The "Complete Guide to Avalon" is a hardcopy manual providing comprehensive documentation, tutorial, insight and apposite histories of the Avalon gameworld. It is an invaluable resource for beginner and advanced players alike. It accounts for over half of the "Great Book of Avalon", the tome begun on Avalon's 20th anniversary. The "Great Book" contains narratives, player-written logs and stories and comprehensive game histories both in and out of Avalon but the bulk is the "Complete Guide". We produce the "Great Book" as a collectors item, beautifully hardbound and embossed. The "Complete Guide" is available as a lower price item though also professionally printed and bound to create a long-lasting, essential companion to your Avalon character.
The "Complete Guide" is available for 30 dollars plus postage and packing. It can be purchased from the Avalon store, by typing PURCHASE FROM STORE and then selection the "guide" choice from the list of products available. It is not available online.
Here, however, are some extracts from the "Complete Guide" to give you an idea what is included and how aspects of Avalon are explained:
FROM SECTION 3: GUILDS and the PROFESSIONS
3.2.1i The Thief
Thieves differ from most of the other professions in that their guilds tend not to advertise themselves. Traditionally the Thieves have been a collective, yet partially secret organisation - they act for the benefit of whosoever is paying their wages, and can be trusted only so far as their employer has the power to punish misdemeanours. Thieves have the skills of Thievery, Stealth, Poisons and Trapping. They are skilled combatants and excellent covert operators. Though the exact whereabouts of the Thieves Guild in any of the major cities is a closely guarded secret, the northern village of Isabella is rumoured to be a hideaway for members of this profession. There are, at times, other guilds rumoured to share in the Thief profession - the Brigands more prominently and the Rogues on occasion raise their heads above water and court members but often they find themselves subsumed into the great Thief brotherhood under a single hierarchy of elders.
Thief Skills:
Thievery: full range of abilities relating to general thievery, from stealing items from others to throttling strike, to scaling rooftops or vanishing into sewers; to lock-picking, expert archery, disguising one's identity completely and interacting with rogues, cat-forms and the like.
Stealth: covert abilities both in and out of the forest, like blending, shadow-speed, avoidance, form of the cat - evading attack, escaping traps and imprisonment.
Poisons: insight into harmful poisons in all their various forms; preparation and application.
Trapping: dozen of traps covering a range of effects from darts shooting poisons, to fire-starters, snares and alarms, to steed and people-slayers.
Thief Specialisations (one only can be chosen):
Burglary: advance lock-picking and lock-working, covert and subterfuge extra-ordinaire with unparalleled stealing abilities.
Assassination: evolved covert strikes and hunting, disguised killing, poison used and application to infect second-to-none.
NOTE: both Thief specialisations can include grappling hooks twined about large areas, poison balloons and rogue-spying.
Primary Attacks:
Thievery "throttle"
Thievery use of bow and arrows, including rapid-fire and sniping
Thievery "spit" and "hockle" for poison-strike
Stealth "Knives" for ambushing
Full-use of Trapping, including covering exits or targetting individuals
Theft of crucial items from opponents
Primary Defences:
Thievery "Yank"
Stealth "Cat" for form of the Cat
Thievery "Nicknames"
Stealth "Wind" to an advanced level
Stealth "Acrobatics"
Stealth "Avoidance"
Thievery "Sewers"
Significant Inventory:
Lock-picking kit (basic, intricate or master)
Selection of knives and poisons
Charmed artifacts to compensate for lack of innate magic
Trap and utility belts to contain essential equipment
Strengths:
Slippery as eels: no-one can move about as covertly as the thief, evading enemies or ambushing unexpectedly.
Able to self-equip poisons and indeed - by dint of thievery - capable of acquiring riches and full inventory by stealing from others.
Quick and difficult to predict: varied strikes with full range of poisons, infections, traps and subterfuges/disguises.
Capable of being close to melee but, by dint of acrobatics and advanced stealth, proving almost impossible to discern - trace - or strike.
Information gathering, on the ground, by lip-reading, stealthy co-existence and rogue spying (for later report).
Lock-picking and lock-working unparalleled, making the thief an essential friend since locked doors and locked items (like strong-boxes) are crucial for protecting possessions.
Vulnerabilities:
No magical attacks and limited access to magical defences (through artifacts only) without the innate resilience of the stubborn knight.
