Brain Lord/Ice Castle

The Barren land

From the warp gate, you can find the entrance to the ice castle walking east-southeast.

The Ice Castle

First floor

Map of the first floor (Yellow = main path stairs. Red = detours and secrets. Pale grey = rooms that cannot be accessed).

Western Sky key

Save at the entrance of the castle. At the end of the first corridor is the Wester Sky key. Quite predictably, it opens the western door in the same hall.

• Western Sky key: Key found first in the Ice Castle.

Ocean key

After two large rooms with slippery floor, you'll get to the first puzzle room. If you press any switch, it will block the path to the chest. Just jump over the switches to get to the chest containing a heart. From the next room, spiked floors activate in waves. Time your movement and your jumping. In the second room there are three chests containing a Drop of protect, a Crystal piece and a warp gate. After the waves of sword traps you get to another slippery room. Dodge the red balls. In the next room, look carefully at the floor to identify the sword traps. Push the ice in the following room, then wait for it to move away from the door. Open the door and you'll get to a chest containing the Ocean key.

• Ocean key: Found at the Ice Castle. A beautiful design is written on this key.

Jump off the platform and backtrack to the hall of the Western Sky door. Use the Ocean key on the other door.

Under Ice key

Here's bad news: the springs in the ice castle are poisonous instead of being restorative. The prisoners are held hostage in a room under these fountains. After the fountain room you get to a very large hall. Be careful: it's easy to slide into a pit. First, get the Blackgold helm: it is on a platform in the middle; you can get there walking along the east wall, then turning inwards. Backtrack and follow the western wall now. Jump down a slide, then climb teh stairs to solid ground. In the south-east corner of the hall you can get the Under Ice key and a crystal piece.

• Under Ice key: Key found in the Ice Castle. Seems to be made of crystal.

Backtrack to the beginning of the hall and use the key to open the door. Walk to the south end of the room: in the next one is a chest containing a heart. Unfortunately, you need to solve a puzzle if you want to leave. The trick is: the metal balls are stopped by the pit edge as if it was a wall (nonsense, you say? Nay, in quantum physics it works!). Cross the corridor and leave from the other door. Kashian is acting suspicious. Take the stairs to the next floor.

Second floor

Map of the second floor (Yellow = main path stairs. Red = detours and secrets. Pale grey = rooms that cannot be accessed).

A save statue welcomes you. Thanks!

Waterfall key

Two invincible spinning shooters attack you. Check the X-ray glasses: one ice block can be moved to create a shortcut to the door. Now you're in a room with three exits and ice floor. Take the first door, straight north. Jump to avoid the sword trap tiles and get a Reviving mirror. Beyond the second door Barness serves as Shop and restoration: sell all your surplus items. A second prison can be accessed using the stairs in the following room.

Next comes a good challenge, almost a puzzle: the pattern of the waves of sword traps is quite complicated. Every second row moves upwards, while the other ones move downwards: this help walking north/south. Some tiles near the northern walls are safe, too. Only one door is open at the same time, the other three are locked. From the entrance, hug the wall northwards, then keep following it to the second door you meet, that is the only open one.

Rein tells you about spiked shoes, that are actually close by. In the following room, jump on the moving platform to get to the door to the "secret cave room", where you can find a Source of Power, the Spike boots and even a trustworty healing fountain. Furthermore: jump into the pit to reach a kidnapped merchant. Equip the boots and explore the rooms beyond the other doors. The two rooms to the right arenot important: the first one hosts another Reviving mirror, the stairs lead just to a bunch of weak enemies. The important room is the one to the left, but there is a puzzle there. Identify the tile that triggers the block, then re-enter the room and simply jump over that tile. The chests contain the Waterfall key and a Kite shield.

• Waterfall key: Key found in the Ice Castle. Has a picture of a waterfall.

Return to the room with Rein and use the key to open the door.

Towards the stairs

Past the waterfall door is, of course, a room with waterfall. The next one is more interesting: a puzzle. Push the rock sideways (not against the wall) one ball to the door, push another ball to the central switch, push the upper ball sideways (e.g. left); now step on the lower switch to get an ice block. Push it sideways (as the ball above, e.g. left) and push the third ball to the switch. Push the rock to the remaining switch. Navigate the frozen corridor and get back to the central swordtraps room. Cross the room to the east. Is there a puzzle now? Not really: just push the third ball away from your path, the others would just block the passage. In the next room, take the stairs.

Remember that we skipped two locked doors on this floor, plus a door blocked by an ice cube on the first floor.

Third floor & anti-magic field

Map of the third floor (Yellow = main path stairs. Red = detours and secrets. Pale grey = rooms that cannot be accessed).

On most of the floor you cannot use magic. Well then, a ranged weapon becomes imperative now. The usual save statue welcomes you. Ferris hints at a fire sword: that's our next goal.

Water-Air key

To solve the puzzles in the next two rooms you just have to read the plaques before stepping on any switch. Open the three chests in the following room and get the Water-Air key, the Battle shield and the Plate armor.

