Walkthrough :
ANVIL OF THE DAWN WALK-THRU

The purpose of this walk-thru is to help you make it through Anvil of
the Dawn without too many headaches. The game is fairly easy, but there
are a few places that are hard to figure out. I am not going to list
where every item is to be found in the game, but only tell you what you
absolutely need to know. That way, you won't have the whole game spoiled
for you.

The game allows a player to take any course they want, rather than
follow a predestined path. But there is a right order to follow and a
wrong order. Some people have made it into desolation without getting
all the pieces of the chest they will need. Here is the dungeons one
should conquer, in order:

Gryphon Keep
The Dark Lantern
The Undersea Maze
The Sunken Ship
The Underground City
The Land of Roots/Elder Tree
The Barrier
The Temple of the Moon
The City of the Dead
The Eye of Clay/Sanctuary
Gorge Keep (optional)
The Reed Plain (optional)
The Iron Titan
The Quagmire
Fire Mountain
The Warlord's Tower
The Anvil of the Dawn

We'll detail what you need to do in these places, but first let's deal
with the basics.

STARTING OUT

You can choose from five different characters. Each has an advantage in
the four statistics (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Power), except the mire
lurk, who has even stats across the board. You can modify any
character's stats if you want, so you don't have to choose Brice (the
big hairy guy) for a strong fighter. But the stats are limited to the
amount given and only a modifier like a talisman or a potion will allow
you to increase them later. You don't get to increase them permanently
later in the game. So choose them well.

CONTAINERS

The inventory screen has an area that shows what you're carrying.
Everything is placed there in a jumble if you right click to add your
items to inventory. In order to keep things organized you will come
across containers in the game. They come in two forms: Sacks and Chests.

I recommend you use sacks to hold rocks and chests to hold other items.
There are a lot of places in the game where you will need to weigh down
a pressure plate with ten rocks. You won't always have a block figurine
to spare. Using a bag full of rocks is a lot easier to deal with because
to can pick it back up in a jiffy when you're ready to leave. Fill each
sack with ten big rocks and you will have perfect tools for dealing with
those annoying plates. Always test a plate first to see if it can take
only one to three rocks, because you don't want to tie up a whole sack
of you only needed one rock. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR BAG WHEN
YOU LEAVE THE AREA. You will get three bags in the game. One in Gryphon
Keep, one in the Dark Lantern, and one in the Sunken Ship.

The Chests are great for storing items. You get three of them
eventually. I recommend putting all pieces of the quest in one chest,
use another for money and temple tokens and a third for magic items like
potions and power-ups. That way you will be able to access things
without sorting through a big mess. Keys should be left available on the
main screen in a neat pile, because you won't be carrying them around
long.

ARTIFACTS

These come in many forms. Most are offensive spells, but there are also
amulets that enhance your stats and potions that enhance them
temporality. There are two potions in the game that enhance your stats
permanently. They are the potion of Mortal Enhancement and the Potion of
Magical Enhancement. When you take these they raise your maximum health
or mana (magic) points permanently. However, the number they give you is
random. Always save before drinking one, then restore and try again if
the new points are low. The max for health seems to be 10. I never
accept less than an 8. The max mana seems to be 80. I never accept less
than 65.

The block figurine is one of the most useful items you come across.
Using one creates a stone block for weighing down a pressure plate. Use
these things sparingly. I will tell you where you need to use them. You
should use rocks whenever possible, and save these for the places where
a block is really needed.

THE MAP

The auto map is very useful in this game because it will not only show
you what areas you missed, it can be used to spot enemies and see if
doors have opened outside of your field of vision. When you step on a
plate or throw a switch you can check the map to see if it changed
anything on the map. This is very useful. Monsters appear as green
squares and those annoying rolling rocks are shown also in relation to
where they are when the map was called up.

When you enter a dungeon or exit a stairway, ALWAYS turn around and look
back the way you came so the map will register it. Otherwise the exit
will show up blank. You should want to know where the exit is at all
times. You can also make notes on the map by clicking on the pen box. I
recommend this for confusing areas.

Now for the game...

