LEGEND OF DJEL

1.  THE LEGEND
At that far away time in history, when the globe was still our
caring, yet ungrateful mother, there was a land whose borders were
protected by high mountains, and whose existence few people knew of.
Lying serenely at the heart of a narrow valley, beauty and luxury vied
with each other in this land where the climate was mild, life was sweet,
and you were in the KINGDOM OF THE ASHES...

At the hour when the fireplace made peasant's shadows dance on the
walls on their cottages, the Ancients told, in a low voice, the story of
the origin of their kingdom's name.  "It was long, long ago that our
valley saw, for the first time, the appearance of that strange creature
we call Man.  The sun had hardly cooled down yet, when a nomadic tribe
set up camp on the river's edge.  The evening glow shone faintly on
their haggard faces; they had just crossed, after innumerable perils,
the mountain which separated them from Eden.  Their chief, HOKRAM, had
led them to this idyllic place, they settled there, built dwellings and
edifices, cultivated the fertile, generous soil, brought up children and
became a rich and prosperous race.

HOKRAM, respected by all, was elected master of the kingdom, for
his wisdom was appreciated as much as his extraordinary powers:  HOKRAM
was a wizard!

But one night, this paradise was to be turned into a hell:  the
whole country began to quake, gigantic cracks broke open the ground,
from where boiling, devastating lava sprang out in fiery jets.  The
mountains bordering the kingdom spat out heaps of grey ash...when the
Earth's belly had ceased to rumble, the former paradise was nothing but
ruins and desolation...

The exhausted survivors banished HOKRAM, blaming him, as he was a
wizard, for all the evils that had just struck their land, this land
which they decided to call henceforth the "KINGDOM OF THE ASHES".

The bravest of them stayed to rebuild their cottages and once more
cultivate the soil which, enriched by its ash fertiliser, soon began to
sprout oats, wheat nd barley, fruit trees and lush grass.  But HOKRAM
was never seen again, and gradually, the memory of that fearful time was
erased from the peasant's minds..."

This legend was handed down from father to son, but no one living
the daily life of this peaceful valley was really convinced that such a
disaster could ever have happened, even many centuries before.

And so the story became merely a charming way for the parents to
get their children to sleep.  Until the day when an eagle-eyed old man
showed up in the kingdom, claiming to be HOKRAM!!

For some time the village was just a mixture of superstition, fear
and mistrust:  this man was asking for sanctuary!  He couldn't be HOKRAM
aged several centuries old!  It must be an imposter!  And if he were
really HOKRAM, the one from the legend...Gradually, their minds were
calmed and they agreed to give the stranger and old tumble down shack
which stood in ruins at some distance from the village.  Common sense
told them they were right:  the stranger was a madman...

But mistrust was soon stirred up again with the pale glow which, on
some nights, haloed, the old man's abode, and the throbbing, echoing
incantations that could be heard as far as the village, and became
shared by all when a goggle-eyed gnome was sometimes seen muttering an
unknown language on the wizard's doorstep.  From now on there was no
doubt about it:  the old man was definitely HOKRAM!

And so fear began to mingle with mistrust and sparked off
hostility. The man was kept at bay, his magic frightened them--some
dreadful vengeance might occur...As for HOKRAM, he didn't hold in his
heart the same bitterness that people showed to him.  After being chased
from his land, he had travelled, studied, meditated, discovered and
become wiser and more powerful than ever.  It was only home sickness
that had forced him to return to the Kingdom of Ashes, thus obliging him
to leave his companion, the faithful gnome PETROY, his friend and
counsel who sometimes called to see him, the villager's suspicion of him
deeply wounded his soul.  His wisdom guided HOKRAM's works and in this
way, haloed by the nocturnal glow which the simple peasants feared so
much, the GREAT ALAMBIC, enchanted distiller of unknown powers, was
born.

Some years later, HOKRAM got married in a magical rite to ESABELLE,
a witch from the lands beyond, and brought her to his home.  This only
served to increase hostility and suspicion until one night in Spring
when their child, who was to be called DJEL THE MAGICIAN was born.  The
baby grew in strength and wisdom, for his parents taught him everything
they had learned throughout their long lives.  As a teenager he could
transform himself as he liked, mixed potions and concoctions and
discovered numerous remedies against spells which might be cast upon
him...Later, HOKRAM forged a statue:  a man with an eagle's head crowned
by bull's horns which enabled his son to travel in the guise of a spirit
for all the knowledge that DJEL had acquired could never fill the void
which gnawed his heart:  solitude.

