Do not rush into battle without thinking about the situation first. 

Positioning your party members is a major consideration. Take advantage 

of all the factors terrain has to offer. 

When an enemy approaches you, a lot of times you can move your 

characters just far enough away from the enemy so that when the enemy 

finishes its move the next turn, you are able to move behind and attack 

from the back for maximum damage. 

Standard Procedure. Remember these simple rules: 

* Attack magic counters heavily armored opponents. 

* Flyers counter ground forces. 

* Heavily armored troops counter archers. 

* Archers counter flyers. 

* Magic users are vulnerable to physical attacks, but are highly 

resistant to magic. 

******************** Act I: A Premonition of War ********************* 

[Location: Valley of Thieves] 

The game throws you right into the action at the beginning. Now is 

a good time to practice your skills at combat. Here the player is 

introduced to his initial three characters, Ash Lambert (Level 5 

Hero), Diego Renault (Level 4 Archer), and Clint Picard (Level 4 

Solider). Stay close together and don't be afraid to use your 

Herbs to heal. 

[Items]: There is a Madbook located in a circular patch of grass 

near Zoot's initial position. A Light Sword can also be found 

on a purplish/charred tile in the southeast. 

[Location: Capital of Shumeria] 

Return here and report to Commander Beckett at HQ. Visit the tavern, 

talk with all the patrons, then leave. Someone will appear and bring 

news of a riot in the Dover District. Leave the tavern and go 

investigate the riot. Here you will meet Kane, son of Hel Spites 

and his Crimson Guards cutting down the rioters. Kane will leave 

you to catch the remainder of the rioters in the church. For this 

battle, Diego should be able to take out all the flying enemies from 

a distance without getting hurt. Move on top of the switch near the 

bridge and Examine it to lower the bridge. Bum rush the two 

remaining archers. 

[Items]: There are a couple of items in this battle, a Light Bow can 

be found in a circular patch of grass (that looks like a man-hole) 

located near the spot where the characters start the battle. A 

Mushroom can also be found in a crack on the floor located at the 

building closest to the drawbridge. Both chests contain Herbs. 

[Aftermath]: Upon entrance to the church, the party will meet 

Count Claymore, leader of the riot. Kane willinterrupt your 

arrest and kill what's left of the rioters and capture Claymore. 

Ash and Kane get at it, but Commander Beckett intervenes. At 

this point, Dolf Crowley, a supposed representative of the young 

Revolutionary Party, will be introduced and will set your party 

on a secret quest to investigate General Magnus Dunbar's 

disappearance at Gillbaris Island. Don't forget to stock up on 

any items and upgrade your weapons and armor before you leave. 

[Location: Palace Ruins] 

This battle will pit your party against a number of Clay Golems. 

Don't panic, not all of the golems will move and attack all at once. 

Only those fairly close to your party members will move. Use the 

boulder atop the marble staircase by either: 1) pushing it and 

crushing any golems along its path, or 2) use it as an obstacle so 

one of your characters go one-on-one with another golem. In this 

case, alternate between Ash and Clint, and use Diego to cut the 

golems down from behind. 

[Items]: There is a Fire Gem that is located in a circular patch of 

grass. Examine at that location to find it. The chest in the 

south contains an Elixir, while the one in the northeast houses 

an Herb. 

[Aftermath]: When the battle is over, the party will meet Eleni 

Dunbar (Level 7 Mage), a magician and the person behind the 

golems. She is the daughter of Magnus Dunbar. You will also meet 

Huxley Hobbes (Level 7 Healer), a healer and servant to Eleni. 

Both Eleni and Huxley will join the party. 

The game will revert back to the Capital where Kane and Hel Spite 

is interrogating Count Claymore. Dolf appears and turns out to be 

a partner with Hel in sending Ash to Gillbaris Island. Here, Dolf 

mentions that Ash's party has been infiltrated. 

[Location: Rhine Bridge] 

For this battle, a section of the bridge on Ash's side will blow 

apart each turn, so be sure to move anyone away from the last 

section. Several turns into the battle, Kira Wulfstan (Level 7 

Archer), an archer, will appear and aid the party. Have Kira target 

enemies approaching Ash on the bridge. Remember to use Eleni's Dark 

Star spell. Keep close together and leave Huxley towards the back 

to cast healing spells. 

[Aftermath]: After the battle, Kira will introduce herself and offer 

to join the party. The party will set up camp. It is at this 

point Eleni and Ash reveal their parental backgrounds. Eleni was 

adopted by Magnus Dunbar. Both her parents were killed. Ash's 

father died a traitor's death, who was with the Liberation Army, 

but switched sides in the Revolution. Ash's mother lived in 

constant humiliation. After she died, Ash fell apart, but was 

taken under the wing of Commander Beckett. 

[Location: Port City Minato] 

The party is seeking a ship to Gillbaris Island. Visit the tavern, 

talk to all the patrons. When the party tries to leave, the 

bartender will mention Grog Drinkwater (Level 9 Soldier) who might 

be able to take the party. Visit Grog's home and he will think about 

ferrying the party if they can defeat the desert monster. Leave the 

town and head for the Sand Dunes of Sea. 

[Location: Sand Dunes of Sea] 

This battle features a Death Ant and smaller Ant Arms atop a giant 

hill. Keep the party close. Be careful, the Ant Arms have the 

ability to paralyze their targets. Use Eleni's Dark Star spell 

liberally against the main enemy. The Death Ant causes lots of 

damage and is heavily armored against weapons. Take care of Huxley 

as his healing and use of elixirs will come in handy. 

[Magical Key]: Once the party wins the battle, Grog will agree to 

ferry the party to Gillbaris Island. Go back to the tavern and 

talk with the character called "woman", who will give you the Nova 

Key. 

There are six keys in total in the game. The keys allow Ash and 

his companions to undergo the six trials of Toroah. The trials 

come in the form of battles in another dimension. Each trial 

contains a corresponding prism. Obviously, there are six prisms 

in total as well. Once all six prisms have been obtained, Ash 

is able to advance to the most powerful class in Vandal Hearts, 

that of Vandalier, with access to all the spells within the game, 

including the enemies', as well as all the special items (Life 

Orbs, Holy H2O, etc.). 

As you get the keys, keep them in the party's inventory wagon, 

until all six keys have been obtained. Ash can always undergo 

trials as he obtains each key, but it is easier to win the trial 

battles if they are undertaken all at once towards the end of the 

game. 

[Location: Gandar Sea] 

Grog's ship will be boarded by Hassan's pirate ship. For this 

battle, keep Diego and Kira a square away from the plank and line two 

others to either side of the plank. This way, only one pirate will 

be able to attack at once and the characters will have support 

bonuses from two other characters when attacking. Use Eleni to 

Spellbind the Corsairs and cast Dark Star to help chop down enemies. 

