Instructions for Grendel's Cave

Instructions

About Grendel's Cave:

Grendel's Cave is a multi-player, role-playing, adventure game. You design a thane, and then move that thane through the magical kingdom of Hrothgar, King of the Danes. The object of the game is to kill Grendel; an evil horror that lives in a monster-infested cave, hidden beneath a black lake.

Designing a Thane:

You design a thane by selecting (clicking) on the icon. On this page you modify six different fields that determine the starting characteristics of your thane.

The characteristics:

Size: How big your thane is; only small thanes can fly inside buildings or the cave
Strength: How much damage your thane does in combat
Endurance: How much damage your thane can take before death
Speed: How fast your thane is in combat
Portage: How much weight your thane can carry
Magical: The maximum power of magic spells your thane can learn, and your thane's ability to overcome opponent's magic

The Free Game fields:

Thane Name: Enter the name of your thane. This is how your thane will be presented to other players of Grendel's Cave.
Password, Validate Password: This is a password that you use to login to your account at a later time when you want to continue playing Grendel's Cave. Enter it the same way twice to validate it. It is case sensitive.
Email Address: Though providing us with your email address is not required it is recommended. We request your email address because if you forget your password the only way we will give you your password is by emailing it to this email address. We will never sell, give or provide in any way your email address with any other party under any circumstances.
Father's Species: When you change your Father's Species in the drop down menu you will notice your characteristics change. Your characteristics are an accentuation of the father's and mother's, such that, if the father's species has a high strength and the mother's species is different and has a high strength, then you thane's strength will be additionally high. You inherit stature from your father.
Mother's Species: When you change your Mother's Species in the drop down menu you will notice your characteristics and abilities change. You inherit special abilities from your mother.
Talent: Pick one specific characteristic for your thane. This characteristic becomes a little better than ordinary for your species.
Sex: The sex of your thane.

The Species:

		Humans are the dominant species controlling most of the world. They have average characteristics, with no special abilities.
		Fairies are a forest dwelling species. They are very fast and magical creatures, who have little strength, endurance, or portage. They have the special abilities to become invisible and fly, and are able to fly indoors. Fairies don't eat normal food, but eat flowers from the Wild Flora in the Forest.
		Elves are forest dwellers. They are fast and magical with low endurance and portage. They can become invisible, and can fire a bow without having to take a turn to reload.
		Dwarves live in mountain caves. They are very strong, have better than average endurance, but are slow and have little magic. They have no significant magical abilities.
		Trolls live mostly under bridges, and as a species, are dying out. They are elastic creatures with very high endurance, high strength and speed, but with complete ignorance of all magic. The have a special regenerative ability that allows them to regain one point of health automatically each turn.
		Arachnids are giant spiders who live under buildings and boulders. They can carry many things (due to their eight limbs), have high endurance, but are slow and have little magic. They have the special ability to spin webs, which enshrouds their opponents, incapacitating them until they can tear away the web. Arachnids have four "arms" to ready weapons or shields, enabling them to use four such items at a time. They do not eat normal food, but eat bugs from the Wild Flora in the Forest.
		Giants are an ancient and cursed race. They are extremely strong, have high endurance and portage, but are very slow, and ignorant of all magic. They have the special ability to pick up and throw boulders as weapons, and can not be hurt by magical fireballs or lightning bolts.
		Ents are intelligent, animated trees that usually hide in the forest. They have very high strength, high endurance, but are slow and have very little magic. They have the special ability to ally trees from the Wild Flora in the Forest. These tree allies will move with the ent, and automatically attack any enemy of the ent. Ents do not eat food, but require sunlight as sustenance.

Awakening an Existing Thane:

You awaken a thane by selecting (clicking) on the icon. On this page you enter your account name, which for free accounts is the same name as your first free game thane, and then your password to login to your account. On this page you will see a list of your thanes. To awaken a thane click on the Awaken button to the right of that thane. You re-enter the game with that thane at the same location that thane was at when you went to sleep, or suspended the game.

Facing:

Grendel's Cave is a game that utilizes facing. For example, you are in the cave facing north. North would be at the top of the screen, east to the right, south at the bottom, and west to the left. If you clicked on an opening to the right (east), you would go through that opening, into the room directly to the right (east), and now you would be facing east. East would be at the top of the new screen, south to the right, west at the bottom (the opening you just came through), and north to the left.