2.  THE WIZARDS

Thanks to the powers of this statue the apprentice wizard began to
travel, first in his home land, then accompanied by PETROY the gnome,
beyond the mountains surrounding the KINGDOM OF THE ASHES.  There, he
discovered other territories where other wizards were operating.

He go to know AZEULISSE, the mistress of the LAND OF 100 COUNTRIES,
a skillful, authoritarian magician whose charming daughter made DJEL's
heart throb by her mere presence.  AZEULISSE, touched by their romance,
tolerated DJEL's presence in her kingdom.  He learnt to appreciate this
impressive and generous mother and knew that, if he passed his hand
across the oil lamp which always burned in an alcove in the main room,
AZEULIEES sometimes answered to his call, but if, by some misfortune, he
should approach her throne, the offence would be enormous!  One morning,
all alone in the castle, patiently awaiting the one who had captured his
heart, DJEL caught sight of an image in a mirror which was not his own,
but that of a serious sharp featured man who introduced himself as the
guard to AZEULISSE's kingdom.  They spoke for a while and Djel learned
that his powers were great enough for him to be the only guard,
protecting the whole country:  he was the eye of the 100 countries.

Petroy introduced him to other wizards, Theros, a powerful, 
aristrocratic magician whose status was only due to his wealth and
who appeared when the runic writing engraved under his throne was read
out:  "see these flames:  their magic begins when you put out the one
that's burning and light the one that's asleep", remarked Petroy.
Djel rarely came to this strange place.  He walked around the well of
boiling lava and lightly touched the salt statue supporting the roof of
the cave.  "Maybe you will meet Theros's friend Creor, the wanderer,
with his fearful curses, who gave him shelter in this cave one day, just
below the window.  His counsel is of value, don't forget that," Petroy
added.

And here is Kal, the pauper, whose only possession is his calm
nature, the quietness of his little retreat and the Yol the talisman
which gave him his wisdom.

3.  THE SURROUNDING COUNTRIES

Then the gnome took Djel on an Initiation course by which he
introduced him to the secrets of each country they visited, for, as he
put it, "The powers of the statue that Hokram made for you, and which
enables you to travel, are endless; you will have to handle it carefully
if you wish to keep to your guise.  I'm going to teach you the sacred
laws of each country in order for you to avoid any pitfalls which, when
added up, could be fatal".

They began by the Land of the Glades, a vast forest of enchanted 
trees whose fruits sometimes taste bitter.  Petroy showed Djel the
inscription engraved on the wall of an old, mossy well:  "Yokel, I can
offer you Good as well as Evil.  Be aware that, in this forest, water
gives stone, wood gives advice, the prisoner his good heart, but the
little master of this place will do what seems right to him".

The two travellers reached the scraped banks of the Ocean of Pearl.
This coast was guarded by a cantankerous, spiteful old man.  The gnome
explained that the old boy, whose back had been bent by the years,
could only defend himself these days by means of a magnetic aura,
pushing intruders out of reach. " But this man could be useful if you know
how to approach him, for his knowledge is great.  I'll show you how to
go about it".  With these words, Petroy approached the hanging bridge
which allowed pilgrims to reach the neighbouring isle and was violently
pushed away, falling stunned against a sharp-angled rock which, by its
magic, began to hurl above at the already suffering gnome.  With
dignity, he brushed down his old rags and continued the lesson:  "You
see this idol, you must now implore it and the old man will appear..."
Djel did as his friend had advised and the guardians of the kingdom
appeared. "Who are you to have the impertinence to disturb my sleep?  Go
and make a din somewhere else!" and crowned with a spray of sparks, the
two intruders were projected into...

THE LAND OF THE RIVERS OF FIRE.  Petroy, somewhat angered by his pupil's
amusement, showed him the cave which lay gaping in the side of a cliff,
and told him that the master of this land stayed there from time to
time. The latter protected the entrance to the cave by mens of an
invisible barrier which needed to be forced in several stages.  But, not
wishing to suffer the same injuries gain, he no longer tried to prove his
words, preferring to summon the genie of the volcano by rapping his cane
on the side of a crack engorged with boiling lava.  The genie appeared
in a whisp of sulphuric gases, muttering these strange, but welcoming
words in a foreign language:  "Hail to you Djel.  I am Atrem, and this
is my faithful servant, Loris"--a small monster with terrified eyes had
futively drawn near to them.  "I live in the heart of the Earth, where
rocks are still liquid and flowing.  I am as old as the hills and
my knowledge is widespread.  If you wish to pick my brains you can find me
wherever there is boiling lava; I shall be flattered to answer you."
And Atrem sank into the magma of the crevasse as Loris dashed quickly
away.