Keep Huxley close so he can heal both groups at either plank. Huxley 

at this point should have the Mystic Armor spell. This should come 

in handy against Hassan. Take Hassan down in the same turn if you 

can, as he is able to heal himself when damaged heavily. 

[Aftermath]: After winning the battle, the party will learn that 

Hassan is actually Grog's little brother. Jealous of Grog and 

hating to always having to catch up to his big brother, Hassan 

became a pirate and at one point killed Grog's friends. At this 

point, Hassan and Grog understand each other and Hassan dies in 

peace. 

***************** End of Act I: A Premonition of War ***************** 

********************* Act II: Island of Madness ********************** 

[Location: Village of Yuzu] 

The party is brought to a village where the townsfolk have been 

turned into a zombie-like state. For this battle, you must destroy 

all the Evil Statues without killing all the villagers. Eleni's 

Spellbind is extremely helpful here, cast it to paralyze some of the 

villagers so your party can concentrate on the statues. 

[Items]: There is a Mushroom hidden in the circular patch of grass 

on a platform towards the Northwest. A Moonpie can also be found 

on a tile that resembles a crate located in the south near the 

crate. The chest in the south contains an Herb, while the one 

in the east contains a bottle of Mage Oil. 

[Aftermath]: Upon winning the battle, the party will learn that 

General Magnus came to investigate some ruins on the island. 

Magnus was the one responsible for turning the villagers into 

their mindless state. Go to the tavern and talk with the patrons, 

one of the patrons, a "Young Man" will mention a fruit he dropped 

in the swamps. 

[Location: Ygdra Canyon] 

The party will be introduced to three new characters who will join: 

Dolan (Level 10 Soldier), Amon (Level 10 Archer), and Sara (Level 9 

Healer). You must keep Ash and Dolan alive. Be careful, the Guard 

Dogs have the ability to poison their targets. Use the boulder near 

Dolan's group to an advantage. Put Dolan right next to the boulder, 

with Amon right behind Dolan for arrow support and Sara behind the 

boulder to heal Dolan. 

[Items]: There are a couple of secret items here. One is the 

Macroman (first of three collector's treasures) located in the 

circular patch of grass in the extreme Northwest, near the group 

of Mad Soliders. The other is a Mad Book located in a square 

that resembles a crater in the extreme Southwest. A Moodring can 

be found in the chest to the southeast, while an Elixir is in 

the chest to the northeast. 

[Aftermath]: Upon winning, the party returns to Yuzu Village and 

learns that Magnus was sent in search of Stone Tablets and learned 

that the ruins on the island could be the site of Toroah's Ark, in 

which Toroah of legend used to survive the Great Calamity. If 

such was true, it would have tremendous political significane to 

the new government, because if the legend of Toroah was true, the 

Ashah Dynasty, which claim descendance from Toroah would have a 

rightful claim to rule Ishtaria. The party goes onward towards 

the ruins. 

[Location: Loris Beach] 

This battle takes place in the swamps. Kira will enter battle 

recklessly and Clint hurries to help her out. Be careful where you 

move your characters, while it is okay to travel across the vile bog 

tiles, be careful not to end up on one of the tiles, otherwise 

the character will be poisoned. Attack with vigor and use Eleni's 

Spellbind to help the others out. 

[Items]: There is a small swamp that looks like a cross, punch the 

triangle button on the control pad to see a overhead map. Examine 

the tile right in the center of this swamp to find a Banana. Use 

Eleni's Spellbind spell to paralyze enemies to get some extra time 

to get the fruit. 

[Aftermath]: Upon winning, we learn that a while ago, Clint saw his 

lover die right in front of his eyes. Feeling guilty for not 

protecting her, Clint was distraught. Kira recklessly entering 

battle reminded Clint of his former lover's situation and didn't 

want to witness another similar incident and so rushed to Kira's 

side. 

[Magical Key]: Travel back to the Village of Yuzu, go to the tavern, 

and talk with the "Young Man" who lost the Banana. He will give 

you the Key of Earth in return for the Banana. 

[Location: Castle Ruins] 

[Battle #1] 

For this battle, split up into two groups and keep to the walls! 

Those archers have extremely long ranges from high above. Get rid 

of the soldiers and quickly get someone up the elevator (examine it 

to activate) to take out the archers. As a note, the elevators 

alternate in use, when one goes up, the other one goes done and vice 

versa. Use Eleni's Spellbind to paralyze some of the archers if 

possible. Use the healing circles if you have to, the archers are 

not smart enough to do that themselves when they're hurt. 

[Items]: There is a set of Chain Armor hidden in a cross-shaped 

patch of grass near the entrance to the ruins. An Iron Boot is 

located on a stone tile on the battlement. This particular tile 

is more dense than the others. A bottle of Mage Oil is located 

in the south chest, while a Moodring is in the north chest. 

[Aftermath]: Upon winning, the party is given a choice to enter the 

ruins or return to the village to stock up. Stock up if you 

haven't already done so and proceed. 

[Battle #2] 

Here the party will face Magnus Dunbar. Send an Archer to either 

side along with a warrior to take out the enemies atop the steps. 

Remember to use Eleni's Spellbind and Dark Star against the Dark 

Golems. When Magnus starts to advance, spread out, as his Rainbow 

Stroke spell is pretty powerful. However, your characters should be 

fine if you used your healers beforehand to heal them to full 

strength. Use arrows, then magic against Magnus, as he cannot strike 

back against these attacks, then surround him with a couple fighters 

without attacking and have the last fighter come from the side to 

strike the final blow (with support from the other sides!). 

[Aftermath]: After the battle, the party discover that a Magic Stone 

was the cause of all the weird occurances on the island. But the 

stone took over Magnus' mind. Just when Magnus was about to 

reveal who sent him for the stone, an arrow comes out of nowhere 

to strike Magnus. Kane and Dolf appear, accuse Magnus of 

attempting a coup d'etat and arrest Eleni and Huxley for being 

associated with Magnus. Ash is reluctant to defy Dolf's orders on 

fear of becoming a traitor like his father. 

Ash decides to go on his own to rescue Magnus, but is met by 

Clint, Diego, Grog, Amon, Dolan, and Sara. All join in on the 

rescue. Kira is seen hiding behind a tree eavesdropping on the 

conversation. 

[Location: Castle Ruins] 

The party tries to break into the dungeon, but are met by Guard Dogs. 

The goal of the battle is to kill all the dogs within six turns 

before they alarm the rest of the guards. Cut off all paths, do not 

clump your characters together or else the dogs will run right past 

you and scatter to the winds. Spread out evenly and approach the 

dogs. Take advantage of your Bowman or Hawknight's range. 

