
  She smiles and begins to sing.
Quellbourne calm and prosperous was, in the reign of Alladyre,
Crops grew tall and torkaans fat, but of peace one man did tire.
Fifty-eighth Lord Sorceror of the Council was he, Zenon he was called;
By his actions and his will, Unlife was no longer forestalled.
A scholar renowned, he searched long for lore,
  of Good and Evil that had gone before,
  Wisraith shifts into a minor key and the mood darkens.
But ambitious was he and looked with chagrin
  at the head of the Council -- Alladyre, not him.
A target for Evil, yet still unsuspecting,                _______
  he was not influence from Kadaena expecting.           /\_____/\
She gave him such power at so little cost,              /\/     \/\
  almost at once his resistance was lost.              |-| FIRST |-|
                                                       |-| PLACE |-|
  Wisraith smiles grimly.                               \/\_____/\/
He tinkered with Nature, he tampered with Fate.           // | \\
His quest turned from knowledge to power by hate.        //  |  \\
He created the Threk, both cunning and cruel            |/ / |\  \|
  misuse of power inflamed passions to rule.            || ||||| ||
His uncanny meddling was decried by his peers            \/\/\/\/\/
  but by feigning repentance he belayed their fears.
He allied with trolls and Kral from the north
  and with summoning spells conjured damned demons forth.
  Wisraith shivers.
  For an instant you are certain a shadow has passed over her.
He built them a tunnel, bypassing the wall,
  coming up inside, nigh the Council's own Hall.
Of a dark night and stormy, he bade them all strike
  and bring him the heads of his Lord Peers on pikes.
Though his arcane science his colleagues despised,
  they expected not, through him, Unlife to arise.
  Wisraith taps the front of the lute in a compelling rhythm.
The battle was bloody but long it was not,
  fighting men perished, asleep in their cots.
From Quellbourne that night those able fled screaming
  away from death and the fell creatures teeming.
The Council Lords fell failing to stem the foul tide.
In the wink of an eye all but Alladyre died.
Bursting into his chambers, she challenged his will;
The Lords fought each other in a world gone still.
  Wisraith stops playing and all is silent...
   then she begins again with renewed intensity.
Her Honor Guard was brave and bold, and back mad Zenon was able to hold
'Till casting of Amnesia True from her lips to his twisted mind flew.
  She smiles and begins to sing.
The Mystic Lord's Honor Guard quickly was slain
  kind Alladyre was torn in twain
  by the demon of the grim fourth pale
  before returning to its hellish jail.
Zenon's power gone, his forces collapsed
  and to their original ways relapsed.
They stole what they could then scattered, and left
  the ruins of Quellbourne sacked and bereft.
Zenon roams the wreckage of Quellbourne still,
  'midst tomes and runes and scrolls,
  struggling as if by strength of will to make his memory whole.
  Wisraith strums the final chord suddenly and looks piercingly at you.
Beware of power that comes at no cost,
  lest we, like Zenon, to the Unlife be lost.
  Wisraith bows.
                             Festival Daze
 ____  ____                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 ~|_|  /~/~
  |~|  \~\ elfour's Landing residents participated in a gala July Festival.
 _|~|   \~\_ This week-long celebration featured contests for greased-pole
 ~~~~   ~~~~ climbing which was won by Magnetron Ramthanadox, monster
skinning, lockpicking won by Valeria Deering, Bard's tale competition from
which two winning entries - by Wisraith Winterwind and Lythe L'Green - are
included in this issue. KE would have been proud to print the second place
Bard winner but we were unable to locate the Bard or a copy of it. Kirc
Bloodguard won the GameMaster dunking contest.
   The Festival was climaxed Saturday evening by the Grand Opening of the new
Jousting Arena just northwest of the town gates. Good sports took aim at each
other with long lances while riding horse-back, all to the wild applause
of spectators from the viewing stand. Talented jousters (in winning order
for the two jousts) included:
              Kirc Bloodguard        Swiftkill Two-Swords
               Artemis DeLion         Achoo GoldenRod
                Daelis Firnynn         Waldo2 Ptolomy
                      Congratulations to all!
                        Traveling with Macros: Atari ST
 _________                    by Lavim Springtoe
  |~|   ~~
  |~|   __ ver since your first         and from the following places using
  |~|___||   encounter with a kobold,   my traveling macros:
 ~~~~~~~~~   you've asked yourself,
"Isn't there a faster and easier way    Ctrl 1:  Temple to Land's End Road
to do this?" Then some kind adventurer           (goes to town gates).
(who is five levels above you :-)       Ctrl 2:  Land's End Road to N,SE,SW
mumbles something about setting up               intersection just before
macros for each monster. "That's a               the bridge. From here,
great idea!" you say to yourself.                you can go manually to
                                                 orcs or the graveyard.
However, to your dismay, you find       Ctrl 3:  Intersection to Tralog's
that your terminal program offers a              Silver Mines.
maximum of 20 macros. That's fine if    Ctrl 4:  Intersection to hobgob-
all you're doing is killing monsters             lins. Go NE for hobs
but what if you want macros to skin              (it stops at NW,NE,SE
and search them too? What about for              intersection).
preparing spells? For healing? The      Ctrl 5:  Intersection to Dangirland
list goes on and on...                           (the "new area")
                                        Ctrl 6:  Mine door to Intersection.
How many times have you tried to get    Ctrl 7:  Hobgoblins to Intersection.
a hunting party together and find       Ctrl 8:  Dangirland to Intersection.
that no one wants to "drive"? Or        Ctrl 9:  Intersection to Land's
you join a party, go somewhere you've            End Road.
never been, and then find that they     Ctrl 0:  Land's End Road to Temple.
are "ringing it" back to town, leav-    
ing you on your own in the wilds?       Just think: go from the temple to
                                        the mines with the stroke of just
Well, if you call GEnie with an Atari   three keys! As an afterthought, I
ST, your problems have been solved!     added a feature that lets you load
                                        a different macro file, handy if
Being a frustrated adventurer myself,   you switch between weapons.
I sat down one night and did a simple   
macro program which can be used in      Look for my program GS3MACRO.LZH
