Gathering information[edit]
As usual, the game contains all the necessary information. The problem is to put it all together.
Naxatilor the Seer also spoke about Bolesh the Troop Leader, who is recovering at the Healer's. Bolesh talks about the Codex in Britannia, but will not reveal its locations. Instead, he says that the Temple of Singularity put him on the quest for the Codex, but the Temple itself can only be reached by flying.
| About the Temple of Singularity | |
|---|---|
 (Investigation) |
"To have had victory between our claws, but to have been thwarted on the verge of success! To have encountered an impervious force field around the Codex." Force field? "To know that such a field surrounded the Codex when my people possessed it. To remember that only those on sacred quests for wisdom could pass." Sacred quest? "To receive a sacred quest at the Temple of Singularity. But to be uncertain whether a human's request would be answered there." Temple of Singularity? "To find the temple in the mountains to the north. To need to fly to get there, though!" Fly? "Yes, to be accessible only to the superior winged gargoyles. To be totally unreachable by land-bound worker gargoyles! To suppose that it is totally unreachable by land-bound humans as well." |
 (Investigation) |
Temple of Singularity? "To find that to the north, in the mountains. To advise you to find some way to fly if you wish to get there, though!" Fly? "To be unable to reach the Temple on foot; to be forced to fly over the mountains." |
 (Investigation) |
Temple of Singularity? "To not be a signpost! To find the Temple of Singularity in the mountains to the north... if you can fly!" Fly? "To be unable to reach the mountain-locked Temple of Singularity on foot. To only be able to reach that holy place if you are a winged gargoyle. To find this most fitting and proper. To see no reason to let human riff-raff into the Temple." |
 (Drylands) |
Temple? "The great Temple of Singularity held the Codex. The Temple is the most holy gargoyle place. A human could learn much by traveling there. But you could never get to the temple. Not only is it deep below the surface, but it can only be reached by flying. And you cannot fly any more than I can." Fly? "There are two kinds of gargoyles: winged ones and wingless ones. Wingless ones are mute and unintelligent. They do all the manual labor. Winged ones are smart, and do all the planning and leading. Being able to fly is, to them, a sign of intelligence. Even the Temple can only be reached by air." Intelligence? "Yes, a strange concept this. Yet as some in Minoc can tell you, flying can be achieved by anyone." |
Sin'Vraal directs you straight to Minoc, but there is another trail to the balloon in the game. It starts with a bard's song...
| About the flying hot-air balloon | |
|---|---|
 (Buccaneer's Den) |
"Oh, a loon with a spoon Sang a song of ballooning. And the man in the moon Said it was quite a tune." "Now one fine day in June A young man went ballooning. Did he rise up to glory Or fall to his doom?" "Just one thing will I say Of the sport of ballooning: On the ground will I stay While the ground still has room!" Balloon? "Oh, that's just some nonsense that gave me an idea for a song... I read about it in a book at the Lycaeum." |
 Ye Lost Art of Ballooning (Lycaeum) |
Back in the days of the Avatar's Quest, rumors spread of a strange sight in the skies. A tinker from the town of Minoc claimed to have rediscovered the lost art of ballooning. According to ancient lore, this was a mystical practice that allowed one to soar through the air, higher than the birds themselves. No records have been found of the rituals used to perform this feat, but several farmers from the area still tell tales of strange sights. A strange sphere was seen, way up in the sky, and the voices of men could be heard drifting down from it. The apparition drifted up into the clouds and was lost to sight. This took place years ago, and naught has been heard of the mystic art of ballooning since that time. |
 (Minoc) |
Balloon? "The balloonist flew off on an important mission, and never returned. Selganor should be able to tell you more about it. Tell me, is it true you once rode in a balloon whilst on the quest of the Avatar? Yes? It must have been wonderful, to drift amongst the very clouds..." |
 (Minoc) |
Balloon? "Oh, are you looking for the man who invented the balloon?" He stares upward, stroking his chin pensively. "Ah yes, now I remember. He flew to Sutek's castle. Said something about a big job he had to do there." Sutek's castle? "Sutek lives on an island, far to the south." Island? "It's east of Serpent's Hold." |
Sutek's castle[edit]
| The inhabitants of Sutek's castle |
|---|
|
|
- Ground floor
Sutek's island is surrounded by mountains. The only way to access the castle is from the south. The exterior is guarded by ferocious rabbits, two-headed alligators and two-headed cows. The only way to open the gate is to blast it with a powder keg or an "Explosion" spell. Then, you have to use the "Telekinesis" spell to lower the drawbridge. Look for a secret passage in the north wall. Further inside, you need to look carefully for secret passage, and also you need the "Dispel Field" and "Unlock Magic" spells. Sutek the Mad is in the northmost room: ask him about the balloonist. Instead, the ladder down to the catacombs is in a central room.
- Floor 1
There is a room with locked wooden doors: open it using lockpicks, then activate the switches to turn off the electrical fields. The only ladder down that is not a dead end is the one to the south.
- Floor 2
Talk to the Pushme-Pullyu, and solve its riddle: look for the only answer that the two heads agree about, and judge whether they are lying or not. If you take the wrong ladder, you will fall in a lava pit surrounded by daemons and dragons, and the only ways out are to Britain or to Buccaneer's Den.
- Floor 3
This floor is empty. Any ladder down will do.
- Floor 4
The dead balloonist is in the northwestern corner. Search his body for the balloon plans. On this floor you can also meet Gorn, a character originally from Ring Quest and The Quest. He can join you, if you are interested.
| Sutek's catacombs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rare items | Useful items | Weapons and armor | Useless items | |
| Floor 1 | Silver snake venom | - | - | Ladle, pliers |
| Floor 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Floor 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Floor 4 | Balloon plans | Torch, shovel | Dagger | - |
Building the hot-air balloon[edit]
Once you collected the balloon plans and you left Sutek's island, look at the plan: is has all the necessary instructions written of it.
- First you must have a wicker balloon basket made, large enough to carry several passengers.
Go to Minoc and talk to Michelle the basket-weaver. The balloon basket will cost 300 GC.
- Then you will need a big iron cauldron, to hold a fire to generate the hot air.
One cauldron can be found in Britain sewers, four more are in Dungeon Wrong.
- Next you must have a huge bag sewn out of silk, to hold the hot air in.
Silk is a fabric, therefore the natural place where you should inquire about it is Paws. First, ask Arbeth the threader about silk: he will spin 40 pieces of spidersilk into a silk thread for 20 GC. If you have not enough spidersilk, you can get as much as you need in the Spiders Cave, near Empath Abbey. Arbeth will then relay you to Thindle the weaver, but he will instead direct you to Charlotte in New Magincia. The humble weaver will ask just 10 GC for weave the thread into silk cloth. If then you show (ask) her the balloon plan, she will direct you to Marissa, back in Paws. The tailor asks 75 GC to sew the cloth into a huge silk bag.
- Lastly, get enough rope to tie the balloon securely to the basket.
One rope can be found in the Cyclops cave (near Skara Brae). Otherwise, you can get some from the Goodscrafter in Investigation, or buy it from Mortude in Paws.
- Once you have gathered all of these together, use these plans to assemble them.
This is self-explanatory.
- When flying your balloon, you will find that a ship's anchor makes the best ballast, and is also useful for stopping the balloon where and when you wish.
Where can you find an anchor? It is not sold in neither shipwrights nor guild shops. Anyway, it is not necessary for the balloon.
Once you have built the balloon, you can go back to Investigation and visit the Temple of Singularity.