[Items]: There is a Mage Gem hidden in a circular patch of grass 

located in the extreme Southeast corner. 

[Aftermath]: After the battle, it is discovered that Magnus sought 

the Magic Stone to resist Hel Spites, who Magnus suspects is 

planning a coup d'etat. Ash's party arrives and rescues Magnus, 

Eleni, and Huxley, but is met outside by Dolf and Hel. Magnus 

still retains some power from the Magic Stone and go at it against 

Dolf, who now has the stone in his possession. Their battle rips 

the fabric of space time and a warp is created, which sucks in 

Magnus, Ash, Grog, and Sara. 

***************** End of Act II: Island of Madness ***************** 

[Interlude]: Magnus is announced to be assassinated by an extremist 

camp in the Security Forces. Many blame this news on the 

Domestic Security Forces and it's leader, Renaldo 

Castille, and results in his ousting. Castille was the 

prime opponent to Hel. Now with Castille out of the 

picture, Hel is elected Prime Minister. Hel requests 

additional power from the Council and upon receiving them, 

goes on to abolish the Council itself, while establishing 

a secret police, a priviledged class, and seats himself on 

the throne of emperialism. 

******************** Act III: Escape to Tomorrow ******************** 

[Location: Plain of Sorrow] 

Ash's party is sucked into another dimension with Magnus, who 

reflects on his dreams of living a simple life, but was caught up in 

the Revolution. Magnus begs Ash to retrieve the Magic Stone and 

passes away. After burying Magnus, the party is faced with a battle 

against a bunch of Sparkies. This is an extremely easy battle to 

win. 

[Aftermath]: Upon winning, the party is introduced to a robed figure 

named Zohar, who came to investigate the sounds of battle. Zohar 

informs the party that the Sparkies are the souls of people who 

died young and suggests the party visit the region's only town 

towards the south. 

[Location: Remote City] 

Visit the tavern and talk with the patrons. It turns out Ash's party 

has entered a loop hole in time where many travelers in past have 

become trapped in. The tavern is known as the town at the end of the 

world (perhaps the programmers were huge Douglas Adam fans...). One 

patron will inform the party that the only way to escape from the 

warp is to leave the town and keep on walking and let the winds of 

time transport them back. Leave the tavern and the party will 

discuss their situation. Zohar shows up at the mention of the 

Magic Stone and invites the party to his home, at which time he will 

join the party. The mage suggests a way to return back home and 

indicates the party should backtrack to where they first arrived. 

[Location: Plain of Sorrow] 

Zohar sets up four mage towers in an attempt to gather energy to 

recreate the warp to return home, but a bunch of Sparkies crash the 

party. In this battle, forget about protecting all the towers, pick 

the closest one and surround it on all four sides. Protect that 

tower for five rounds and the warp will be recreated. Upon winning, 

the party is transported back to a town back home. 

[Location: Terasu Village] 

Diego, Huxley, Dolan, and Clive are in the village and are being 

attacked by Zoot and his mercenaries. This battle can be pretty 

tough. Be careful of the Warlock and the Deacon, who have the 

ability to cast long-range Rainbow Stroke attack magic and healing 

spells, respectively. If possible, Spellbind the Warlock. Use the 

boulders near Diego's group to slow enemy's advance up the steps. 

Be wary of the Giant Bat's ability to paralyze targets. 

[Items]: There is a bag of Gold Coins (can be sold for 1000 gold) 

that can be found in the circular patch of grass near Zoot's 

initial position. An Elixir is located in the south chest. A 

Megaherb can be found in the chest to the northeast. 

[Aftermath]: It turns out Ash's group has been transported back home 

three years after the initial warp and is informed of Hel's power 

over the region. Clive and Ash decide they must bring all 

resistance fighters under the same banner and devise a plan to 

storm the Imperial Prison. Bone up on Elixirs and Herbs. 

[Location: Basil Gate] 

For this battle, again be aware of the Warlock, Deacon, and Bats. 

Be careful of climbing the platforms too soon and alone, the 

Grenadiers and Warlock can make short work of a lone character atop a 

platform. Put Zohar's Spellbind to good use and don't forget to use 

your Elixirs and Herbs. 

[Items]: There are several items here. The chest in the northeast 

contains a Mage Gem, while the chest in the south contains a 

Megaherb. Two hidden items are also here. The first is an Iron 

Boot located on a stone tile resembling a cross on the north 

platform. The second is the Tarot (second collector's treasure), 

located on a grass tile that resembles a cross in the far 

southeast corner. 

[Aftermath]: Dolf informs Hel and his financiers that the Magic 

Stone comes from a time when the universe was born and contains a 

spark of the original Flames of Judegment. Legend has it that 

Toroah saved the world by sealing the Flames of Judgement with a 

Royal Ring, which was passed on to his descendants to found a 

country and protect the ring. This was the task of Ashah Dynasty. 

Unfortunately, the ring was lost 18 years ago when the Royal 

Family was cast down. It is decided that the Royal Ring must be 

found so that people will have a symbol in which to worship and 

revere and be ruled over by Hel and Dolf. 

The game reverts to Kira, who still has lingering memories of 

Clint. Dolf appears and informs his servant of his impending move 

for domination. Kira agrees to help and leaves. At this point, 

a new character serving Dolf, named Xeno appears. A powerful 

warlock, Xeno is told to keep an eye on Kira. 

[Location: Reed Highway] 

This battle requires the party to take out every enemy before they 

escape. The party initally hides among the trees and has the element 

of surprise. Once any character in the party makes a move, the 

enemies are alerted and will flee. Timing is important here. Wait 

for four turns and then have Zohar use Phase Shift and Ash use 

Rolling Fire to inflict some hurt. Have Huxley activate the switch 

near his position to lower the bridge. Wait till one of the Guard 

Dogs sets foot on the stone bridge and have Huxley push the crate to 

block escape to the west. The only escape at this point is the east, 

by now all that remains is to chop the enemies down, who will not 

actively attempt to attack party members, but instead will 

concentrate on escaping. 

[Items]: There is a Magic Staff that can be found in a crater tile 

in the east near Lando's starting position. 

[Location: Prison Fortress] 

Count Claymore is dumped into the same prison cell as Clint and a new 

character named Darius, who was thrown in for quarreling with a 

soldier. Claymore informs Clint that Hel is searching for the Royal 

Ring to tame the power of the Magic Stone. At this point, Kira 

appears who reveals that Clint was to be executed the following day. 

She brings with her keys to the cell and helps Clint escape with 

their armor and weapons. Darius decides to join Clint, but Claymore 

is too weak to escape and remains behind. 