THE CASTLE OF THE LADY

Okay, your character has just awoken and you have to start the game.
Grab what's in the chest in your room, turn the knob on the wall that
opens the door (it's on an artsy pattern next to the door) and talk to
each character on your way down the stairs. You don't need to talk to
the guards or the servant boy, but you can if you want to.

The first person you need to see is the castle wizard. He will teach you
the spell of healing and an optional offensive spell. I recommend
choosing the water spell "Shackles of Ice". This spell freezes your
opponent temporarily so he can't fight back. The other spells are okay,
but they are slow and don't give you as much of an advantage. You will
get all these spells later so don't worry about missing them here. But
make sure you talk to the wizard because he's the only source of the
heal spell and you need it to win the game.

Next up is the armorer. I suggest you get a sword (Slashing weapon).
Swords are the best weapon in the game. You will end up with two really
powerful swords later on, so spend your skill points on slashing before
you start to improve any others.

Always check the damage a weapon does when you get it by bringing it up
to the eye on the inventory screen and clicking on it. The higher the
damage, the more deadly the weapon. Ranged weapons aren't much use in
this game except in a few places. You don't really need them.

Finally, you meet the old man who tells you what your mission is. He
will direct you to a portal that will take you to the wine cellar of
Gryphon Keep. Enter and you are on your way.

GRYPHON KEEP

Goal: Find the Spell of Heavenly Mend, Find Exit

This is the easiest dungeon in the game and serves to educate you on the
game mechanics. You start out in a wine cellar. Make your way to the
door opened by a pressure plate on the floor. Stepping on the plate
opens it. Step inside and fight the guard. You may find it closing on
you before you can do that. This is because the guard stepped on a plate
on his side. Step back on your plate and the door will open again.

The wine cellar/basement level is pretty small. There are a few guards
to kill. Two will drop keys which will open the rooms on this level. In
one room you will find Lord Gryphon, who is dying. Talk to him and he
will give you his signet ring. You will need this when you finish the
keep.

The ground floor is pretty straight forward. In four corners of the keep
are stairs that go to four separate towers. Each has some useful items.
There are long halls on either side of the castle and lots of rooms in
between. I will break down the areas by compass direction on the map.

The South West Tower entrance has no door. There is a healing altar
nearby. This is where you use the strange looking tokens that you find
to heal yourself. The gold ones heal all your points, the flesh colored
ones heal a random amount of points. Upstairs in the tower are two
pressure plates. You need to weigh down the one in front of the door
first, with three rocks. Then step on the other plate. This will open
the door to the next room. A round switch on the wall opens an alcove
where two chests are hidden. There is also a chest on this level with
the spell of "Heavenly Mend of Unseen Artisans". Do not leave the keep
without this spell. It is essential to winning the gam and this is the
only place you find it.

The South Corridor of the Keep has a flying skull spell coming down the
hall like clockwork. Wait for it to pass. You will see a door with no
way to open it. Find a side passage nearby. At the end is a switch on
the side wall. Throw the switch. A rock will roll back and forth,
opening the door in the south hall every now and then. Go to the door
and wait for it to open. You may get hit by a skull spell, so make sure
you are healed up.
Inside you get your first shield in the game.

The South East tower entrance is opened by pushing a stone block onto a
nearby plate. You will enter a room with rolling rocks. Find the stairs.
In the tower is a Mana Altar which can only be accessed by putting a
gold coin in the hole in the wall next to the door.

At the East side of the keep is the exit to outside. Make sure you
finish the keep before leaving. You can reach the exit by pushing a
block onto a plate near the door. This leads to a hallway with some
chests before the true exit.

Across from the Exit hall is a big Throne room where there are several
chests. You can enter this room by putting one stone on the plate in
front of the door. In this room is a messenger monster. These guys are
really tough to fight. I suggest using the offensive spells you find
earlier to soften him up first. If he is hurting youbadly, try running
away and healing up, then come back and finish him off.

