In the course of the construction of the Shrine, there will inevitably arise many questions which are not answered in the books. This area is designed to list some of these queries in the hope that they may generate discussion and eventually lead to the elucidation of the High Priest and the visitors to the Shrine.
From: Lachlan Austin:
Calorne Manitus would have seen Vallaska Roue when he killed the two elves in the inn, and he also knew about Darkmane's quest against Marr, so why did he suggest that Darkmane should hire Mantrapper, when he had just been talking to one of Marr's main men? Surely he would have known about Roue's background?
Also, when Zagor teleports Darkmane onto the GalleyKeep, why didn't they just send the firepowder through the teleport, so that it would blow the ship up as soon as it was teleported?
What's with Mantrapper's gravity defying hair?
Wouldn't Lisamina be able to return to Titan, once Dire's body had been destroyed? Dire couldn't return to a dead body, and the Sorq had no reason to return, because Dire wouldn't be able to show them magic, so wouldn't it be safe to return?
Also, if the Sorq didn't care about taking other mortal's minds, why didn't they just take Dire's mind to learn about his magic?
From Doug Riddell:
(1) The village of Coven - you'll recall Balthus Dire actually destroyed that village during the war and sent its people fleeing in all directions, but in COH it's still standing
(2) Vallaska Roue - the obese pyscho who works for Marr and collects dead bodies in the interests of obtaining Soulless ones for his overlord. Chadda Darkmane throws the Orruk dagger into his throat just before jumping out the Galleykeep's window with Marr's mirror. But in COH Roue is still alive and earning Marr's displeasure by failing to find the elven village of Stitle Woad.
(3) The Galleykeep itself - the mighty ship that sailed across air, not water. According to COH Marr seized that ship purely for the sake of finding Stitle Woad (Eren Durdinath), and subsequently turning its crew into his marrangha experiments. But "Wars" says he had already been in possession of the thing for a while, maybe years. No mention of searching through the Forest of Spiders for anything.
(4) Grog - you'll remember his knapsack actually contained the one-in-a-million, sought-after by all, Stittle Woad vapour of Elven Magic which Zharradan Marr badly wanted to get his mutated hands on. I've always wondered:
1. How did Grog get it?
2. And if Marr made him be in possession of it as part of your test, he must have been monitoring everything you'd been doing since you escaped the dungeon. But if so he would know his formers "nurses" the sisters of Dree had convinced you to dispose of him.
Does anyone know (or guess) how Grog got the vapour?
My query: Were Libra and Telak inhabiting the bodies of real living beings, or were the bodies created especially for the bet? Lissamina claimed to have been tutored by Gelda Ware. Was this true, and if so was Libra inhabiting the body of a human Lissamina at the time, or is something completely different going on?
Why did the Sisters turn on their creation Marr? Are they tricksters or just supporters of some concept of "neutrality"? What relation are the elven gods who bestow the vapours on the queen to the other gods we know - just different names? Why did Calla Bey think a birdman army could be recruited in the dwarf village of Mirewater? Why is Nimbicus working for Marr (money?)? Who/what is the Mastre of Hellfire and how did he hook up with Marr? Ditto Quimmel Bone.
Legionnaire 29 served in the sacking of Salamonis - WHAT? - and was later put under watch for drinking with a servant of Dire, so was this after Trolltooth Wars?
Whose house was the ruin in the forest with the mailed fist and morning star arms? What is the point of the Crown chamber on the Galleykeep? Is the silver pool one of the Rainbow Pools and how does it have its effect? Why is the crystal club able to destroy the mirror?
On Wed, 8 Sep 1999, J. Harris wrote:
Regarding spells I thought it was fun to cough up some goblins and a troll with gob and dob (if memory serves). . . the mystery of zed was a fine one too. . . I don't' remember all the spells right now . .though I do seem to recall being a bit miffed in a few spots about having one's choice of spells limited in certain situations, but I suppose that was the limitation of a print medium. . .he couldn't' list every spell for every encounter
My reply: The way I considered it was that the land of Kakhabad was so suffused with magic that only some spells would work in particular situations. I also used this to explain why the spells were completely different from, and more restrictive than, the spells detailed in the AFF system.