As they set off again, Petroy told his companions about the powers
of the character they had just met.  "One day, when his anger was
triggered off by an offense made to him by a neighbouring country, the
Land of Everlasting Thirst, he let loose the volcanoes and lava covered
half the lands in the kingdom!  Most of the inhabitants were buried alive
and the few survivors had to drench themselves continuously in order to
put out the flames which licked unceasingly at their bodies.  They say
that, if you stir up the three flames which still burn here, you can
sometimes make contact with the master of the land buried beneath a heap
of solidified lava.

You see, my friend, the kingdom we've just reached:  these are the
Moving Lands.  The magician who rules this place could be helpful to
you but he is very moody and demanding.  Before gaining his help you
will have to be put to the test:  to create a landscape which appeals to
his taste!  You see that tree trunk crowned by the skull of a miserable
wretch who upset the magician; if I touch it, it will vanish into thin
air and take the place of all the stump you see there.  I can do the
same with each item in the landscape and so change it as I wish!  Every
object that you put in a place agreed by the magician, will be seconded by
lightning, your ally.  But beware, Djel, for even if you have satisfied
the demands of the master of the Moving Lands, you will have to watch
out for flames:  their tongues are poisonous."  With these words, they
left the fiery heat to get to a cooler, calmer place--the Kingdom of the
Marshes, which they crossed without any trouble, and Petroy, rapping his
cane against a rock just below the water's surface, called out the one
who lived there and who seemed to Djel to be very mischievous.

They reached the opposite side and discovered a ruined village, all
aflame.  The Land of the Arch.  Inextinguishable fire had been raging
the land ever since Creor, the wanderer, had put a curse on the
villagers who had refused him hospitality due to his ugly, bovine face.
"This fire will die out only when your hatred has been consumed."  Such
were the words of the curse inflicted upon the Kingdom.  From that day,
only a few reptiles could live there, finding shelter in places like
this den in an old ditch, covered by  bronze grill.  "A clever snake
could give you the key to enable you to visit the last surviving mortal
in the village, but you must never disturb him twice--that would cost
you lot of trouble."

"Come on, let's leave the furnace for a place where we can cool off a 
bit."  The two friends continued their way, and after plenty of detours,
arrived at the threshold of a cave marking the entrance to the Kingdom of
Ice Floes.  You see the crystal embedded in the rock, it holds powers
which will be let loose if you touch it lightly.  If you come here,
you won't be able to avoid them, so face them courageously and it will do
you some good!

These jousts will mark the way through all the lands I've just
shown you, and sometimes it will be marked by objects with traps hidden
deep within.  But you will always have a choice of weapons:  the strength
of your mind or the brute force of your arms!  Go now, you may return to
the Kingdom of the Ashes.  I've told you all I know, from now on you must
use your own judgement.  Farewell!"

4.  THE TIME OF THE GREAT DISASTERS

All these adventures gave Djel the maturity he was lacking and made
him into a competent magician.  Gradually his powers grew, but were
never strong enough to take him through the difficult time ahead:
Esabelle and Hokram were dying...

At  his father's bedside, Djel heard his last words:  "My son, I am
in the clutches of death and this must be so, for I have lived many
years thanks to the power of the Orah.  Now that you're an adult you
will have this power and it's your turn to live for many
centuries...Your mother and I are leaving for a kingdom beyond all
matter, perhaps you will join us there one day... Go and try to win back
the confidence of the people in our land, if you have the courage".  The
halo surrounding his parents bed grew to a blinding intensity, and
gradually the two bodies became more and more transparent until they had
disappeared completely...

Djel's despair gave way to disgust and anger.  He conjured up
dragons and gorgons, spitting out fire and tears above his house.  He
called up deformed monsters and characters with gargoyle-like heads,
spewing out the suffering of his heart until he was exhausted.  All
this, in a vain effort to bring back to earthly life his beloved
parents who had departed into another world.  But one misfortune is
rarely alone. From the disaster which followed Hokram's arrival in the
Kingdom of the Ashes a whole series of them was born to accompany his
departure.

