Games PC MIGHT AND MAGIC-WORLD OF XEEN User Manual

™

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Designed and Directed by

Jon Van Caneghem

Programmed by

Mark Caldwell

Sound Programming

Mike Heilemann

Music

Tim Tully

Dave Hathaway

Voices

Computer Graphics

Jonathan P. Gwyn Bonnie Long-Hemsath Julia Ulano Ricardo Barrera

Robert Axilrod Catherine Battistone Alan Bergreen Steve Bulin Louise Chamis Barbara Goodson

Technical/Creative Writing

Paul Rattner Debbie Van Caneghem Jon Van Caneghem

Mike Heilemann Chris Hoff Bill Kapezi Tom Keane Joyce Kurtz

Production

Richard Espy Scott McDaniel

Dave Mallow Ed Mannix Kery Mayham Tim Miller

Manual Illustrations

April Lee

Debra Packer Mike Reynolds Hilary Sax Doug Stone Dave Thomas

90-Day Limited Warranty

New World Computing, Inc., warrants the original diskette on which this program is recorded to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase. If such a defect should occur during this 90-day period, you may return the diskette to New World Computing, Inc., for a free replacement diskette. After 90 days, enclose $10.00 to cover costs of media replacement and shipping charges.

This warranty is only effective if you have previously returned the Product Registration Card for this product or include a copy of your receipt for the program.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF XEEN

Thank you for purchasing World of Xeen. This special CD-ROM version of the game is really two games (Clouds of Xeen and Darkside of Xeen) rolled into one, with two differences: One, your characters are able to travel from one game to the other, doubling the size of the world available for exploration. Two, CDROM technology has made possible the use of digitized speech in all places that call for it.

The structure of the World of Xeen is a flat square. Travel between the two sides of the world is easy: The small pyramids scattered about Clouds of Xeen (the side of the world your characters will start on) can be used to travel to the pyramid in Castleview on the Darkside, and the Castleview pyramid will take you to the pyramid outside Vertigo in Clouds of Xeen. Rumor has it there may yet be other methods of travelling between the two sides.

Once you have become a flip side explorer, you will be able to complete those quests that require you to visit both sides of the world. The main quest in each of the two sides can be completed without a visit to the other, but there is a third major quest and ending that will require multiple trips between the two sides to finish. New World Computing invites anyone who completes any of the three major quests to send us your score. All who complete a quest will receive a certificate of congratulations for their accomplishment.

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THE SIXTH MIRROR

You and a small circle of friends have gathered at a local Tavern in Vertigo to discuss the events of the last several months. Your conversation bobs and weaves among subjects in between draughts of ale, but the central topic is the vivid, recurring dreams you all shared starting eight months ago.

The first dream arrived as a nightmare, frightening in its clarity and intensity. You all dreamt that you were listening to King Burlock’s adviser, Crodo, speak to you. It was as though he was talking from a great distance, and the message seemed to have been addressed to someone else:

This message is not a dream. I am sorry to trouble your sleep in this manner, but I have no other way to communicate with you. A few months ago, a man claiming to be King Burlock’s lost brother, Roland, arrived in court and announced himself to the King. Roland had left on a mission into Mount Firestone many years ago, looking for the passage to the Fabled “Land below the Land”. That Roland should return home after all these years was very good news for the King, but I had my reservations. Where had he been all this time, and why hadn’t he come home sooner?

Suspicious of him from the first, I watched him tell tales of ancient treasures and works of power. The artifact that Roland talked most about was the Sixth Mirror. The Sixth Mirror was the only magic mirror that was made to be portable, and because of this it had no name. The owner of the Mirror was able to step through it just like the other five Mirrors, but he could take this one with him.

That Roland was obsessed with the Mirror became increasingly clear with time, but the King did not seem to notice. Rather, King Burlock began to finance expeditions to find the lost mirror. Many brave and powerful adventurers answered the call, but none succeeded. In spite of repeated failures, Roland urged the King to continue the search.

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As the search grew more feverish, King Burlock began to neglect his management of the realm. The King’s health deteriorated, the servants grew lax in their duties, and the treasury ran dangerously low. I felt that I had to do something and do it soon. I resolved to sleep on it and speak to the King in the morning.

That very night I awoke to the chill kiss of dark magic being worked nearby. Rising to my feet, I gathered my robe about me and quietly walked into the hallway. From there I was able to hear muffled sounds coming from Roland’s room. Cautiously, I crept up to Roland’s room and looked through the keyhole.