Remember it this way; where you just came from is always behind you (at the bottom of the screen), and the direction you moved is in front of you (at the top of the screen).

Those players who do not like the facing rule can buy a Compass at the Barn for two gold rings. If you have a Compass then you will always face north. This is a way to defeat facing.

The Surface, Hrothgar's Kingdom:

After you create a new thane you will enter the game in Heorot Hall. From here you can move to other areas of interest; the Witches Hovel, the Village, the Dragon's Lair, and Grendel's Cave.

		Heorot Hall is a great and wondrous mead hall. Hrothgar built Heorot hall many years ago, before his war with the evil horror Grendel began. Hrothgar has guards in his hall. They protect all sleeping thanes, except outlaws, so if you are sleeping (click on the Bedroll icon) in Heorot Hall, you can not be hurt by other thanes. These guards are afraid of Grendel, so Grendel can attack and kill weak sleeping thanes, or any thane who kills Grendel's Mother. Torches are free to all thanes (click on the Hearth Fire icon), as is food (click on the Feast icon). Hrothgar is a generous king, and will give gold rings to thanes who have performed brave deeds. Each night, every thane stands before the King in turn, and boasts of great deeds; monsters killed, depths explored (select Sing of Deeds from the "I Will:" menu, then click on the Hrothgar icon). Hrothgar's fair queen, Weatheow, is under a wicked sleeping spell. She gives pieces of a great Amulet to any thane who can awaken her. When you are ready to continue your adventure go out to the Countryside (click on the County Door icon). From the Countryside you can travel to The Village (click on the Village icon).
		The Village is bustling with activity. In it you will find a Blacksmith (click on the Blacksmith icon), where you can Buy and Sell many kinds of items, and an Inn (click on the Inn icon), where you will find food and rest after you long journeys.
		The Witches Hovel is an eerie place. You can get to her Hovel from the Village by traveling through the Forest, up to the Mountain, then on into the Witches Hovel. The Witch is a very magical old hag, who, if she likes you, can heal your wounds, cure your sickness, give you magic items, abilities, enchantments, protections, and potions (click on the Witch). She will give you Grendel Slaying power if you bring her a complete Amulet. Beware! She will not tolerate outlaws, dullards (magic ability less than four), or beggars (no gold rings).
		The Dragon's Lair is a dangerous place. The Dragon is a fearsome beast, but he is easily quelled by magic keys. If you bring the dragon a key he will tell you secrets or give you a small part of his massive treasure. To get to the Dragon's Lair from the Village, go to the Swamp, then to the Seaside. Keep going on to the Cliffs, then enter the Dragon's Lair.
		Grendel's Cave is a foul and hideous place, full of Goblins, Rats, Ghouls, and other nasty monsters. It is also full of booty, rings, weapons, and magic items. To get to Grendel's Cave from the Village, go into the Swamp, and then enter the Mere, an evil, snake-infested lake. In the Mere you will find the Underwater Entrance to Grendel's Cave. Enter the cave for adventure, advancement, Amulet quests, and to find and kill the evil fiend Grendel.

The Icons:

Clicking on icons performs all actions in Grendel's Cave. A click on an Icon will perform a specific, predefined default action. The follow is a list of icon types and the default action performed when the icon is clicked:

	Icon Type	Default Action when Clicked
	Area	Move to that area
	Bedroll, Bed Chamber	Sleep
	Hearth Fire, Fire	Get Torch
	Wild Flora	Eat if hungry (and eats bugs or flowers), or Get Bugs or Flowers
	Pile of Boulders	Get Boulder (if can Throw Boulder)
	Witch	Ask the Witch for magic
Sarah	Enemy Thane (red)	Attack
Wiglaf	Other Thane (blue or brown)	Inspect
Triona	Yourself	Watch for activity
	Monster	Attack
	Item, wear/ready-able	Wear/Ready
	Item, loose	Get
	Item, carried	Inspect
	Item, at Blacksmith/Barn	Buy
	Magic Potion	Drink
	Pool of Water	Swim
	Door to the Front	Go Forward
	Passage Up	Go Up
	Passage Down	Go Down
	Pool out to Mere	Exit Cave
	Wall	Walk through Wall (if you can)

The Menus:

There are four menus, "I Will:", "Use Item:", "Cast Spell:", and "Improve:". Making a selection from one or more of the four menus will change the action performed. The "type in" box is the text entry box below the menus. For some actions you can use this box to modify the action. Below is each menu, and a list of some common actions found in them:

I Will: This menu contains actions that you can perform even without items or magic.