Disable the thief's free movement (e.g. by crippling him) and many stealthy abilities are restricted.
Bound to the ground, to a great extent, without inherent flying abilities.
More effective inside urban areas, closer to sewers and rooftops. Weaker out in the wilds; no natural empathy with the forests.
Weaker across wide area or against multi-opponents: just a handful of ranged strikes otherwise attacks requiring of close proximity.
3.4.2u The Thieves Guild
Avalon's most covert yet often its most populous guild, particularly after the Narissa-led uniting of the entire profession under a single guild (after many centuries of three Thief profession guilds: Thieves, Bandits and Rogues), was founded on a so small a whim as the needs of a love affair. Euphoria it was, Mercinaen at the time and disinterested dilletante in both Mages and Knights guilds, who formed an attachment to Malwen (her of Bards Guild fame).
As Euphoria's thief-like nature became known the affair was frowned upon by the city, and obstacles thrown in their path, including strong-arm tactics by senior knights. By necessity Euphoria picked up the study of the long neglected arts of the burglar and the assassin and it was in the hidden chambers within the back corridors of the Slumbering Serpent Tavern on Candle Street (in Mercinae) in the early 9th century - the tavern in which Euphoria and Malwen met and hid away - that the fledgling Thieves Guild was founded. Euphoria was not the only soul enamoured of the ways of the thief and he enlisted others, the guild expanded and from the most humble of personal origins one of Avalon’s most influential forces was set in motion.
Over the centuries, of course, the Thieves Guild has expanded far beyond its origins in a Mercinaen tavern but it has retained its founding precepts: fierce regard for independence and close ties with the tavern-life of the cities. It is renowned for having guildhouses or chapterhouses in all of the cities, and - during the time of Guildmistress Inshallah - formalised close ties with the village of Isabella on the northwestern plains. In that village, it is said, can the would-be thief seek audience with a current senior member of the Thieves Guild and many a neophyte treks north in the hope of encountering a voice in the shadows. Whether the trek is wise or bravely foolish is difficult to say, for it is certain that while many set out to find their future in Isabella, and while most return disappointed... some are never heard of again.
CURRENT GUILD HELP
A whispering wind teases at your ear. As you start down the dank alley the breeze toys with your hair, softly wailing as it swirls down the darkened corridor, lifting detritus into an eddying dance. A shiver runs down your spine, looking back, you realize just how sharp the contrast is between the light of the square, and the dim of this narrow close.
Turning to go back, you sense shadowy figures flitting at the edge of your vision. Realizing that it is too late to return to the sunlit street beyond, you brace yourself for an encounter.
"What do you seek?" a voice rasps from the shadows, as a shady presence jostles you from behind. You whirl around, trying to discern where the voice comes from, how many people there are, what your odds are...
"Put down that rusty excuse for a table knife, youngster," the voice dryly chuckles in acerbic amusement. "You wouldn't want to have an accident now, would you?" The tone is soft, almost mocking, but you can hear a steely edge to it, as sharp and cutting as a finely honed blade.
"Brothers, escort our young friend here to a more comfortable seat!"
Before you can say a word, you find yourself briskly led deeper into the alley. Darkness envelops you, and a nauseating tang of filth and refuse hangs in the air. Laughing at your disgusted face, the leader of the band winks at you, before reaching down and uncovering a manhole, invisible in the gloom. "After you, youngster," he grins, with a teasing bow.
Gulping in a last breath of fresh air, you hesitantly step towards the sewer entrance. Roaring with laughter, a few of the rouges slap you on the back and watch in amusement as you topple downwards into the inky hole. Looking around, you try not to retch on the foul odours, but still cannot help but feel awed. Softly gleaming in torchlight, a king's ransom lies scattered carelessly around you. Gems sparkle and wink in the wavering light, while precious metals cast a warm glow to the underground tunnel. The bandits grin at your wonder, idly fingering a few items before leering at you again.
"You know what you seek?" The harsh voice asks again. This time, its owner steps forward, and you are stunned to see the hawk like visage of Snowlock, one of the most famed thieves in Avalon's history. His eyes pierce you, and you sweat nervously under his intent stare. You try to stammer out an explanation, but he waves your words away.
"Let us tell you what you seek."
Another thief steps forward, and you recognize the twinkling eyes of Zollrender, the legendary thief. He clears his throat and begins to tell you of the importance of stealth for a thief.
