Dragon Warrior III/The Pyramid

Reclaiming the king's crown and waking up the cursed peoples of Noaniels should have prepared you well for the dangers that lie beyond the bridge east of Romaly. Your next quest will take you first to the town of Assaram (taken from the Arabic greeting As-Salamu Alaykum) nestled west of a mountain range. You will find an interesting bazaar there along with rumors of a kingdom in the desert. From your stay there, you will in fact journey into the desert to find an oasis containing a kingdom known as Isis (named after the Egyptian goddess). A beautiful queen occupies the throne, and an unusual pyramid to the north will beckon you to explore it's mysteries.

Assaram
Assaram is an interesting town with a large number of shops, some of which are only open during the day while others only do business at night. In fact, many of the towns more unique features are only available at night. Visiting the town during the day, you can visit an item shop and an armor shop located in the upper right corner, which sell an assortment of protective gear, including the ridiculously expensive (and worthless) Revealing Swimsuit which should be avoided even if you could afford it, which at this point in the game is unlikely. At night, a man opens a weapons shop in one of the small buildings. The Battle Axe may be a good choice for your Hero if you can afford one.

Two men on the left side of town operate their shops a little differently than usual. They like to barter with you. What's worse, their initial asking price is sixteen times an item's normal value. If you refuse their offer, they will reduce the price to eight times the item's value, and then four times, and finally two times before they will refuse to sell it to you. With the exception of one item, all of the other items can be purchased at other locations at the regular price. The only exception is the Iron Helmet, which can't be purchased anywhere else in the game. You should talk the trader in the upper left corner down to 2000 gold before agreeing to buy the helmet.

The remainder of Assaram features a cabaret show in the lower left corner. You can see the girls rehearsing during the day, and performing at night. There is also a "fortune teller" hanging out near the center of town. If you speak with her, she will invite you to follow her and have your fortune told. She will insist that you come alone, and that she turn off the lights. The confusing dialog that follows indicates that the fortune teller's father ruins the trick before running off through the dark wall to the left. (In other versions of the game, the woman is not a fortune teller, but rather a woman inviting you upstairs for a massage, or possibly a lewd act. The lights are turned off, and when they are turned back on, it is the man, and not the woman, who is actually providing the services, much to your embarrassment.)

There are two doors that you will be unable to open at this time. You'll have to obtain the Magic Key first. Around town, you'll hear about Isis, and the possibility of a shrine in the southern portion of the desert. When you're ready, leave Assaram and prepare to venture west.