That is, wizards of the Old World had to come up with a whole different type of magic, which more relied on channelling the magic of the land, rather than using the caster's own strength to do all the work. Hence the necessity for "spell components" for some spells and the seemingly arbitrary link between the cost of a spell and its efficacy.
On Thu, 16 Sep 1999, J. Harris wrote:
Speaking of that Netherworld Demon at the end of Sorcery. . .THE CROWN OF KINGS. . .when it gets to full size it automatically steps on you and kills you.. . now, what sort of Skill Stamina scores do you think it had? So high that it would be impossible to kill it so S. Jackson didn't bother with the stats? And, where exactly does this Netherworld demon fit in with the demon princes of the Pit in the FF world (In the gamebook I wrote, I attended to this detail to some degree). And. . .do you think the book would have been improved or just "different" if you could fight this demon in its stronger form? Maybe a sort of "mage" fight would have been interesting too. . .this demon supposedly was either the archmage or there was no human archmage and it was just the demon that possessed that fellow, whatever his name was.
My reply: My own completely unfounded and irrational opinion is that the demon was the Kurakil from FF53 Spellbreaker, who, being unable to escape from the Demonifuge (?), possessed the body of one of his acolytes - Farren Whilde did seem a bit like a Ruddlestone monk to me at the time, although now I can't remember why. When the Analander was ready to confront him, however, It knew that It was in real danger (this wizard had just penetrated Its fortress and uncovered Its identity, after all) and so used an immense amount of power to manifest physically outside the Demonifuge. However, it was just a little too late.
Incidentally, I would class the Kurakil as being of the same rank as Sith, Myurr and Ishtra, but I'll tell you more about that in another mailing (yes, that is a threat). I explain Its pitiful stats in FF53 Spellbreaker by saying that it was really Skill 14 Stamina 25 and Deliverer gave +1AS to all enemies, +3AS against demons, +1damage against demons, and was capable of harming greater demons. This is about equivalent to +1AS against a Skill 12 Stamina 18 opponent.
Kurakil:
On Mon, 27 Mar 2000, Andrew Wright wrote:
I totally enjoyed the Shrine of Hamaskis, as well as the email you sent to the list a while back, with the career outline of an adventurer who'd certainly got a lot of the gamebooks under his belt. I did similar things, especially with books set in the vicinity of old Allansia. One question = who or what is Kurakil, one of the Greater Demons? It sounds familiar but I haven't been in contact with my collection for years, hence no ready references when I was reading your Titan history.
My reply: I'm glad you enjoyed it. The Kurakil is the big demon from FF53 Spellbreaker. Since such a big deal is made of it, it must be at least a greater demon, but I think of it as a demon prince, because this might explain why it is important to trap it in the Demonifuge, rather than just banishing it to the pit. That's just my opinion, though; in the book, it is just described as a demon.
Details about Isles of the Dawn from Paul Mason:
Maior couldn't remember anything because he didn't get an opportunity to have his full memory restored by the glyphs on the sarcophagus. Also, he was not woken correctly: as was demonstrated by the fact that he had to use his latent magical powers (unconsciously) to blast the lid off the sarcophagus. Thandile broke the seals on Feior's sarcophagus, allowing Feior to wake up, but in Maior's case he was woken by the contraction as the seven planes collapsed.
How did Feior get the necessary resources to raise an army when he awoke to wage war on the Child King of the Isle of the Dawn?
Feior was in full possession of his abilities and memory. He therefore had magic for coercion, and some of the wealth which had been stored in the tomb (as much as he could carry, anyway: what a shame that Maior was too dazed from the shock of rebirth to pick any up).
What exactly happened just before the end of "Prophecy", do you go back in time somehow?
That doesn't seem very likely, does it, since it's clear that the Maior being described is a child, and has knowledge of the situation. No, this was an attempt at a flashback as a gamebook device. Though not an unambiguous one, I grant you. The Reaver hints at what's going on when he says 'Look to the future before you're too old to change your ways!'
What were that couple Thandile and Veikos doing nosing around the ruined city when you wake up? And what killed Thandile anyway (corpse in illustration of 1)?
You're an FF reader, and you ask why adventurers might be nosing around a ruined city which belonged to an evil Mage Lord who was known to have loads of treasure and magical devices?
