"Sorcery! Part 4: The Crown Of Kings" Walkthru / Guide

A walkthru of Inkle's "Sorcery! Part 4: The Crown Of Kings".

Intro.

Greetings adventurers and welcome to my guide for "Sorcery! Part Four: The Crown Of Kings".
Yet again i am behind schedule on my guide, as there are so many distractions.
So what's a very busy sorceress supposed to do? Of course: dig out the gold-backed mirror and cast the KIN spell, then use my duplicate to help me complete this guide more rapidly....

This walkthru assumes that you have followed my guides for parts one, two and three are now continuing your saved game from that point.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2758265881
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2888546052
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3156035809

You have already crossed the lawless Shamutanti Hills, found your way thru the dangerous cityport of Khare and become the first person from Analand to travel across the Baklands.
Now you must travel thru the mountains of High Xamen, then find a way to infiltrate the Mampang Fortress and defeat the evil archmage.
However, as you have defeated all seven serpents and avoided using the beacons in part three, your mission will be somewhat less perilous.

Sorcery.

Sorcery is usually more efficient than swordplay. You are a powerful sorceress, so make the most of your skills!

You have a huge range of spells (each identified with a three letter code) at your disposal. There are also several additional spells, which you may learn during your quest.
Some spells incur a small stamina drain when you cast them. Others require an artefact to work, but these spells incur no stamina loss. Remember that some of these spells (eg: POP or RAZ) consume the artefact in question, whereas others (eg: TEL or JIG) do not. The spellbook in your menu provides details.
Unlike the original gamebook, this version allows you to take the spell book with you so you can refer to it during your quest.
Remember that at any given place and time there are only certain spells which can be cast. However, there is usually at least one useful option available.

Note that certain letters (d/D and f/F) seem to be case sensitive when you cast spells. I don't know why this is....

Swordplay.

Occasionally, magic just isn't an option and you have to take a more crude approach to dealing with enemies. Fortunately, you are also a capable sword-mistress, so this shouldn't present a problem.

During your quest you can acquire artefacts, armour and better weapons which can increase your attack strength. Your attack strength bonuses will automatically add on.
Note that you will only gain a bonus for your best weapon. Additional weapons do not add further bonuses, altho it is still useful to collect extra weapons as reserve items. Also, some seemingly lesser weapons can be useful in specific situations. (axes, daggers, etc)
If you should, for a particular reason, choose an option in the text to use an inferior weapon in battle, your attack strength will automatically adjust itself for that specific battle.

The combat system in this game is rather unusual and it takes a while to master the balance between attack & defence. However, once you have, it makes battles more interesting than random dice rolls. Beware: some of the more skilful opponents have a very intelligent balance of attack/defence.

Rations & Sleep.

The Sorcery! epic is broken into days. The text will notify you as each day progresses. You can also see the representative sun/moon graphic in the rewind box in the lower part of the screen.

In parts one and two the end of each day occurred at fixed points in the game, irrespective of how much you had done during that day.
As parts three and four are largely free-roaming however, the passing of time is measured against your movements. Each time you move on the map a certain period of time passes, which appears to be approximately proportional to the distance you travel.

To stay healthy you must eat at least once per day and sleep each night. If you do not, you will incur stamina penalties. You can eat at almost anytime. It is better to choose a specific food item from your inventory depending on how high your stamina is, as some food items restore extra stamina.
A blimberry potion can also be consumed as a meal.
To make your rations go further, only eat more than once per day if your stamina becomes dangerously low.

Sleep also restores some stamina and generally sheltered places offer a better chance of uninterrupted sleep than exposed places.
This walkthru will enable to you eat at least once a day and sleep each night.
Do not be tempted to keep travelling thru the night. You will incur a stamina penalty and the extra progress you make will not benefit your quest.

Divine Intervention.

Watching over your progress is your deity, who can offer occasional assistance during your quest. In part two you chose to become a follower of Courga, deity of grace.
Courga can help in the following ways:
A healing stamina boost.
Remove of curses/diseases.
Divine intervention in a crisis.
The first of these can be chosen by selecting the blue box at screen top-right. The other two options may appear as choices in the text.

Once you have called on Courga for help, He will become dormant for a period before you can pray for assistance again.
You can check whether He is active/dormant by checking the blue box at screen top-right.

Disguises.

A new mechanism is introduced in part four. Disguises.
At certain points you may have the option to wear different outfits (guard, merchant etc.) and whilst disguised you may be offered new options in the text, which would otherwise not appear.
Whilst in disguise your avatar be be changed to reflect your outer appearance.
To remove a disguise and return to your usual appearance, go to the inventory screen, select "other items" and choose the discard option next to your outfit.

Overview.