[Battle #1] 

Clint frees Eleni and Amon and then are faced with a battle against a 

group of Juggernauts. The enemies in this battle can only be 

attacked from the back, attacks from the sides or front have no 

effect. Wait for the Juggernauts to come to the group and expose 

their backs and then attack, or use Eleni's Spellbind to freeze them 

in their vulnerable positions. 

[Items]: Push the triangle button on the game pad to view the 

overhead map... 

Treasure Chests: 

* There are two chests towards the top left. Of these two, the 

one on the right contains a Megaherb, while the one on the left 

is actually an enemy called a Mimic that resembles a treasure 

chest. 

* There are two chests towards the top right. Of these two, the 

one on the right contains a Spirit Staff, while the one on the 

left is a Mimic. 

* The tresure chest located on the bottom right contains a 

Grimhelm. 

* The remaining chest contains another Megaherb. 

Switches and Gates: 

* The bottom left switch controls the center gate at the very top 

of the map. 

* The third switch from the left controls the bottom left gate. 

* The second switch from the left raises both the top right and 

center gate at the bottom of the map. 

* The remaining switch at the top right controls the remaining 

gate. 

[Battle #2] 

Clint's party is met by Dumas, the prison ward. Keep Clint alive! 

Attack the Juggernauts from behind and use Eleni's Spellbind to buy 

some time. The battle is hopeless at this point, but after the first 

round, Ash's party comes to the rescue!!! At this point, be sure 

to use Sara and Huxley's healing capabilities. Although they are up 

on the tower platforms, move any members in Clint's group near the 

walls where the two healers are to recover damage. Use any arrows 

against the bats and couple of Phase Shifts along with Roman Fires 

should do the trick. Be wary of Dumas, who possesses great attack 

power. 

[Items]: There is a bag of Gold Coins in the south on a tile that 

resembles a snail shell. 

[Magical Key]: A Mana Key is also located on a star-shaped crater 

in the west. Remember, use Spellbind if more time is needed. 

[Aftermath]: Old friends are reunited and Huxley and Darius turn 

out to be bitter personalities from the same village. Huxley 

makes fun of Darius and his constant attempts at putting pieces 

of junk together while Darius points out Huxley's embarrassing 

accident of turning a farmer's pig into a chicken. Huxley 

counters by describing Darius' juvenile delinquence in burning 

down the schoolhouse... 

***************** End of Act III: Escape to Tomorrow ***************** 

[Interlude]: News of the fall of the Imperial Prison spread through 

the lands of Ishtaria. At this news, the Resistance 

movement is revitalized. Revolts are renewed and the 

Southern Region is relieved. Ash works in conjuction 

with Commander Clive Beckett, who acts as the pipeline to 

the Resistance. 

*********************** Act IV: The Successor *********************** 

[Location: Khanos City] 

At this point in the story, Eleni is told of Magnus' death. Clive 

informs the party that the region of Ishtaria between the Tarre River 

has been liberated. However, the Empire is getting support from the 

neighboring country of Urdu. Ash's party is to travel to the city 

of Kerachi and meet an informant about the Royal Ring. At this news, 

Diego seems tensive about the task. The next morning, Ash catches 

Clive leaving to help the Rebellion in the east. Ash explains to 

Clive that he feels somehow responsible for everyone's situation by 

being a traitor to the Empire. Clive explains to Ash that he must 

believe in himself and carry on. When Ash's party attempts to leave 

the city, Darius indicates enemies have surrounded Khanos. 

For this battle, Kane, along with three other generals (Sabina, 

Dallas, and Kurtz) surround the party. The goal is to escape to the 

town's exit in the south. Keep in mind that all characters that 

survive must be at the exit. There are many ways to escape, 

depending upon how greedy you are about getting all the items in 

this scene. Take out the Crimson Hawks, either by killing them or 

paralyzing them, as they can move through members of your party. 

Remember, all surviving members must be at the exit, keep this in 

mind if you decide to split your team up, because even if Ash 

reaches the exit the battle is not over if other characters are 

still in the town obtaining items from the chests or the secret 

item. In these situations, you actually want those stray characters 

to be killed. 

[Items]: There is a Gold Axe that can be found in a tile that has 

three little circles engraved on it. The chest to the east 

contains a bottle of Holy H2O. 

[Aftermath]: Dolf informs Kira that the fall of the Emperial Prison 

was instigated by a traitor and asks if she knew anything about 

it. Kira says she doesn't, but Xeno appears and reveals Kira's 

traitorous actions. Kira is taken away. Dolf tells Xeno that 

he is manipulating Hel in order to rekindle the Flames of 

Judgement and reminds Xeno of his oath to serve Dolf. Xeno is 

assigned to take care of Ash personally. 

[Location: Great Masai Forest] 

Xeno appears and upon seeing Zohar, becomes surprised and calls the 

Zohar "master". Zohar informs Xeno of the dangers of the Magic 

Stone, but Xeno ignores his comments and summons a barrage of 

Bugaboos and Wights to battle the party and disappears. Be careful 

here, those darn Bugaboos have extremely long range attacks, keep 

your healers close by. Use any Hawknights to chase those Bugaboos 

down, and use long range spells like Roman Fire and Phase Shift to 

take some of the buggers out. The wights aren't nearly as dangerous, 

so concentrate on the Bugaboos. 

[Items]: A Kingfoil can be found in a star-shaped tile located in 

the northeast corner. An Aura Gem can also be found on the snail- 

like tile in the south. 

[Aftermath]: It turns out Xeno was a pupil of Zohar's nearly 300 

years ago. At this point, Sara recognizes the mage as Zohar the 

Aloof, whose actual name is Zohar Abu Sa'id. Xeno lost his way 

and sought to rekindle the Flames of Judgement and in doing so, 

fought with Zohar. During their struggle, a rift was opened and 

Zohar got sucked into the warp, and in the process lost a great 

deal of his original magical powers. 

[Location: Trade City Kerachi] 

The party is supposed to meet with Carlo Lisbon, an important 

merchant. Diego intervenes and claims they cannot trust Carlo. Ash 

asks why, as Carlo is a key financial supporter of the rebellion. 

Diego counters that he is probably paying both sides so he doesn't 

lose favor to either side when the outcome is decided. Visit the 

tavern, where a "Man" can be found who is looking for the three 

collector's treasures. 

[Location: Carlo's Mansion] 

Here the party meets Carlo Lisbon, who claims that one of his 

operatives has located the Royal Ring and is finalizing its purchase. 

Carlo suggests the party take a rest, but then recognizes Diego. 

Carlo asks if Diego came back to succeed him, at which point Diego 

vehemantly claims that seven years ago, he told Carlo he would have 

nothing to do with the merchant. As anyone can guess by now, Diego 

is the son of Carlo Lisbon. Night approaches and Ash has a talk with 

Diego. Diego explains that he had always despised his father, who 

only cared about money and ignored his wife and son. Seven years 

ago, Diego decided to leave and give up the Lisbon family name. 