conjunction with any terminal soft-     in The Games RT Library. Read the
ware package that can execute external  documentation as it describes these
files (ie, Interlink, Flash, D-Term).   and other features in detail and
Then, upon reading the article on       shows how to set things up. And
macros in the last Kelfour Edition,     thanks to Phaedra Bleu for her
I decided to implement some of those    ideas on Amiga macros last issue.
features, and my Atari ST GS3 Macro     
Companion shortly evolved into a lot               _________
more! I incorporated a command history            / ___ ___ \
buffer containing the last 50 commands           / /   N   \ \
you entered; these can be scrolled              / //   |   \\ \
through with the up/down arrow keys.           / //   /|\   \\ \
                                              <<<  W---+---E  >>>
Then came the difficult task of imple-         \ \\   \|/   // /
menting "traveling macros" that take            \ \\   |   // /
you to certain locations in Kulthea              \ \___S___/ /
with the stroke of just one key! Now              \_________/
Atari ST users, too, can travel to                   /   \
                                                    /     \
                            The Lone Ranger
                               Part II
    ______                 by Caliban Eilorn
  |~|    ~~~       Continued from Kelfour Edition V1N1
  |~|    |~| cenes from the moments     back absorbs the coolness of the
   \~\__/~/   before I lost con-        wall my night vision, heritage of
    ~~~~~~  sciousness float through    my Elven parents, shows that the
my mind. Again I feel the numbing       creature in the clearing making
blow to my head, the moistness of the   that shadow is indeed the white
kobold's life-fluids on my hands.       wolverine.
Only vaguely do I recall the white      
wolverine moving toward me as my           It whines piteously as a strange
mind moves dreamily on, somehow         glow surrounds it. The glow grows
seeing past the veil of this world,     in intensity until I cannot bear to
into a realm of hazy images and         look directly at it; averting my
throbbing lights. Through myriad        eyes, I watch its silhouette upon
shapes and forms I glimpse another      the far war as it changes, begin-
world, and as I focus my attention      ning to rise, then falling with
on it, I am grasped and drawn           a low moan as it collapses in a
somehow toward its surface.             heap on the ground. The glow fades
                                        and I stare in fascination, for no
   Then, as I become aware of being     longer do I see a wolverine, but
on the ground, the colors in my mind    rather the form of a shapely woman.
suddenly shape the forms of hateful     I am mesmerized as she stands, her
creatures of the forest; Hobgoblins,    silvery mane of hair scintillating
Forest Trolls and others I have only    in the moonlight like a magick
heard about in stories, all marching    waterfall over her body.
toward a walled city. The walls look    
familiar and I'm certain I've been        Glancing my way briefly, she walks
there, but I can't recall it's name.    purposely to a notched rock in
                                        the cave and removes some leather
   Pain; pain draws me back from        boots and a torkaan-pelt coat.
these thoughts, and as I slowly         Despite some trepidation, I cannot
become more conscious of my body I      help but smile appreciatively as she
feel sore muscles. The ringing in my    dresses. Even in this diffuse
head, caused by the kobold's final      light I can see that she is truly
blow, is fading, but with exception     beautiful. She reaches once more
of lacerations and bruises, I think     behind the rock and retrieves a
I am of good health.                    pouch from which she takes fire-
                                        making equipment. Soon, the fire
   As my eyes to adjust to the low      not only illuminates the cave but
light level, I note my surroundings.    makes it comfortable. She stands
A pale moon shines through the          and approaches me with a reassuring
leaves of windak trees at the           smile as she takes from the pouch
entrance to -- what is this -- a        what appears to be Arfanas Stem,
cave I'm in? My possessions lay         although in leaf form. She says
nearby, my scimitar glistening in       something in an unfamiliar dialect
the moonlight within my grasp. As I     and points to my wounds.
move my hand toward the gilded hilt     
of this, my favorite curved weapon,        Gently and with care I take
a shadow rises near the mouth of the    the leaves from her hand and, as
opening, and I hear a low growl         taught by old Earil, crush and rub
echoing off the walls of the cavern.    then roughly on my wounds, causing
I stop reaching, and cautiously sit     their healing fluid to be absorbed.
up. I wait tensely, and as my sore      As I sigh at the easing of pains I
hadn't even realized I had, she       
smiles and kneels at my side.         
                                                 New Beginning
   Fearing the worst, I cannot help              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
but ask, "Art thou a creature of the  
Unlife? For I have heard of events      ______   by Leonardo
like those witnessed this night, and   /~/~~\~\        HalfShell
they spake of great evil, and         |~|    |~|
magick."                              |~|    |~|
                                      |~|    |~|
   Eyes the colour and intensity of   |~|    |~| 'Child of War,
emeralds shine in the firelight as     \~\__/~/ Born of Lust and Greed.
she shakes her head, which causes       ~~~~~~  No Place to Call Home,
her hair to ripple again and --               No Life to Lead.
Unlife or not -- my fingers ache to             
stroke it. She speaks again in the            O'Child of Fear
foreign tongue. Seeing my confusion           Part of Two Worlds.
a thoughtful look crosses her face,           Branded by Fate,
and then suddenly an idea brightens           To Belong to Neither.
those lovely features. She points at          
my heap of possessions, a forest              O'Child of Fear,
troll scalp in particular. When she           Cling Tight to Your Mother.
speaks again it is with words I can           But Love Does Exist,
understand, at least somewhat. "Akt           When it's for Another.
prenkikt trirkog, gret preng                  
gunkikt," she says in a delightful            O'Child of Hope,
mixture of grunts and low growls.             Fear Not the Future.
                                              With the Scope of the Mind,
   I learned this tongue from a               Essence You Nurture.
