Arthur’s Knights: Chapter II – The Secret Of Merlin Walkthrough

Arthur’s
Knights Chapter II: The Secret Of Merlin
Arthur’s Knights: The Hidden King of Britain (North
American release)

Arthur’s Knights 2: Merlin’s
Secret
(You can also substitute The Secret of Merlin or The Hidden
King of Britain after the colon. There seems to be some argument
on what the subtitle is.)

I also like to call this
game "No really, this is The Longest Journey."

Basics (sit back and
relax, children, because there are quite a few.)

I always like to start
with the basics. As with the previous game I wrote up, I played AK2
from an early release, so I apologize if things have changed. This
game takes place in the third person, similar to other Dreamcatcher
titles like Arthur’s predecessor Tales of Chivalry and the motion-sickness
inducing Time Machine. Like those games, the movement of the character
is controlled using the arrow keys on the keyboard, and holding down
the shift key while Bradwen is moving causes him to run. If he is
riding his horse, the horse will gallop. If you want to pick up, inspect,
or generally interact with an item, hit the space bar. Easy enough?
Nah, it’s never that simple. By right clicking on your mouse, you
will be able to access the toolbar that will pop up from the bottom.
On the left is a large orb, which will show you a picture that symbolizes
your location. By clicking on this picture, you can see a map of the
area you are in. While you are riding your horse, you can locate yourself
on the map and see your progress in moving down a path. Your location
is not available while you are on foot. You’ll only see where you
left your horse. Why this is, I have no idea. I’m sure it’s a plot
to frustrate me. Next to that will be three circles, one with a hand
representing your inventory, a mouth to represent your conversation
choices, and a horse’s head to indicate which locations are available
to you. When a character is available for conversation, his/her image
will pop up in the toolbar and you can start a conversation with them
by left clicking on it. In order to advance the conversation, you
will need to continue clicking until all the dialogue has been spoken.
Often times, if you walk away from a character, and need to have another
conversation with them when a new subject becomes available, you will
have to greet them before you can select the subject. For traveling,
you will only be able to jump to a different location while you are
on your horse. Again, it’s a plot against me. There is a scroll bar
across the top which will let you, well, scroll through your various
items. Next to the inventory/subject/location cubes is a book in which
you can go back and review your progress in the game. The small green
orb will take you the menu screen for saving and reloading games.
For some unknown reason, you are limited to only 10 saved games per
player. And since you will need to save often, this becomes frustrating.

Here is why you will need
to save often. A BIG (huge, overwhelming, gigantic) problem
with AK2 is its stability factor. My notebook has continuous entries
of "so unstable" page after page. I’m running an AMD Athlon
based system with an NVIDIA based video card, and I still had numerous
problems with Direct Draw crashing. The crashes would happen at any
time, from running up a path to having a conversation. My recommendation
is to save your game every time you change locations and/or before
you start a new puzzle. Another major issue is reloading a previously
saved game, which makes the problem I spoke of above, even more frustrating.
I found that when I would load a game that would be on discs 2 or
3, the game would lock up and crash. I found to resolve this, you
needed to load a game that is played off of the first disc. After
this game is loaded up, exit it, and then load the game file you wish
to start from. This would work most of the time. A patch for the game
can be found on various European gaming websites (I recommend Tiscali).
However, after loading this patch, I still found no change in the
Direct Draw or load game issues. Oh, and I almost forgot . . . sometimes
the keyboard likes to stop responding. Saving and exiting the game,
then reloading it (using my process from above if you are that far
along) would resolve this. Since these problems were so numerous and
random, it has taken me longer than expected to finish. Even as I’m
writing this, I still have not finished the second half of the game.
As a safe measure, turn off all programs, AIM, virus software, even
the MS Office toolbar, before loading up AK2. In general, go easy
on navigating the game’s interface; don’t try to run off while still
speaking to a character, run while the toolbar is sliding back, etc.

Oh, and sorry folks! No
cool graphic aids in this one!

Okay, got all that? There
will be pop quiz later on the subtle difficulties of running a massive
Direct Draw game on three small discs.

Let’s get gaming!

It’s two, two, two games
in one!