Thandile was killed by Feior. If only he'd stayed away from the sarcophagus (turn to 348) he might have been able to make his escape with the treasure (turn to 36).
Were the Isles of the Dawn supposed to be Japan-like, as was Hanchiman in "Sword of the Samurai"? Are they connected on Titan somehow?
Therein hangs a tale. Look at the map, and you will see that Steve Luxton Indulged himself by drawing in, basically, Japan, and naming it 'Isles of the Dawn' (c.f. 'Land of the Rising Sun'). The silly thing about this, though, was that Jamie and Min had already created Hachiman, but made it on a mainland.
I therefore felt that, logically, I ought to reverse things and make the island nation China-like.
However, I was co-writing with Steve Williams (coincidentally, Steve is a twin, which may give you some idea of where the plot for Black Vein Prophecy came from), and Steve didn't get into the Chinese feel very much. That's why the names are very un-Chinese (and don't match the much more Chinese-like names in the later Crimson Tide). Westerners tend to be incapable of distinguishing China and Japan, and I parodied this in Crimson Tide with a bunch of mercenaries that everyone thinks are from Hachiman, along with a _real_ bunch of samurai from Hachiman, on an ambassadorial mission.
I replied: I think that it is sensible for the Isles of the Dawn and Hachiman to share many similar characteristics because prior to the splitting of the lands they were connected by land and even later, the sea crossing between them was almost as easy as crossing from Hachiman to the rest of Khul, due to those mountains, and much easier than getting from the Isles to any other inhabited part of Titan. It is not difficult to understand why the Isles of the Dawn would be affected by the culture of Hachiman and vice versa.
If the mountains around Hachiman were there even before the splitting of the lands, then this would have reinforced the connection even more, and if the cultures do parallel Chinese/Japanese cultures then presumably they are old and so have links to the pre-splitting civilizations in that area of Irritaria.
On Sun, 15 Aug 1999, Aardvark of Doom (Chris) wrote:
Vermithrax, Yaztromo's crow, not the Grand Wizard of Yore, is a seemingly loyal servant of the old wizard and yet when encountered in Forest of Doom he is trying to raise the 30 GPs necessary to turn him back into a human. Is this true or does the crow just have another use for the coins?
The Dark Elves were seemingly more dedicated to good than the wood elves when they first rebelled, and yet their isolation turned them to evil. Why then aren't the dwarfs turned to evil? In places like Mirewater they're not very nice, but they're not really evil. The dark elves worship of Slangg probably has something to do with this, but they worshipped him just to learn more of human ways, Tanit would seem to better represent what they became as she is more sly and underhand in her evil.
The summit of Firetop is deemed unclimbable in both #1 and #9 (and probably #50 but I don't have it to hand) so how come a half-dead Nicademus and Pen Ty Kora could climb it?
In Titan Nicodemus' presence in Blacksand is suggested to possibly be to keep an eye on Azzur for Yaztromo. Firstly, why would Yaztromo bother himself with Azzur as he is only the keeper of Darkwood and would therefore not be effected by the goings on in the city, unless they became truly out of hand, but then could probably be stopped by the armies of Fang or Salamonis? And why would Nicodemus work for a man whose powers he can equal? Why isn't he keeping an eye on Azzur for himself?
From: Jam Norman 1) I cannot remember because I cannot be bothered to check in Titan, but do the Snake Demons have one continent each that they keep an eye on?
2) Does anyone else think that some of the sci-fi books are thought of as bad purely because they are sci-fi, and undeservedly? Space Assassin I remember as quite good, although I have not read it for a while.
From: J. Harris Speaking of moral issues of bankruptcy and such . . .how did people like the various forms of gambling and other means of gaining wealth in FF. . .sometimes downright 'mugging' and such
On the Abyss:
Me: On the subject of the abyss, it looks to me like a bit of the universe in which Titan resides which was not taken up with the other planes of existence. You have to think in 5+ dimensions for this, but imagine the universe like a hypercylinder with the corporeal plane across the whole width at the "bottom", with the spirit. ethereal, magical, ..., planes "above" it and filling the cylinder, except for a "flat" (i.e. 4-dimensional) sliver of space at the side, where the planes are not quite flush with the edge of the universe. This is the space, with no prior structure on it, and outside the influence of the gods or anyone else in the universe proper, which could hold the abyss.