young troll Earil had rescued. The            
language is stilted and hard to               O'Child of Life,
fathom but I, too, was young then             Look Not on the Past.
and enamored of the huge creature.            With a Goal to Achieve,
As she continues explaining, I                Happiness Will Last.
puzzle out that she did something
to defeat a great mage, or possibly
a cleric, the price of which was
   Slowly and painstakingly we           
communicate our tales, much of the       watch as the sun's rays steal into
time in sign language. But I learn       the cave, and she removes her
her name is Fayden, and that she         clothing, stashing it back into
comes from Shaaljin, which is across     the notched rock. There is no glow
the sea and to the north. To my          this time, and the change is quick.
amazement she says she has lived         Suddenly she snarls in my direction
since the time of the "great             but does not attempt to reach me.
magician" but before I can ask           With one last look, she pads from
further dawn approaches and she          the cave, I can only presume in
becomes greatly agitated. She            search of the morning's prey.
hurriedly explains that during the       
light of day, she is no longer in           My mind whirls and exhaustion
control of her form and becomes the      overtakes me. And soon I am
wolverine -- not only in body, but       slipping in and out of a restless
in mind. Pushing my possessions          sleep with wakeful dreams as I
toward me she aids me in reaching a      wonder what the coming night -- 
ledge on the curved surface of the       and Fayden -- will bring. For above
cave. It is from this perch that I       all, I hope she will come back.
 Forest Trolls of the Upper Kaldsfang:
    ____              The Origin of Kulthean Treasure
 |~|    \|              As told by Owlet Stalmorgan
 |~|   __   
 |~|  |--|
 |~|    ||enned full-size from the compost of the Forest floor
  \~\__//  He rose three meters tall into the leafy air.
   ~~~~~ Obeying the dim directives of his kind who'd gone before
     He wrenched a limb from a nearby windak,
     And crudely fashioned a cudgel with his teeth.
     He stood and waited.
     There was time and no time. Except for the soft
     Shiftings of his feet -- whose tendrils could not be allowed
     To root, else his blood would turn to sap,
     His bones and flesh to wood -- he stood in place,
     Waiting. Waiting.
     A sudden scurry, cudgel smash, and at his feet
     A goblin lay, already returning to the Forest,
     Its ringmail, coins and hammer gleaming in the speckled sunlight.
     He chewed and worked the cudgel, claw hollowing until
     It formed a small box shape, locked with a scrap of armor.
     From the mail he tore a ring, tossed it high into the air.
     It spun down and down through the golden sunlight
     Until it became gold itself. He placed it in the chest
     With the gathered coins, then stooped and retrieved the hammer.
     Waiting. Waiting.
     A Greater Orc strode past, thought him a tree and paid no heed.
     A Lesser Orc arrived. Two swift blows with the hammer
     And Orc, too, lay dead. He took its sword, snapped in two,
     And twirled one piece in his mighty hands into a rod.
     Holding his creation in the air he shuddered as the Essence
     Passed into it. He placed the new wand gently in the chest.
     The endless Forest day stretched into time and no time.
     He sensed something before he saw them, heard their voices
     Faint against the insect background of his glen.
     And then they were there, two together; one large, one small.
     Like the Greater Orc they saw only a tree, and paused,
     The smaller fiddling unwarily with backpack and shield.
     Smash! The hammer crashed on the smaller's back! It fell.
     The larger roared its rage, a cry, a sob, "Ahh, Kat!"
     And swung its sword, the glowing arc severing fur and muscle.
     Pain, the hammer's sudden heaviness, the spinning sky,
     He saw the awful blade descend again, and felt its cold
     Slice into his being. With glazing eyes he saw the smaller rise.
     Unsteadily it raised its sword. "Finish it, Kat!" the larger said.
     The sword rose, patterned in dappled gold, and fell. He screamed...
     And then, as the smaller skinned and took his hide, the rest
     Returning to the Forest, the larger cried again. "Look! A chest!"

Tales of the Unlife, Volume I:
                         Descent Into the Barrow
                      As translated by Lythe L'Green
          This account of the graveyard was dug up by Lythe while
          rummaging through some old scrolls. A few hours later
          he had translated it from the ancient language of the
          first settlers of Kelfour's into our more modern tongue.
 ||~~|~|~~||                                Perhaps the most terrifying
 ~~  |~|  ~~                             aspect of the forest was the total
     |~|                                 absence of sound. There was no
     |~| he Unlife takes many forms,     reassuring owl's hoot, no distant
     |~|  some subtle, some chaotic,     howl of the wolf. No bird sang
    ~~~~~ some mundane, some fantastic.  here, no animal called it home. When
All are totally and irredeemably evil.   I broke a twig underfoot, the soft
Though it pains me, I shall now tell     'craaaaaack' seemed to echo off the
the tale of a foolish venture made by    gnarled tree trunks. Most forests
myself to confront one of the might-     are beautiful places of life; this
iest servants the Unlife.                was a forest of death.
   As you may know, an ancient grave-       It wasn't long before the first
yard lies several miles outside the      alarming incident of the journey
city of Kelfour's. This graveyard,       occurred: I lost my companion! While
though once a place where the mightiest  he tarried a moment to rest, I had
warriors and heroes of Quellbourne       gone out of sigt to see what was
were laid to rest, has been perverted    ahead. I could not find the way
by the unholy. I travelled to it from    back, and my searching was to no
Kelfour with one companion. I cannot     avail. I resolved to proceed to the
now recall his name, most likely be-     center of the forest in hopes that
cause the horror of our misadventure     my friend would do he same.
has repressed it in my mind.             
                                            After journeying a little longer,
   We set out on a happy enough note,    I finally reached a clearing. An
walking through plains where the only    old, rotting sign indicated that I
activity was the occasional rogue        was at my destination: This was the
torkaan that had strayed from the        old graveyard. A small trail