After an incredibly long
loading process, start your game by selecting one of the players on
your main screen. This can be done by picking a shield. I thought
the pink ones were tacky, so I went with the top one with the pretty
crowns. When starting another game, the most recently accessed player
will be represented with a flashing character icon next to it. Just
though I’d save you the trouble ahead of time. Aren’t I nice? (smile)
After selecting your shield, you will be introduced to the main character
of our frame story, a young nobleman named Nai. And no, I’m sorry,
you can’t turn off those damnable subtitles. I searched high and low
for that option, to no avail. Just think of it as one of those read
along record/books from when we were kids. You know, the 45’s with
the chimes and cheesy music. Anyway, after talking to Foulque, the
author of the two stories of Bradwen, you will be asked to select
the red book to hear about Bradwen the Celt, or the white book for
Bradwen the Paladin. Since I’m not finished with the story of the
Paladin yet, walk over to the pedestals by where you entered and select
the red book to begin the tale of the Celt.

Quest 6

The story of the Celt is
divided into 4 mini (or not so mini) quests that will take you through
the legend of how Bradwen becomes the king of the Atrebates. AK2’s
saving graces are its cut scenes, background animations, and ambient
sound effects. After watching a fairly long sequence that explains
the events leading up to Bradwen’s time period and the events of the
first game, you will be in control of our main character as he heads
back home to Uffington to become king.

Uffington

Go to the village, which
is located at the top of your location map. Talk a bit to the guard
at the village gate who will give you some information on the events
in your kingdom since you have been gone fighting with King Arthur.
Now, here’s another thorn in my side. Opening doors! Believe it or
not, this will be one of the most difficult tasks you will have in
this game. In order to open a door, you have to be standing in a precise
spot in front of it and facing it at a certain angle. Once you get
going into it, you’ll get the hang of finding that ever elusive trigger
spot. For this gate, stand in front of the left door, near the middle.
Hit the space door to push open the gate and enter the village. If
Bradwen just shrugs, keep repositioning yourself until he behaves
properly. Silly Bradwen, it’s just a door. Open it! Walk up to Elad,
the scruffy looking bloke with the funny crown near the main hut.
He’ll tell you of a ghost and you’ll receive the subject image for
that. After finishing all your conversation options, head around to
the right, behind the main hut, to find some ham. It will be on a
table, near the large roasting pig. Also, little hint from "Oh
master of walkthroughs:" most of the items you will need to interact
with will stand out from the background as they are Direct Draw sprites.
Makes that entire pixel-searching thing so much easier. If you would
like, inspect the door to your house. This is the one with the red
dragon emblem on it, like the one on your chest. Bradwen will mutter
something cryptic about too many memories (from the first game more
than likely).

Afterwards, exit the village
and return to your horse. Head for Red Dragon Hill, which is located
at the left center of your map. Once there, speak to the shepherd
about the kingdom. He will tell you of a Pict that lives at Lucius’
villa. Hmm, seems we need to speak to this man. Get back on your horse
and head to the villa, located near the center of the map. To get
to it, head to the right of the map and take the gray path down until
you reach the turn to Lucius’ villa. Talk to Fynan, the Pict. In most
cases, when you are given the option to fight or speak (the sword
and mouth icons) select speaking to keep your life. In this case,
you select either, but I prefer just giving him the ham. After he’s
eaten, speak to him about all the available topics, and you will receive
from him the Arden location image. Well, looks like we need to do
some traveling.

Arden

Get back on your horse
to travel to the enchanted forest of Arden. This area has some of
the best ambient sound of the game. While it is hard to navigate,
I enjoyed the sounds immensely. Once you arrive, check your map to
get your bearings on where you are in relation to the rest of the
forest. You will need to get to the King’s Graves first. They are
located one path to your right, but you cannot get to them directly
from your present position. To get there, head up the path you are
currently on to get to Merlin’s Tree, which is at the center of the
map. Once there, you will automatically dismount. Go one path to the
right from the one you exited and you will then remount your horse.
(By the way that little guy helping you get on your horse is Corwyn,
your trusty manservant. More about him later.) Head straight down
the path until you arrive there. Walk around the mounds until you
see a boar. Go ahead and try to talk him; this is an enchanted forest
after all! After a few lines of conversation, you will be given the
choice fight or speak. Don’t fight that pig; this isn’t Lord of the
Flies. Just keep talking to him about the ghosts that you were told
of in Uffington. He will tell you that his name is Gholistan and that
he’s been enchanted and must be freed using magic. Use the magic of
Fiachra the fairy (she’s in your inventory) to free the man from this
spell. Once you have done so, take the boar’s fangs and use them on
the strange looking cocoon you see nearby. I had no idea that this
thing was cocoon; looked more like a boar turd to me. From this little
turd, you will receive your ancestors’ treasure. Take this and give
it to the ghost you see floating around the mounds farther back. Oooo
. . . magic, ghosts, fairies! I’m really digging this story! Talk
to the ghost about all available subjects and he will reward your
diligence with a unicorn horn and the Uffington location icon. Let’s
head home to do more searching!