Paul Mason: That, of course, was what I _meant_ to write, but the starveling wretch who functions as my secretary got it all wrong. That's less unhusked millet for you for the next month, scoundrel! I'll have to tighten his earclamps a bit too.
The above explanation clearly explains how the abyss could be both a place of incarceration or, to the right person, a source of extraordinary power.
On necromancers and martial artists:
Me: On the subject of necromancers, I wonder just what the difference is between a necromancer and a sorcerers who knows the Raise Skeleton spell. I have always thought of a real necromancer as being both a sorcerer and a priest of Death. The Raise Skeleton spell is incredibly expensive in terms of stamina cost and presumably necromancers must have some kind of bonus or they could never raise armies this way.
Also what is going on with the necromancers in FF35 Daggers of Darkness, where they can not be harmed unless your character has gone through some sort of special magical training? Is this like the martial artists in the Isles of the Dawn, and if so, how are each of these represented in game form? Just an idea, but could the ability be some kind of priest spell which takes one's combat abilities onto another level - a type of Most Blessed which stays in effect for an entire combat (but is cancelled out if an opponent has the same ability)?
In the background to FF35 the necromancers are described as non-corporeal beings, so different from the common term "necromancer". I have no idea what they are, unless they are the undead spirits (like wraiths or spectres) of necromancers.
On Dinosaurs and the Portal:
I also thought that the portal led to a different world inhabited by dinosaurs. Of course, it is possible that the dinosaurs became extinct on Khul, but survived in Allansia, due to climate change when the lands split, or whatever. Unless time runs appreciably differently on the two worlds though, it won't have been for millions of years, since time only began on Titan about 2300 years ago.
Doug suggested that dinosaurs existed originally in the other world and migrated to Titan when the Portal was open originally. This sounds good to me, especially since there is no god of dinosaurs listed in the chapter on the Animal Court in Titan, the Fighting Fantasy World. On the same lines, I wonder whether all primates (including the odd types like krell) could have (d)evolved from humans, since there is no ape god and we know humans were created by Logaan. A weird idea, but it does appeal to me.
Titan, the Fighting Fantasy World lists the Siege of Carsepolis as having 18,000 defenders and the Siege of Vymorna as having 100,000. Surely this is not right. Do you think that Carsepolis should have had 180,000 defenders, bearing in mind that if it is modelled on ancient Rome then one million would be more appropriate?
How many clans of Elves do you think there were originally? The Dark Elves left with four main clans who are still with them, and presumably there were others only some of whose members joined them. What about the Black Elves? And the Sea Elves, who were created by Hydana, do they stay members of the clans they were part of before getting gills or make up a new clan of their own? Do elven clans ever split in two to create more clans? And so on.
People:
FFIRG: The Wishing Well: How/why did Thrushbeard, Marg the Slaymaster, Nandras the Wizard, the mummy and the Spider King come to inhabit the well? What are their relations to each other (if any)?
Shaggradd's Hives of Peril: Similarly for Morphyr and the Man of Many Years here (I am assuming that the other characters just ended up here as a safe place to hide from society, but these two seem out of place).
Ridding Reaver: Why is the Minotaur of Mallizand so named and how did it get its poisonous breath?
Demonstealer: In the chant from the scroll, a being called Almor is referred to as the Skinless Ones' leader. What does this mean? Is Triastes a goatherds' goddess, or another name for a more well-known deity?
Shadowmaster: Is there any connection between Elumbar and Borri in FF26 Crypt of the Sorcerer, or is the balloon thing just a coincidence? What are Kyra-Shebboth and Thra-zat - unique creatures or just distinguished members of more common races? The "Priest of the Forgoten Lord" is a position which has apparently survived for 300+ years - how and who held it during that time?
10th Anniversary Yearbook: Who were: Farinas (and why was he executed in Carsepolis in 1774OT.), Lord Falashti of Arion (King, lesser noble?), Prince Hajerlin (prince of where?), Urgun Runaway (Orc?), Piporn Handurg (and where did s/he find the Crown of Alumet - and what is it?), Chief Uzgreg Sour Shriek (and what was the Hand of Ys he stole?)?