flock. We crossed over an old bridge     starting at the sign led down a
so that we'd not have to experience      hill. I followed eagerly.
the icy waters of the Coldwaether,       
and continued up a train that lead to       At the end of this train I found
a forest. Here, the trail ended.         a massive bronze gate. The friend
                                         I had travelled with was sitting
   Now this forest was not the           beside it. Luckily, he had found
peaceful type that most of us are        his own way unharmed. He explained
familiar with. It was a dark and         that the gate was very heavy and
enchanted place, which fed on the        would not budge. Strapping my
forces of the Unlife for sustenance.     shield onto my back and sheathing
Massive, hulking trees blotted out       my sword, I suggested we push toge-
the sun, casting everything into an      ther. It was very heavy indeed but
eternal nightworld. Twisted roots        after much exertion we managed to
overtook the forest floor, killing       open it a crack just barely large
off any smaller shrubs that dared        enough for us to slip through.
to live there.
    No sooner than we were inside        A victory had been claimed for the
the confines of the graveyard, were      moment. We then prepared for our
we assaulted by the minions of the       next and final encounter at the
Unlife. Skeletons, supported by some     hideous graveyard.
sinister force, clambered toward us      
wielding cruel-looking daggers.             Long before this venture into the
Quickly taking sword in hand, I          graveyard, I had done much research
smashed the skeleton before it could     at the library of Kelfour. Amid the
strike. It fell apart, its bones         tomes and grimoures devoted to the
never to walk the earth again. My        Unlife, I had found a mysterious
companion took a swipe at another        arcane phrase which was purported to
and was equally successful.              be spoken repeatedly by the builders
                                         of the crypt we were now in. For no
   Nothing else seemed to bother us      better reason than to see the
for the time being, so I took a          effect, I spoke the mystic words:
moment to survey our surroundings.       "Kadaena throk farok!"
The place was utterly lifeless. It       
was more than the lack of life --           Suddenly, I felt an icy, cold
more even than the presence of           force swirling about my body. I had
death. This was the Unlife. Before I     become the focal point of an unholy
came to the graveyard, I thought         power which was channeled by the
that death was the opposite of life.     words. I heard nothing -- well, I
Now I know that it is simply a           don't think I did -- although after-
middle-ground. The Unlife is a force     wards I remembered faint, ominous
which is completely alien to all         chuckle in the distance. The mists
that is living. It feeds on life,        circled about me until I could see
growing stronger by squeezing the        naught but darkness. Then, as slowly
lifeblood out of all that is good.       as they came, the mists cleared
It devours souls, corrupts virtue        and I saw that I was in a new place,
into nightmarish evil, torments          a system of tunnels beneath the
believers in goodness until they cry     graveyard. My companion stood beside
out to be dead. It rips apart and        me, as frightened as I was.
damns the mightiest warriors and is      
the malignant source of all sin,            Aimlessly, we travelled within
death, and hate. And this graveyard      those tunnels; they formed a maze.
was its incarnation.                     Whenever we thought we were heading
                                         in one direction, we'd suddenly end
   In the center of the graveyard        up in a place we'd already been.
lay an ominous stone crypt. I knew       After hours of these, we finally
that if we were to continue our trek     found the beginning of a tunnel that
into the heart of the Unlife, this       seemed different from the rest. It
would be our next stop. Inside, we       went clear through the earth, with
were once again confronted by its        no supports to prevent cave-ins.
evil minions. The ancient, mummified     Surely it had resisted erosion over
remains of once-great warriors           the centuries due to some dark force
lumbered towards us: over and over       not known to man.
again, we chopped at them with our       
swords, but they kept rising again          At the end of this tunnel was the
to fight us. Much blood was shed;        interior of a barrow. Great
their overwhelming strength battered     treasures lined the walls, heaps of
us, and I owe my survival only to my     silver coins -- enough to stock a
armor and the training of the            king's treasury -- a myriad of
greatest guildmasters of Kelfour.        glistening jewels, great weapons of
After nearly an hour of fending off      the finest dwarven smiths. Fever-
these terrible brutes, we sat to         ishly, we began scooping handsful
rest a moment above their remains.       of treasure into our backpacks until
we could carry no more. That was when           The Art of Parrying
the treasures' Lord arrived.                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   I had heard of such creatures as               by Eron Kulsen
barrow wights but had disregarded       
them as fictional. But there it stood,   _________
one of the Unlife's greatest servants.   ~|_|~~~||
The image of that entity has burned       |~|   ~~
itself upon my memory forever. Unlike     |~|==|  
the mummies and skeletons that had        |~|   __ ver get tired of spend-
challenged us earlier, the wight had      |~|___||  ing 10 minutes killing
no attachment to the physical world.      ~~~~~~~~  a stinkin' Hobgoblin?
The mummies were supported by their       I sure as heck do! Most hunters
wraps, the skeletons has at least         advise you to parry so the monster
bones. But the wight was a shadowed,      can't hit you, but this can take
noncorporeal being that was vaguely       forever because you might only have
man-like at best. Where eyes might        a +2 to +10 OB on him, or you get
have been on a man, two red spots         bad rolls.
glowed like burning embers, full of       
hatred for all that lives.                Sound familiar? Well, I like to
                                          take advantage of Round Times when
   My companion reacted quickly by        I'm alone and in this situation.
swinging his sword at the wight.          When I come upon a monster, I parry
However, as his sword slashed toward      high (100, just in case) and then I
it, the being's form shifted and was      wait for _it_ to attack _me_. Once