Uffington

Head back to the village
and enter the main hut, or okay, let’s call it the castle since my
notes do as well. Enter the castle and you’ll meet Fydia, the fairy
that is your wife. She, incidentally, is also sister to the three
fairies in your inventory. Useless bit of info; thought I would share.
Speak to Elad about the status of the kingdom and he’ll tell you that
you need to be crowned before you can officially become the king of
the Atrebates. After talking to Fydia, she will tell you all about
the crown and where you need to find it. This will give you the Arden
destination icon. Back to the forest we go!

Arden

Head to Merlin’s tree where
you will find the scantily clad old wizard. After exhausting all subjects,
he will open the path to Rhiannon’s Altar, where you can reconstitute
Rhiannon’s cup, and your next destination. On your map, the altar
is the middle location of the three you will see across the top, represented
by a large, Stonehenge type monument and a horse head. From your original
exiting position, go three paths to your right. You will then remount
your horse, and head up the path. Take the second right hand turn
to end up at Rhiannon’s Altar. Sometimes these paths are difficult
to see, so stay slow and check your map every so often to see your
progress.

Once you are there, a blue
flame will pop up behind you so cannot exit this area until all your
tasks have been finished. Rats, great, this game is SOOOOOOO non-linear!
(Add a touch of sarcasm for the smartass soufflé.) Go ahead
and inspect the obelisk-ish stones you see at the foot of the mound.
There are three, each representing a different fairy: Nael, Gael,
and Jael. After reading each, its corresponding fairy will appear
and tell you a story about herself and her sisters. Sounds like Jael
is a real sweetheart! In order to get the cup Merlin spoke of, you
will need to complete the task of reuniting the feuding sisters. Each
fairy will hand you a white pearl, which she will place herself in
and you can carry in your inventory. By scrolling your cursor over
the pearls once they are in the inventory windows, you can discover
who is who since they all look alike. First, take Nael by using her
pearl on her, and place her in the small pond at the foot of the mound.
Do this also with Gael and Jael, in that order. Once they are all
together, the first portion of Rhiannon’s cup will appear. Pick it
up, then turn your attention back to the fairies. We’re halfway there!
Put Jael back in her stone (use Jael’s stone on each of the fairies
until one goes inside) and take her to the Stonehenge. Place Jael
on the ground underneath the table, then return and take Gael. Once
you placed Gael under the table, take Jael back to the pond. Can’t
have these two alone together! Although, having the two of them fight
like women on Jerry Springer might be funny! Um, okay, where was I?
Oh yes, take Jael back to the pond and pick up Nael. Place Nael under
the table, then go back, get Jael, and put her under the table. (Try
and say that three times fast!) Now that the three sisters have been
reunited, you will be granted the second half of Rhiannon’s cup. Once
you have put it in your inventory, the pieces will be reunited to
form the complete item. Go Bradwen, go Bradwen. (It’s a shame you
can’t make him do the cabbage patch when he’s completed a puzzle!)

Get back on your horse
and head for Merlin’s Tree. Once you have dismounted, go two paths
to your right and head down the path toward the Lake of Offerings,
located at the bottom left of your map. This is another great environment!
It almost felt warm and muggy in my room! Oops, either that or I needed
to open a window. Sorry about that! Once there, head to the central
altar in the lake. Place the completed cup on it to make the fairy
of the lake appear. Corwyn will do some whining, but ignore him and
speak to the fairy about the crown. She will answer you with a riddle
that you must solve in order to get the crown. And since I am the
all-knowing (well, okay, better knowing then you since you haven’t
played this yet) walkthrough author, I can tell you how to solve it.
You will be offered four colored stones. Place the gold stone on the
center altar (king), then go from Bradwen’s right to the left, placing
the stones in the following sequence: red, brown, gray. Once you have
placed all the stones correctly, the fairy will give you the Crown
of the Atrebates. Take it from her and return to the King’s Graves,
three paths to your right from the exit to Merlin’s Tree. Talk to
the ghost of your ancestor, and then place the crown on your head.

