The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight - Story

Story

Do you believe in legends? Legend states that, "Unimaginable power is bestowed upon the one who reforges the Destiny Wand..." Regardless of whether or not you hold faith in the stuff of legend, you must defeat Lagoth Zanta, regain the seven fragments, and reforge the Destiny Wand—it is the only way to save the realm.

As a beginning player, a wizard named Saradon, having heard the news of your victory over the evil wizard Mangar (in The Bard's Tale), contacts you with dire news: "Lawless mercenaries from the neighboring kingdom of Lestradae ... under the guidance of an evil Archmage known as Lagoth Zanta" have stolen the Destiny Wand, that, through its power, "has maintained peace and prosperity for the last 700 years".

The player's manual provides the following overview of the game:

As The Destiny Knight, you must assemble a band of adventurers, track down the seven pieces of the Destiny Wand, and defeat the evil Archmage, Lagoth Zanta. Once you have defeated the evil Archmage and have managed to collect all seven fragments of the Destiny Wand, you must reforge the scepter into a unified whole, thus reunifying the Realm (and winning the game).

Where the previous game took place in only one city, The Bard's Tale II features six (albeit smaller) towns and a large wilderness area. Players begin in the city of Tangramayne, below which there is a four-level dungeon called the Dark Domain that is designed to get new, inexperienced parties started. By defeating the "Dark Lord" on Level Four and returning a princess to the surface, characters receive a bonus of 400,000 experience points—provided they have not yet reached level 13 or changed class (for magicians and conjurers).

To complete the game, players must collect segments of the Destiny Wand. The wizard Saradon has informed the party that they are hidden in seven separate locations "within a Snare of Death—a puzzle room that will require all the wisdom and cunning at your disposal in order for you to survive". The first segment is located in the Tombs, in the city of Ephesus. The key required for entry into Dargoth's Tower is also located here, on the second of three levels. The second segment is in Fanskar's Fortress, located in the wilderness outside of the six cities. When Fanskar is defeated at the end of the first and only level, the party acquires the second segment. Dargoth's Tower contains the third segment. It is in the fifth and final level above the city of Philippi. The fourth segment can be found in the Maze of Dread, which comprises three levels of sewers below the city of Thessalonica. Next is Oscon's Fortress in Corinth where the fifth segment can be had after negotiating the snare in its fourth level. The Grey Crypt has the next segment, and its entry is located in a building in the wilderness. It has only two levels, but magic cannot be used in it. The seventh and final segment of the Destiny Wand is in the city of Colosse. In the northwest section of the city is a large rock called the Destiny Stone. Upon entering a crack in the stone, the party finds itself on the first of three levels. After completing the snare on the third level, the last segment is found. To finish the game, an archmage in the party must take the seven segments to the Temple of Narn in the wilderness. The archmage reforges the segments into the Destiny Wand and becomes the Destiny Knight. But the game is not complete until Lagoth Zanta is defeated in the Sage's Hut.