The North East Tower entrance is opened by entering the room next door
and placing three rocks on each of the two pressure plates inside. There
are two doors that open periodically due to a rolling rock. Wait for
them to open. One leads to the tower. Upstairs you will find two
pressure plates next to a switch in the wall. Move back and forth on the
plates until you can throw the switch. An alcove opens revealing two
chests.

The North West Tower entrance is opened by a switch in the wall. Near
this entrance is a room with armor. It doesn't hurt to get it before you
go on. Upstairs in the tower are two pressure plates you have to walk
over before reaching the chests. Move fast and then sidestep. These
chests activate traps that send Earthen Fists flying at you from behind.

After you have searched every room, go outside the castle and turn to
face the ruins one step from the door. You will meet Parselfal, whom
Lord Gryphon spoke to you about. Parselfal will hand you a bag of gold
coins which come in useful later.

Head on straight down the way you were coming to the Dark Lantern, your
next dungeon.

THE DARK LANTERN

Goal: Talk to Wizard, Get Sea Shell of Summoning

When you reach the causeway leading to the Lantern Tower, you will see
it is gone. Use the spell of "Heavenly Mend of Unseen Artisans" to
repair the causeway, then head to the tower.

This is a small place except for the basement. On the first floor you
will have to put three rocks on the pressure plate near the entrance to
make a teleporter vanish. Then, put a rock on the pressure plate the
teleporter was hiding. This will open the door to the rest of the tower.

In the north is the exit to the pier. You will leave this way when you
finish the tower so make a note of it. There is a block nearby. Push it
onto a plate to open the two doors leading down and up. Take the down
stairs first. You should finish the basement level before going on to
the rest of the tower.

Next to the stairs is a healing altar. A gargoyle guards the entrance to
the north section of the basement. Talk to it and find out you need to
"unsummon" it.

Go south to a long hall, then west. In a north side passage is a
switch. This opens a wall to the south. In this area are some chests and
a clue to unsummoning the gargoyle.

Down the hall, west of there is a side passage to the north. There are
lots of chests in here, guarded by Wyverns. The chests are hidden behind
illusory walls. You can always tell an illusory wall because it
flickers. Pay close attention to each wall.

Further west is a pressure plate that makes a teleporter appear. Enter
the teleporter and find yourself in an area guarded by a juggernaut.
There is better armor in a chest nearby. There is also a section with
two rolling rocks. This section will have a chest with one part of the
unsummon spell. You need to get it then teleport out and reenter the
hall teleporter. This will take you to another identical area. Go to the
rolling rock spot and get the second part of the unsummon spell.

At the west end of the long hall is a plate and a wall switch. Step on
the plate and then flip the switch. It opens a door to the south.

This area comes in two parts. Behind an illusory wall is a big room with
four wyverns guarding chests. The middle chest contains a sea shell. You
need this to get to the sunken ship. The other area has two hidden
chests revealed at the far west end by stepping on a pressure plate.
Unfortunately, the plate also causes a screaming skull spell to come
flying at you. If you avoid the spell, it goes into a teleporter nearby
and comes around again. Every time you step on the plate, more skulls
fly. If you keep avoiding them you will soon see lots of flying skulls.
This is very dangerous because you will get hit sooner or later, so take
it like a man and empty those chests.

Now you can go back the way you came and unsummon the gargoyle. You will
then find a long hall with a door to the south and a door to the west.
You need a key to go west so enter the south door.

You will find yourself in a large room with rocks neatly laid out. Walk
the length of the room along the north wall and head south toward the
entrance to the next room. There is a spinner going on in this room that
will try to mess up your sense of direction. Try doing moves in reverse
when this happens and make your way into that room. It takes some
effort. You will find a chest with the key and three teleporters guarded
by a juggernaut. The middle teleporter will take you to the exit of the
rock room so you don't have to deal with the spinner again.

Once you unlock the west door you find yourself in a similar room. The
far west door needs a key, the door to the south is opened by a pressure
plate. There is a stone block you need top destroy to free a pressure
plate. This will open the door to a room with a bunch of chests. One of
the has the key to the third area.