Eleni appears and brings news of the ring. 

Carlo explains that after the Revolution, the ring ended up in the 

possession of a well known coin collector. Carlo has completed the 

transaction and wants Ash's party to complete the exchange at a 

warehouse in old town. 

[Location: Old Town Warehouse] 

What a surprise, the party is set up. For this battle, remember 

that the Gold Golems are especially vulnerable to magic. Use Phase 

Shift and Roman Fire with zest. 

[Aftermath]: Upon winning, Xeno appears and casts a ring of fire 

around the party. Carlo is found to be working for Xeno. Xeno 

goes on to close the ring of fire on Diego and the rest of the 

party, but Carlo balks as Xeno is infringing on the original deal 

which included sparing Diego's life. Carlo pushes Xeno but gets 

knocked down. However, this disrupts Xeno's spell and the evil 

mage disappears. 

The games resumes with Carlo waking up in bed, with Diego sitting 

nearby overlooking his father. Here, Carlo makes a curt remark 

about Diego being the "ugliest nurse" he'd ever seen. He goes on 

to apologize to Diego and explains to his son how poor Carlo's 

family was. In fact, Carlo's brother died from a cold because 

they couldn't afford to keep the house warm. Because of the 

family's poor status, Carlo became obsessed with money and 

learned to be a heartless merchant, bent on making profits. At 

this point, Carlo is resolved to let his son live his own life 

and dreams. Ash suddenly appears and brings news that the ring 

was sold to an agent of the Empire, who is taking it back to 

Shumeria by train. 

[Location: Magic Train Station] 

In this battle, every couple of turns, the last car connected to the 

train will be released, so be sure to move your characters post 

haste. Use magic to strike inital blows and let your swords and 

arrows take care of the rest. Be wary of the those big Crimson 

Guards with them huge axes, as they can dish out a great deal of 

damage, but thankfully they are vulnerable to magic. 

[Items]: There is a Ramen (the third collector's treasures) that 

can be found on the tile that looks like a grate on the head car 

where Dallas is located. 

[Aftermath]: After the party finds the Royal Ring, an illusion of 

Xeno appears. The dark mage plays his ace by threatening to 

kill Kira and suggest an exchange of Kira for Royal Ring at Fort 

Dain the following day. Some players might just as well keep the 

ring, however the game has the party agree to the sucker exchange. 

[Magical Key]: Return to the Trade City of Kerachi and talk with 

the man looking for the collector's treasures. Once you have the 

Macroman, Tarot, and Ramen, he will give you the Chaos Key. 

[Location: Fort Dain] 

Kira is strapped to a platform that is slowly descending into a pool 

of lava. The Royal Ring is handed over to Xeno, who pretends to 

forget how to stop the platform from descending (what a surprise...) 

and disappears. This battle requires the party to destroy all eight 

death devices within eight turns. Be very careful of the Death 

Angels, which have a couple of nasty long range spells that are 

particularly deadly to any Guardsman you may have. The Acid Ghosts 

have the ability to poison their targets. Take those darn Death 

Angels out with help of your archers! 

[Items]: A block of Mithril can be found in the tile that looks 

like a snail. The southwest chest contains a Life Orb, while the 

northeast one contains a Leather Mask. 

[Aftermath]: Kira feels guilty for being responsible for Xeno's 

success in obtaining the ring. Clint explains that they couldn't 

let her die and that they wouldn't be any different from Hel if 

they did. He goes on to say that everyone should deserve a chance 

to redeem themselves. Here, Kira tells the party of her 

background. Apparently, she was born into a royal family. 

However, the family was only royal in name and in reality, was 

poorer than most peasants. The Revolution came and her mother, 

father, and sister died at the hands of rioting mobs. Dolan 

agrees, stating that the mobs looted houses and slaughtered 

thousands of innocents. Hearing this, Amon concludes that the 

proud Ishtaria that they all know and love was built with the 

blood of innocents. Ash comments that Hel is in the process of 

recreating the same tragedy and that they must stop him at all 

costs. But the situation at this point seems hopeless as Hel 

possesses both the Magic Stone and the Royal Ring. Zohar 

conjectures that there may still be hope. The ring evidently 

had a message inscribed on it, giving coordinates of a place 

somewhere in the Torog Mountains. It is there that our heros 

now travel... 

******************** End of Act IV: The Successor ******************** 

[Interlude]: Near the northern borders of Ishtaria lie the Torog 

Mountains, home of the Gods. No one has been known to 

dwell very long at that altitude. Ash's party travel 

north by sea to the Torog Mountains, but already the 

Emperor has obtained the Flames of Judgement. Powerful 

forces are now at work within the Empire. 

************************* Act V: The Legacy ************************* 

Hel is amazed at the dazzling effects of the Flames of Judgement and 

mentions to Dolf that each person is always at war with that part of 

himself that seeks death, and that those who seek glory is just running 

away from this truth. Hel admits that the powers of the flames are too 

great even for him, but he must use it to save the people from pain and 

suffering. It is here that Dolf reveals his intentions by killing the 

guard within the room and approaches Hel. Dolf contends that it is 

better and more natural to allow those who are in pain to die. And with 

those words, strikes down Hel. A guard investigates the noise, and is 

told by Dolf that the Emperor was struck down by assassins. 

[Location: Wart Bay] 

This battle can be an annoying one. Concentrate on killing the Death 

Angels as they can wreak havoc on any Guardsman or Swordsman you may 

have. As usual, use magic to rid the golems and arrows to take out 

the Poison Beasts. 

[Location: Pioneer Town Sorbo] 

The party plans to head for Torog Mountains the next day and so gets 

some rest. At night, Eleni has a bad dream that she's been having 

even when she was small. The dream involved a glowing fissure that 

sucks her in, while being surrounded by people who seem to know her. 

They try to help her but are too late. Sara, upon hearing this, 

complains that she never gets exciting dreams like Eleni's, and 

wishes dreams of handsome strangers and such. Hearing this, Eleni 

mentions she was under the impression that Sara and Amon were in 

love, but Sara blushes and immediately pretends she doesn't know 

what Eleni is talking about. 

[Location: Torog Mountains] 

Dolan asks Zohar what he thinks they'll find in the mountains. 

Zohar replies that hopefully they'll find descendants of the lost 

people. Their conversation is interrupted by Kane and Kurtz, who 

have surrounded the party. The situation seems gloomy, but Kane 

leaves upon hearing news from Sabina that the Emperor is dead, 

assissinated by terrorists. 

