Schwert und Magie III: Folge 5+6

Schwert und Magie III: Folge 5+6 is, like its predecessor a German text adventure that incorporates elements of a fantasy single-player role-playing game in which the player embodies a hero (or heroine) who has to solve a specific task by choosing between given alternatives. Your character is assigned certain primary attributes that are randomly determined at the beginning, for which you have to take tests as you progresses. The primary attributes are assigned among four choices: Intelligenz (Intelligence) (In), Charme (Charm) (Ch), Stärke (Strength) (St) and Geschicklichkeit (Dexterity) (Ge). The attributes that have an effect in combat are: Vitalität (Vitality) (Vit), Tapferkeit (Bravery) (Ta), Angriff (Attack) (An) and Verteidigung (Defense) (Ve).

Two episodes or chapters per disk were published together:

• Folge Nr. 5: Das Haus des Vampirs
• After the last assignment you allowed yourself a bit of a rest. You are now sitting with your pockets full of money in a dim forest pub on the edge of a road between two villages. The pub has filled up over time and the atmosphere is generally good until suddenly the pub door is pushed open with a loud crash. An old man in a ragged, monk-like robe stands in the doorway and calls into the taproom in a hoarse voice that he has an assignment for someone who wants to prove his mettle. "Who is interested?" However, it was rejected by others. You, after thinking about it, wants to know more about it. The old man tells you that his name is Machtnix and as a druid he is one of the guardians of the sacred pentagram. This sacred amulet consists of six parts: five triangular points and a ruby-set pentagonal center piece. The sacred pentagram enables the local druid guild to keep evil from good within this kingdom, or at least to contain it. Each part of the pentagram is protected by a chosen guardian. These guardians are chosen from within the Druid Guild's own ranks.

A few months ago, a mysterious count came to the kingdom and acquired the island of Romania. The Count built a large house on it. A few weeks ago, various people, mostly young girls and boys, often disappeared from their homes overnight. Usually only a small pool of blood was found in their bed. Two weeks ago, the guardians of the Holy Pentagram came together and, with the help of their magical amulet, researched the background of these terrifying events. They discovered that the mysterious Count is none other than the dreaded vampire wizard Alucard. The Keepers of the Sacred Pentagram decided to banish the vampire Count in his house with the help of their magic and their magical instrument.

This succeeded after several attempts exactly seven days ago. But six days ago, misfortune began to befall the keepers of the pentagram. First, the druid Kannix was attacked in his hut and killed. His amulet with part of the pentagram was stolen. Before the other Guardians knew anything about this happening, the druids Binnix, Weisnix and Willnix were also ruthlessly murdered night after night. The bodies were then removed without a trace. Only the devastation in the houses of the druids and the large pools of blood allowed conclusions to be drawn about the actual events. Now that only the druids, Habnix and Machtnix were left, he sets off to warn his last colleague Habnix about the further machinations of the Vampire Count, but he had to realize that in this case too he had arrived too late. Also, the fifth part's hideout had been breached. Now the vampire count already had all five triangles of the pentagram in his hands.

As the druid left the house of his murdered friend, he was suddenly attacked by a giant prehistoric man. That must be the Vampire Count's secret servant, realized Machtnix. During the fight, however, he had lost the center piece of the pentagram to him. The druid now set out to find a brave warrior as quickly as possible who would break into the vampire count's house before nightfall, recover the six individual parts of the sacred pentagram, and then destroy the vampire count and his henchmen. Because the vampire will free himself from his spell tonight and then immediately go in search of the last guardian of the pentagram. As soon as this druid was also destroyed, it would be the supreme ruler of this part of the country.

After the druid gives you a map showing the count's house, you saddle your horse, don your leather armor and test your battle-hardened sword. You gallop to the lake where the count has built his house on the island of Romania. In the late afternoon you will reach the lake shore. You don't have much time left to complete your task. Dusk is about to fall. You get off your horse and think about the best way to get to the island.

• Folge Nr. 6: Der Turm des Todes
• Tathum is a large city in one of the Northern Kingdoms. It is considered to be very progressive and rich. Here you can get all the comforts of life - as long as you have the necessary small change. Unfortunately you are not in this happy position. You've even had to sell your sword and the few silver coins, that you managed to tease out of the stingy merchant, have already shrunk to a small handful of copper coins. In short, you're completely broke again.

So you go to the governor's palace and study the notice boards. You scan the many small parchments, written in the runic script of this region, that are tacked up in disorder. There between the dull and badly paid jobs you find a suitable one: "Magician is looking for a brave hero for a not too difficult special task. You should be able to read and write and otherwise be reasonably educated and intelligent. Knowledge of magic desirable but not required if you are good with a sword. You should also be able to keep your mouth shut. Beginners useless. Pay 100 gold pieces. Register at: Xarobrez, Essagrebuaz 10, Reretnu Liettdats."

After you decipher the address, you invest your last copper coins to give yourself a passable appearance again. After a bath (you were lucky; there were only three in the tub before you) and a visit to the barber (unfortunately it was only enough for a pot cut) you are standing in front of the magician's door with washed clothes (not clean, but reasonably clean).

The wizard, an old, white-bearded man in a blue mantle, tells you that the people of Mesopotamia once lived under the protection of the great sorcerer Vermithrax, who possessed a magical crystal ball, with the help of which he managed to warm the whole area so that farming was possible despite the cold climate. This orb was capable of other things as well. A few years ago, however, the trolls from the surrounding mountains are said to have attacked the settlement violently. Normally, a wizard of Vermithrax' stature would have easily dealt with them, like he did with the gangs of robbers and goblins roaming there in previous years. Why he couldn't defend himself this time is beyond the wizard's knowledge. In any case, all people were killed by the trolls and the country was devastated. Only the ruins of the main village and the old tower according to some rumours, are still standing. And the ball must still be there. The magician says: "Well, the ball is still there, probably even in the tower. You should get this ball for me."

He gives you a horse, a pack mule, enough provisions, a good sword and chain mail. Then after two hours you reach the forest. It's much too dark to cross it. You also know that the mountains that separate you from your destination begin behind it. So you're getting off the path a bit. You tie up your animals and lie down to sleep under a large spruce tree with far-reaching branches that hang down to the ground.

Like the previous games the character can be saved and guided through several adventures until their death, while gaining valuable experience. The rooms are represented graphically. To do this, select "Grundriss" (Floorplan) in the selection for the rooms.