It's been a good day. Reflectively, you muse that your armor and weapons are of the highest quality, and your purse sags form the weight of many bronze pieces. Better yet, you sit at one of the finest pubs in Infinity with golden flagons of ale frothing in your iron grip.
Home and hearth, with a nagging spouse and screaming urchins? A wide grin splits your cheeks with the knowledge that such a life will never be yours. To the adventurous, Infinity always awaits.
Dragon Side II: The Twisted Speare goes beyond Bronze Dragon with ten new adventures, a new castle maker, 200 new monsters, an interactive pub and a miriad of surprises. DSII is completely compatible with version 3.0 of Bronze Dragon. All characters, weapons, spells, and magic items will work just like always.
IMPORTANT: Dragon Side II requires Bronze Dragon version 3.0.
DRAGON SIDE II: The Twisted Speare was Copyrighted 1987 by Adam West and Dan Schnake, who are also known as "Commonwealth Software" Copying any part of Dragon Side II was once against the law, but it has now been placed into the public domain.
This warranty is in place of all warranties, either expressed or implied. Commonwealth Software no longer warrants anything regarding this software. It is provided "as is."
We're Adam West, Dan Schnake, and Dale King. People we owe thanks to include everyone at the Game Preserve, our families, Dave Schnake the play-testing maniac, and Ray West for "Ruins of the Kaokanti." And a very special tip of the hat to Bill "Shakey" Shakespeare.
Dragon Side II is the first of many additions to the never-ending world of Bronze Dragon (actually it was the only). It contains 10 new plots, each lavishly designed to dazzle and perplex; 200 new monsters, with a multitude of new ways to persecute your stalwart adventurers; and a pub where you meet many intriguing and helpful personalities. Both the pub and plots set a new level of sophistication for computer role-playing -- but then, you'll soon find that out yourself.
Included in the Dragon Side II is one double-sided disk. In addition to this disk you will need the Bronze Side and Character Disk from Bronze Dragon version 3.0 and one disk you must provide, the Castle Disk, just as with Bronze Dragon.
Sometimes, you may wish to go from Dragon Village to the Twisted Speare without rebooting. Simply leave Dragon Village by hitting return. When you are asked if you wish to return to Main Menu, insert the Twisted Speare instead of the Bronze Side.
Boot the Twisted Speare to play one of the new plots. The first screen you'll see after the DSII logo clears is the Twisted Speare Menu. The choices on that menu are explained below.
Before entering the Twisted Speare, you must gather your party for the plot you wish to talk about. The Speare is an interactive pub - you can choose topics and people to converse with, and even show them objects to see if they recognize them. Sometimes, you won't even know about a topic until someone casually mentions it! People may come and go for their own reasons while you're in the pub. Some may even want to buy or trade objects with you. You should always visit the pub before going on an adventure.
After the opening description, use the arrow or number keys to move amongst the patrons. To choose one to speak with, hit RETURN.
Use the same procedure to pick a topic. After picking a topic, the person will say something to you. You can continue by asking that person about a different topic. When you're through talking, use the Space Bar to toggle back to the patrons and choose someone new.
The patrons will often tell you about plot objects if they're shown the objects. To do so, put the proper object in hand with the Inventory command then choose the Object in Hand topic.
S - Spokesman: This allows a different party member to ask questions or show their own objects. The current spokesman is highlighted on the left.
I - Inventory: The spokesman can put something new in hand. If you want to ask Falstaff about a blue orb, you need to use Inventory to put the orb in hand. The object in hand will be highlighted on the right.
P - Print: If you have a printer card in slot one you can print your conversations on hardcopy. Hit "P" when you wish to begin printing and hit it again to stop.
L - Leave: After you have finished talking, hit "L" to leave the pub.
You should visit the pub often, at least once before every adventure. Not only do the pub patrons give good hints, but they often play a vital role in the solution itself. The patrons often know how to use a plot object if you bring it along and show it to them.
If you haven't already guessed, almost all of the characters and just a few of the events in the pub are based on Shakespeare's work - though twisted. Most of it comes from Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 and 2, and Henry V. Of course, you needn't be familiar with the immortal bard to play these plots. Just consider it added flavoring.
Dragon Side II contains 200 new monsters, from the simple first level baddies to the complex high level terrors. Be careful when assigning the difficulty rating for the new castles, as the new ratings are more differentiated (Difficulty 6 is significantly tougher than 5, etc.).
Also note that you cannot input 10 as a "starting monster level." This level contains the likes of Thor, Asmodeus, Mephistopheles, Ra, Odin et al. To get to these god-like creatures, start with level 9 and choose a high difficulty.
