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                        |SWORD OF SODAN
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                      Technical Supplement
                         Sword of Sodan
                             Amiga
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Technical Requirements:  Amiga 500, 1000, or 2000
                         Joystick
                         512 K minimum

                         Recommended but not required:
                         Extra RAM (will allow you to
                         watch up to 2 hours of game
                         replay)
                         Extra Disk Drives

          How to Start:  Insert joystick into port #2.
                         (Joystick controls are described in
                         full in the beginning of the game)
                         Turn on machine and insert
                         Kickstart disk at the prompt. Insert
                         Sword of Sodan disk 1 at the
                         Workbench prompt. Insert
                         different disks as requested.
                         (Disks #'s 1, 2, or 3) Press fire
                         button on Joystick to begin game.

     Keyboard Commands:  Press Q to quit game.

                         Spacebar pauses/unpauses game.

                         Use F1, F2, F3, and F4 to activate
                         your collected magic items
                         during game play.

        Misc. Commands:  Fire button will allow you to
                         continue play, but you will lose
                         your score, hit strength, and
                         powers.


                             THE MANUAL
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It was an age of dreams and a time of miracles. When jeweled cities rose
like great forests from the dust and justice ruled the Northern Kingdoms.
Still, as in all dreams, there came a time of awakening - and the people
of the kingdom arose to a dawn of nightmares.

For in the east, Zoras the Necromancer, long since banished from the realms
of man, sat in a tower of human bones and parlayed with shadows. In
the darkness, spirits of ancient power talked to Zoras in whispers, making
pacts and sharing secrets. And in time of harvest, as the first chill winds
scattered the leaves of the trees, Zoras gathered their power and rode to
the Northern Kingdoms.

And it came to pass that a time of darkness engulfed the land. From the
shadows rose all manner of foul creatures, and the streets - once filled
with happy people - now echoed the laughter of evil spirits. The armies of
the court scattered, and Zoras the usurper slew the King with demon flame.
So it was that Zoras took the throne - his manic laughter echoing thru the
great halls of the castle while outside the citizens wailed in despair.

Unknown to Zoras, days before the slaughter, the King's two children were
smuggled by night from the Kingdom and taken to a distant land. There they
were raised in the way of the sword by an ancient warrior whose skill was
the precursor of legend.

And in time there came word of a prophesy. The Witches of the Dire Marsh,
three ancient crones who foresaw the future in the falling of dead leaves
and the patterns of fires' light, foretold of a new dawn. A child
brandishing an enchanted blade would return from beyond the mountains,
they said, to avenge the father. A warrior who by strength of steel and
edge of sword would shatter Zoras' reign of terror and return the light
to the Northen Kingdoms.


THE LORE OF THE SWORD

Before the united cities rose from the forests of the north and peace
enveloped the land, the greatest skill of all was the ability to wield the
greatest of weapons - the sword. No possession was more cherished than a
mighty broadsword, keen of edge and finely tempered.

The most treasured blades were born in forge of Brespar, a master
swordmaker unmatched in the art of the steel. From the farthest reaches of
the lands, great warriors came seeking his talents. And until the First Day
of the Cold Death, none were turned away.

On that day, all the fires of the land burned cold and none could be
rekindled. Risen spirits of the nether world had extinguished the flames of
life and the last breaths of many were seen in the frigid air.

Hundreds rode to challenge the spirits in combat, but none returned. Even
the steel of Brespar was impotent when wielded against the spirits of the
mist. Hope soon became a distant memory.

One day, a man and his son appeared at the icy hearth of the old swordmaker
and told of a place where the gods had opened the earth - and where rocks
that seemed to flow from the ground shone orange with the heat of the sun.
"There you could forge another sword," he told the sickly man. "a sword like
none before it."

The journey of the three was arduous, but spurred by the importance of the
moment, Brespar was able to hold on to the threads of life. And he drew on
his years of experience and created a final masterpiece, a sword able to cut
granite as easily as the fog of the dawn.

Leaving his son with a peasant couple, the man took up the sword and rode
into the night sky. And when he met the first night thing in combat it
succumbed to the enchanted blade. But the spirits were plentiful, spread
throughout the land, and the years slowly passed until Sodan's singlehanded
oddysey sent the final spirit back to the underworld.

Once again, fires burned and the people were safe. But the heart of Sodan
was cold. He had no idea of the fate of his only son and the years had left
him unable to stand the rigors of a search of the land.

In anguish, he thrust the sword to the heavens and vowed, "You gave me
this sword, the Sword of Sodan, to protect the people of the north, but you
have taken my son. Unless wielded by a member of the house of Dan, its
blade will never again see the light of day."


LORDAN - KING OF THE NORTH

Lordan had few memories of the tall, steel-eyed man who had left him as
a youth in the care of a childless peasant couple. But he remembered that
he felt safe with the gentle giant - unafraid of the dark and ready to
challenge the shadows.