Suddenly, you scream out
in pain and are carried away to the Black Rock, upper left on the
Arden map. This location is one of the few in the game that felt very
artifical. I always wanted to get out of here as soon as I could.
You are in great pain and your hair has turned white from the stress.
A large monster, reminding me of something out of The Max, tells you
have been cursed with the wrath of Rhiannon, as have all of your ancestors.
He will give you a sword as you use up your conversation cubes and
tell you that you must kill Gawain, one of your fellow knights, and
bring his head back to the Black Rock as proof. But wait? Isn’t Gawain
my friend? Talk about stabbing in the back! Head back to Merlin’s
tree to find Gawain waiting to see you. When you speak to him, don’t
choose the fight icon. You’ll just end up in hell and the game will
be over. Instead, talk out the situation with Gawain. He’ll tell you
that all of your ancestors were known as giant killers. Hmmm, then
perhaps I can defeat The Max. Let’s go find out more. Go see your
ancestor’s ghost at the Graves and talk to him about the new information.
He informs you that in order to do this, you will have to piece together
the sword of three flames and use it on the giant. Oh gee, sounds
like we have a new puzzle coming up!
Go back to Rhiannon’s Altar to find Fiachra waiting there for you.
Talk to your sister in law about the sword and she’ll tell you she
can put it back together for you, but you must complete her riddle
first. Why is that all these fairies insist on asking you riddles?
Guess things would be dull if you could just get your way. She’ll
ask for a sign to represent the answer to her riddle. Look around
the altar and you’ll find some colored stones. Take the red stone,
representing fire, and give it to her. She will gladly hand you the
sword afterwards. Head back to the Black Rock and slay the giant using
your new sword. Easy enough! Let’s head home and show the kingdom
how cool I am!

Uffington

Go back to castle to talk
to Fydia. She will tell you of another cup you will have to find.
(My crib sheet has this great smartass remark: "another one,
it won’t be the last!") Turn and ask Elad about the cup and he’ll
tell you he last saw it at Lucius’ villa. Great, time to get back
on the horse and head there. Head into the courtyard to find the cup
on a pedestal. Strange how it wasn’t there earlier, hmm? (Raises skeptical
eyebrow.) Take a look at it, then head back to the castle to ask Fydia
about what you saw. It was at this point I wish they would have put
a "jump" option into each location. Tis all a plot against
me! After she explains what you saw, show the unicorn horn to Elad.
He says that there is a statue that might help you in understanding
how you can get better. Really? A statue?! Well, why didn’t you say
so before? Sheesh, can never find good help these days. However, the
needed statue has been split into two pieces (of course!) one being
in the throne room, and the other in your house. Pick up the one piece,
then go to your house (with the red dragon on the door, remember?).
This time, Bradwen will go inside and you can retrieve the second
piece from the floor. When you have both pieces, they will magically
join and you can return to the castle to talk to Fydia about the completed
statue. Conveniently, she will remember a ritual that you will need
to perform, using the unicorn horn and a small child. This will subdue
the pain from donning the crown. Hocus pocus, fungus amongus . . .
Go to St. George’s Hill, located at the bottom left of your map. Walk
through the trees to meet with the shepard’s son (though I could swear
he looks like a girl!) and speak to him. Show him the unicorn horn
to complete the ritual. Afterwards, head back to the castle. There,
you will meet up with Merlin and he will explain your next task: to
follow the white stag. When he has finished speaking, head to the
castle to find the object of your next mission.