For this battle, the group consisting of Crimson Armor guards and a 

Priest shouldn't be difficult to take care of. Use magic for the 

initial blow. Roman Fire is an excellent choice as it's range and 

field of effect is perfect to include all the enemies in this group, 

as well as Holy Pressure to finish a couple of them off. Then arrows 

to kill the Priest, and nearby flyers and warriors to finish the rest 

of the Crimson Armor guards. Wait for the Crimson Hawks to come to 

you. Stay on your side of the bridge and move the entire group to 

either the north or south. Don't get caught exposed on all sides. 

As the Hawks approach use your archers and perhaps Spellbind or 

further Roman Fires. Kurtz himself and the remaining enemies are 

not very difficult to overcome. The switch blows up the bridge. 

[Items]: There are a couple of items, both are found on tiles that 

have animal footprints on them. The tile in the northeast 

contains a slab of Helstone, while the one in the west contains 

a block of Mithril. A pair of Panzar Claws are found after 

defeating Kurtz. 

[Aftermath]: Kira reveals Dolf's plan to supplant Hel and suggests 

that although Hel was in love with power, Dolf is insane and has 

fallen in love with death. 

[Location: Frontier Village] 

This village is the location inscribed on the Royal Ring. Eleni 

feels strange upon arrival, as if she's been here before. She 

doesn't feel well, but goes on to say that she does know the village 

and claims it will become an ocean of flames. At this point, an old 

man appears and offers Eleni a place to rest and lie down. The old 

man introduces himself as Orosius. Ash tells him of their mission, 

but Orosius claims to know nothing. A villager then appears and 

informs a group of monsters are attacking. Ash's group goes to the 

rescue. 

[Location: Tsukue Plains] 

Orosius' granddaughter Leena, casts a spell of protection, which has 

Zohar scratching his head at such power. Like before, use magic 

against golems. Phase Shift and Roman Fire are good choices. Take 

the darn Death Angels out quickly with arrows and beat up the rest 

with swords. 

[Aftermath]: Zohar informs Ash that only the highest of mages can 

cast the spell Leena invoked. Both agree on the weirdness of the 

pattern on the battle field and that Orosius is hiding something 

from the group. The party approach Orosius and tells him that 

they've seen the pattern on Toroah's Ark as well as on the pendant 

that Orosius is wearing. It is at this point Orosius gives in and 

explains that the villagers are descendants of the ancient Biruni 

empire, a civilization of sorcerers and sages. But their greatest 

achievement, the Flames of Judgement, was also their undoing. Ash 

asks for help. Orosius refuses. Ash then suggests that it is 

Orosius' responsibility to stop those who have unleashed the 

powers of Flames of Judgement, at which Orosius agrees to help 

only if the party can retrieve a claw from Salamander the Dragon. 

Leena is told to lead the way to the Dragon's cave. 

[Location: Smoking Bones Cave] 

Follow standard procedure, as this battle is not that difficult. 

Magic against golems, arrows against Poison Beasts and Salamander. 

The dragon doesn't seem to have the capability to cast spells and can 

only attack close up. 

[Items]: The chest contains a Dragon Spear. After defeating the 

dragon, the party will obtain a Wyrmfang. 

[Magical Key]: The Logos Key can be found in the lava pool located 

in front of Salamander's initial position. Although the lava 

pool's geometry doesn't give way to an exact center, the Logos 

Key is within the central area of the pool. Use a flyer to 

retrieve the key. 

[Location: Frontier Village] 

Upon returning, Ash's party finds the village in flames and finds 

Sabina is the one behind everything. Orosius is struck down. There 

are a couple ways to approach the battle. The entire party can cross 

the riverbed and activate the switch to release the floodgate, 

thereby blocking the advancement of the nearby group of Crimon Guards 

and Priest. Or the party can straight fight them out if they really 

need the experience points. Either way, when this group is taken 

care of, Kane will appear with reinforcements to help out. 

Hopefully, you have some Enchanters in your group who can cast the 

Salamander spell, use it! Kane, when stuck down, won't be killed, 

but instead beats a hasty retreat. Follow standard procedure for 

the rest of the enemies. 

[Items]: There are two cracks on the stone pavements near the 

houses. The crack located in the southwest contains a block of 

Mithril, while the crack in the east contains a Shivbook. A Rune 

Bow is obtained after defeating Sabina. 

[Aftermath]: Orosius admits that they were running from the 

terrible power they gave birth to and instructs Leena to go to 

Orome Lake to break the seal at the temple, as she is the only 

one left to do it. Orosius mentions that upon doing this, the 

only power able to resist the Flames of Judgement shall be 

reborn...the Sword of Destruction, Vandal Heart. It is a 

sentient blade, as fearful as its name. If there is doubt in the 

heart of the wielder, he will be cursed and become the puppet of 

evil, spreading pain. But Orosius believes Ash is strong enough 

to wield the sword and implores Ash to tell the people that they 

must not give in to power. Orosius passes away. 

The dead are buried. Amon reflects and hopes that what they're 

fighting for really has meaning. Dolan confides that it will be 

judged by later generations and that they have to trust their own 

conscience. Leena mourns Orosius' death, but Eleni consoles her. 

Leena feels alone, but Eleni explains that no one is ever alone, 

that everyone is connected in some way. She goes on to explain 

that she herself is without family, but finds comfort in Ash, 

Huxley, and the rest of the group. At this point, Eleni gives 

Leena her pendant, the only symbol to show who she really was 

when she was found as an orphan baby. But now Eleni knows her 

own identity, that "I am me". Eleni tells Leena she'll know 

what that means when she grows older. 

[Location: Orome Lake] 

Leena uses her powers to raise parts of the temple from the lake. 

The party must protect Leena and get her to the temple entrance via 

the specially marked red tiles. This is a not a difficult battle. 

Position healers and flyers away from the range of the Basilisks and 

front the enemy Guardians with your own. 

[Items]: The chest in the south contains a Wyrmfang, while the one 

in the north contains a Golden Axe. 

[Aftermath]: The party enters the temple and finds Vandal Heart. 

As Leena prepares to break the protective seal, Xeno appears and 

creates a space time rift with his new mastery of phase magic. 

Leena gets sucked in, Eleni tries to help, but is stopped by Ash. 

Satisfied, Xeno disappears. Ash wonders what they're going to do, 

while Diego sums it up quite nicely with his curt remark. Zohar 

thinks aloud and says the sword is sealed forever, but Eleni says 

that's not true. At this point, Eleni remembers the truth about 

her past. Eleni IS Leena. Apparently, Leena escaped from the 

rift 18 years ago and wandered around until she was found by 

Magnus. This explains the dreams she's been having ever since 

she was little and the uneasiness she felt when arriving at 

Frontier Village. As the last Biruni mage, Eleni is able to break 

the seal. Ash takes the sword in his hands and feels his body 

flowing with energy. Vandal Heart has been awakened from its 

slumber... 