missed by the blade. Then, with vicious   it has, I quickly PARRY 0 and
claws, it ripped the still-beating        attack it, thus giving me a high OB
heart from his chest. It turned toward    for that hit. As soon as my Round
me, and gestured. It exuded a fear        Time is finished, I parry back up
fear unlike any I had know before of      hopefully (and usually) before the
since, and I dropped everything to run    monster has a chance to attack me a
as fast as my legs would allow through    second time. Then we do the dance
the tunnel. Before it could reach me,     all over again.
I gained control of myself and used a     
magic ring I had been saving, should      This works because the monster also
such a situation develop. I slipped it    has a Round Time and it can't do
off my finger and back on to summon the   anything while I kick its butt! By
spell, and before I knew it, I was        the time its RT is over, I'm back
sitting back in my cottage in Kelfour,    to PARRY 100. This technique works
still trembling. Let this tale be a       well if you use macros. Personally,
testimonial to those who would follow:    I wouldn't dare try it without 'em!
Some things are too dark and evil for     
man to challenge.                         
  ||                                                                        |
  ||                             --HALL OF FAME--                           |
  ||  Bard     Mendle Seldagrave     15  | High Man   Benar Stormarm     12 |
  ||  Mage     Dagmar Istarii        15  | Common Man Beolost Lamontt    10 |
  ||  Thief    Valeria Deering       17  | Halfling   Doppel Ganger       8 |
  ||  Fighter  Kirc Bloodguard       12  | Dwarf      Vesitsa Talchild   13 |
  ||  Healer   Vesitsa Talchild      13  | Wood Elf   Celeborn Greyswndir 7 |
  ||  Cleric   Erebor Bordeaux       13  | Fair Elf   Valeria Deering    17 |
  ||  Sorceror Magnetron Ramthanodox  9  | High Elf   Strom O'Berin       7 |
  ||  Ranger   Landreth DeLorde      15  | Half Elf   Dagmar Istarii     17 |
Another winner!
                       Ballad of the Birth of Kelfour
             ______           by Lythe L'Green
           |~|    |~|
           |~|    |~|
           |~|    |~|
           |~|    |~|nce there was a Land of Nothing,
            \~\__/~/  It knew not the Song of Life:
             ~~~~~~ No lyric bard was there to sing,
                      For emptiness and void were rife.
                    But watching from a distant Land,
                      The gods saw that 'twas Wrong.
                    Shaping this void with a divine hand,
                      They forged Elanthia to last long.
                    The Halflings humbly tilled the soil,
                      The Dwarves built halls of stone --
                    And Elves came from the wood to toil,
                      Aside the Mannish people,
                        to build a home.
    /\/     \/\     Though their work was very rough,
   |-| THIRD |-|      It yielded a fine place to live.
   |-| PLACE |-|    And the name of "Squire's Bluff,"
    \/\_____/\/       Was what they chose to give.
      // | \\
     //  |  \\      Yet Elanthia was a mortal Land,
    |/ / |\  \|       And all such things must end...
    || ||||| ||     Again came the divine hand,
     \/\/\/\/\/       To tear asunder what had been won.
                    But the gods loved the Men,
                      Halflings, Dwarves, and Elves --
                    So they were swept away, to a new place:
                      And 'tis where we stand even now.
                  Yes, Kelfour is that new Land,
                      And though ye surely miss the last --
                    Remember that 'tis your Love,
                      That makes it what it is:
                        And in this way, Elanthia and Kelfour
                          Are but One.
Check your HEALTH:
                      Herbs and Their Effects on Injuries
                        by Angelique Lovelin-Niranda
                   Compiled from the personal experiences of a mage,
                   the author suggests you combine the following
 ____      ____    information with a grain of salt. Check with a
 +|~|      |~|+    bonafide healer for more authoritative advice.
  |~|  __  |~|     
  |~| /~~\ |~|     
  |~/~/  \~\~| ORST CASE SCENARIO:  You're out hunting with a party and
  |~_/    \_~|  get separated from them. Suddenly a wolverine or troll
  ~~~      ~~~  mauls you. You manage to get away but only to discover
that you have a fractured leg that's bleeding badly. You have no amulet
or ring and you're lost. You're cut off from the world with no healer in
sight. You have some herbs but which to use? And you probably have only
seconds to decide. Hopefully, this manual will help you stabilize until
you can get real help. Oh, yes -- take some Edram Moss for that leg.
FATAL INJURIES: I never knew anyone to survived these as instant death
occurs... decapitations, disembowelments, brain and heart strikes are
examples. Don't worry about them because you'll never know what hit you.
CRITICAL INJURIES: Bleeding from ears or throat, dismembered limbs,
spinal strikes, destroyed eyes, deep chest and gut wounds are examples of
critical injuries. Chances of living thru any of them are slim because
you're probably stunned, helpless and bleeding like a stuck pig. If you're
with friends and they drag you away, you might make it.
Retreat immediately! You probably lost 80% of your Concussion Points and
bleeding will finish you off even if the monster doesn't get you again.
See BLEEDING for emergency treatment.
BLEEDING: This is a horrible killer. If you're bleeding, stop fighting and
run! Get treatment fast 'cause otherwise you're going to die! No heroics;
with blood, it's panic city!
                                   Bleeding Head: Eat Arfanas Stem
                                   Bleeding Chest: Eat Pasamar Grass
                                   Bleeding Limbs: Eat Edram Moss
If you're bleeding you've probably lost most of your Concussion Points so
eat some Akbutege Leaf; that will restore them and help you survive another
attack. But make sure to stop that bleeding.
POISON: This can kill you if it's strong. Sometimes you can ride it out
but why take the chance? Find a healer and it it treated!
Take Akbutege Leaf to restore Concussion Points.
DISEASE: Rabid bites from torkaans, wolverines and bears can poison you.
I once died of this. Horrible; take disease seriously! It's a progressive
thing that can worsen with time. If you ride it out, you can be left with
maiming nerve damage. See a healer to cure it, and if you have to go to
Surtey, make sure you don't have minor wounds. He'll ignore the disease
and tie you down, treating the small stuff while you die of infection!

