Ultima VII: Forge of Virtue/Walkthrough

The Isle of Fire subquest can only be accessed if you have the Forge of Virtue add-on disk. Most of the newer editions of the game (The Complete Ultima VII, Ultima Collection, etc.) include the addon.

How to get to the Isle of Fire
At the time when you start the game, there will be tremors. Iolo comments that maybe Lord British knows what's the reason behind them.

When you talk to Lord British, it turns out he does know the reason: Isle of Fire has recently risen from the depths of the sea. He gives you deed to his ship, the Golden Ankh, as well as a magic crystal.

The Golden Ankh is anchored on the Vesper pier. Be sure to check the ship's hold, it also has a lot of helpful stuff.

Once you sail south from Vesper, you see more of the unstable islands - obviously, they're not on the map, but they're under the band of text. Circle the biggest island to south side, and sail north through one of the narrow gaps. You end up in a cove where you can drop the anchor. Once beached, head north to the Castle of Fire.

Castle of Fire
The left side of the castle contains Erethian's room. He will provide the Avatar with background information about the castle, the Tests, and the Shrine of Principle. Opposite of Erethian is a mirror and a cylinder-type object. The Avatar can examine both and discuss them with Erethian.

At the end of the main hallway lies the Shrine of Principle which contains three statues that control the tests. The Avatar may talk to each one to initiate a test. The two Moongates lead to the Test of Love and Test of Courage, left and right respectively. The Test of Love's Moongate is accessed through Erethian's room by opening the wall. The statue for the Test of Truth simply teleports the Avatar and party to the appropriate area.

Test of Truth
After arriving, exit through the fake wall to the south. The Avatar will now be in a room with a skeleton on top of an "X" made of stones. Do not step on the X for it is a trap.

Continue to the west and a metal wall will be visible. Do not pass through the wall; instead stand at the hood on the ground and walk northward to find a hidden path. Follow this path to the real locket.

If the Avatar desires the few treasures in the Test of Truth, the following can be found:
 * A Ring of Regeneration just past the metal wall. Caution should be exercised as all the items in the room are trapped.
 * A Glass Sword near a teleportation pad. This is to the far north in The Keys of Truth which requires following a river and crossing a draw bridge to enter. Various monsters are locked in cells and the Avatar must obtain each key in success to unlock the way to the Glass Sword (or just use Telekinesis on a switch).
 * Six (6) Burst Arrows and a Ring of Protection in a locked chest to the extreme north. Past the glass sword, take the teleportation pad to arrive in a new area. Be cautious of traps and watch for hidden teleportation spots. Keep following the path. Golems stand guard somewhat near the locked chest, but can be avoided completely.

Test of Love
After exiting the Moongate, head to the sandy southeastern section to see a Golem standing near another, fallen Golem. Initiate conversation with the living one and discover his name is Bollux while the dead Golem is named Adjhar. Agree to help him.

Read the book Bollux hands to the Avatar. A scroll will fall out of the tome; be sure to pick it up and read it. There are some additional books in the house to the west that provide background information, but those are optional.

Pick up the bucket at the well to the north if the party lacks one, then head to the door at the north end of the desert/quarry. Pass through the mine heading south and pick a pickax along the way. Exit south into an open area and the Avatar will be teleported to a hallway.

Head south until the party reaches a tree growing out a rock, the Stone of Castambre. Place a bucket at the base of the tree and hit the tree with the pickaxe. Collect the bucket of blood and go back to the quarry. Double-click on the bucket of blood and place some on each of the rocks.

Back at the quarry, attempt to cast the spell by double-clicking on the scroll. A stone heart will have to be placed inside Adjhar's body. When done, double-click on the scroll again.

Greet Adjhar and agree to help him. Make sure to show the book to him when asked. Go back to the Stone of Castambre and use the pickaxe on it again to receive a stone heart. Use the pickaxe and bucket together to obtain even more blood. At the quarry, place the heart in Bollux and perform the whole ritual once again.

To finish the Test of Love, talk to Adjhar. Ask him about his job and he will offer the Talisman of Love to the Avatar. Accept. Or wait to get the secret bonus treasure.

A secret room of treasure can be found during this Test. The top-right corner of the Stone of Castambre contains a lever which is barely visible (one-pixel wide). Clicking on it will open a hidden passage in the hallway. Enter it to find a Firedoom Staff, a Death Scythe, and Glass Swords stored on a corpse.

Note that the Moongate ceases to function after completion of the test, so the Avatar should recover these treasures either before completing the mission or take the flying carpet to the Stone of Castambre afterwards. It is possible, though exceedingly difficult, to land near the stone by finding a suitable patch of grass.