Action	Click on	Performs
Inspect	Any	Displays information about what is clicked on
Whisper	Thane	Type in what you want to whisper in the box Only the thane you clicked hears what you whisper
Say	Any	Type in what you want to say All thanes around you hear what you say
Yell	Any	Type in what you want to yell All thanes in the area hear what you yell
Sleep	Yourself	You go to sleep
Befriend	Thane	The thane you clicked becomes a friend Thane will display in blue next to you
Curse	Thane	Thane becomes an enemy Thane displays in red, next to you You may now attack this thane legally, without becoming an outlaw
Ignore	Thane	Thane becomes neutral Thane displays in brown
Sing of Deeds	Hrothgar	Impress Hrothgar so he will give you rings
Grapple	Thane/Monster	Very close-in attack
Head Butt	Thane/Monster	Very close-in attack
Swing Fist	Thane/Monster	Close-in attack
Kick	Thane/Monster	Close-in attack

Use Item: Contains actions that you perform on, with, or to items.

Action	Click on	Performs
Flail, Jab, Pull, Crack Stab, Swing, Thrust	Thane/Monster	Attack the clicked thane/monster with the weapon mentioned
Chuck, Fling, Heave Throw, Toss	Thane/Monster	Throw weapon mentioned at the clicked thane/monster
Shoot	Thane/Monster	Shoot missile with weapon mentioned at thane/monster clicked
Drop	Item, carried	Drop the item clicked
Drop	Gold Rings	Drop gold rings Select "Drop" from the "Use Item:" menu, Type the number of rings to drop in the "type-in" box, Click on the gold rings icon
Give	Item, carried	Give the item clicked to a thane Select "Give" from the "Use Item:" menu, Type the name of the thane to give the item to in the "type-in" box, Click on the item to give
Give	Thane	Give the thane clicked an item Select "Give" from the "Use Item:" menu, Type the name of the item to give to the thane in the "type-in" box, Click on the thane to give the item to
Give	Thane	Give the thane clicked gold rings Select "Give" from the "Use Item:" menu, Type the number of rings to give in the "type-in" box, Click on the thane to give the gold rings to
Remove/Unready	Item, worn	Take off armor
Remove/Unready	Item, ready	Unready the weapon, item, or shield
Wear/Ready	Item, wearable	Put on armor
Wear/Ready	Item, ready-able	Ready the weapon, item, or shield
Turn Over	Hourglass	"Remember" your thane, so that if you are killed, you are restored to this time and location with a penalty for dying
Eat	Food/Flowers/Bugs, carried	Eat the food you clicked on
Get	Item, loose	Pick up the item you clicked on
Swim	Pool of water	Dive into the pool of water and swim to another room
Buy	Item, at Blacksmith/Barn	Buy the item clicked
Sell	Item, carried (if you are at Blacksmith/Barn)	Sell the item clicked

There are other item abilities for more advanced items you will find as you progress in the game. Select the action from the menu, then click on the item, and enjoy.

Cast Spell: Actions that you can perform as a result of your magic abilities.

Action	Click on	Performs
Become Invisible	Yourself	You become invisible
Become Visible	Yourself	You become visible
Fly	Yourself	Take flight
Land	Yourself	Land
Spin Web	Yourself	Spin a spider web trap in the area
Spin Web	Thane/Monster	Enshroud an enemy in a web
Ally Tree	Wild Flora (Area)	Animate and then ally a tree The new tree moves everywhere you move And attacks all of your enemies
Ally Tree	Animated Tree (Monster)	Ally the Animated Tree (Monster) clicked The Animated Tree moves everywhere you move And attacks all of your enemies
Release Tree	Animated Tree that you control	The Animated Tree clicked on releases from your control The Animated Tree becomes a free monster The Tree may now attack you

There are other magical abilities for more advanced spells you acquire as you progress in the game. Select the action from the menu, then click on an icon, and enjoy.

Improve: This menu only appears if you have killed a monster or another thane and are given an improvement bonus for the victory. Select one of the characteristics listed in the menu, and the value of the characteristic you selected will increase. If what you killed was much more powerful than you then the "Improve" menu may appear for additional turns. Keep selecting a characteristic, and watch your abilities rise. Soon you will be ready to take on Grendel.

