Erstam will be ecstatic with his new creation. He will give the player a key to his “storeroom” and will say that the artifacts he needs are there. This key unlocks the steel door outside, which leads into a different dungeon than before. This dungeon, after a series of poison caltrops and flame eggs, teleports the player back to the northern island, into the range of mountains around the circumference of the island. This dungeon contains a few of Erstam’s failed experiments: animating body parts (hands, arms, legs) which attack. Once the player is past these creatures, the end of the dungeon teleports the player once again back to the south island, into yet another small section of the dungeon, which finally empties out into the storage room which the player could see into from Erstam’s house. (It is actually part of his house, on a different level, so the path to get there is quite maddening!). Luckily, there will be crates and tables with which to stack items so the party can climb out of the room to the balcony above.

 

Erstam will be so impressed with the Avatar’s ability to get the jawbone that he will give him three of the teeth that go in the jawbone (Monk Isle, Mad Mage Isle, and Moonshade), but will refuse to give instructions on how to use them. “Thou hast proven thyself intelligent— figure it out thyself!”

 

Boydon will express an interest in joining the party. He will be able to do so, and will possess an unusually high strength. However, his dexterity is not so great. Boydon can join the Party during any visit of the Avatar, pre- or post-Madness.

 

When the banes possess Iolo, Shamino. and Dupre. Boydon (if in the Party) will be destroyed by lightning, although his head will still talk. Boydon cannot be reassembled (‘the Phoenix is gone when the Avatar returns), but the head can be carried around and spoken to. Boyden also falls apart if

“killed” (if he loses all of his hit points).

 

While Boydon is in the party, the other Party members will occasionally make comments about Boydon’s smell, but will generally appreciate his presence.

 

GEOGRAPHY

 

Erstam’s house is built on the southernmost island, on the north shore. Outside Erstam’s house is the entrance to a dungeon, and a locked steel door on the side of a mountain,

 

All of Erstam’s magical artifacts are hidden in a special storeroom connected by dungeons which exist on both islands. The player can see this storage room from the 2nd floor balcony of Erstam’s house, but one cannot get to it on the surface. It is like the “medieval room” in Richard Garriott’s house--you can see it from the balcony and look down into it, but there is no visible way to get there. The entrance to Erstam’s dungeon is outside Erstam’s home, on the southern-most island. There is a Serpent Gate on the island its location is not plot-criticaL

 

 BACKGROUND

 

Erstam, the mad mage, is 300 years old, and lives with his servant companion, Vasel (Erstam is from Britannia, Vasel is the latest in a long line of young apprentices from the Serpent Isle). Erstam has been working on spells of immortality, then experimenting on his servants. The spells usually end up killing the servants, but certain body parts live on. Hence, he will call a moving arm or leg by the name of the former servant it belonged to! An item which is a talking head has a conversation. His name is Boydon.

 

NEW CHARACTERS

Name

Description

Townplot

Portrait

Shape

Cony?

Erstam

The Mad Mage

MadMage

1st Pass

?

Yes

   SERPENT ISLE: MadMage Town Plot                                                   MADMAGE.DOC

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