"Cloaked in shadows, the thief operates under a cunning guise of invisibility. Their prey do not even suspect their presence, much less anticipate their attack. Once victory is achieved, the thief can then merge back into anonymity and hiding again. A master of the shadows makes a frightening foe, for you never know where and when he will attack."
As if to emphasize his point, another thief leans out of the gloom. Stunned, you realize this is Sturge, the master trapper. He raises an eyebrow at you, before leaning casually against a pillar. "Traps are just as important, though," he stresses. "They ensnare your foes like a hunter would an animal. A successful thief is a master of this art." You step back a bit, slightly nervous, only to find yourself caught in the tangled rope of a binding trap. Writhing about frantically, the thieves watch laughing for a few seconds, before cutting you loose.
Zollrender winks at you again, before slipping a toxic smelling leaf into your hand. "Poison," he whispers, quirking his eyebrow meaningfully. They don't need to explain this aspect of thieves - the reputations of the deadly substances are word enough.
Snowlock frowns at you again, gesturing at the wealth surrounding you. "Thievery, of course, is something every thief strives for." He pauses at your intent nod. "However, what good is all this gain without trust in its security, without a band of fellows to share it with? To be a thief means to trust and give loyalty to a Guild, as if they were family." He pauses meaningfully. "And those who break that trust are not looked upon kindly." Waving his hand casually, he gestures to the ladder leading back to the surface. "The choice is yours, youngster..."
Blinking in the sudden brightness of the square, you pat your pockets, frantically realizing your trinkets have been pilfered during the talk. You glance around in frustration, trying to peer down the darkened ally, shouting for the thieves to return, but the only answer your incessant cries receive is a mocking laugh, floating on the wind.
NOTEWORTH THIEVES, PAST AND PRESENT:
A sort of Euphoria, the founder (July 1990)
Zollrender of Archangel (13-Mar-92).
Duke Grendel, of Agincourt the Guildsman (29-6-1993).
The Toecutter the Guildsman (early 1991).
Harper, Seller of Exotic Medicines the Guildsman (26-6-1995).
Narl, Lord of the Shadows the Guildsman (15-4-2006).
Sepe the Guildsman (12-3-1998).
The shadow of Endyamon the Guildsman (3-7-2000).
Thief Graedes the Guildsman (30-5-2001).
Dreeman Fye, Oh So Sly the Guildsman (6-4-1994).
Snowlock, of the Blood the Guildsman (26-11-1993).
Count Xandamere, the Damned the Guildsman (3-6-1995).
Calagan, Brigand of the Grey Wood the Guildsman (6-5-1995).
Shakal The Rope the Guildsman (27-5-1996).
Plaman, Champion of Chaos the Guildsman (15-11-1996).
Deathtrap Sturge the Guildsman (26-4-1997).
August the Guildsman (23-12-2004).
Smokin' Rope Buttons the Guildsman (10-12-1996).
Demosthenes, the Knife the Guildsman (27-9-1999).
Accidental Murderess Narissa, Queen of Shadows the Guildsman (26-6-2004).
Don Tukar, Godfather of Avalon the Guildsman (22-3-2000).
Karah The Persuader the Guildsman (19-12-1995).
The Pirate Lord Alcarindel, Dirty Thief the Guildsman (31-5-2001).
Fantastic Emissary Mr Foxedup, Blademaster of Thieves (16-6-2001).
Alister Ramsay the Guildsman (14-2-2006).
Zooka, the nameless (19-11-2005).
3.9.2 Guild Security
Guild security is something people take very seriously since the guildhouse is a refuge - a safehouse in which to escape from the dangers of life outside its walls. It is important, therefore, to pay close attention to your guild’s static security but before detailing security measures, it is worth giving some advice to ensure YOU do not become a loophole yourself.
- take care of your keys, protect them with appropriate runes and stash them away (rather than holding them in open inventory - easy to steal).
- keep vigilant within your guildhouse as there are various abilities able to target you as a focal point for teleportation into your guild - and once within, the enemy is able to wreak havoc.
- keep up a diffusion cloak (potions are available) or candescent veil to protect your whereabouts and prevent easy summoning.
- watch out for "traversal" charms being initiated against you, or the air shimmering indicating incoming rituals
- be ready with the charm of deflection (or an artifact charged with that spell) to break seeing stone connections.