To my horror, I saw Roland sitting cross-legged, holding a black tome in one hand. From a charcoal diagram on the floor arose the image of a foul spirit in the shape of a knight with horns cresting his helm. Roland was conversing with it in a harsh tongue that I did not recognize.

I must have made some sound then, for Roland abruptly turned and stared hard at the door. I backed away from the keyhole immediately, and it is well that I did, for the door suddenly blew off its hinges and slammed against the opposite wall. Fearing for my life, I ran. I ran as fast as my old bones would take me, ran as though the forces of Hell were at my heels.

They were. As I rounded the first corner of the hallway, screaming for help, the chill blast of Roland’s winter magic narrowly missed me. We ran through the twisting halls of Burlock’s castle, through rooms dusty with disuse and through armories filled with rusting war tools. I took a turn and found myself cornered at the end of a hallway with no means of escape.

In despair I turned to face Roland and raised my magical defenses, knowing that he was stronger than I. Roland came charging around the corner and slowed down when he saw that I was cornered. Raising his hands above his head in preparation of a sorcerous strike, Roland smiled and said, “What’s the matter, Crodo? Are you afraid of what you saw?” Roland continued to approach me slowly. “Feeble

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old man, your fear of magic you don’t understand is a discredit to our profession.”

“I understand your evil magic well, Roland.” I said hopelessly, slumping my shoulders and bowing my head. “I can’t hope to win against such strength.” With that I sighed, gathering my energies for one good blast. I looked up at Roland, who was still smiling and advancing, sighed again, and threw my spell. The force of the dancing blades spell flying from me pushed me back against the wall.

Caught off guard, Roland failed to deflect the spell. The blades flew out from my hands, stripping the flesh from his body. Hope rose within me when I saw what I had done to him, then despair when he still stood after the attack. Scraps of flesh clung to his grinning skull, and his one remaining eye glared at me. I knew then that Roland was Undead, and that I could not defeat him.

“Who are you?” I gasped, staring at the figure before me. “Lord Xeen,” the Monster said. “Call me Lord Xeen, King of the World,

for that is what I shall be in a very short time!” “King Burlock—,” I began. “Will do as he is told,” Xeen finished for me. “Especially if he doesn’t

have YOU around to give him bad advice.” There was nothing more to be said. Xeen made a peculiar gesture

with his right hand and then clenched his fist. I felt a pressure on my defenses and on my head which quickly grew intolerable. The blackness took me and I knew no more.

When I awoke, I found myself in a tower on an island surrounded by water. From my window I am able to see King Burlock’s castle across the water. Every day I see the search parties leaving the castle to look for the mirror and wonder if the King knows what ‘Roland’ is, or where I am. There is only one place in the world with a view like I have, and

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that is Baron Darzog’s Tower. Because of the materials used to construct the room I am in, I am

unable to use my magic to escape. The only thing I can do is try to send these dreams to you in hopes that you will hear and respond. I don’t know what Lord Xeen wants the mirror for, but it can’t be good. I fear the ruin of the realm if he succeeds. You are the only people in the world with the power and resources to make a weapon capable of slaying Lord Xeen in your laboratories in Newcastle. You must make haste. If Lord Xeen discovers what you are doing he will destroy you.

With that, the dream ends. This dream had been repeated several times for about two months,

then never again. The day after you had your last dream, Newcastle was destroyed by a bolt from the sky, and all its inhabitants were killed. Each one of you realized that you may be the only person left alive who received the message. If you didn’t do anything, nobody would. So you quit your jobs and traveled to Vertigo with your life savings. Here you were able to find training in spells and weapons, and here you met one another.

You talk late into the night, excitement and nervousness in your voices. As the conversation winds down and you all are getting ready to retire for the night, you agree that tomorrow is the day you will start your adventures.

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LOG OF THE DRAGON PHARAOH

Log entry: 3/3/850

Last night two meteors impacted Darkside within seconds of each other. Judging from their trajectory, they must have landed near the volcano. I have sent Wolrow to investigate the impact site. The time of the Prophecy draws near, and I suspect that these meteors are a good omen.

Log entry: 3/4/850

Crindr Amn has announced the hatching of 18 healthy children! I am so happy for her! Not a single one had to be eaten because of deformities. Everything in the world seems to be going right. The initial preparations for the Prophecy have been flawless, and I anxiously await Queen Kalindra’s response to my request for her aid in the final Prophecy ceremony.

Log entry: 3/5/850

I have issued a proclamation requesting volunteers to help facilitate the final stages of the Prophecy. Responses should be coming in soon. The culmination of the Prophecy is so near I can taste it.