The world of Infinity serves as the backdrop to nearly all adventures in Bronze Dragon. Medalia is one of the major continents on Infinity and is composed of several "rival kingdoms." Dragon Village (which is actually a small city) is in the middle of the small kingdom of Hinterland, ruled by King Leopold VI. His title is disputed by the so-called Lord Usul of the Shadowlands, but that's another story.... Neighboring Hinterland to the southeast is the Far Wind valleys, ruled by King Miegra. The Twisted Speare is a pub in the border town of Stratford on the edge of Saxony, ruled by King Henry IV. This is where the adventures of Dragon Side II take place.
Read the following sections on the plots before you play them.
Hassan Chop, a master level thief of guild 106, sneaked into the local guild 147 a few weeks ago and stole the Tome of Larceny without the approval of his supperiors. His deed put both guilds in an awkward position. Guild 147 could not retaliate without risking a costly intraguild war. For guild 106, returning any rightfully stolen item would be an unacceptable breach of the "code." Guildmaster Peto of 147 sees you as a solution for the problem and awaits you at the Twisted Speare.
It began so simply. Tum Ak Lar and his band of heroes were attacking the fortress of Aquiem. They penetrated its outer defenses quickly and were battling their way through the courtyard when it happened. Accounts vary, but some facts are certain.
Four spectral cubes guarded the courtyard door to the inner chamber. Tum killed one, a cube blasted Adrian to foil his leap, and Lovli and Forcon both missed. The wizard Quislan had an idea: to teleport a cube away with a dimension door spell. Just as he cast it, the spectral cube began to turn white....
No one knows why, but the resulting explosion killed every member of the party and the cubes, save the one the spell was cast upon. It solidified into color-streaked stone, and began to grow until it reached its present form, a very odd castle.
An old (some say the oldest) civilization has been rediscovered recently. All history of the race had been lost, except for a few records and of course, the famous Kaokantian songbirds. Yours is a mission of reconnaissance and recovery.
Three weeks ago, you saw a star shoot across the sky and crash some distance away. With painstaking research, you've found that it landed somewhere in the grasslands. Mayhap someone in the pub will know more.
After days of thought, you've finally found a quest worthy of its walking distance. The legend of the Great Minotaur swirls equal parts of fear, apprehension, and excitement in the pit of your stomach. This much you know - he lives in a great labyrinth that no one, no matter how carefully they mapped, could negotiate. There must be some other answer.
Bagging a demon named Barantis in a castle that may or may not exist sounds like your line of work. Except, if your information is correct, this particular monster is far too powerful to defeat in ordinary combat. On the other hand, your prestige (and money) will increase considerably if you manage to defeat an Arch-demon.
(You must save an object in order to solve plot 7).
From what you hear, a gateway to an alternate universe exists within the Mountain of Wizard's Art. Though the rumor mongers also claim that the alternate universe is decidedly odd, the thought of fantastic undiscovered treasure once again weighs like a lodestone on your greedy mind.
Exactly how the fabled Seven Sinister Sapphires turned up in Midlands University is a mystery you may never unravel. Ah, well, so long as you get the precious baubles, who really cares how they got there?
A raven spiraled down from darkened clouds and delivered a note bearing the seal of King Henry. It read as follows:
Your magnificent deeds of valor have reached the ears of the Great Wizard Glendower. I have a rather unique task in store for you: Go to the Castle Entropy and complete my spell of destruction. By now you must be aware of the situation which detains me else I would accomplish this simple mission post haste. If you have further need of my knowledge, I will be awaiting you amid the peasants of the Twisted Speare.
The Royal Master Wizard
Owen Glendower
IMPORTANT: The Get Rid of option under Inventory has been replaced with Drop Object. As you might guess, dropping an object simply puts an object of your choice on the floor so you could pick it up later.
Duke Angelo, the Royal Inquisitor, has asked for your assistance in the investigation of a murder. The victim must be pretty important to come under the jurisdiction of Angelo. With this in mind you make your way to the Twisted Speare, where the suspects are gathered. It is left to you to acquire the evidence in the Castle of the Seasons, question the suspects, and solve the murder.
IMPORTANT: You must enter the Twisted Speare, present the right evidence, question the right suspects, and accuse the guilty to solve the murder. When you have presented enough incriminating evidence, use the Accuse command and answer the questions. After presenting your case, you will be given the results of your investigation. If you are incorrect, you must start again, presenting your case from the beginning.