
                         Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
                  Written by: The Peeler and The Intellectual
                            Supplied by: The Armada

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                      The Book of Mystic Wisdom: Part 2                      
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                         As told by Philpop the Weary,
                       magician to the court of his most
                            sovereign Lord British.

QUICKNESS:     The spell Quickness is one of the most unpredictable yet
potent spells in the wizard's collection of enchantments, and one of the most
telling on his or her companions.  When cast during battle, the Quickness spell
will heighten the natural dexterity of one's fellows to such a degree that they
will move twice their normal agility - at times they will be able to land two
blows against their foes instead of the customary single strike during a round
combat.  The price is age, for the recipients of the extra speed incurred by
the use of Quickness will age briefly while under the sway of the
enchantment... yet most feel that an occasional grey hair is but a small price
to pay for the advantage of dealing twice the number of blows that one might
recieve.  The reagents for the Quickness spell are fiery Sulphorous Ash,
Ginseng, and volatile Blood Moss.  The Blood Moss portion is double the others,
for movement is the critical aspect of the spell.  The Sulphurous Ash lends the
flashes of energy needed by the beneficiaries of the enchantment, while the
healing powers of Ginseng prevent them from aging so rapily as to become
greybeards after a single encounter.  Throughout the course of the Quickness
spell, the spellcaster will be reminded of its effects byh the vision of a
bright, glowing 'Q'.

RESURRECT:    Many are the monsters and terrors that dwell beneath the surface
or in the forests and marshes of Britiannia.  Even groups of most valiant and
fierce warriors are subject to losses too tragic to bear.  If a companion is
slain by an enemy, all is not lost in the presence of the most accomplished of
mages.  There exists the means to bring back a companion from the land of the
dead - not as a unholy once-dead being - but as a living, breathing creatre of
flesh and blood restored to life, albeit in an extremely weakened condition.
Each wizard must needs determine the components of this enchantment that work
best with their own magic, for the combination is said to be unique to each
spellcaster.  What is known about weaving this the most potent of all
enchantments is that it requires the spellcaster to scatter the reagents to
cover the victim's body while caling out the name of the slain companion in a
voice of thunder.  This magic is extraordinarily taxing, and rare is the mage
who can continue to weave pells without rest once this enchantment has been
successfully cast.

SLEEP:     There are moments in the lives of every practitioner of the mystic
arts where discretion is truly the better part of valor.  Not all foes are
truly evil and deserving of annihilation - verily, some are but beasts of the
field seeking provender and are entitled to life as much as your or I.  Yet,
unchecked these creatures pose as great a threat to one as a score of rabid
orcs.  It is in such situations that the wise thamaturge weaves a Sleep spell
and leaves his oposition in deep slumber whilst vacating the current location. 
The Sleep spell is truly a serious enchantment that requires a fair amount of
mental energy to cast, but it is not of such import as to leave the spellcaster
breathless or exhausted.  To send your foes to the land of slumber, mix a
double portion of Spider Silk with some Ginseng and chant "Duerme" as you
sprinkle the reagents into the air.  Fear not the distance between you and the
intended victims, for the binding power of the Spider Silk will enfold them
from afar, while the healing Ginseng will gently wrap them in deep sleep.

TREMOR:     The Tremor spell is a very potent magic indeed.  Few spells are as
exhausting and none save Resurrection have a more strking or dramatic effect.
Carefully blend portions of Sulphurous Ash with Blood Moss and Mandrake Root
and cast it at the feet of your oponents whilst shouting as loudly as possible.
The volatile Sulphurous Ash shall furnish the flash of power to the movement
potential of the Blood Moss and the Mandrake Root will lend raw necromantic
force to the spell.  The very earth will tremble and quake beneath the feet of
your enemies and they will fly in terror, save those that are swallowed up
entirely by the very ground itself.  No spell in the lore of the mystic asts
has as much power to strike fear into the hearts and minds of those that suffer
its mighty impact.  But use this enchantment wisely, for it will leave you weak
as a newborn babe.