********************** End of Act V: The Legacy ********************** 

[Interlude]: Armed with Vandal Heart, the only force able to resist 

the Flames of Judgement, Ash and his friends set off to 

Shumeria in the Liberation Army's final assault. The 

chaos caused by the death of Hel is seen as the perfect 

time by Dolf to seize the reigns of power and domination. 

********************** Act VI: A Fool's Epitaph ********************** 

[Location: Glasgow City] 

The shop has the most advanced weapons and armor, stock up and equip 

your characters with the latest and greatest. Purchase some Holy 

H2O and have characters place them in their inventory. 

[Magical Key]: A Weird Man is located at the tavern and will give 

you the sixth and final Heaven Key in exchange for the five prisms 

from the previous Acts. 

[Special Note]: Ash should now have all six keys. This is a good 

time to pass the six trials. Place one key at a time in Ash's 

inventory, then visit the Dojo. Leave the Dojo and the master 

will ask if Ash would like to transform and undergo the trial 

corresponding to the key. Answer "yes" and the party will enter 

battle to obtain the corresponding prism. The following is a 

guide to each trial: 

[Trial #1: Nova Key -> Nova Prism] Keep to the walls. By now, 

any Snipers you have will make short work of most of the 

enemies. Retrieve the Nova Prism in the chest and take out 

the rest of the goons. 

[Trial #2: Earth Key -> Ice Prism] This trial features all 

enemy archers. Use some of your own to take them out. A 

fairly simple battle. Retrieve the Ice Prism and clean up. 

[Trial #3: Mana Key -> Mana Prism] Every chest in this trial is 

a Mimic with the exception of one in the southeast corner, 

which contains the Mana Prism. To take the Mimics out, 

position two characters adjacent to each chest, so that one 

can attack the chest and reveal the Mimic, while the second 

can chop it down immediately afterwards. Use Spellbind to 

paralyze the lone Brigand to buy time and retrieve the prism. 

[Trial #4: Chaos Key -> Chaos Prism] This is a thinking man's 

trial. Use Roman Fires and Phase Shifts to wipe the golems 

out on the first level. Push the triangle button on the game 

pad to view the overhead map. Push the southeast crate on the 

first level to the intersection of the path to the chest. Take 

the golems out on the second level as you go along. Move any 

magic users with Spellbind and a couple others on to the second 

level. Push the crate on the second level one square to the 

north. Destory the Gold Golem on the third level when it 

attempts to come down to the second level, the remaining two 

golems on top will stay where they are. Move the magic users 

to the third level and have someone push the crate on the 

second level atop the first crate. Spellbind one of the golems 

on the third level to buy time to push the last crate down to 

the second level. Once this is done have someone push this 

last crate one tile to the north so characters on the top level 

can climb back down. If your magic users are short on MP, have 

someone stand on the third level to lure the last golem towards 

the edge once it recovers from the Spellbind. Quickly climb 

down, push the last crate to the north and down to the first 

level. The last golem should be stuck on the third level and 

the three crates should resemble a staircase. Retrieve the 

Chaos Prism from the chest and take out the last golem, which 

should be within attack spell range. 

[Trial #5: Logos Key -> Logos Prism] Advance your characters 

single file and keep to the walls! Wait for any flyers to 

approach and take them out with arrows, while using your 

fighters to take out the rest. The Dark Mages can be annoying, 

but can be taken out with arrows fairly easily, however be 

warned that your archers will be within the Basilisk's range 

when they go after the mage. Have any Ninja's cast Perfect 

Guard to protect them. 

[Trial #6: Heaven Key -> Heaven Prism] This battle is easier 

than it looks. Follow standard procedure. Put two fighters 

up front, followed by Snipers, then magic users, and healers. 

Use arrows against everyone, magic against Dumas and Dallas, 

and bum rush the Landos and Sabinas. Leave one Evil Statue 

standing while retrieving the Heaven Prism from the chest. 

Once all six prisms have been obtained, visit the Dojo again and 

Ash will be allowed to advance to Vandalier status. Once this 

happens, have a whomping good time! Follow the rest of this 

guide if you want to fight "fair", otherwise, Plasma Wave, Life 

Orb, Plasma Wave, Life Orb... :-) 

[Location: Fort Gareth] 

Here, the party dukes it out with Kane for the final time. Ash 

doesn't want to shed blood as he doesn't know who the real enemy is 

(Kane or Dolf), but Kane doesn't care as he has always hated Ash 

since officer training school and refers to him as a "son of a 

traitorous dog,acting like one of the elite". 

Follow standard procedure, the battle with the crimson soldiers 

isn't all that difficult. Kick one of the boulders into the double 

doors to open them. When this occurs, Xeno appears and transforms 

Kane into a Black Knight in exchange for his soul. At this point, 

Kane is able to cast the Plasma Wave spell, a really powerful spell 

that hits everyone in your party. However, Kane only has enough MP 

to cast the spell twice. Use the Holy H2O or have one of your 

Archbishops cast Supreme Healing to recover HP for everyone. 

[Items]: There is a Necklace in the manhole located in the east. 

After defeating Kane, the party will receive Kane's sword, 

Caliburn. 

[Location: Cobalt Beach] 

Voices in Ash's head call him a traitor. It seems Vandal Heart is 

using Ash's past to take control of his soul. Ash recovers and the 

party is met with a battalion of Grendadiers and Centurions. This is 

a relatively simple battle, however don't forget the bats' ability 

to paralyze targets. 

[Items]: There are three chests. The southwest one contains a Life 

Orb. The one in the east contains Holy H20. The last one in the 

northeast contains Ragnarok, which is one heck of a battle axe 

with an AT +39! 

[Aftermath]: More voices enter Ash's head, while Clive appears from 

nowhere to check on the party. Vandal Heart takes momentary 

control of Ash's soul and has Ash strike down Clive. Ash recovers 

and attends to Clive, who at this point reveals the true story 

behind Ash's father 18 years ago... 

Ash's father Aldor Lambert helps Arris the Sage escape, but Clive 

discovers their location and asks Aldor to surrender the traitor 

Arris. Aldor refuses and tells Clive that it is an evil plan to 

ensnare Arris. Clive doesn't listen and challenges Aldor to 

combat in which Clive wins. It was only several years later that 

Clive realized Aldor was correct. They were using Clive to 

sabotage the new government. Learning the truth, Clive attempted 

to make a public announcement, but the person who deceived him 

already died in the war and so he kept silent to keep the peace. 

