Curse of the Azure Bonds
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| Curse of the Azure Bonds {{#if:{{{image|}}}|<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">{{{image|}}} | |
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| Developer(s) | Strategic Simulations, Inc. {{#if:{{{publisher|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)<td>{{{publisher|}}} |
| Release date(s) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg 1989 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player {{#if:{{{ratings|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Rating(s)<td>{{{ratings|}}} |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, C64, MS-DOS {{#if:{{{media|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media<td>{{{media|}}} |
Curse of the Azure Bonds is the second in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box adventure computer games, published by Strategic Simulations, Inc.. The game was released in 1989.
The story is a continuation of the events after Pool of Radiance.
The associated code for this module is FRC2. It was released as a regular module for the role-playing game and as a computer game based on the module and the D&D game system.
There is also a novel titled Azure Bonds and is the first book of the Finder's Stone trilogy. The game is partially a sequel to the novel.
Contents |
Story
After the defeat of Tyranthraxus, the party heads out on a journey and is ambushed along the road. The members of the New Alliance have placed a curse on the party by imprinting five azure tattoos, known as sigils or bonds, on their arms, each symbolizing a master of evil. These bonds allow the masters to override the will of the party and to carry out the will of the New Alliance. The party discovers these bonds when they awaken in the town of Tilverton, stripped of their equipment.
Image:CurseOTAB-Intro.png The five symbols on the party's arms are arranged in the following order top to bottom:
- Symbol of Moander: A hand with a mouth in its palm.
- Symbol of the Fire Knives: A knife surrounded by flame.
- Symbol of Dracondos: An inverse arc with a sort of "plus sign" above it. This symbol bears a similarity to Elminster's symbol.
- Symbol of Tyranthraxus: An ornate, inverse flame with the letter "T" written in Dethek in it.
- Symbol of Zhentil Keep: A letter "Z" surrounded by a circle and the circle surrounded by a triangle pointing downward.
The goal of the game is to eliminate their overlords one by one and free themselves from the curse, eventually meeting with the famed servant of Bane, Tyranthraxus.
Plot overview
The game is fairly straightforward. The party's objective is to defeat the creators of the five sigils and free themselves of the curse. The party will face off against a large group of rogues called the Fire Knives, a red mage of Thay called Dracondos, a priestess of Moander called Mogion, a cleric of Zhentil Keep called Fzoul Chembryl, and finally against Tyranthraxus (assuming the form of a Storm Giant) in Myth Drannor.
There are a few optional side quests the party can undertake if desired. Usually some extra treasure items can be found.
Most towns in this game are rather simple, giving a menu of places to go such as an Inn or Tavern, rather than having the party walk around. It's generally a very good idea to rest at towns rather than out on the overworld as no encounters will occur.
The bonds the party possesses can determine the friendliness or hostility of some people in-game. For instance, having the Zhentil symbol will give the party a chance to Parlay inside Zhentil Keep rather than fighting the troops.
Gameplay
To play Curse of the Azure Bonds, one simply needs to create characters and form a party. The gameplay basics are identical to all games in the series. Characters can also be transferred from Pool of Radiance or Hillsfar.
For more detailed information on how controlling characters and other aspects of the game work, see the Gold Box gameplay article.
Game differences
Curse of the Azure Bonds is perceived a pretty good step up from Pool of Radiance. The game primarily takes place in the Dalelands and the overworld map allows you to select an adjacent location and automatically travel there. There are random encounters when travelling to locations.
The player may now choose the classes of Paladin and Ranger for characters in addition to Fighter, Thief, Mage, and Cleric.
Graphics did improve slightly, though everything was still drawn in 16 colors.
Game credits
- Game created by: SSI Special Projects
- Project Leader: George MacDonald
- Programming: Scot Bayless, Russ Brown, Michael Mancuso
- Development: David Shelley, Michael Mancuso, Oran Kangas
- Graphic Arts: Tom Wahl, Fred Butts, Susan Manley, Mark Johnson, Cyrus Lum
- Playtesting: Jim Jennings, James Kucera, Rick White, Robert Daly
The novel
The novel is simply called Azure Bonds, and is written by Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak. The story begins with an adventurer named Alias awakening in an inn; she has a set of blue, highly magical sigils on her arm, and cannot remember how she came to acquire them. She soon learns that the sigils represent various forces of evil, and that they can control her mind, forcing her to do their owners' will. With the aid of a mysterious lizard-creature named Dragonbait, a southern mage called Akabar Bel Akash, and a halfling "bard" by the name of Olive Ruskettle, she sets out to learn more about the sigils' creators, and become free of them.