The people Lordan met in the towns and villages of the north did not
share his fearless nature. The past had not been kind and memories of the
spirits of the mist left them cowering and apprehensive, unable to
envision a future of peace and happiness.

So Lordan began to travel the land, encouraging the people to look forward
and deny the vestiges of the past. He organized an army and started the
building of the first of the great cities. The children began to laugh
again and soon the tables of the people were piled high with the fruits of
their labor.

And in return, the citizens built him a great castle, the Castle
Craggamoore, and crowned him King. As the years passed his reputation as a
great and benevolent ruler grew. And the castle became a symbol of the
peace and prosperity of the united Northern Kingdoms.


ZORAS THE NECROMANCER

Zoras was an old one, well-versed in the incantations of the black arts. He
lived to rule over the people of the north - people he despised for their
simple lives of contentment.

Zoras had almost succeeded in his quest a generation before. He had
summoned the spirits of the dead and painted a picture of icy fear
throughout the land. But for one great warrior, Sodan, he would have ruled.

He retired to his tower of human bones and studied the ancient parchments
of his ancestors. He experimented with spells and uncovered hidden secrets
of centuries ago.

And soon he was able to conjure even more abominable creatures from the
depths of the earth and raise the worst of people's nightmares and give
them life. And they answered his call to bring pain and sorrow to the meek.

Now his destiny had been fulfilled. He sat on the throne of Lordan and the
people grovelled at his feet.


CHILDREN OF THE THRONE

Brodan and his sister Shardan were born on the same day to Lordan and his
Queen . They lived an idyllic life of youth, pampered by the people and
enjoying the castle's great halls and courtyards as a splendrous play-
ground. As twins, Brodan and Shardan shared the same hopes, the same
dreams and the same bright outlook for tomorrow.

But the peaceful existence of the castle was soon to change. The King was
brought word of a new scourge upon the land. From every direction demons,
evil mutants and creatures beyond the imagination were marching toward the
castle, leaving a path of death and destruction in their wake.

One night the children listened at the door of the court chambers and for
the first time felt the chill of fear touch their spines. "I want the
children taken across the Cthol Mountains to the farthest corner of the
land," they heard the King exclain. "for I fear the end is near. It is
said a swordsman of legend dwells there. Perhaps he can protect my loved
ones."

Under cover of a cloudy night sky, the children were taken from the castle.
In the weeks that followed they learned of the death of their parents and
the reign of Zoras, and cried until their eyes were dry of tears. And
although unsaid, the siblings knew the course of their destiny had been
forever changed.

Months later the children were left at the entrance of a humble dwelling far
into the virgin forests of the outer Kingdom. The lone inhabitant, a
bitter, white-haired old man, answered their pleas and reluctantly shared
his meager table fare. And he was told of the trouble at the castle and the
incredible journey that brought the young ones to his door.

And when the children told of Lordan, the old man was overcome. He was
listening to the fate of his only son, and his grandchildren were telling
the tale. And his countenance visibly changed as he said, "I am but an old
man, unable to avenge the death of my son. But I will raise you in the
ways of the sword, and one day you will return to the great castle and slay
the harbinger of doom."

And when that day came the old man displayed the Sword of Sodan. "You
have both learned your lessons well, but there is only one sword that can
slay the necromancer. Which of you will take up the blade in vengeance
and show it the light of day?"


WIELDING THE SWORD

Now that you possess the Sword of Sodan, you can begin your quest to
avenge the death of your father and free the cities of the Northern
Kingdoms from the tyrannical rule of Zoras. The road you must travel is
fraught with danger. You will encounter giant warriors, deadly pitfalls and
mysterious creatures of the underworld.

If you can defeat them, you will reach the chambers of Zoras. There you will
face the most difficult challenge of your life. It is not a place for the
weak of heart.

King Lordan knew that someday a warrior would attempt to defeat Zoras.
Before his death, the King mandated the court wizard to develop potions
that would aid a rescuer. The wizard hid his magic in the corridors and
courtyards of Castle Craggamoore. As you battle your way through the
castle, look for these potions and be aware of their value in your journey
(See the control insert for specific keyboard commands). The potions are
stored in one of two bottles, either metallic or sand-colored. The potion
in each bottle performs one of two different functions.

                  _^_
                  ) (   Contains either a potion to provide extra life or
                 (   )  increased hit strength with the sword.
                 (___)


                  _^_
                  ) (   Contains either a Magic Zapper, which kills 
                 ( S )  the enemy closest to you, or a Power Shield,
                 (___)  which protects you for 30 seconds.

Zoras has defended the castle well. Every level demands new strategies and
tactics to complete. While some levels place a premium on swordsmanship,
others demand perfect timing or the ability to perform the one task that
spells success. Proceed with caution, for death comes quickly to the
unaware.


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