FF2: Why does the Laundress's ghost haunt the citadel. What is Balthus Dire (why does sunlight kill him, etc? - if this happens after Lissimina leaves the ethereal plane and he is able to return to the real world, is this responsible?)
FF3: Who is the Friar looking for the sacred brass bell?
FF5: Who is the old man who heals arrow wounds and how does he do it? What is Zanbar Bone?
FF6: where does the Ninja come from - he doesn't fit in with my image of Hachiman from book 20. Was book 20 set in the past and Ninjas have since come into existence, or are they limited to a remote location, like Kyo-Kyara or Yotakami I.?
FF8: Who/what is Gronar (mortal?) Where do the masters come from (they are said to have arrived "recently" in the background)?
FF9: Who is the illusionist and why is he a supporter of Shareela (control collar or willing accomplice?)?
FF14: Why can Leesha only be harmed by a giant sandworm tooth? How does Malbordous get his innate magical powers (they do not seem to be the normal sorcery type)?
FF16: Who is the King of the 4 Winds and how did he get that title/power? Who was Ut-Napishtim and when was he alive?
FF19: Was Cyrano a magical ceature or a normal mortal? How/why was Greylock down there and from whom is the message in the bottle?
FF20: Who was Eleanor before Ikiru's spell drove her insane?
FF21: The Trialmaster Lexus describes himself as a Grand Wizard. Is this just stupid self-promotion, or is ther some reason to the title?
FF23: How was Kevin Truehand killed - possession responsible? Who are Vashti and the Juja? How did the orb and sceptre get where they are?
FF26: Who was the bonekeeper? Who/what was Ungoth ("skeleton lord" is not very helpful - was he animated by Razaak or an independent spirit?)? Why do the sword and gargantis horn have the magic to harm/kill Razaak?
FF28: Ishtra's cook is described as half human. What is other half?
FF30: Who/what are the wooden men, like Gregory? The Gaddon wizard claimed to help enchant the Shining Sword. Were all the enchanters Gaddon, of was it a surface/chasms collaboration?
FF31: Is White-eye a magician or does his magic just come from collected items? Who is Laskar and how did he come to be an ex-servant of Telak? How come the nearby villages have no knowledge of the seige - presumably they know it is going on, but are in the dark as to how badly it is going for Vymorna?
FF32: Who are Aleithaia and (more importantly) Caduceus, who appears to be able to traverse the plains of existence freely. Who was Bythos before he became the Master?
FF34: Where did Mordraneth come from, learn his craft, etc? Is the colour of the Kiaraboos' skin a recent adaptation to the climate or were their ancestors of the same colouring (if the Gaddon started producing blind children in a few generations, then a change in skin colour might be equally quick)? Why are there so many magical protections on the island?
FF35: Who is Vetch and why is he powerful? Are the Boulianthrop just another class of birdmen (as the primitive Allansian ones are distinct from their more sophisticated Xamen brethren)? Who are the Huntresses mentioned and what is their allegiance? Is Geronicus a wizard who is Astragal's brother, or Astragal's "brother wizard"?
FF36: Did Drek really release Agglax - it is a bit of bad luck if so, and how did Agglax get imprisoned in the first place? Where is Tanaka San, the elite fanatic, from? Who are the Guardians of the Twisted Bridge and the Oracle?
FF37: Who is the wizard? He is plainly very old and has little contact with othe spellcasters. Of the same ilk as the Juja?
FF38: Where did Snivel the gnome get that magic boat? Why is Katarina only harmed by magic weapons although she is not a vampire?
FF39: Why is Jaxartes not killed by combat? Who is the boy sorcerer in the village? What is special about the Mage Warriors - is there magic all through their wands, or are they really wizards? Are the elves always this unfriendly or is it just Ostragoth's armies that heve them being so distrustful?
Places:
FFIRG: Who built the wishing well itself, the endless passage, the mummy's tomb, the pitfall trap etc.? Who built the Hives - who controls the animated tools?
RR: How old is the Shrine of Destiny (before/after First Battle)? How and when did the Reaver build the retreat?
DS: Are the Sun Pools natural? How old are they and when did Vulpa Heartsfire move in?