- learn about globestaves; consider globestave powers and specifically those shielding a location from invasive attention - both inbound and outbound.
- carry the right selection of runes if you plan on spending any time static: pyramid rune particularly to aid a location’s shielding.
Personal responsibility is one side of the coin; the other is contributing to keeping the guildhouse as a whole as safe as possible. This requires constant vigilance and often guilds appoint individuals to the task. Listed here is a fairly comprehensive, idealised list of location by location protections all guilds should aspire to setting in place:
- pyramid diffusion rune in every guild location on the ground. Various protections.
- sphere shaped rune, and charm and talisman: all on the ground. Shields locations from astral, ethereal and poltergeist invasion.
- pentagram runes in all locations deemed "private" to block eavesdropping.
- rune stave at entrance and key locations (e.g. where the guild tutors stand) loaded with apposite runes, including sight-giving and key-shaped runes to tomb lock all doors: maximising protection against burglaries.
- globestave active "conquistador" or "wreathe" maintained at high-power, to shield vulnerable guildmembers from intrusion and/or location.
- locks improved and strengthened to the highest possible extent by friendly lock specialists (thieves, or to a lesser extent loremasters).
Maintaining the security of the guildhouse is - like many aspects of life in a competitive environment - a matter of what could be termed "one hundred percent". This means there is a world of difference between one hundred percent application and ninety-nine (or anything else). Consider the dam holding back a lake, breached by a single tiny hole. The water of the lake finds its way into the hole, exerts its pressure fixated against that one point: and the hole gives away, the dam bursts and the lake floods through. The analogy is apposite. If you are responsible for guild security or if you are checking it through, you must ensure one hundred percent of the defensive, shielding and anti-invasion measures are in place. Anything less and a determined enemy will break on through; and run riot through the interior, invariably in as destructive a fashion - to try to demoralise the guildmembers, to dissuade them from rebuilding defences... [subsection continues]
3.10 Guild Reputation and Ideals
There are various ongoing gauges and rankings apposite to a guild’s development/prowess within Avalon. Some of these are merely useful indicators for the guild's senior members to assess progress towards goals set, for their own sake; others are important vis-a-vis the whole fraternity of guilds, where success or high rank empowers and failure or low rank results in falling behind one's competitors. REPUTATION is something all players gather by dint of every action, circumstance, deed and event experienced. Simple examples: slay a powerful enemy, gain reputation; rescue a needy youngster, gain reputation; lose an election, lose reputation; get cast out of a Prince’s circle of friends, lose reputation. Guilds have a REPUTATION too and this is an accumulation of all the ongoing reputations, of all the active members, each Avalon year. Guilds also have IDEALS stature, and this is also an accumulation of contributions by the membership but where REPUTATION is generic, IDEALS are defined and thus stature is determined by the members' ability to live and act according to the guild's stated ideals. This section details the specifics of REPUTATION and IDEALS including explanation of commands relating to review and definition.
FROM SECTION 6: DEFENCES, AFFLICTIONS, CURSES and BLESSINGS
"You have limited immunity to fire attack"
Skills: Spiritualism, Evocation
Method: This is the basic fire resistance. It is an essential defence in most combat situations. It provides shielding against many fire-flame based attacks and encounters. It does not provide protection against extreme heat not derived from the flame. There are various ways to bring it about. Those with Spiritualism or Evocation can use the RESIST or DEFENCES ability to instantly evoke a globe of spiritual essence which protects against both extreme cold and fire. The globe follows the evoker around and while it remains in his/her entourage, the fire protection is afforded. The herb gylvir, when eaten, gives fire resistance for the next twenty minutes. The potion of Fire Resistance (typically red) gives fire protection, fifteen minutes with each quaff. Both herb and potion take five seconds before the fire protection is brought into being.
Removal: Basic fire resistance is lost at login. It is lost by close proximity to phoenix-fire resurrection if you have no advanced fire resistance. It can be taken down by Dramatics RELAXATION, by Candescence SCATHING, by the sunrise (if no advanced fire resistance in place), by the lash of the serpentine whip, by overwhelmingly powerful FIREBALL strike, by Farsight immolation (blocked by advanced fire resistance), by being targetted in an Evocation DRAIN, when returning to humanform after a bout of werewolfism, by taking on the form of the mist/fog. It is also removed each time you are slain.