Clive informs Ash that Aldor was no traitor and tells Ash to 

believe in himself. Zohar hurries the party to return to town 

to save Clive's life. 

Eleni consoles Ash, saying Clive will soon recover. Here Ash 

begins to think he is in no condition to continue fighting and 

that he can never forgive himself. Eleni counters by reminding 

him that Aldor, Clive, and everyone else is fighting for a better 

tomorrow and that he must continue the good fight his father died 

for. She continues to tell Ash that he mustn't use guilt as an 

excuse to avoid responsibility. Ash takes Eleni's words to heart 

and is convinced he must fulfill his father's dying wish. Eleni 

notices Ash's Ocarina that he used to play when they first met. 

Ash explains it was given to him by his father, who he has always 

hated, but couldn't get himself to throw the musical instrument 

away. Apparently during all those years, a part of Ash never 

stopped believing in his father. 

[Location: Capital Shumeria] 

The party finds a gang of monsters attacking the the imperial 

soliders. A surviving solider informs the group that Dolf took the 

Flames of Judgement and holed himself up in the great temple three 

days ago. He said something about a magic ceremony to destroy the 

rebel army. After that, the monsters appeared. Zohar offers the 

explanation that a powerful negative force is wielding the Flames 

and the resultant dark energy has created a vortex to some dark and 

evil dimension, homeland to the monsters. 

[Battle #1] 

Xeno appears to battle the party. Remember all those times Xeno 

placed monkey wrenches in the machinery and ran away? Now is the 

time to pay him back! Xeno surprisingly isn't all that powerful and 

the battle is not difficult, although be wary of those darn warlocks 

and keep in mind Xeno has a couple of nasty spells. 

During battle, Amon says they will fight to the death to win, but 

Dolan rebutts and says they will fight to live. After all what good 

is victory if they die. Sara intervenes and suggests to Amon he has 

another good reason to live :-) Amon asks if it's a promise, to 

which Sara calls it an "incentive". 

[Items]: A Mojo Robe can be found in the manhole nearest the party's 

initial position, which a Gold Axe can be found in the manhole in 

the east. A Runewand is obtained after defeating Xeno. 

[Aftermath]: Zohar explains that Xeno was a man just like any other 

man, that mankind has an insatiable desire for knowledge and 

truth. But Dolan counters with the statement that not everyone 

kills for that desire. At this point, the party is given the 

choice of continuing or returning to town to resupply. If you 

have Wyrmfangs, have your flyers equip them. Also, have a couple 

characters carry Holy H2O. 

[Battle #2] 

The party reach the temple where Dolf is located. Dolf is impressed 

and says he underestimated the party. Ash tells Dolf that if he 

continues whatever he is planning, everyone will end up dead and 

asks Dolf if he wants to be the ruler of a kingdom of ghosts. Dolf 

says it is neither power nor glory that he seeks, but rather revenge 

for his father Arris! Yes folks, Dolf is the son of famed Arris the 

Sage. Dolf continues, saying his father was the greatest patriot in 

history, but he was used and then thrown away like a lump of coal, 

with his place in history forgotten even as the people enjoyed 

prosperity that was hard won with his blood. Dolf vowed to take 

revenge on those people who forgot his father. It was then that 

Dolf met Xeno and learned of the Flames of Judgement. Zohar calls 

Dolf a fool for using such power for petty revenge that he would 

destroy the world to settle his own puny debts. Dolf retorts by 

saying the world can only be cleansed with fire. Ash claims Dolf 

is wrong by saying that although the world may be wicked, life 

itself is precious. That every man contains the potential for both 

good and evil, love and hate. Ash claims that while Dolf would 

exterminate mankind for their sins, he would fight the Gods 

themselves to save them. Dolf interjects and counters with the 

question, "how many souls have you yourself released from their 

corporeal bondage"? At this, Dolf summons a swarm of monsters on 

his side. 

Follow standard procedure and have some Holy H20 on standby. Have 

any Enchanters move up and cast Salamander. Then move your flyers 

up to release the power of the Wyrmfangs. Have any Archbishops cast 

Holy Pressure and move any Snipers to take finish the initial round 

of attack. Have a Ninja cast Perfect Guard or use Iron Boot on one 

of the characters who moved ahead for protection. This should 

hopefully take out about half the enemy forces and make things a lot 

less messier. Dolf is initially a Doom Lord who is heavily armored. 

A combination of magic and arrows followed by physical attacks should 

take him down. Once Dolf is defeated the first time, he will then 

transform himself into a Dark Angel with the ability to cast some 

nasty spells. Use Holy H20 and unload with everything you've got. 

[Aftermath]: Ash informs that he knows Dolf better than he thinks 

and tells Dolf that after revenge is taken, nothing remains but a 

painful scar. He goes on and suggests that with his genius, Dolf 

could do much to help rebuild the country. Dolf scoffs at this, 

saying the country was headed for annihilation anyway and that he 

was merely accelerating and purifying the means of its 

destruction. He goes on to say now the world shall be judged as 

was his father. Zohar senses what Dolf is about to do and shouts 

for him to stop. But it is too late, Dolf activates the Flames of 

Judgement and tells it to devour the souls and the world. A void 

is created and slowly expands. Ash uses Vandal Heart to disperse 

the power of the Flames. Ash jumps into the void and successfully 

closes the void. But in doing so, he disappears from the world... 

****************** End of Act VI: A Fool's Epitaph ******************* 

***************************** Epilogue ******************************** 

Ash, gone from this world, was never to be seen again... 

With Hel and Dolf gone, the Empire quickly crumbled. Ishtaria was once 

more set back on the path of democracy. However, the wounds left by 

the empire were deep indeed. As a result of the purges which left many 

dead, the new government faced a difficult task indeed. In the country 

side, thieves still make their own laws and only the strong can survive. 

Ultimately not much changed since before the war started... People 

still must make their way by force of their will. It is only when the 

people lose this will that evil is able to flourish and take power. 

During this time, Ash's friends begin to drift away... 

*********************************************************************** 

As written in Eleni's diary: 

Dolan became a statesman and helped to rebuild Ishtaria. Kira took off 

by herself on a journey of self-discovery. Clint, new head of the SDF, 

waited for her return. Diego returned to Kerachi to continue the 

family business. Amon becomes Darius' apprentice machine maker. Sara 

got a job in a nearby bakery to be close to Amon. Grog and Zohar 

sailed all over the world together. I still sometimes get letters from 

far away lands. Huxley is always at home working on his stamp 

collection. 

The days go by one after the other...and endless procession of 

tomorrows, but nothing new to write about... 

Eleni is at her desk and stops in the middle of her diary to ponder 

what to write next, when she hears a familiar melody being played from 

an Ocarina outside her room... 

******************************* THE END *******************************