A short while after his disappearance, a dreadful misfortune came
about in the country.  The people were struck by famine and desperately
tried to harvest the fruits of their labour:  fields were devastated,
barns were pillaged and the corn sacks were as empty as a well in the
desert. The few starving survivors caught a terrible sort of incurable
plague.  Everything was in short supply:  food, clothes, sunshine nd
candlelight. The people, faced by these awful events did not relinquish
their efforts to save the population.  But they found it impossible to
make more babies!  Of course, at first, the evil was attributed to Djel,
just like his father before him--but the sages of the village held a
meeting and decided that the problems could be coming from elsewhere.

They learned that Azeulisse's daughter, from the Land of  Hundred
Countries had disappeared and that a spell had been cast to prevent any
children from being born, that Theros had caught some dreadful illness--
hence the widespread epidemic whilst he tried to find a cure for his own
disease; and that Kal was not unable to keep his oppressed people from
pillaging the harvest in his kingdom.

And so, helpless before the strength of these destructive
magicians, the Council of Sages called for the supreme solution.  To
fight Evil with Evil.  They beseeched Djel.  "Only you can solve our
troubles. You have great power and you are our only hope.  You can be
sure that our gratitude will be enormous if you put and end to our
suffering."

And so, helpless before the strength of these destructive
loved were asking his aid, he, whom they had always rejected, scorned and
mistrusted.  He remembered the hope given to him by his father:  "Try to
win back the confidence of the people in our land."  Had not the time
come to do so?

5.  DJEL IN HIS DEN

Djel's home, which is from now on yours, holds many powers...All
you have to do is to choose one of the countries it offers you in order
to arrive there without difficulty.  But beware!  If, through lack of
attention, you are bewitched in one of these countries, a spell will
change you into a hideous stinking monster...You will be sent back to
your home with no chance of getting out again and your powers will be
suspended.

But you are ready for everything!  The test-tube contains a
solution designed by yourself (two parts skinned-alive toad's sweat to
one part of crushed skull powder, shaken well together and allowed to
ferment).  This liquid will give you physical stamina and powers but don't
abuse it as the antidote is in short supply...

A few messages from neighbouring countries will reach you by means
of the Crystal Ball.  Don't ignore it, it is the source of knowledge.

If your memory fails, the Jar with the head of a conquered dragon
swimming in it, will help you out. A ll you have to do is select it, then
choose the subject you're looking for:  Azeulisse, Theros, Kal or your
own trunk. In the latter you will find:

Objects you have acquired throughout the game:  The Diadem, demon's
dagger, nymph's eye, fruit of the forests...

Your powers:  limited in number.  During the game you will be able
to gain or lose some.  They represent your supplies and life points.

Your candles:  there is one on your table and you can acquire up to
two. But beware!  Their duration is limited...

Your wealth:  in gold coins as well as the number of bats and lead
crystals in your possession.

Your opponents have each left you a Statuette.  So you can go into
their kingdom at any time.  But don't lose these statuettes:  you can get
them back again, but only at great expense.

Fresh air relaxes even the busiest minds, so go and admire the
landscape laid out before your Window when a silhouette is cut out in
it. You will get plenty of surprises, maybe good, maybe bad.

If the pokiness of your den makes you claustraphobic, you may go and
visit other lands by means of the Atlas that you have acquired.  Open
the book by clicking over it and select the country you wish to explore
from the left hand page, or flick through it at your leisure by clicking
over the right hand page.

But Djel is a magician with widespread knowledge and as such, has a
devil of a library, guarded by a watchful owl who will warn you of any
presences in your home.  Don't hesitate to go into the library--your
research could prove fruitful...there, you will discover the Great
Alambic, with its open jaws, Hokram's great creation.  If you have the
right ingredients (3 bats + 1 lead crystal = 10 gold coins) the magic
will work...

6. HAGGLING

If some miser offers you a bargain, you had better have some gold
ready (thanks to your magic powers you will have produced some) and
haggle firmly.  Three lots of coins are available to you, one pile of 100
of 10 and one of a single coin.  Make your offer by clicking over one or
more piles then confirm by clicking.  Make your offer by clicking on the
money bag (the right hand dial shows what you are offering, the left hand
one shows how much money you have left.  Beware!  You can only have
three tries!

You may refuse to haggle by clicking at the right of the screen with
the "no symbol"  (thumb downwards) or, on the other hand, accept by
clicking at the left of the screen with the "yes" symbol (thumb
upwards).