The third area is the same. You'll need a key to go further west.
Entering the south door you'll see rolling rocks. Enter their halls and
find the gaps to get across to a room. Throw any switch you see. Get the
key in a chest.

The fourth area is the final area. A door to the south leads you to a
room full of switches. Throw all the switches. Doors open revealing
chests. One door leads to the final room. To get in you have to go to a
side passage, kill the juggernaut and put a block on the pressure plate.
The other pressure plates will then let you in the door.

Now head upstairs to the second floor of the tower. There are three
doors leading to the stairs to level three. To open them you must do the
following: Near the doors is a switch in a recessed
area. It causes a stone to roll onto a plate. Throw it. Now, there is a
pressure plate east of the stairs. Put three big rocks on it. Another
plate in the south requires a block. A wall opens and closes
periodically. It has the block, but I'm not sure if you push it into one
of the plates in this area or on the plate to the north. I just made
sure there is a block on the first plate in the hidden area and the one
exposed.

The doors will then be open, go on the way to the stairs is a side
passage with an illusory wall. Throw the switch on the other side and
rob the chest. Head upstairs and you will walk across a plate that opens
a wall. Inside, behind a illusory wall is a chest with a key inside. Get
it. East of the stairs is a Mana altar. Throw the switch nearby. This
will cause rocks in another room to roll which will open the door to the
Wizard's lair.

You will find that he's already dead. Get the yellow globe on the floor
and put it in the fish's mouth. Go to the nearby chest and read the
scroll inside. Then click on the globe. The wizard will tell you his
story. In the locked room is a chest with a good sword.


Now that you've cleared the tower, make your way to the pier exit on the
ground floor. You can take the teleporter in the hidden room where in
the key was, but it takes you to the causeway exit. Use the pier exit.
Go to the end of the pier and use the sea shell. Talk to the elemental,
then enter...

THE UNDERSEA MAZE

Goal: Get to ship

This area is pretty simple. It's a maze with the center as the goal. But
you must inspect every square inch of the place before you try to enter
the center. You'll need to find eight pearls to reach the center. You
should also find Aegis, the best shield in the game. Throw away your old
shield when you find it. The maze has blood thorns which can poison you,
so save up on those poison cures. Only use them when you really need
them. If you can fight a couple monsters while poisoned, hold out until
you must use the cure. That way you won't run out.

There is a teleporter on each side of the maze that will take you to the
opposite side. There are two exits. One takes you to a land pier to the
south of the underground city. The other takes you to the lantern pier.
If you accidentally exit the maze, call the elemental with the shell
again and click on GREET.

The Mana Altar is in the North West part of the maze, the Health Altar
is in the South West part of the maze.

Once you reach the center of the maze, teleporters will block your way.
You need to enter them until you are next to a chest with the final
pearl. Teleport back and put the pearl in the hole in the wall. The next
teleporter will take you to the center where another teleporter whisks
you away to an area north of the maze, the entrance to the ship.

THE SUNKEN SHIP

Goal: Talk to Demon

You enter the ship and find yourself in a room with two exits to the
north. Either one takes you to a huge room in the center of the ship.
The far west side of this room is a altar of healing. You need a gold
coin to get in. The far east is a room with the demon the wizard told
you about. The demon wants eight hearts, which you get by killing the
sailors on the ship. You get four on the first level and four on the
upper level. You may want to wait until you have all the hearts before
talking to the demon to save trips back and forth.

The north east door of the great hall is opened by pulling the anchor
switch. Inside the room are seven switches. Pull them all. You can now
enter seven doors off the hall.

The south east door leads to the stairs going up. Save them for after
you finish clearing level one.

Somewhere near the western end of the great hall are two doors facing
each other. They are opened or closed by a pressure plate. To hold down
the plate, put a bag on rocks on it. Take them off to enter the opposite
door. Both rooms are identical. They have a teleporter and a wall
switch. Two pebbles will be on the floor. Get them, pull the switch,
enter the teleporter. Put a pebble on each pressure plate in the room
you have arrived in, then step in the teleporter to get sent back to the
hallway. Only one teleporter does this. The other keeps you in the room.

You can now get into four rooms at the west side of the ship.

