The Nearly Complete Tourist Map to the Britannian Underworld 'Between the time this volume went to press and the time galleys arrived for final alterations, Lord British was lost while on an expedition to explore the newly discovered underworld.' - U5, The Book of Lore, p. 54 Now, if only he'd had this map... 1. Why would You need a map ? Well, to be quite honest, the underworld in U5 is... rather large. That would not be a problem in itself, but it is also a very perilous place to travel. The place is simply crawling with monsters. Secondly, the underworld is quite empty. You can wander around for days without finding anything interesting. This guide, when used together with the map, will allow you to make your way to the important places with the minimum of fuss. I have attempted to tackle one of the most annoying aspects of U5, one which I personally considered to be a bore. In my opinion, without any guide or support into the underworld, the average time you will have to spend in there to win the game is between 15-25 hours (real time). I personally got fed up with it. This map and guide were created by me to allow those who challenge the Underworld after me to avoid all the frustrating experiences associated with it. (SPOILER ALERT ! ! ! Very soon, in fact exactly 11 lines below this text, a detailed guide into the secrets of the underworld will tell you all about the manifold mysteries of the underworld.If you want to find these objects by yourself, and only use the map for getting around, stop reading now. In fact, you may want to delete this file altogether, to avoid any later temptation. Just type del.) 2. What do you need in the game before entering the underworld ? If you intend to go down there, fool around for 15 minutes, get lost, get killed and get teleported back to LB's throne room (several hundred experience points poorer), you do not need any special equipment. However, a serious explorer is well-advised to procure the following items : - The Grappling Hook There are a lot of mountains in the underworld. In fact, they're all over the place. With the hook, you can easily traverse the lower tops (the higher cliffs, conveniently positioned to bar your way to almost everywhere, are impassable, though). - The Flying Carpet Two advantages here : you can cross the multitude of waterways in the depths below, plus you can cross the swamped caverns without getting poisoned. Additional bonus of being able to outrun monsters. - Lots of 'In Por' spells The highest tops you cannot climb with the grappling hook must be blinked over. An essential spell. You cannot get anywhere without IP's. - Lots of mapping gems You will need to know when and where to blink. It is easier to have your own gems around than trying to approximate distances from the map. Rules of blinking : If you can see the destination with the mapping gem AND the destination is clear grass, you can blink there. - Lots of torches (or other light) - The Crown of Lord British Of utmost importance. If you enjoy losing battles to every dragon and daemon you see (and they are out in force down there), you won't need it. With it, however, you can prevent them from possessing your mates, summoning other daemons, casting attack spells, etc. 3. How is the underworld structured ? The underworld consists of 9 sections : Upper left, Upper middle, Upper right, Middle left, Center, Middle right, Bottom left, Bottom middle and Bottom right. 7 of these sections can be reached directly from the surface through the dungeons Deceit, Despise, Destard, Wrong, Covetous, Shame and Hythloth. The center area can only be reached through the middle left section. The middle left section can only be entered through the dungeon Shame (directly east of Britain). To enter Shame, go down through the entrance upon the root of the Lost River and climb the rocks in the first room to push the southwest wall. 4. What do you need from there, anyway ? a : The shards of Hatred, Cowardice and Falsehood. Found in the following locations - The island in the southern end of the great falls in the upper right section. Easy to find with the map. The rocky area in the upper middle section. You will have to use the grappling hook to climb around the surrounding mountains, following a spiral path. One of the openings in the mountains on the bottom middle section. The clear area runs from top left to bottom right. b : The amulet of Lord British Found in the gravesite of the knights who died on LB's expedition. It is possible to find it by following the directions given in the journal that came with the game. In the bottom left section. c : Mystic armour and weapons (?) On the bottom right section, in the spot of lava you can immediately see with a gem used at the lower exit to dungeon Hythloth. I'm not sure whether these are necessary. d : The Shadows' Egress The final challenge in the game. To be entered with a party of 6 characters, preferably all at or above level 6. The Avatar must be on level 8. You'll know where it is when the time comes. (eht drow fo rewop si ROCOMAREV). e : The grounded ship (not necessary) The ship stuck at Ararat, in the upper left section. The man in there will tell you an intriguing story, shedding some light into the origin of the Shadowlords. He will also join you if you have room in your party. 5. Is the map accurate ? Well, as you can see, it is not totally complete. It contains all the necessary areas, with the hiding places of the shards and others. The bottom left section, at least the lower corner of it, is slightly messy. I managed to fumble a bit while assembling it. On several locations, the left edge of the map goes out of the screen - I put that part in last, and found out I underestimated the size. I really could not be bothered to move the entire map to the right to correct this, as the missing areas contain nothing of importance. There are also some 1-3 pixel misalignments on other parts of the map. Considering that the map is made up of approx. 200 individual screen captures, some inaccuracy is only to be expected. Sorry. 'Do they sense the world only through touch and feeling ? Or do they "see" with some inner vision ?' - U5, The Book of Lore, p. 27 Stonegate Dragon -==(UDIC)==- a.k.a. Jussi H. Lehtinen <lehtinej@atki.helbp.fi>