Log entry: 3/6/850

Wolrow was expected to return today, but there is no sign of him yet. He probably took some extra time to study the meteor phenomenon. I have not yet received a response from Queen Kalindra or any volunteers.

Log entry: 3/7/850

Four days have passed since I last saw Wolrow. He should be back by now, and I fear for his safety. I will send a search party for him if he is not back in two more days. I have had positive responses from several volunteers on the matter of the Prophecy, and they have all indicated that they will arrive at the royal pyramid in a few days.

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Log entry: 3/8/850

Letters from volunteers continue to pour in. The response is more than gratifying. All signs and omens continue to point to successful completion of the Prophecy.

Log entry: 3/9/850

Wolrow is still missing. I sent a search party out to find him today. The volunteers have begun to arrive, and I have been dispatching them to their posts. Queen Kalindra sent word of her willingness to participate in the Ceremony, and mentioned that she had taken in a mysterious but charming guest named Alamar. She also said that the emissary from the other side of the world had not yet arrived.

Log entry: 3/10/850

My study of the signs today showed a drop in confidence for the completion of the Prophecy by 10%! Something is amiss and I cannot read the signs clearly enough to tell what it is. I am very worried about Wolrow, and hope that the search party discovers him soon.

Log entry: 4/1/850

Confidence slipped another 3% this morning, but returned to its previous level in the afternoon. There is some chaotic factor in the equation now, and even a small drop in confidence makes my tail twitch nervously. The volunteers have stopped arriving, and I sent the last one to his post today. All that remains is for the Queen to complete her task, the emissary to arrive, and for the proper time to arrive.

Log entry: 4/2/850

The search party returned with bad news today. They reported that they were unable to approach the meteor impact site because a rebel army was camped before it! A rebel army!? Led by who? Who would dare challenge my authority or detain my servants? On top of this bad news, confidence fell to 74%. The Queen has not sent confirmation of her readiness to complete the

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Ceremony, and the first day the Ceremony could begin is tomorrow.

Log entry: 4/3/850

Today is the first day the Prophecy can be completed. I have not heard from the Queen. Scouts report that the rebel army is both growing in number and advancing toward the royal pyramid. Confidence has fallen to 40% and continues to fall by the hour. I have sent messages to my monstrous allies informing them of the situation and asking them to muster their armies and come to my defense. My tail lashes in agitation.

Log entry: 4/4/850

All is lost! The Queen has not responded to my attempts to contact her magically. The Orcs sent a message stating that they were involved in religious ceremonies and were, sadly, unable to come to my aid at this time. As soon as the ceremonies are over in a month, however, they will be happy to come. The Ogres sent a simple refusal. I have not heard from any of my other allies. Scouts predict the rebel army’s arrival tomorrow. Since confidence fell to 20% today, I have decided to recall the volunteers and shore up my defenses. Reports also indicate the sudden building of a dungeon on the Isle of Lost Souls and a castle near the meteor impact site.

Log entry: 4/5/850

The rebel army besieged the pyramid today. I can see from the window that some of the members of the army are my former allies. There have been refusals of aid from the Sprites and the Gremlins, the last delivered with insults and jeers. An emissary from the rebel army demands my surrender to his master—Alamar. I refused, of course. He cannot possibly have the key to the pyramid. Confidence fell to 6%.

Log entry: 4/6/850

Alamar has the key. He must have taken it from Queen Kalindra. His army has entered the pyramid and has been battling my forces all

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day. The first level has been lost, and my forces seem unable to hold the rest. Ellinger, Queen Kalindra’s advisor, reports that Castle Kalindra has been “moved out of phase” with the rest of the world, and is impossible to enter. He also reports that the Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes have been confined to a small section of Castleview town.

Log entry: 4/7/850

I have ordered my forces to surrender to save their lives. I have set the seals of the final level of the pyramid to prevent unauthorized entry, and I am certain they will work. Unfortunately, I am now virtually powerless. While the army cannot enter here, I cannot leave. Ellinger informs me that he has taken similar steps to ensure his safety in his tower in Castleview. Confidence has fallen to 1%.

Log entry: 5/7/850

Nothing has changed in a month. Alamar’s army is unable to pass the final seal. His emissary demands my surrender every day—I wonder when he will grow tired of asking. To deepen my troubles, Alamar has indicated that he has captured the emissary from the other side of the world, Prince Roland, and has sent his own ambassador there. Alamar seems to be firmly in command of Darkside now, and it doesn’t look like he is going to rule very well. There must be something I can do to influence events. I will try to contact the Queen tomorrow.

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