#####R             /----------------------------------------\
#####R            <  Adventurer's guide to the Middle-earth  >
#####R             \----------------------------------------/

Summary:
*****/abook-20.txt*1[(a) The main towns and dungeons]
*****/bbook-20.txt*2[(b) Other towns]
*****/cbook-20.txt*3[(c) Other strange and frightening places]
*****/dbook-20.txt*4[(d) Equipment issues]
*****/ebook-20.txt*5[(e) Macros]

#####GIntroduction:

Middle-earth is vast and mysterious, full of dangers and rewards for 
the brave adventurer.

New adventurers should know that pressing < and > can switch
the wilderness view between a normal scale and a larger map. This map
makes travelling faster, but you cannot enter wilderness dungeons from 
it, and chances of being ambushed are high. The wariest of adventurers
will choose to take the well-worn roads when such roads are available,
and grass fields when there are no roads. Beware of Belegaer and the 
Dead Marshes!


~~~~~1
#####G(a) The main towns and dungeons

You start in a small village named Bree in the western part of Middle-earth.
Here you will also find the entrance to the Barrow-Downs, a fairly safe and
simple dungeon.

When the Barrow-Downs become too easy for you, and Bree too small,
you might consider going to Lothlorien, the land of Galadriel. [[[[[BNote that]
[[[[[Byou should take a lot of food with you, for it is a long journey.] 
You'll have to head south-east following the Moria mountain's chain, then 
walk around the forest of Fangorn to head north to finally find your destination. 
Lothlorien is instantly recognisable by its Mallorn trees. The chief city of this 
land and the abode of Galadriel and Celebron is Caras Galadhon. The Forest of 
Mirkwood (another dungeon) can be found to the north-east of Lothlorien.

If you survive this dangerous dungeon, you should head south, following
the Anduin river. There, near the dark land of Mordor, you will find the
great town of Gondor, Minas Anor. From there you may want to pay a visit 
to the land of Mordor, which is east of Minas Anor. You cannot pass through 
the Black Gate of Mordor without a means of climbing mountains, for the 
gate is guarded heavily, night and day. The only ways into Mordor are through 
the dreaded Spider Pass (Cirith Ungol), or the circuitous route through the 
valley of Nurnen and the horrid plains of Gorgoroth.

After Mordor you should finally travel to Gondolin, the hidden town of the
Noldor. From this city, you will be able to attack Angband, the
dungeon of Morgoth, which is north-east of Gondolin. This city is well-
protected by what remains of the Echoriath, and there is but one route 
into it that does not force you to travel by the sea. To be sure of finding
Gondolin, travel north along the Blue Mountains, then take the north-eastern
route from the second northernmost peak.


~~~~~2
#####G(b) Other towns

To the west of Bree, in the middle of a land called the Shire, there is a 
small village called Hobbiton, inhabited by Halflings. Nested in some low 
hills, it isn't hard to find, and their hospitality is legendary.

To the east of Bree, there is Rivendell - the hidden valley of the Elves, 
where Elrond lives in the Last Homely House (Imladris). Beyond the Misty 
Mountains, near the entrance to Mirkwood Forest, there is the house of 
Beorn.

When you are in Lothlorien, be sure to pay your respects to the Valar at 
Cerin Amroth, which is immediately to the north of Caras Galadhon.

Edoras, the capital of Rohan (home of the horse-lords, the Rohirrim) can be
found to the south of Caras Galadhon. It is a well-protected fortress, second
only to the fortress of Helm's Deep, which stands watch against Isengard.

There are two cities near Minas Anor - Pelargir (the great city at the 
mouth of the Anduin River) and Osgiliath, the citadel of Stars. Pelargir is 
to the south-west of Minas Anor, and Osgiliath is to the north-east of 
Gondor's capital. Rumour has it that there is a Ranger outpost somewhere in 
Ithilien, immediately to the north of Osgiliath.

If you travel north towards the Lonely Mountain, you will come upon 
Esgaroth, the city of Lake-men. Near Esgaroth is the construction site for 
Dale, and if you follow the river, you may find yourself a guest in the 
Halls of Thranduil, King of the Wood-Elves.