UNDEAD:     Ever since the coming of the evil wizard Mondain and his hellish
offspring, the lands of Britannia have been plagued by the return of creatures
already slain.  These once-dead beings take many forms, the most common being
the animate skeletons of orcs an goblins, or the ghoulish forms of flesh-eating
corpses that have been summoned from the land of shades to wreak havoc on the
living.  These apparitions are cowed by the light of righteousness and fight as
warriors in a trance.  Nonetheless, they are hard to kill and never tire in
battle and thus may jeopardize even a seasoned band of adventurers.  Each mage
knows a form of turning them aside when encountered, but the companions of such
magics are personal and depend on the spellcaster.  You must use your knowledge
of the properties of magical reagents to determine which two will lend force to
your enchantment of Undead turning.  When you have found the proper mixture,
cast it at your foes while chanting the name of what once were when they trod
the earth in life.

VIEW:     The lands that we now call Britannia in honor of those wise and just
influence of Lord British are vast in scope and hold many uncharted regions.
Although cartographers have travelled all the circumferences of the main
continent, many internal tracts have yet to be accurately recorded, while there
are numerous islands rumored to exist to the southeast with nary a chart to
show their location.  Here the practitioner of the mystic arts has a great
adventure over the wanderer or seafarer in that View spell may be woven when
the need arises.  The View incantation is of middling difficulty and involves
the use of hallucinatory Nightshade and powerful Mandrake Root.  Mandrake lends
power to the enchantment while Nightshade provides a mystic overview of all the
lands within the range of a simple Blink spell.  Simply blend the reagents and
speak out the name of the region which you travel.

WIND CHANGE:     Not all Britannia is accessible on foot, and oft times the
wizard will find the need to embark on a sea voyage to reach some certain
destinations in the pursuit of Truth.  Once aboard ship, most voyagers find
themslves at the mercy of capricious nature with her ever-changing winds. This
is not true for the practitioner of the mystic arts, however, for though
magical means one may control the very direction of the wind, albeit for but a
short span of time.  Wind Change is not a taxing enchantment; indeed a powerful
wizard can cast it almost continuously, although it is not trivial as opening
trapped chests or effecting minor teleportations...  Simply mix Sulphurous Ash
for power and Blood Moss for movement to coax the wind to a more favorable
direction.  Speak the name of the patron of winds and call out the direction
desired and the wind shall change at your bidding.

XIT:    When trapped in the bowels of the earth, weary and battered with a long
road ahead to the surface , the use of an Xit (exit) spell can be beneficial.
This enchantment is but one of the middling forms of teleportation, quite
similar in cost and nature to the Blink spell.  It too disassembles the party
and reassembles it on the surface of Britannia, and thus requires very similar
components to the aforementioned Blink enchantment.  Aside from the moving
Blood Moss and the binding Spider Silk which ensures the safe passage of the
disincorporated party, Xit requires the use of Sulphurous Ash to provide the
flare that guides the party from the depths of darkness to the world of
sunlight.  When confusing the Xit spell, the thaumaturge should try to envision
the actual entrance to the underworld used to gain the subterranean passage at
the beginning of the expedition below ground.  Successful casting of the Xit
spell will surely return them to that selfsame spot.

Y (UP):     The two most elementary forms of teleportation both have strong
names and may be used only when underground.  The more difficult of the known
by the letter 'Y' in honor of the mage Yenthak Gnor, who first crafted the
enchantment. Yenthak Gnor discovered that a blend of Blood Moss and Spider Silk
in conjunction with the spoken names of the moons would cause one who utters it
to be lifted upward through the very soil to the next highest level of a
dungeon. The Spider Silk holds the party together during their transit, while
the Blood Moss moves them ever closer to the moons.

Z (DOWN):     The 'Z' or Down spell is perhaps the simplest of all the
teleportation spells.  It requires the same components as the 'Y' or Up spell -
these being Blood Moss for movement and Spider Silk for its bindings qualities-
but requires half the mental energy and concentration on the part of the
spellcaster due to the natural tendency of all bodies to move downward.  The
origin of the name is uncertain, but is believed that the letter 'Z' is the
first letter of unpronounceable Truename of the Lord of the Underworld, a demon
of much power.  To effect the spell, the spellcaster must scatter the reagents
and chant "Baja" in stentorian tones.  The lower the tonality of the chant, the
higher the probablity of the party moving down one level of a dungeon.


---> Apple Manor  [ 716-654-POOF! ]

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