Eat Akbutege Leaf to get back the rapidly disappearing Concussion Points.
Eat Terbas Leaf or Yuth Flower for nerve defects.
(NOTE: Will not cure active disease, only fix old damage.)

CHEST AND ABDOMEN WOUNDS: A sucking chest wound can finish you fast.

Eat Parsamar Grass for bleeding chest or abdomen!

BACK WOUNDS AND INJURIES: You can break your back by trying to climb
things with insufficient climbing skills. That will slow you down and make
your round time very long indeed.

Eat Parsamar Grass for bleeding.

LIMBS TORN OFF: Chances of living through this are slim because you're
usually stunned and helpless for a few rounds. Major bleeding accompanies
this injury and unless you act fast you're going to die! Get treatment
immediately! Missing legs slow you down, missing arms mean you can't carry
weapons or shields.

Eat Edram Moss to stop the bleeding!

FRACTURED LIMBS: Nasty messy injury, usually accompanied by blood.
Fractured legs slow you down. Fractured arms lower your ability to defend
yourself. Too much damage to a fractured limb and you'll lose it.

Eat Edram moss to stop bleeding!

LACERATIONS: After bleeding is treated, lacerations are no longer life-
threatening. Too many untreated lacerations, however, can turn into one
big messy fractured limb!

HEAD WOUNDS: Usually accompanied by destroyed eyes or bleeding ears.

Eat Arfanas Stem to stop Bleeding and repair Major wounding.
Drink Baldakur Potion to restore lost eye.

EYE DESTROYED: Lose both of them and you're blind! Probably lowers your
perception skills. Thieves take notice!

Drink Baldakur Potion to restore missing eye.
MUSCLE SPASMS: Serious nerve damage.  Result of poison, rabid bites, or
repeated over-spell casting.
Eat Yuth Flower
STRANGE MUSCLE TWITCHING: Common injury for novices who over-extended
themselves while spell casting. You can still cast, but if you over-extend
again your nervous system will be ruined!