"You are elementally empowered against the Fire"
Method: This is the advanced fire resistance. It is an essential defence against high-level Mages and an important defence against extreme fire attacks. It can only be brought about when you have the basic fire resistance active and possess at least a single point of Fire elemental experience (see Section 6.35). It is started by eating the gylvir herb or quaffing a potion of Fire Resistance (typically red). It begins five seconds after the herb ingestion or potion quaffing. It will only begin if you have basic fire resistance and - most pertinently - when you are yourself 'on fire'. Once you have advanced fire resistance it will last indefinitely, until the next time you are resurrected by a completed voyage on the Ship of Death.
There are a few ways to become 'on fire': Evocation can immolate you or explode flames of damnation on you. Dramatics can cause you to spontaneously combust. Farsight can immolate you from afar. Close proximity to phoenix-fire, the explosion engendered by a Loremaster with Opalescence specialisation self-resurrecting, also causes you to catch fire. Most straightforward, however, is to hold some branches and - using a fire source like a tinderbox - set light to the branches. Do this with basic fire resistance active and you will catch fire. Ensure the five second 'effect' of the gylvir or fire resistance potion occurs when you are 'on fire' and you will gain advanced fire resistance. You can then extinguish the flames about your person.
Removal: Being subjected to immobilisation by a Mage surrounded by a complete, whirling Fire vortex will strip the advanced fire resistance. Taking astral form (and the act of transformation into certain ethereal forms) will lose elemental fire resistance. Being splashed with a fire resistance potion or infected by the gylvir herb when you have NO fire elemental experience points remaining nullifies advanced fire resistance. There are no other ways to lose it or to have it taken from you.
FROM SECTION 12: HERBS and POISONS
12.8.22 Rellick
Grows: in the Forest
Preparation: to be Eaten
Form: a Lichen
Skill: Master + 50% to Grand-Master Herbs
Base Value: 5 gold coins
Looks Like: Somewhat akin to a toadstool but distinctively striped, a rellick plant sprouts here.
Examines Like: This is a dreadful looking fungus, puce in colour and exuding a stench no less abhorrent. It is a blocky, rough skinned fungus and makes a squelching noise whenever pressure is exerted against its surface.
Summary: It is a physical purge, centering one's senses.
Effect:
Rellick when ingested bestows an instant, direct antidote for balance retardants like ambiarn. It also creates a two second 'rellick window' during which period any lessons commenced will complete at a much accelerated rate. It works on a one to one basis while balance retarded by half a second or less; two to one in rellick's favour when balance retarded by half a second to a second; and three to one in rellick's favour when balance retarded by a second or more.
Rellick/Ambiarn combined to make a test of an individual's visceral 'feel' for their balance since the only cure for ambiarn - rellick - is as gradual a cure as ambiarn is an infection. The only way to ensure one does not waste a lot of rellick to remove all ambiarn effects is to develop that all-important 'feel' for what balance ought to be.
12.9.36 Blackroot
Grows: in the Forest
Preparation: as a Paste
Form: a Root
Skill: Legendary plus 85% to Ultimate Poisons
Base Value: 10 gold coins
Looks Like: An curled slice of blackroot rests here.
Examines Like: Blackroot is known as the root of godlessness. Legend says that the ingester of blackroot will be forced to forsake the Gods and live life in the wilderness of heathens.
Summary: Blackroot is the poison of heathens. It destroys spiritual empathy.
Effect:
Blackroot is one of the most important of poisons when dealing with opponents in the Seer profession since each blackroot infection has an instant 50% chance of reducing the mystic bonds obtained by an opponent seer of the individual responsible for the infection/blackroot strike (see Section X.Y on mystic bonding). If this bond reduction serves to zero the number of bonds it will entirely cancel the mystic image of the individual responsible for the blackroot strike.
In addition to the above, blackroot will inflict the "spiritual empathy" curse on the victim - disconnecting him/her from the invoking of spirits and thereby greatly reducing capabilities within the SPIRITUALISM and EVOCATION skillsets. If the victim of the blackroot strike is already under the "spiritual empathy" curse, it will instantly give the "vertigo" affliction. Both the curse and the affliction will endure until cured. Blackroot infection of a victim with both the "spiritual empathy" curse and the "vertigo" affliction will strip the "false invulnerability" and "reckless" defences.