SM: Oldcastle was intended for a large castle complex before the lord was killed by rival. When and who were the lords mentioned? How old was the dwarven settlement in Haelsgarth
10AYB: Where are Ellerhan Keep, Amarkisk, Merluk and Dorhame?
FF1: When did dwarfs first excavate FTM?
FF7: Who enchanted the stream? Why does the book say the LM leader "called himself king" - was he not a real genetic Lizard King? Where did he get the magical potions which perverted the wildlife?
FF8: Does the Tancred's Flying Horse Tavern have any relation to Tancred the Magnificent of Gorak? If so, what was his flying horse (Borrowed from the wizard of lake Mlubz!?)?
FF14: Vatos is a complete mystery to me. Any guesses when founded, by whom, why lost, how dark priests came to be in charge, how come so many powerful magics are there?
FF16: What was the origin of the paradise island, Kazallu the witch and the wall half way up the mountain on Nippur?
FF20: Onikaru exists in the real world, so why can you only reach it through the Place of Battle - because Ikiru is being protected by the Dai Oni? Any information on the Well of Souls and/or the Scarlet Pagoda? The Dykes were built by "an ancient civilization" - pre-splitting?
FF23: Who built Krill Garnash (Morgana?)? Why is that throne in the river? Why does the other river assault and throw out any who try to cross?
FF26: Why are the Howling Tunnels inhabited by Ice Ghosts. How were they created? Razaak imprisoned the Gargantis there - where was it before? Was Razaak going to make them his new HQ (ice ghosts make good guards)?
FF28: Is Corda known for the large size of its people? Who built the stag statues in the deathground of the deer?
FF29: What was the house on Barrow hill before it burnt down and why/when did it?
FF30: Fiery stuff and volcanoes seem to play a part in Luke Sharp's work more than most. Is there some connection between the fires of Minossaddur and the Fangs of Fury volcanic fire?
FF31: When was Karnek a thriving city and why did it get taken over by the evil practices? It could be pre-splitting or date from before the War of the Wizards (but in that case, surely a powerful city like Vymorna would have had some interaction with it?). What about the abandoned Panther People city? It is obviously based on the real world mayan cities, but why was it abandoned on Titan?
FF32: Are the inhabitants of Kulak isle really barbarous, or is this just Kallamehrian xenophobia? Why do magic items go to the abyss?
FF36: Who buried the Nandibear in the forest and why? What is the crystal of Light doing in the hand of that statue and why was the gold ring so conveniently in Zengis?
FF37: Who built the wizard's tower in the forest, when and why? Did the Goblins build that god statue (when?) - and which god is it anyway?
FF39: Astragal mentions Transoxalia in the same breath as Kazan, Gorak and Zamarra. What is this land?
FF41: How big is Ashkyos? The map suggests about 2-5,000, but its significance suggests more (up to 40,000?). Kabesh is described in Titan as a sort of Mongol-like nation, but the ruins look a bit Roman-ish. Why?
Other queries:
Scullcrag: Siege of Elms - year of Ox last cycle - what was it. Story told about Kagand and Gilfane: "down below Darkwood, something was stiring" - what? Was Aelesturian the wizard who made Gilfane's arrows or the first archer to carry them?
DS: Why is a whisperglass powerful?
10AYB: What is the touchstone? Dragons were ridden in squadrons at some time - First Battle, or later in the first wars against Chaos? What are the Crown of Alumet (discovered 1203OT.), the Glimmer stone, the hand of Ys, the Duelling of Flames in the forest of Yore on 17 Reaping? Who founded the school in the forest - Erridansis Whitewolf or Vermithrax Moonchaser - or were there two?
FF1: Why were the cards and gloves important to Zagor (I assume the Eye was an unfortunate side effect of his unnatural birth, but these might have a different explanation)?
FF2: Why was the gark's hairbrush so sought after? What was the pocket myriad (I assume it was a portal into another dimension where a sorcerer with seriously too much time on his hands could place thousands of magical items which could then be recalled whenever needed - dates from decadent days of Atlantis?)? Is the Sunsword a more powerful type of Fire Sword (and so both types might date from around the same time)?
FF3: Who put that enchanted sword in the rock and why?