Deep in the heart of the Misty Mountains, in a heavily guarded area that 
cannot be access but through the Mines of Moria, lies Khazad-dum, the 
greatest city ever built by Dwarves.

~~~~~3
#####G(c) Other strange and frightening places

The Old Forest to the west of Bree (and east of Hobbiton) is what remains 
of the big forests of the First Age, but it has been corrupted. It is said 
that it is guarded by a living tree.

You may also wish to investigate the Orc Caves east of Bree; they are
another place suitable for those finished with the Barrow-Downs. They also
are rumoured to hold great mysteries - these are the same caves where Bilbo
had once found the One Ring of power.

Durin's Bane, the Balrog of Moria, guards the Mines of Moria, to the south-east
of Bree. The Mines are also the only means of access to the Dwarven 
stronghold of Khazad-dum.

Nearly at the edge of land, there is a magical Maze. Many adventurers
that ventured there never came back. It is rumoured that a Minotaur is
lurking down there, guarding an ancient and powerful artifact.
Bring along digging equipment and some means to recall.

During the Second Age of the world there was a great island called
Numenor. The people who dwelt there were wise and powerful, but as time
passed their last kings fell under the power of Sauron. Under Sauron's
orders, they tried to attack Valinor, the blessed land, and for this
Numenor was destroyed, swallowed by the sea. The ruins are still
accessible, far out to sea to the west of Bree. Any adventurer going 
there should be sure to bring equipment that enables underwater 
breathing, however - without it, you shall perish.

Many other strange places wait to be explored by the valiant adventurer,
but their locations are secret. You will have to find them yourself!
Among them are the Grinding Ice of the Helcaraxe, Forodwaith, the caves
beneath Isengard, the land of Rhun, and many others.


~~~~~4
#####G(d) Equipment issues

Beware, adventurer! If you plan to go down into the dungeons, be prepared. Some
items you will need badly.

First, think of some light: maybe a lantern is better than the torches.

Second things to mention are your combat equipment. Sometimes the weapon and
armor you got from your mentor are not enough for the nasties inside the
dungeons.

And third and most important, [[[[[Balways carry a shovel or other digger with you],
because there is much rubble in the dungeons, which you cannot clear with
your hands.

~~~~~5
#####G(e) Macros

Spellcasters might find that pressing 4 keys (at least) to cast a spell is a
lot, they are right. That is why there are macros. You can access the macro
screen by pressing @. You can find help on the *****macrofaq.txt*0[macros] in the docs.

Now you either have the hard way or the easy way.

**The Hard Way**

What the fellow adventurer should know is how to create a basic spell macro.
Press @ to enter the macro screen.
Press 4 to create a new macro.
Press the key to bind the macro to, usually one uses the F* keys(you can combine
them with the ctrl, shift, ... keys too)
Enter the key sequence to be done for the macro.
Press 2 to save the macro.

Now a problem that might arise, imagine your macro looks like: mcaa*t
to cast manathrust spell('m' to use skill, 'c' for cast a spell skill,
'a' for first book, 'a' for first spell, *t to… target the first monster).
This macro will break if you gain a new skill so that "Cast a spell" is no more
the skill 'c', or if you get a new book. There is a way around that.
When the game asks for a skill or a spell it allows you to press @ to enter
the skill/spell name directly, so your macro would become:
m@Cast a spell\r@Manathrust\r*t
Now this will always work as long as one of your books have the spell in it.


**The Easy Way**

This time you will only use the macro recorder. To do that:
Press $ to start it
Now each key you press will be recorded, so press all keys you want.
It is recommended to start your macro by pressing Escape key a few time, so
if there are messages when you use the macro it will first erase them instead
of screwing your macro :)
it is also recommended to take advantage of the @ key when selecting skills or
objects whenever the possibility is offered to you. It will make sure you
always use the good object/skill even if it moves in your inventory.
Once all keys are pressed press $ again to stop it.
It you are satisfied with your macro now you get to press the key to bind it
to.

As in the Hard Way you must use the macro screen if you want to permanently
save your macros.