Quest 7

The game will move on autopilot
for a bit as you watch Foulque introduce Nai to the next quest. The
level begins in Arden, where you are pursuing the white stag. You’ll
see it run into the woods as you approach Merlin’s Tree, but it disappears
before you can follow. Best to stop and smell the flowers while you
can. (Little U2 reference, sorry couldn’t be helped!) Go over to roses
and the small Stonehenge. Pick a rose from the patch and keep it in
your inventory. While you’re at it, take the rose branch that is on
top of the Stonehenge. Head over to Rhiannon’s Altar and put your
unicorn horn on the nose of one of standing horse heads. This is a
little a tricky as you have to position Bradwen in a certain spot
before he’ll cooperate. Once you have done so (no real reason why
you did it in the first place, but go figure) head over to the Lake
of Offerings at the bottom left of the map to talk to the Fairy of
the Lake, who is disguised as a glowing stone. She’ll be on the central
altar island. You’ll receive the subject of the fairy while you are
speaking to her. Return to Merlin’s Tree to talk to Gawain, who is
still hanging out in the woods. Exhaust all your conversation options,
and get some juicy information on the fairy. Return to the Lake and
hold the rose branch up to the glowing stone. The fairy will return
to her normal state and be very grateful to you. Speak to her about
everything you can, especially the unicorns. Remember what Gawain
said to you about fairies and roses? Place the rose on her altar and
she will reward your kindness with the second unicorn horn. Don’t
give her the rose directly! This only puts you through the pain
of having to go back to Merlin’s Tree and get another one. Ah yes,
yours truly knows this! See, this is what I’m good for! To make all
your mistakes for you! Anyhoo, take the second unicorn horn to Rhiannon’s
Altar and place it on the other still standing horse head. Go under
the table and you will be whisked away to the magical land of
. . . . .

Avalon

. . . Delaware!!
(Wayne’s World moment, my apologies.) You’ll be transported to Avalon,
the mythical home of the fairies, gods, and goddesses. Corwyn tells
you before you disappear that he won’t follow you to Avalon because
he’s afraid of the fairies, but that he’ll wait for you in Arden until
you return. (Jen’s side comment: Okay, if you found Gage Blackwood’s
AI sidekick Arthur from JP3 to be annoying [I was one of the
few who didn’t] you will detest young Master Corwyn. There were times
when I wanted to smack him, especially in the Paladin story line.)
What made me mad was that I started out on foot, so I had no idea
where I was on the map. Keep walking forward until you get to an area
where you will mount your horse. While your finding your horse, you
will pass a patch of white flowers with buzzing bees. Go to these
flowers to collect their pollen. Good thing you aren’t allergic. Also,
make note of the circle of stones and the brightly colored knight
near them. We’ll be back there later. Once you have gotten on your
horse, check your map to get your bearings. You’ll be at the bottom
of the map, on one of the many small islands. Your first goal is to
the get to the Tower of Winds, located at the top center of the map.
It appears as an obelisk with three platforms around it. Once you
have made it there (navigating this place is no small chore), climb
the stone stairs to speak to the fairy on the top. She’s not very
friendly and will refuse to answer your questions. Well, okay, be
that way then! Head to the Tower of Source, located on the center-left
of your map. That’s the one with the stone disk surrounded by fish.
You’ll meet another fairy there that will gladly talk to you about
Avalon and the strange Pied Knight that everyone’s been talking about.
Apparently, the previous fairy is madly in love with the Pied Knight,
and wants his heart so she can enchant him. However, the Knight has
placed his heart in a safe place where the winged fairy won’t be able
to touch it. If you take the winged fairy the heart of the Pied Knight,
she’ll talk to you. Sounds like a simple task, sure sure.

Return to the Circle of
Stones you passed earlier (near the bottom right of the map) and use
the pollen on the glowing stone near the Pied Knight. (Yes, that’s
the Pied Knight!) You will be rewarded with his heart. Return to the
Tower of Winds and give the heart to the winged fairy. She will accept
it with glee and says she will tell you the Pied Knight’s secret if
you answer her riddle. To do so, move to one of the red disks surrounding
the fairy to be teleported to one of the surrounding platforms. One
will have three stones on it. Select the blue stone, engraved with
the symbol for progeny (offspring, child, you get what I mean). Return
to the main platform via the red disk closest to it and give the stone
to the winged fairy. She will then reveal to you that the Pied Knight
is indeed Madog, your son that was apparently killed in the previous
game. (Madog? Was this guy drinking too much of that cheap stuff I
used to buy in college? Tasted like Kool-Aid with a kick.)

Head back to the Circle
of Stone to confront the Pied Knight about his true identity. After
you have exhausted all conversation options, he will give you a red
gem that will allow you to cross through Morgan’s Fire blocking one
of the subordinate islands at the Tower of Source (Fish Island). Head
back there and cross the bridge to this island, using the red gem
on the fire blocking your path. Sadly, the remains of Rhiannon’s unicorns
will surround you, the cause of your family curse. Search the bones
of each to retrieve three unicorn eyes. Return to the circle of stones
where you had previously confronted Madog. Follow the white stag into
the center of the stones to be transported back to Arden.