FF7: How did Sog die? Where did the dragon breastplate and the horn of Valhalla come from?
FF8: Who created the spell gems and why only found around skorpion swamp? Is Grimslade's magic sword a Fire Sword?
FF9: Does the spell to repel air elementals work for all of them or only for this one, or is it like the Di Maggio spell and saying the words is just a trigger to set off the spell cast by the wizard initially? Who are the "elder" elves who created the silent boots?
FF16: 1 crew strength approx. 3 sailors? Where did the magic barge com from? What is the significance to the Skull of Salt? Why is the wind blowing from the East on Enraki good news?
FF19: Were the toolfish magically created or evolved? Why is the ghost unable to read the words "healing potion"?
FF20: Who created the Dai-Katana? What is the origin of the Golden Company and the Eternal Tower?
FF23: Will the city really descend into anarchy without the helmet, or is its significance just that it identifies you as the ruler? Do all Yachtar tusks have the same effect as the horn of Hever?
FF25: How did the goblin seller get the section of the trident and how come it is so old - dwarf blood? Where did the green glass globe come from (Senyakaz created it?)?
FF26: Who created the rod of paralysis and how did it come to be separated.? Where in S Allansia did these High Priests of Agra practise human sacrifice? Why is the seeing eye in the clay golem doll and the globe of smoke in the giant's den? Defender is 200 years old - who was the original owner?
FF28: What is Tir nan Og in relation to the other planes of existence? Who created the green pendant and ring and what do they actually do? What is the Crio-sphinx, a creature or a device?
FF30: Was Gorak founded before or after the Malice was defeated. The extracts in the background section seem to contradict each other, unless Tancred was already king of somewhere else before Gorak? What is the Tree of Life? What are the goblin blue wands - do they grant magical power or are they only valuable to wizards? Is there any connection with the wands of the mage warriors? Who created the lever-controlled boat and why?
FF31: Whom were the Vymornan soldiers who now haunt the plains fighting when they died? Why did the Arm of Telak need to be covered in oilcloth - surely such a powerful weapon would never tarnish?
FF32: Where did the sealed locket and the golden fist come from? Why did Sige give you the pommander which protected you from Bythos's breath? How did her shade cause that scar?
FF34: Explain the silver feather. Who were the ghostly figures in the rainbow passage? Why was the golem crushing gems for luck? Was the speaking lizard a member of an intelligent race, or a magical experiment of some kind? Why did the sword speak to you?
FF37: Do slave warriors conquered by the portal wear the stone talismen or are they used to enslave more warriors at a distance, thus obviating the need to take prisoners to the portal for enslavement? How does an elven enchantment become bored?
FF39: If Ostragoth waited 7 years for the Mage Order to meet at Zamarra, was this a regular meeting, and if not, how did he know they would meet there ever?
Dates I need:
When do you think that Gandor Dire died and Craggen inherited the black tower?
When was Axion (from Shadowmaster, the third FF novel) active? It says that he searched "from Carsepolis ..." which suggests pre War of the Wizards, but also that he bought a book found in the "ruins of Goldoran", which suggests after. Also, he was supposed to have had an empire lasting centuries, say 200 years minimum. Of course, it doesn't help when the book makes statements like "so old it pre-dated the War of the Wizards" when that could only possibly have been 50 or so years before (I think it means the sinking of Atlantis).
I have not definitely placed the following books:
FF5 City of Thieves.
FF16 Seas of Blood.
FF20 Sword of the Samurai.
FF31 Battleblade Warrior (after 283AC. when Alexandros II died).
FF32 Slaves of the Abyss (after "the Riddling Reaver").
FF42 Black Vein Prophecy.
FF47 The Crimson Tide.
FF57 Mage Hunter.
Zagor Chronicles 3: Skullcrag (after FF50 Return to Firetop Mountain in 290AC.)
Fighting Fantasy: The Introductory Roleplaying game:
The Spider King
Shagradd's Hives of Peril (I've probably spelt that wrongly).
The Riddling Reaver: Acts 1-4 in the book and act 5 in Warlock #13. NB. I do not have Warlock 13 so if anyone knows what this act is about, I would love to know.
If you can provide any of the information or would like to comment on anything found above, please contact me at daniel.williams@ox.compsoc.net