7.  THE BATS
These are one of the ingredients which enable you to make gold.  As
soon as you see them, don't hesitate to catch them by putting a spell
on them (as quickly s possible for they are swift creatures...)
1.  with the "mouse:"
	Click the right "ear" of the mouse to fire (within limit of
	powers and supplies.)
	Click the right "ear" of the mouse to give up.

2.  On the keyboard:
	Use the left/right directional arrows to move.
	Press the Enter button to shoot (within limit of your powers
	and supplies).
	Press the ESC key to give up.

8.  DJEL IN ACTION

Desperate fights against monsters and dragons will be imposed upon
you and your success will depend on your courage.  At the moment of
confrontation you will be projected into.  The combats will be put
before you in the places your research, by chance, loads you to, but to
win them you must understand this.

8.1  CONFRONTATION BY FORCE

8.1.1--The rules
The jousting zone is thus composed:
Your opponent is at the right of the screen, separated from you by
an invisible, impenetrable wall...you, yourself will have taken the form
of a monster with fantastic powers.

You will be able to turn yourself into a dragon of Fire, Water or
Earth...but your opponent has the same power so be careful!  Note that
fire (red dragon, fire symbol at the bottom of the screen) is stronger
than earth (green  dragon, spherical symbol, water symbol) but that earth
soaks up water (blue dragon, water...) whereas water puts out fire.  So,
fire is superior to earth which is superior to water which is superior to
fire!

You must eliminate the enemy by spitting balls of fire (in 8
positions) and wounding him while you are in a more superior position than
his own.  But if you are in an inferior position you will change his
form! If you're the same color as your opponent, note that with each hit of
a fire ball the supply of life points for both of you will be
recharged.

Finally, take note that each injury makes you or your opponent lose
one life point! Your total life points at the beginning of the game is
equal to the number of your Powers.

To transform yourself (the best strategy is to choose a guise which
will be to your advantage!) you must click over the "crystals".

The red triangle will turn you into Fire
The green diamond will turn you into Earth
The blue square into Water

But each crystal you use will become inert; plan ahead!  Inert 
crystals will reactivate themselves thanks to the balls of energy.
These are magnetised at each rebound and, in the end, can recharge a
crystal again!  However you will be able to decharge your opponent's
ball of energy, by hitting it with lightning in order to stop him from
reconstituting his crystals!

If, however, your only remaining crystal does not correspond to a
form you wish to adopt, note that you can change it by firing at it
several times.  But beware of rebounds.

8.1.2  The commands
With the keyboard:
To move:  	directional 		arrows left/right/top/bottom.
To fire:  	top left		letter Z
		top			letter E
		top right		letter R 
		left 			letter S
		right 			letter F
		bottom left		letter X
		bottom 			letter C
		bottom right		letter V
To absorb a crystal, position yourself over it and press the space bar or
the Enter key.

With the mouse:
To move, move the mouse in the direction required.
To shoot, in 8 directions:  move the mouse in the direction
required and click the left ear of the mouse to absorb the crystal.

8.2  CONFRONTATION BY MIND
8.2.1--the rules
The jousting area is thus composed:
A grid on which your opponent is represented by a skull, and
yourself by an eagle's head.

You must try to isolate your opponent by closing in on him so that
he cannot move in any of the 8 directions.

At each turn you must make two actions:
1.  Move one space in one of 8 directions,
2.  Click on one of the spaces around your opponent which will
  reveal a corresponding of the country you are in.
But be careful; your opponent does the same, and, if you don't react
quickly enough, he can play twice.  The first one to no longer be able
to move into an adjacent square will lose the match.

8.2.2--The commands
With the keyboard:
To move use the 8 directional arrows on the numerical keyboard.
To block in your opponent position your power-slide over the space
you want to uncover and press the Enter key.

With the mouse:
To move, position the hand slide over the space where you wish to
go and click with the left ear of the mouse.
To block in your opponent, position your power slide over the space
that you want to uncover and click the left ear of the mouse.

9.  AUTHOR'S ADVICE
If by chance, the intensive reflexion acting on your neurons
throughout the game demands a periods of rest, click the right ear of the
mouse (or on the keyboard press the ESC key).  This will freeze the
game.

Once you have won the adventure game you will have direct access,
from then on, to the "dragon" action phases.  The F1 key serves to
freeze the match and the F2 allows a second player to take the
computer's place.

May Hokram's spirit by with you and Good Luck Djel, you Wizard!