As part four is largely free-roaming, it would be impractical to list all possible encounters.
So this guide is a basic, route-one straight thru the centre of the game, which will enable you to easily enter the fortress and defeat the archmage, and also gain some additional gold, weapons, magical artefacts etc. along the way.

This walkthru requires several spell artefacts, all of which have been collected in parts 1,2 & 3:
Blimberry potion
Black skullcap
Holy water
Pearl Ring
Brass pendulum
The jewel of gold and a giant's tooth will also be useful.

High Xamen.

DAY NINETEEN continued....
Keep moving. Check my blade. But i am not alone....
Keep walking. Keep climbing until you reach the three caves.
As you currently have no rations, drink a blimberry potion. +3 sta
(You still have two vials of blimberry remaining and you will obtain more rations tomorrow.)
Sleep rough outside. Close my eyes.
Who's there? (It's Flanker!) Make space for him.
I am not afraid. You are a man, not an assassin.
+2 sta


DAY TWENTY.
Move on. Walk on.
Ignore the bridge and continue along the winding path. Make move, on up the path.
Rest for a moment. +2 sta. Look at the distant tower. Keep looking.
Stand and move on, along the pass.

Look at the prints. Look up. I mean you no harm.
(The hoofborn detest the archmage. Be honest with them and respectful.).
I am from Analand. I will recover the crown of kings. If i must.
You will keep my secret. Lead the way! I will talk to her.
Ignore them. Mimic the gesture. May i enter?
Go to the trader. Greet her. Look in the crates. The cheap crate.
A glass bottle. Smell it. Buy it. +potion of firewater, -9 g.p.
Finish trading and go to the fire. Eat with them. +2 sta
Cook my raw fish. +2 edible rations.
Leave the fire and go to Sh'houri. Thank-you. You are blind? Enough talking. Yes?
Leave, You have my word.

Make a move onwards. Look along the path. Make a move, east towards a bridge.
Make a move, towards the bridge. Go onto the bridge.
Keep going. This bridge cannot take my wait. Seek solace in my possessions.
Wear the borrinskin boots.
(You have carted them all the way from the schanker mines, it's about time they were used!)
Cross the bridge.

Move on. Take the chasm path.
Make a move, west. Make a move, along the rising path, then continue west. Turn around.
Cast FIX, then slip past.
Go north. Keep going, into the crater. Move on, around the rim.
Go west, then take the path into the crater.
Make a move. (Ignore the first option to rest.)
Go thru the scrub. Sleep here. (and dream of success!) +2 sta


DAY TWENTY-ONE.
Look at the bundle. Move on. Back off.
Follow the path. Move on, east. Make a move, climb the ridge. Move on, out of the crater.

Look down the pass. Make a move, forwards. Cast YAZ, then keep walking.

Look for ways in. The main gate. Take action.
Watch the carts. Hide in a cart. Jump in. Try casting SOB.
(You don't yet know what this spell will do, but as it ends in -OB it must be a summoning spell.)
-snattacat tooth (You have learned a new spell: SOB)
Scramble out. Search the cart. +6 g.p. Wear the merchant's costume.
(You are now disguised as a merchant.)

Head all the way to the main gate. Push to the front. Trade. Teeth. Enter the fortress!

The Outer Garrison.

Beware! Now that you have entered the Mampang fortress, the rewind button has been disabled.
(You can only rewind back beyond the point whee you enter the fortress. There are exceptions to this rule, but this walkthru will not cover those.)

Pray. (This choice doesn't count as a request for aid.)

Count the statues and look them over. Approach them.
Touch the statue. +1 sta
Read the carving opposite, then read the others. Touch the first statue.
Look for more engravings. Look opposite. Clear the moss. +info
(The statues are your clues to the Throben doors.)

Make a move. Enter the kitchen. Stride in. Approach the hobgoblin.
I need some food. Indeed. Nod along. I am a merchant.
Enter the larder. Take some rations. +4 rations (You now have enough to complete your mission.)
Look on the shelves. Look inside. keep them. +3 giant's teeth.
Search around the sacks. Leave the kitchen.

Make a move. Enter the barracks. Move on.
Go further into the barracks. Make a move thru the north door. (dormitory)
Search the chests. Search more chests. -2 sta.
Look around, then cast GOD. Get to work! Let him go.
Search more chests. +5 g.p.
Put on the uniform.
(You are now disguised as a guard.)

Choose the door to the hallway. Make a move back toward the exit door. Go back out into the yard.
Watch the pulleys and merchants, move around the yard, then return to the barracks.
(This bit wastes time until it is dark, when the option to use the bunks activates.)