Arden

Return to Rhiannon’s Altar
and inspect the sandy shapes around the mound. You will realize that
they are indeed unicorn shaped, representing Rhiannon’s three unicorns.
Place an eye on each one and a white unicorn silhouette will appear
at the foot of the mound. (You might have noticed a black discoloration
previously where this will appear.) Go to it to retrieve a colored
disk. Travel to the King’s Graves and the Lake of Offerings to get
the other two disks. Things usually work in threes in this game, just
to let you know. Return to Rhiannon’s Altar after you have all three
and get your unicorns’ eyes from the ground. Walk under the table
to be transported back to Avalon.

Avalon

Return to the island of
the unicorn bones at the Tower of Source and use the disks one at
a time on the stone pedestal at the center. This will send you Morgan’s
Island, the central island on the Avalon map. Talk to her until she
gives you a flame. Now follow this order. Inspect each of the idols
around Morgan to discover their meaning. Use the flame on the idol
of fire, the black unicorn eye on the idol of earth, the blue eye
on the idol of air, and the green eye on the idol of water. After
you have done this, step into the red circle at the center. Time to
get the Dramamine!

Labryinth of Destiny

Okay, if I’m being vague
here, it’s not intentional, I swear! Let’s just say that this level
made me SOOOOOOO dizzy. My recommendation is to save here, go get
the seasick pills, then come back. (It’s even worse in the Paladin
level!) Wander around a bit to get the feel of this place. There aren’t
that many passages so it will become easy to navigate after a time.
It’s the camera angles and movement that make you sick. You’ll soon
run across the Knight of the Past. Just talk to the man, don’t try
to fight him yet. Go to the center of the labyrinth to look at the
idol of the past, the small pedestal on the right. From there, head
straight out and take the fourth passage on the left. Take the crown
you see laying on the ground. Ooo, pretty sparkly for my collection!
Walk around a bit (heading more to the right side of the screen.)
You’ll meet with Morganor’s ghost. He’s your half brother from the
first game, the one you killed. Give him the crown you found and he
will reward you with a sword to defeat the Knight of the Past. Return
to said knight, and defeat him with the new sword. You’ll find one
of the unicorn eyes on his person. Take this to the center of the
labyrinth and place it on the idol of the past. Once you have done
this, return to where you encountered the Knight of the Past to speak
to his counterpart from the present. Return to the center and inspect
the idol of the present. That’s the one in the middle if you couldn’t
guess. From there, take the second passage on the right, and follow
the corridor. Then take the first left and turn to your right. Follow
along, turning right, then right again. On the ground, you’ll find
a lock of hair. Take this and present it to Queen Guinevere, who will
be waiting for you where your brother previously was. In return, she
will give you another sword, which can be used to defeat the Knight
of the Present. On his body, you will find another unicorn eye. Place
this on the idol of the present. Ah, can you guess what comes next?
If you said the future, then YOU’RE RIGHT! Here’s a cookie. Oat bran,
gotta get your fiber since you’ve been inside playing through my walkthrough
all afternoon. Go talk to the Knight of the Future; inspect the idol
of the future, potato, po-tah-toh. You’ll then need to find your enchanted
object, this time being a bunch of berries. My crib sheet says to
(and I loved this!) "find them yourself!" But I’m not that
mean, so here’s approximately what you need to do. Take the same path
as you did to find the hair, but make a left instead of the last right
turn, then make another right. On the ground, you will find the berries.
Give these to Arthur, who will be in the usual place, and in return,
he will grant you use of Excalibur. Cool huh? Take the sword and defeat
the Knight of the Future, retrieving the last unicorn eye. Place it
on the idol of the future. Inspect the large center stone twice and
then you will be transported back to Morgan’s Island. Speak to her
briefly about the Cup of Knowledge (see? I told you there were more
cups!) and you will be sent on your way to Quest 8.

Quest 8

Arden

After another brief autopilot
sequence, you will begin Quest 8 in the forest of Arden. At the Lake
of Offerings, you will be reunited with Corwyn, who is not so young
now! Because of the differences in the passage of time, twenty years
has passed since you disappeared into Avalon. And Corwyn has waited
for you all this time! What a faithful guy! Talk to him about all
available subjects, learning of the fall of Camelot and your wife’s
disappearance. Head to Merlin’s tree and walk around it until you
spot the white stag. Follow it until the computer takes over, transporting
you to the kingdom of Tintagel.

Tintagel

You’ll arrive in the woods
of Tintagel and the sounds of battle can be heard close by. Go forward
until you encounter your fellow knight Cymeril being attacked by two
scoundrels. Speak to them, and then engage them in combat. Bradwen
will defeat them easily, no problems there. Find a horn and a ring
containing the royal seal on their persons. Talk to Cymeril to learn
of King Marc and his illness. Before Cymeril dies, you will vow to
continue his mission to save the king, no matter how you may feel
about him. Once Cymeril is dead, mount your horse and head to Marc’s
castle, located at the top left of the map. You can’t miss it; a big
black fortress castle. Talk to the guard and show him the royal signet
ring you found on Cymeril’s assassin. The guard will let you pass
into the castle. Once inside, go through the massive set of wooden
doors (playing where’s the trigger spot while you’re at it) and meet
with King Marc who is sitting on his throne. King Marc tells you of
his illness and how he’s learned of a holy relic that has been said
to bring the cure to his ailment. It’s being guarded by a merciless
black knight who wants a large ransom in return for the relic. Marc
begs you to retrieve the relic for him so he can be cured. Although
you hate the man, you vowed to your friend that you would help him.
Marc gives you the ransom money after you have agreed to the task.
Walk into the castle courtyard. Find there a leg of ham, a log, and
a Pagan statue.

Afterwards, head off to
the village, located at the top right of the map. Upon entering, you’ll
meet with Cornelius, your friend from the first game. He explains
the relic to you, but suggests that you might get more information
out of the locals. Head around behind the church, to the right, and
you’ll hear an old woman talking to herself. Approach her and she
will say that she hasn’t eaten in days and was too old to leave with
the rest of villagers. Give her the ham you found at the castle and
she will answer your questions. She will tell you that the Black Knight
hides in the enchanted Black Marsh and you must go there to find him
(isn’t everything here enchanted?). You’ll also receive the subject
icon for the Black Marsh. Return to the castle and ask the guard about
the Black Marsh. He’ll give you a map to find your way. Read it and
you’ll receive the location icon for the Black Marsh. Go get your
trusty steed and head there.

Black Marsh

Oooo, creepy, foreboding
name. I was expecting something dark, lots of trees, like Arden, only
darker in the shading. But this place is downright friendly! I wouldn’t
mind building a home here! Open up your map when you arrive to get
a feel for the area. This land will mostly be traveled on foot, so
get your senses of direction ready. Once you have dismounted your
horse, walk forward until you get to a very sandy area where you can
see the water. Go to your left and you’ll approach a bridge that leads
to the Black Knight’s tent. As you walk up to it, two green spirits
will appear. Don’t move or they will kill you. Instead, blow on the
horn that you found earlier, and they will disappear. Now you are
free to talk to the Black Knight. Go ahead and give him the ransom
so you can get the holy relic. But whatever you do, don’t give
him the sword! I did this just to see what would happen. Haha,
and well, I’m sure you can guess what happened. It involved reloading
a game from Quest 6, then moving on to where I had last saved. So
needless to say, you’ll meet Rhiannon if you do so, but you can’t
do much else. Just let the Cup of Knowledge stay there for now.

Tintagel

Return to the village in
Tintagel and go into the church. Talk to Cornelius who is standing
behind the altar. Hand him the relic of St. Joseph and he will perform
a prayer over it. Afterwards, he says that the relic didn’t work and
that God won’t cure Marc because his soul is too black. Looks like
we’re going to have to find another way. Take a look at the shield
on the altar (getting the subject "prince"), and then ask
Cornelius about it. (Is it me, or does the prince look like Nai?)
If you want, you can also ask the old woman about the prince, but
she doesn’t know much about it. Return to the castle and ask the guard
about the prince. He’ll give you a piece of information, and then
go to Marc to get some more. Put a log on the fire first though, then
he’ll talk. Return to the guard after you’ve heard Marc out and ask
him about the prince again. He’ll tell you of a talisman that the
prince had with him. Go back and ask Marc about the talisman (back
and forth, back and forth) and he will give you the key to the prince’s
chamber. What a nice guy!

Go the prince’s chamber
by taking the stairway on your left in the courtyard. Use the key
on the door at the end of the walkway, then enter in. This place isn’t
fit for a pack a wild dogs, let alone a prince. Guess love drove him
crazy. Inspect and take the slate plate on the alcove directly in
front of you. Place it in the circle closest to the small window.
Then look on the shelf by the window and take the sea foam plate,
placing this in the one closest to the alcove. If they are placed
correctly, the talisman will appear in the third pit. Take it and
show it to the castle guard. He will confirm it is the prince’s. Return
to the throne room and the king will also correctly identify it. Marc
will tell you that his son was looking for Merlin so he could get
a spell to enchant the fairy he had fallen in love with. Would that
be like Spanish Fly? Head out to the courtyard, and take the stairs
on your right where you will meet a woodcutter who is in the process
of destroying a Pagan altar. Give him a tongue-lashing for the defamation
and then ask him about Merlin and the prince. He will talk to you
about a place called the Green Mound where the fairies are supposed
to worship. But he has no idea where it is. Before you head off, be
sure to take the idol lying on the altar. Go talk to the guard, who
seems to know where everything is, and he will tell you where to find
the Green Mound. Go get on your horse and head there.

Green Mound

This place is real small,
and there is only one location where you can access your map, so take
advantage of it when you arrive there. Head straight on in the direction
you are facing to get to the mound on the western end of the island.
Run up the blocks to get to the altar. Within the piles, you should
see a bracelet. Take this to add some flair to your drab outfit. Turn
around and head back the way you came, then farther on past where
you mount your horse to get to another altar. You will see three pedestals,
two of which are empty. Place the two idols you found on them and
suddenly, Merlin will appear. My hero! Look at the crow, which perches
nearby, and he will tell you to "follow your guide." Catch
this silly bird and add him to your inventory collection. See, this
is The Longest Journey, complete with a crow for a sidekick! Talk
to Merlin about everything you can (and you’ll hear a lot!) then show
him the bracelet you found on the other side of the mound. Also, show
him the talisman. He’ll have some words about that, too. And while
you’re at it, show him the crow. Just for fun. When you’re finished
with all of this, return to your horse and Tintagel.

Tintagel

Head for the castle and
show the bracelet to the guard, who suggests it might have come from
the prince’s squire. Head for the throne room and show it to Marc,
who will confirm this. You will learn that his name is Guyon and a
member of the boar’s clan, "one of the most powerful of the Cornish
clans" according to my crib sheet. He has been hiding in the
Black Marsh since the prince disappeared. Guess we need to go there
and talk to him. Before you head out, take that nifty yellow banner
with the boar on it. How convenient!

Black Marsh

Once at the Black Marsh,
head up the island like you were heading to the Black Knight’s tent,
but hang a right instead of a left at the beach. In the distance,
you will see smoke above the treetops, and Bradwen will note this
incase you missed it. Walk around the brush on the edge of the grass
until you get to a little point on the left side. As you’re standing
there, release your crow and he will fly over to the source of the
smoke. Oh I get it! Follow the guide! Thanks Crow! A bridge to the
hut will appear. Cross it and inspect the front door. Hmmm, where
is this guy? Use the boar banner in front of the house, and Guyon
will appear. He isn’t too yielding in his information at first, but
keep trying to talk to him. When he refuses to answer, show him the
bracelet. He’ll speak a little more, then you will need to show him
the talisman to get the rest of his answers. You’ll discover that
the prince has become the Black Knight when he let himself be controlled
by an evil wizard, also known as the Hidden King. Guyon will also
give you a lock of hair from Celodoin, the fairy that his master fell
in love with. Question him about the hair, and he will attach it to
the talisman. Let’s go show this to the Black Knight and see what
happens. Return to the knight’s tent and reveal the completed talisman
to him. He will take it from you and fall over, subsequently disappearing.
Take the Cup of Knowledge from behind him and return to Tintagel.

Tintagel

Go to the castle and place
the cup on the half destroyed Pagan altar. This will cure Marc. Head
to throne room to discover whether or it has worked. When Marc gives
you confirmation that he is well, he vows to destroy all the former
Knights of the Round Table and take all of Arthur’s lands. Gee, what
a nice "thank you" for all the hard work I’ve done! Go back
to the Pagan altar and retrieve the Cup of Knowledge. With the cup’s
magic, you are transported to a strange cave (which is actually the
belly of a dragon. Ick!). At the bottom of the stairs, you will find
the long missing Rhiannon. Talk to her about everything you can, then
you will be returned to Uffington and the beginning of Quest 9.