Now go upstairs. To the east of the ship is a area with rooms and
chests. A hidden room can be accessed by fining an illusory wall near
the area where a rolling rock is standing in a side room. Enter the
wall, throw the switch and two rocks roll onto plates, opening up the
hidden room to the far east.

The middle section of the ship has a large room with four blocks in the
center. Push them onto the four plates in each corner. This opens a door
to the north that leads to the captain's quarters. On the way watch out
for the rolling rock. There are alcoves you can jump in to let the rock
pass.

The captain's quarters is in a hidden area. You can only reach it by
stepping on the pressure plate in the center of the room. A wall to the
north opens. Go into the south room, pull the wall switch. Do the same
to the north room and a west wall will start to open and close. Enter
and find a suit of shell armor and some other stuff. The suit is the
best one so far. It looks goofy, though.

Go back and talk to the demon, give him the hearts. Now that you've
accomplished that and found out what you need to do in the game, go back
into the sea maze.

The north west corner of the sea maze is the exit leading to the
underground city. That's the best way to go.

THE UNDERGROUND CITY

Quest Items: Heartstone, Sun Disc, Trumpet of Earthen Quake

This place is pretty creepy. If you came out of the sea onto the land
pier you will enter the city from the East. If you go in from the
Gryphon Keep side you will enter South. At the South entrance is an NPC
who will tell you the story of the city. It is haunted by some horrible
monsters. The Blood Spawn are especially tough. There are two other
exits to this place. North is the Exit to the Elder Tree. West takes you
to the Barrier.

If you enter from the East follow the outer wall south until you get to
the south entrance. This is a good starting point. Talk to the weird
looking man. Following along the outer walls is usually safe. No
monsters are around there unless they chase you there. The only threat
are Iron fist spells which fly along a set path. These are easy to
avoid. You can use a reflecting pool spell to deflect them anyway.

There are two levels to this place. A huge main level with lots of
buildings to explore and a small mine level where you will find the
heartstone needed for your quest. Worry about the mine later. Save it
for last.

Throw away the Sea Conch if you want to. It's no longer needed.

Since most of this dungeon is pretty cut and dry I will only describe
the tricky parts. The main thing to remember is look for illusory walls,
all picks stuck in walls are switches and be careful of those monsters.

Like the sea maze, there are teleporters at each side of the dungeon,
next to the exits, that will take you to the other side of the city. The
altars are in two separate areas. The Health Altar is in a open area
surrounded by a lot of monsters. It's near the center, north of the
Enclave Area. You can just ignore the monsters and heal up if you are
desperate. They don't immediately attack you unless you face them. The
Mana altar is slightly north of the West exit. You need an Amethyst Hex
key to get in. This is found in a house nearby, surrounded by four
pressure plates. (See description below)

We'll start with the south entrance and work our way around in no
particular order. There are plenty of other places I don't describe
here. Make sure you check everyone. Don't leave any section of the map
blank.

Directly to the north of the south entrance is an area I call the
Enclave. It is a large walled off area full of houses. The entrance has
rolling rocks and spikes guarding it. Go straight through, watching out
for the rocks and fire spells. You will find the place has lots of
houses. Directly north of the entrance is the first place you should
enter. Here are a couple Sword Thanes (like the one's guarding Gryphon
Keep) inside. One of them will drop a gold skull key when you kill him.
To the west of this room is another room opened by a pressure plate. A
messenger will be guarding it. Kill him and take his hat. These hats are
the best headgear in the game until you get the knight's armor, so throw
away that stupid seashell helmet. An adjoining room is entered by
stepping on the pressure plate again. Inside you will find a sun disc.
This is an important item you will need later on.

Two houses on either side of the enclave have pressure plates. They take
one rock each. Now go around the enclave and clean out the other houses.
The one locked by the gold skull key has a flame shooting crossbow
inside. It's helpful against blood spawn. Especially when you enter the
rolling rock house I describe later.