Eat Terbas Leaf and learn to live with slurred speech. (See below)



BRUISES: Look bad but mostly harmless. Probably lowers something but I
don't know what. Skills like climbing or lockpicking perhaps? If you get
too many bruises, they will become a laceration!

repeated over-spell casting. Not good!

MUSCLE TWITCHING: Minor nerve damage. Result of over-casting spells.



If you're not lucky enough to see a real healer you may get stuck with
Surtey the Quack! To be fair, he will probably save your life but you
will be maimed, mutilated and mangeled.

PERMANENT MUTILATIONS: I don't even like the sound of this one! Something
must be lowered as long as you have this!

MUTILATIONS TO HEAD: This particular maiming makes it impossible for you
to search your kills, thus rendering you unable to earn a living. It also
renders spellcasters helpless because they cannot cast spells.

MISSING LIMBS: Surtey can't save a destroyed limb. Learn to use crutches.
This makes you real slow.  Missing arms means you do without weapon or
shield depending on which arm is gone.

MANGLED LIMBS: Mangled legs may slow you down. Mangled arms may weaken
you or lower your skills.

PAINFUL SCARS: These are major defects and they lower things like skills
or prevent use of some abilities.

SLURRED SPEECH: Result of nerve damage during spell casting. May reduce
your abilities with directed spells.

BLACK EYES: Seem harmless. Might affect perception or trading skills?

OLD BATTLE SCARS: Maybe harmless. Might affect trading skills?    (Cont.)
Specially prepared Akbutege Leaf, folded into correct dosages, can heal
concussion damage.  (10 doses)
This is a MUST HAVE herb for your first-aid kit. Remember, even if you
make it to the healer's tent, Surtey (the butcher) is slow and you can die
waiting for him. Have this on hand to restore points and stretch your
living time when your life's blood is seeping away.
2. Wifurwif Lichen  (MINOR WOUNDS to Nervous System)
A special cave lichen, famed for curing minor damage of the nervous system.
(4 doses)
3. Belrama Potion  (MAJOR WOUNDS to Nervous System)
Belrama mixed into a special potion.  Known to cure serious nervous system
damage, but has no effect on minor damage.  (4 doses)
4. Terbas Leaf  (MINOR DEFECTS of Nervous System)
Prepared Terbas Leaf, known to repair minor nervous system defects
(usually caused by previous damage).  (3 doses).
Known to cure slurred speech due to over-extended spell-casting
5. Yuth Flower  (MAJOR DEFECTS of Nervous System)
Ground Yuth Flower, famed to help repair serious nervous system defects caused by previous damage. Has no effect on minor defects. (2 doses)