Go back thru the north door to the dormitory.
Eat a ration, if you haven't done so yet today. +2 sta, -1 ration
Sleep in a bunk. +2 sta


DAY TWENTY-TWO.
Make your way back out into the yard.
Return to the kitchen. Go to the larder. Look at the flour pattern. Examine it and peer into the trapdoor.
Enter and keep following the tunnel until you reach the grate....
Cast DOP -1 sta. Wait and watch. Wait.
Cast YOB. -giant's tooth.
Cast ZEN. Float thru the grate.

The Inner City.

Move away from the grate along the alleyway.
Keep following it until you are grabbed by the arm. Turn around....

(You have been momentarily scooped out of time & space by Throben, a necromancer who wants to help you defeat the archmage. He will talk about eternal death and the ZED spell. Unfortunately, in this instance, he is unwittingly more of a hindrance than a help and you must decline his offer.)

Follow the short scene thru, making any choices you like (sensible comments seem best) until you are returned to Mampang. Then reply:
I do not want it!. I take the risk.

(If you had used the beacons in part three, he would have forced his curse upon you, without the option, leaving you with the hassle of removing his curse as well as completing your mission.)

Enter the square and go to the centre. Make a move, towards the market.
Go to the stalls. Visit the peddler first. Offer to sell my gems. Who might take them?
Look at his stock, then leave and go to the weapons dealer.

Do you buy gemstones? Gems for a sword?
Make the trade. +cutlass (+6 a.s.), -gemstones. Bid him farewell.

Return to the square. Go to the statue in the centre.
(You may need to move around the square to activate this choice.)
Eat a ration, if you haven't done so yet today. +2 sta, -1 ration
Sleep against the statue. Try to move. +2 sta


DAY TWENTY-THREE.
Make a move, to the north side. Take the north road.
Slip around the hut, northwards. Walk slowly. Turn back, then return the salute.
Do nothing. Clap her on the shoulder.
Move on, to the top of the road.
Climb the palisade.

The Throben Doors.

Look about, then move on, along the alley.
Ignore the doors and keep moving to the end of the alley.
Size up the guards. Move on, to the iron door.
Greet them. I need to pass. I'm the ambassador from Khare.
Side with the birdmaid. Nothing. Attack. Defeat the birdman with your sword.

Enter the courtyard. (Do not pause to look around.)
Head thru the courtyard, straight towards the steps. Climb. Keep climbing.

Look at the doors. (These are the Throben doors.)
Cast DOC. -blimberry potion. Pour the potion onto the door handle. Open the door.
Cast fAL. -1 sta. Try the door handle. Open the door.
Cast TEL. Read the message.
Cast RES. -holy water. Pour the water onto the door. Push open the door. Push the door.
+4 maximum stamina
Enter the inner keep.

The Archmage's Tower.

(Discard your guard's uniform. You no longer need it.)
Keep going. Start to climb.
Ignore the first door and keep climbing.
Ignore the second door and keep going.
Eat your remaining rations now. + sta

Look at the stained window. Turn around. (It's Flanker!)
My friend, i knew i would find you here. Help me.
Who are you here to kill? I recall that i bested you. Draw my sword. You cannot beat me.
Cast these three spells, in any order: YAZ, NAP, DIM -1 sta
You were under the power of the crown.

What is this? So do we get inside?
Tap the wall. Knock twice. Place my hands as in prayer. Go inside.

Look around the room. Pull out a book. Perception Of Perception. Put the book back.
Time to move on. Continue upwards.

When you reach the garret door, cast MAG. -1 sta
Pray for luck, then enter the archmage's study.
(Now your choices really depend on what your ambitions are. I prefer the following ending.)
Go to kill him. Pray for aid. Stamp on the crown! It is the only way.

Go onto the roof. Wave my sword. Wait. Pray. Jump!
(You are caught by the goldcrest eagle, then you and Flanker are rapidly flown back to Analand.)
I am not sure. The eagles were defending Analand. Look ahead.
Ask what he will do now. What ails you? Be my shadow.
Cast DOP. -1sta.
I HAVE RETURNED.

You have defeated the archmage and permanently destroyed the power of the crown. You have also avoided the curse of Throben.
The final part of your epic journey is complete. You return to Analand to a heroine's welcome, with Flanker as your friend. YAY!


(After the final summary of your quest and the credits, you will be given a free rewind. You could use this to play thru the final encounter in the archmage's study in different ways. Alternative endings include taking the crown for yourself and becoming the new archmage of Mampang, or restoring the benevolent, previous archmage Valiquesh to power.)

Considerations.

This guide is only a basic summary of the most important encounters in Mampang.
There are numerous other encounters which can also yield useful gains, notably in the inner-city, the vaults & the towers of the college of magic, plus further story-lines with Aliizi or Jann, but this walkthru has provided you with all that you require to defeat the archmage and return to Analand.