• Water-Air key: Key found in the Ice Castle. Has a mysterious pattern.

Backtrack to the save statue and use the key to open the door.

Red Wing key

Enter the Ouk Trail of Tears, a.k.a. "Sword Trap Road". At the ened of the corridor there is another system of four doors, of which only one at a time can be open. The plaque in the next room is just a trap: you have to step on the swords, and it reads something like "you fell for it"! Enter any door and get the 2nd gate key, that will be used later.

• 2nd Gate key: Key found in the Ice Castle. Opens second gate.

Leave these rooms and the door to the left should now be open. In the second room past it, equip the Cape and a Reviving mirror, the feel free to drop in the water to get the Warrior's helm, but run quickly out of the water before you drown! Climb out of the water and back to the four-doors hall. Enter the left door and cross a set of rooms until you get three chests containing the 1st Gate key, the Red Wing key and the Ice key. The healing fountain nearby is trustworthy.

• 1st Gate key: Key found in the Ice Castle. Opens first gate.

• Red Wing key: Key found in the Ice Castle. A red feather is attached.

Use the Red Wing key on the locked door on the way back and get the Fire Sword.

Backtrack

Ice key

• Ice key: Key found in the Ice Castle. All the keys here are beautiful.

It's backtracking time! Get back to the second floor and use the ice key on the first locked door you meet: the Heavy mall is inside.

Fire sword

Yes, the Fire sword also works as a key, since it unlocks a door. Continue backtracking, reach Barness and sell any surplus items, then continue upstairs to the door blocked by an ice block. Remember? It was in the south-east corner of the first floor. When you get there, equip the fire sword and enter the room.

Flood Gate key

Downstairs Vanessa is held captive. Rein leaves with her, but first he thanks you by giving you the Stop medallion, that allows to use an extra spell. Melt the ice blocks and get the Flood Gate key and a Power capsule. This key unlocks the door in the waterfall room on the second floor.

• Flood Gate key: Key found in the Ice Castle. Beautiful and transparent.

The Stop spell works great if paired with the Heavy Mall: paralyze an enemy, then get close enough to beat it without danger to get beaten back.

1st, 2nd and 3rd Gate keys

The next puzzle is quite tricky. Actually, all you have to do is to stand in front of the door and press the X button. Jump in the waterfall and stay in the middle to land on a platform downstairs. Jump to the solid ground north and continue in the next room, where the 3rd Gate key is held.

• 3rd Gate key: Key found in the Ice Castle. Opens third gate.

Now that you collected all three gate keys, cross the pond using the hovering platform, then navigate the anti-magic field to the south-western end of the corridors. Use the three keys in order, then dencend the stairs to the next floor.

Fourth floor

Map of the fourth floor (Yellow = main path stairs. Red = detours and secrets. Pale grey = rooms that cannot be accessed).

Wave key

Follow the corridor south, save at the statue, then turn left. Melt the ice block. Push rocks and spheres on the four swithces: the balls on the central ones, the rocks on the outer ones; it requires just a bit of work to get it right. Open the chests to get the Wave key and the n-th warp gate.

• 3rd Gate key: Key found in the Ice Castle. A strange whirlpool is carved on it.

Melt the ice block again on your way out, then you can re-equip any other (ranged) weapon you like. Save and continue eastwards, but beware of the sword traps. At the end of the corridor, use the wave key. Descend the stairs.

Fifth floor

Map of the fifth floor (Yellow = main path stairs. Red = detours and secrets. Pale grey = rooms that cannot be accessed).

It's quite linear. Don't use the Drink you find in a chest, because the opposing current last just a little bit, after which you'd become too fast to dodge enemies.

Sixth floor

Map of the sixth floor (Yellow = main path stairs. Red = detours and secrets. Pale grey = rooms that cannot be accessed).

Very small floor, it's pretty much the room with the boss battle. Before the battle, be sure you've collected all the treasure chests in the Ice Castle, because after the boss fight this place will be inacessible and delisted from Warp Gate. Equip the spiked boots, a long-ranged weapon (bow or boomerang) and the stop spell, that is effective on the enemy. Also, remember to use the power capsule found in this dungeon. Use the stop spell to make one ghost visible, then attack moving as little as you can. After the fight, there is a big surprise: all the adventure against Ramus and the goblins was just a trial organized by the Fairy Queen to test the successor of the Dragon Knights. Of course, the winner is Remeer. Luckily, your fellow adventurers are not envious and accept to keep helping you. Upon return to Toronto, Ferris gives you the Ice medallion, a new spell.

• Trivia / Elnard Trilogy: Ramus is an alternate spelling of Romus, a boss found in The 7th Saga. Another similarity: this Ramus is a loyal servant of the Fairy Queen, while the other Romus was the loyal dog (then turned into a raging ghost) of a murdered traveler. Could that unnamed traveler be the Fairy Queen in disguise? Also, the traveler owned a strange shiny stone: could it be a Fairy Jade?

Spoiler

Ferris is the Fairy Queen.