Quick Tips from Hrothgar, King of the Danes:

Remember Facing; where you just came from is behind you (at the bottom of the screen), and where you are headed is in front of you (at the top of the screen). You can get around facing by buying a Compass at the Barn. If you have a Compass, you will always face north.
When you are sleeping in Heorot Hall you are safe from other thanes; I will not let any of them hurt you.
If your value is less than 100 Grendel can kill you even if you are sleeping in Heorot hall.
If you kill Grendel's Mother Grendel will come after you. He can kill you even if you are sleeping, and even if you are in Heorot Hall.
To perform an action, click on an icon. It will perform a default action on that icon.
To modify an action on an icon, pick a selection from one or more menus, then click on the icon.
To inspect something, select Inspect from the "I Will:" menu and click on the icon.
When you inspect yourself you will see your percentage health. If it reaches 0% you die.
Buy and sell items at the Blacksmith in the Village.
Get magic from the Witch; click on her.
The Witch will restore your health to 100%.
The Witch can cure sickness.
The higher your magical when you go to the Witch, the better magic she gives you.
The Witch will give you a magic hourglass if you have one hundred gold rings. Turn the hourglass over to make an image of yourself. If you die, you will be restored to your condition when you last turned the hourglass over.
Go to the Witch at our own peril if you are an outlaw, your magical characteristic is less than four, or you have no gold rings.
If you kill a sleeping thane I will make you an outlaw.
If you attack a thane you have not cursed first (red), I will make you an outlaw.
If you attack a friendly thane (blue), I will make you an outlaw.
You may kill a sleeping outlaw, and I will not punish you.
If you are an outlaw and you kill another outlaw It will go towards removing your outlaw status.
When you kill a monster I will give you points.
The more points you get the more you can improve yourself.
The more points you get the more gold rings I will give you when you sing your deeds.
If you are not an outlaw and you kill an outlaw I might give you a bonus.
Make sure you have magic keys when you go to the Dragon's Lair; this is how to quell him.
Protect yourself when you enter Grendel's Cave. Wear armor, helmet, and a weapon.
You can pick up things in Grendel's Cave and sell them at the Blacksmith.
The deeper you go in Grendel's Cave, the more horrible the monsters.
If you get lost in Grendel's Cave, go up, and look for a way out. There are other exits.

A Quick Combat Lesson from Beowulf, chief of the Geats:

Always wear armor, a helmet, and shield, even the light stuff. Start off with a weapon that has an impact bonus, like a sword or a spear. I use a spear. This is a good weapon, because it can kill an enemy passively, as they are moving toward you, if your reach is longer then their's.

The thing about a Gremlin is, he is fast. So if you use a slow weapon in close, or a long weapon, and you let the Gremlin get in close, you can never move back quick enough to hit the little bugger. So here is the strategy: use a spear at first, for when he is moving in toward you. Then when he gets in close, use a dagger, or just kick the snot out of him (under the "I Will:" menu select kick, and click on him).

Never under-estimate the advantage of speed. If you have a lot of strength, but you have a long or large weapon slowing you down, plus armor, plus a shield, plus a helmet, power does you no good when you can't hit the opponent. A longer, larger weapon is to your advantage in the first rounds, but as you get closer, move to smaller quicker weapons, or just kick and head butt. It is easier to move in with a quick weapon, than to move back to strike with a large, heavy one, unless you are about twice as fast as your enemy.

A Quick Economics Lesson from Michelle, the Merchant Princess:

A quick way to make some fast gold rings, is to go into the cave, pick up stuff left behind by dead guys, bring it back to the blacksmith, and sell it. Some valuable things weigh nothing. A dagger weighs nothing, and is worth two gold rings. If you find one hundred daggers, you can carry them all, and sell them. Linen Hauberks weigh nothing and are worth one gold ring. Darts weigh nothing, arrows, bolts, keys, potions, you get the idea. Any time you see anything that has a size of zero and a value one or more, pick it up. You can sell it later.

Rings translate into purchasing power for arms, and magic from the Witch. The higher your magical characteristic, the better and more powerful magic the Witch will give you. Some magic is so powerful it is beyond imagination! You become almost invincible. This costs gold rings, so don't let all that extra stuff in the cave go to waste. Sell it, you'll need the rings later.

Get one hundred gold rings, get your magical ability at least to four, go to the Witch, and get an hourglass. Save yourself.