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Cover painting
by Randy Berrett
Package design
by Michael LaBash |
AS I LAY DYING...
I pray my
body does not fail me before I am able to complete this most important
missive. I pray as well that, somehow, the heroes who once before
saved Skara Brae will find this accounting and act upon it. I
leave this record so those who come after will know what horrors
that the Mad God Tarjan has perpetrated, and so that they will
not be lulled into believing that Skara Brae was his sole target.
How can I
describe that day. Nay, it did not begin like all others, for
on that day we celebrated the victory over Mangar that had so
recently liberated our city. Bards from the world over arrived
in Skara Brae to play and herald the brave deeds of those heroes
who saved us. The townspeople danced in the streets with happiness,
and the great festival filled all with an overwhelming joy of
life and renewed hope for the future.
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Then Mangar's
Master, The Mad God Tarjan, arrived to reduce our day of celebration
into a day of mourning. His shadow sank the city into pitiless black
oblivion. Foul creatures that had festered in his flesh like maggots
burst forth to assault fair Skara Brae. People ran, but could not
run swiftly enough to escape. Tarjan's minions left none untouched.
Forgive the
shakiness of my script, for life ebbs painfully from my body as
I write. Tarjan, mocking my death curse, told me Skara Brae was
merely one in a series of conquests he had long contemplated to
complete his revenge. He laughed when I said heroes would come to
destroy his mad plan, yet I sensed fear in his voice when I promised
that the legendary Hawkslayer, and those who defeated Mangar, would
return again to triumph. As payment for my threat, he gave a swift
twist of his jewelled sword into my belly.
Tarjan must
be stopped. Whosoever reads this, you must get word to the heroes.
This will be their greatest challenge, for upon their efforts rests
the fate of more than Skara Brae, more than the Six Cities of the
plains. Their failure will mean the extinction of all life—save
for the wretched Tarjan and his servile parasites. Pray for success...
and life renewed. |
Your
fighters are all thumbs,
your mages speechless,
and your bard is scared sober.
Things are looking pretty bleak.
. .
Skara Brae
is in ruins. Roscoe's Energy Emporium stands vacant. The Equipment
Shoppe went under so quickly Garth was crushed. Your Bard hasn't
stopped whimpering since he realized all the taverns were closed....
Someone—or
some thing—has sealed the city's fate with an evil so
vast, so unspeakable, that a host of Paladins and an army of Archmages
are out-matched. Hard times call for subtlety. Smaller is better.
Sneakier is better. What the world needs now is a thief.
The Thief of
Fate.
Better
than Ever!
- New
auto-map feature lets you leave your scribe at home.
- Enhanced
Save Game allows you to take a breather anywhere.
- Not copy
protected. Faster than Bard's Tale I or II.
- Seven kinds
of spellcasters—including new Chronomancers and Geomancers—thirteen
character classes in all, male or female.
- Over 100
spells—including Magma Blast, Earth Maw, and Far Death.
- Over 500
kinds of monsters want to meet you. Some might even join your
party.
- 84 dungeon
levels to explore, 7 dimensions to conquer.
- Colourful,
animated graphics so real you'll want to tickle the dragon's chin.
- Optional
use of Bard's Tale I and II characters, but no previous experience
required. Includes starter dungeon to bring you up to speed.
Over 500 monsters,
each deadlier than the last.
Your Rogue's
special abilities are just part of the new arsenal of tricks, spells,
and artifacts at your disposal.
Over 80 full-colour,
scrolling mazes to test the mettle of your hardiest party. Good
thing you can save the game at any location...
Lost in the
maze? Just check out your auto-map. |
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