T^he D^raining

by Flamefiend

• Hints
  (POTENTIAL SPOILERS!)

• Scenario walkthrough
  (SPOILER!)

Hint section

If you have a problem, chances are this section will help you. If not, try the walkthrough. Hints are organised with the question in large type, and the answer in small type.

Q: My spell points are decreasing and I'm not casting any spells!

A: You are experiencing the Draining. Your magic is slowly being Drained away from you.

Q: I'm getting dumbfounded for no reason.

A: See the answer to `My spell points are going down`.

Q: My mage and priest spell statistics are going down! Why?

A: See the answer to `My spell points are going down`. NB: You can put them back up again with the Character Editor when you finish the scenario (which you should be very close to doing if this is happening to you).

Q: I found a gargoyle in a goblin outpost. How do I kill it?

A: With great skill and accuracy. In other words, cast Ritual of Sanctification on the evil altar. (remember you can't cast Ritual in combat mode). Be aware that the goblins may not like you doing this. To put it mildly.
Or better yet, avoid the altar room altogether. (You did have a recent backup save file, did you not?)

Q: There's this invulnerable monster on the second level of a tower with black basalt walls. It does massive damage and has death touch! How do I get past and survive?

A: The pillar north of the monster can be walked through, so you can avoid it completely. The sign on the door does say `let's see how resourceful you are`, after all. [evil grin]

Q: Someone told me to go and kill the leader of a cult called the Esurients. Where is the cult?

A: Underneath Pabulum, the sneaky people! Go up to the northeast of Pabulum while remaining inside the city walls. Search around for secret passages. When you find one, there should be a guard blocking the way. Find a sneaky way to get past him. (See the next hint if you're really stuck.)

Q: I've found the Esurient cult, but I can't get past the guard!

A: Try talking to him. One of the words he says when you ask him about his name (it starts with J) will make him go away.

Q: I'm starving to death! Where can I get food?

A: Some of the monsters around the place leave food when you kill them. The spells Minor Manna and Manna would be quite useful, too.

Q: How do I get across the river running along the centre of the Vale?

A: There are two bridges; one at the north and one at the south. The south bridge has been destroyed, and the north bridge is guarded by a large group of pixies. The pixies will let you through if you pay a toll (or you can attack them). In Port Maren (on the east side of the river), you can take the ferry across at the docks, or buy a boat. Buying the boat is a good idea if you have the cash. Just make sure you don't take it down any waterfalls, or you won't be able to get it back up. (You could also fly over, but you'd have to stop over on an island in the middle of the river so you wouldn't fall in the water and drown).

Q: How do I exit the scenario?

A: What?! Was my scenario that bad? Did you know the hardest thing to do in this scenario is bring yourself to say Yes to the exit dialog box?

If you've eliminated the cause of the problems, go to the Border Outpost where you started the scenario and the guards will let you back out. If you haven't, you can bribe the Empire Dervish again so he'll let you past. There is also another, secret way, only available to those with vessels of a nautical persuasion and who don't have a fear of heights. Someone in Port Maren can tell you about this.

Q: Alright. So what is the secret way to exit the scenario?

A: Buy the boat in Port Maren (say `boat` to the River Captain, near the docks). Sail it south, down several waterfalls, until rocks block your way and you cannot go on. Land on the north\west bank and follow the `passage` between the mountains. Step on the white dot.

Q: Help! I keep getting massacred in the final battle!

A: Think different. (As Apple reminds us :-) ) The best way to fight this battle is not as a hack-and-slash, go-and-get-'em sort of way, but a sneaky how-do-I-exploit-the-enemy's-weaknesses sort of way. See the next hint if you're still stuck.

Q: I give up. What's the best way to fight the final battle?

A: The first thing you should do is trap the gargoyle with force barriers (fire barriers might not work, because it's immune to fire - I haven't tried it though). The pillars should help. If you could move fast enough, you could trap it with one barrier; however, you will probably need more than that. The best thing to do to deal with the guy on the throne (I'm not mentioning his name in order to prevent revealing secret plot details) is to just cast antimagic cloud on him! (Remember to cast it again when it fades away). This won't stop him from casting some (read "special") spells, though. Also, summon a few fire-immune creatures on the pillars to attack him with (Demons work really well for this!). Then just cast some protection, bless, and haste spells on your best fighter, and put him or her next to the throne. Don't cast spells at the guy on the throne; he'll just get stronger (and if you've cast Antimagic Cloud on him like you should, you can't anyway). Cast Envenom on that fighter too; the guy on the throne isn't immune to poison. Be aware that the poison will wear off the fighter's weapon, so cast it several times. This battle is easier with a full party, so you have several characters healing, envenoming (is that a word?!) and protecting the fighter constantly. Keep in mind that missile weapons often don't work, as he has too much armour. Oh, and try and kill him within 20 turns of the battle starting. Trust me on this one. You don't want him to survive for that long.

Walkthrough (SPOILER!)

This walkthrough is organized into sections according to your objective in each section. This is the most direct and quick way to complete the scenario; however, you will miss a lot if you do it exactly as the walkthrough says. Try going and visiting a few dungeons and out-of-the-way towns and things along the way.

Say `bribe` to the Empire Dervish in the Border Fort to get into the Vale proper. Walk through both sets of gates, and walk east. Walk along the road, fight the pixies, continue along the road and keep going until you see a large town (Pabulum). Enter it. Find Will, in the Wonderous Wizardry shop (it's the one with several different types of wall on it). Say `help` to him. Read his response. Go to the northeast of Pabulum, and enter the secret passage. Say `join` to the guard near the end of the passage. Go down the stairs. Refuse to join the cult, and start fighting! Go to the southwest of town and enter the Esurient leader's bedroom. A secret passage in the southwest of the room leads to a room full of bookcases. One of the southeastern bookcases can be walked through, and leads to a throne room. Kill everyone there, and go through a secret passage in the northeast corner. Search the chest. Exit the dungeon. Say `help` to Will again.

Go to Port Maren (you may need to consult `How do I cross the river?` in the hints section) and say `Will` to Hagar, in his shop next to the barracks. Go to his shop, west of the south gate. Cast Unlock Door on the door, and search all the bookcases. Exit the town, and go to the far northeast to a forest (not the one just east of Port Maren, nor the one with a logging town in the centre). Via a complex maze of secret passages in trees and mountains, you will eventually find the town entrance for a secret glade. Enter the glade. You can only avoid the first trap if you have Woodsman skill; you can avoid the second trap by finding a secret passage in the west `wall` just after the first trap. If you fall into either trap, you will be transported to large underground cave full of lava (ouch); you can return to the glade by stepping into the portal to the north. The answer to the first riddle is `mark`; the second is `tree`. Say `tell` to the Tree Spirit, then step on the white dot next to it. Press 2, then 2 again to ask who caused the problems. Go back and tell Will. He'll give you something useful.

Find a secret passage somewhere in the eastern mountain range. Beyond is the Black Tower. Enter it. Go into the southeast section, climb the stairs hidden behind a bookcase, go north, set off the alarm, go north some more. When you see a really powerful monster that is rooted to the spot, avoid it by walking through a pillar. Go past the annoying fire breathing monsters (you can't hurt them) and walk along the secret passage next to the edge of the water. Don't enter the portal; there's a secret passage somewhere in that room that is slightly less lethal. Fight a group of assorted enemies and go through a secret passage in the southwest of the room that they're in. Go up the stairs. Go through the porticullis to be confronted by the cause of the problems. You have a choice here; ally with dark forces, or destroy them. Allying with them wins the scenario (sort of), but is not the best way to do so. Refusing results in a tough battle, but a more satisfying outcome. Once you win, exit the black tower and enter Pabulum to get half of your reward. After you've been to Pabulum (not before), when you enter Port Maren, you will get the other half of your reward. Then proceed to the border fort (west of Pabulum), where you started the scenario. The guards will let you past the blockade and out of the scenario. Checkmate!