Finished with the enclave? Okay, let's now go north of there to the
healing altar. It's in an open area surrounded by what looks like square
pillars. There are a lot of monsters here, so be careful. It's also a no
magic zone, so you will have to use your weapons on the beasties. If you
don't look at them, they usually won't attack, so if you are desperate
for healing, just ignore them and head for the altar. One of the
quivering pool monsters will drop an ankh when you kill him. This is
needed to enter a house near the east exit. If you don't get an ankh in
this area, you will probably get it from another quivering pool
elsewhere. They are really small, so pay close attention to the ground.

To the east of the enclave, just south of the altar area, is a house
that must be opened with a blue tear key. Inside a rolling rock moves
across your path. Monsters block your away ahead. You have to kill them
without stepping in the way of the rock which will clobber you. The
Inferno weapon comes in handy here. Also, the throwing star you found in
the sea maze that comes back to your hand. Another method is just step
up when the rock passes, take a whack at the monster, then step back.
When the monsters are dead, go into the far room and throw a wall
switch. This will open a door in the hall where the rock is rolling back
and forth. Go right, raid the chest, then return to the switch, throw it
again, and go left down the hall when the rock passes to find another
chest. You will find an hour glass artifact that comes in real handy
later.

In the South East corner of the city is a house with three pick switches
in its walls and a teleporter blocking the door. Fire spells keep
starting periodically. Wait for the fires to die down. Go to the
west/left switch. Pull it, then go to the east/right switch, pull it.
The teleporter will have vanished. Then, pull the middle switch and
enter. There are illusory walls directly in front of you. Behind them
are some chests.

Next door is a house with a rolling rock sitting motionless between two
pressure plates. Nearby is a chest with a key and a wall switch. Get the
key, throw the switch. Open the locked door with the key and you will
see a rock rolled away to reveal a chest. Raid the chest, go back to the
switch, throw it again and return to find another chest revealed.


Near the East exit is a big house requiring an ankh key. There is a hole
in the wall next to the door and a speaking statue. Use the ankh to
enter, go to the door that has a wall switch next to it in the north
east of the place. Throw the switch, enter and you will see a pressure
plate. Step on the plate four times and it will open the other doors.
Two rooms are empty. Two have monsters. One has a chest with another
hourglass artifact.

North East of the city, next to the Ankh house is a house opened by a
blue tear key. Entering you will see two pressure plate doors and a door
opened by a wall switch. The wall switch opens the center door which
only leads outside. The north room has a chest containing the Trumpet of
Earthen Quake. The south room has a sleepy imp inside. Talk to him then
leave the room and shut the door. Now, without entering the room again,
step on the plate and open the door. Use the hourglass you found to stop
time. Enter the southern room and you should see the imp sleeping with a
thought bubble over his head. Wait for the time spell to wear off and
you will learn the spell of Fire Haven.

Slightly west of the south exit is a house with two closed doors and a
stone block. Destroy the block with your sword and the doors will open.
The door farthest away from the block may need coaxing. Step on and off
the plate until it opens up. You can check it with your map.

Near the West exit is a house surrounded by four pressure plates. Put
one rock filled bag (8 to 10 rocks per bag) on three of the plates. You
should have three bags by now. On the fourth plate place a stone block.
Now you can enter the house. If you don't have enough rocks or blocks,
then try entering anyway. A spinner will make it really hard but if you
keep trying you will eventually get in. It took me a long time when I
tried it without the rocks. Inside you will find the Amethyst Hex key
needed to get to the Mana Temple.

The Mana Temple is slightly north of the west entrance. You need the
Amethyst Hex key to enter. There will be blood spawn guarding the place
and it is a no magic zone.

Near the North Entrance is a house opened by a steel circle key. This
house contains a great sword, the best weapon you will find up to this
point in the game. It can cause up to 16 points in damage. So I
recommend you start using it.

In the North West section is the entrance to the mine. It's a wood
building with a rock rolling in front of the entrance. But before you
enter, next to this building are two rows of small houses. Explore them
and you will find a little girl. Talk to her before entering the mine.

Back to the mine. Fight your way past two blood spawn to the stairs. The
stairs lead down. You will find you way blocked by a collapse. Use