Known to cure muscle spasms due to over-extended spell-casting
6. Arnuminas Leaf  (MINOR WOUNDS to Limbs)
Specially prepared Arnuminas Leaf, folded into correct dosages, can heal
minor limb wounds.  (4 doses)
7. Edram Moss  (MAJOR WOUNDS to Limbs)
Dried Edram Moss, acclaimed to cause rapid healing of serious and critical
limb wounds, but has no effect on minor damage. (2 doses)
Stops limb bleeding. This is a MUST HAVE herb for your first-aid kit!
8. Dagmather Spine  (MINOR SCARRING of Limbs)
Extracted Dagmather Spine, known to remove minor scarring and defects from
limbs. (4 doses)
9. Curfalaka Fruit  (MAJOR SCARRING of Limbs)
Preserved Curfalaka Fruit, famed to help repair (only) serious limb defects.
(2 doses)
10. Rewk Potion  (MINOR WOUNDS to Head)
Rewk extract mixed into a special potion.  Heals minor wounds about the
head.  (4 doses)
11. Arfanas Stem  (MAJOR WOUNDS to Head)
Ground Arfandas Stem, known to help heal serious and critical wounds to the
head, but has no effect on minor damage.  (2 doses)
Stops head bleeding. This is a MUST HAVE herb for your first-aid kit!
12. Hegheg Root  (MINOR SCARRING of Head)
Prepared Hegheg root, mixed into a tasteless paste.  Removes scarring
around the facial and head area.  (4 doses)
13. Bursthelas Potion  (MAJOR SCARRING of Head)
Bursthelas juice mixed into a potion. Helps repair serious and critical
defects to the head and face area, but has no effect on minor defects.
(2 doses)
14. Berterin Moss  (MINOR WOUNDS to Chest, Belly, and Back)
Dried Berterin Moss, known to provide immediate healing of MINOR internal
and external organ damage. (4 doses)
15. Pasamar Grass  (MAJOR WOUNDS to Chest, Belly, and Back)
Prepared Pasamar Grass, tastes terrible but you can eat it. Helps heal
SERIOUS internal and external injuries. (2 doses)
Stops gut bleeding. Another MUST HAVE herb for your first-aid kit!
16. Tarnas Potion  (MINOR SCARRING of Chest, Belly, and Back)
Boiled  mixed into a special potion. Repairs MINOR DEFECTS to internal and
external organs. (4 doses)
17. Wekwek Potion  (MAJOR SCARRING of Chest, Belly, and Back)
Wekwek plant extract mixed into a powerful potion. Helps repair SERIOUS
and CRITICAL DEFECTS to internal and external organs. (2 doses)
Use for permanent mutilations and painful scarring of abdomen and chest.
18. Baldakur Potion  (EYE RESTORATIVE)
The mystical Baldakur potion, the one substance known to regenerate a lost
eye. (1 dose)
19. Siran Clove  (LIMB RESTORATIVE)
The very rare Siran Clove. Once eaten will cause quick regeneration of a
lost limb. (1 dose)
Healers are beloved because they restore you to full health by taking
your injuries upon themselves. They suffer your wounds, a heroic and
painful way to make a living. One has to hear the Call to be a healer.
If you are a new healer, seek out experienced healers to learn your trade.
They have reference charts that are far better than this incomplete manual.
Healers DO NOT steal field experience! I have Rhiannon's word on this.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by receiving treatment
from a real healer.
Use your amulet to call for healers and meet them at Surtey's tent or the
temple. Set your ring for the healer's tent. If a healer is available,
he or she will probably be waiting for you there. If not, see Surtey the
Quack as a last resort! Remember, if Surtey touches you no healer can undo
the scarring!
Buy herbs from a healer if you can. You get big savings over buying
direct from the alchemist. If you do buy from the alchemist mind your
manners and don't bargain too low. If you bargain too well, he won't deal
with you anymore and you'll be barred from the herbs you need.
SURTEY AKRASH, the Resident Quack!
The only good thing I have to say about this Quack is that he's mar-
ginally better than dying. He charges an arm and a leg, and his sloppy
techniques and contaminated herbs always leave you mangled, maimed, and
mutilated. How he became the towns's official healer has more to do with
greasing palms than it does with any actual medical knowledge. :)
IF YOU REALLY MUST SEE SURTEY and if you're bleeding, diseased, or
seriously poisoned and you also have several minor bruises and lacerations,
then you're as good as dead! Surtey will strap you down and treat your
injuries at random. If you're losing points at 15 per round from rabies,
he may start working on your bruised eye, you will die before he gets to
the real problem. Don't get on that butcher's table if you can possibly
get a real healer. If no healers are around, then eat Akbutege Leaf to
give Surtey the time he needs for his hit-or-miss medical techniques.
If you have friends seeing Surtey, and you have minor injuries, STAY OUT
OF THE TENT! Surtey will drop what he's doing and beg you for business
while his desperate patients bleed to death!
Carry Edram Moss and Akbutege Leaf. They are the most useful herbs.
You might be able to slow (but not stop) bleeding by dressing the area,
but you may need FIRST AID skills to do this. Try TEND <area> command.
For example: TEND RIGHT ARM or TEND ABDOMEN  or TEND HEAD. Remember, this
is a last ditch effort but it might work.
Don't travel alone unless you have to. Wear a helmet, boots, arm and leg
greaves and an aventail to prevent bad criticals. A friend of mine once
took a neck wound because he didn't wear an aventail. The result was a
severed artery and a messy death in 30 seconds!
                           GemStone CrossWords
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           |27 |   |   |XXX|28 |   |   |   |   |XXX|29 |   |   |
           |30 |   |XXX|31 |   |   |   |   |XXX|32 |   |   |   |
           |XXX|33 |34 |   |   |   |   |XXX|35 |   |   |   |   |
           |XXX|XXX|36 |   |   |   |XXX|37 |   |   |   |XXX|XXX|
           |38 |39 |   |   |   |XXX|40 |   |   |   |   |41 |XXX|
           |42 |   |   |XXX|43 |44 |   |   |   |XXX|45 |   |46 |
           |47 |   |XXX|XXX|48 |   |   |   |XXX|XXX|49 |   |   |
                              by Phaedra Bleu
 ACROSS                 37 Hourly charge          19 Cease & desist
 ~~~~~~                 38 Admire much            20 Bite the dust (2 wds)
 1 Pts.                 40 See Surtey again       21 God
 4 Guides               42 Male descendant        22 Fathers
 8 Kill (abbr)          43 Attacks                24 "Fer shure"
10 Neither              45 Corny holder           26 Looked at one (2 wds)
11 Month in Seol        47 What you use           28 Party leaders
12 Mine critter (abbr)  48 Drinks slowly          29 Flows
13 Avoid spell          49 Right,up,right (abbr)  31 Old Russian "king"
15 Deed getter                                    32 Common leave-taking
17 One way to go        DOWN                      34 Ever and ____ (poetic)
18 Prayer cadence       ~~~~                      35 Consumes
19 Weeds in Seol         1 Right,up (abbr)        37 Certain colors
21 Water, potion         2 Digital logic          38 Snake
23 Sheep (abbr)          3 Start spell            39 Manual (abbr)
24 Horse controller      4 Wire                   40 Obituary (abbr)
25 I am, he __           5 Tiny critter           41 2K lbs.
27 Poetic form           6 See 32 Across          44 Computer smarts (abbr)
28 Thirteenth planet     7 Long-term strength     46 To __
29 Time period           8 Creative expression   ___________________________ 
30 3.14 etc.             9 Appendage            |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
31 Near rats            11 Rests                | K | E | L | F | O | U | R |
32 Compass pts.         12 Fish residence       |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|
33 Not difficult        14 Dropped in water     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
                                                | E | D | I | T | I | O | N |

See Also: