
 _____________________________________________________________________________
|        Club 96  -=>            Windwalker 2e             <=-  Club 96       |
|        Presents....          Tales of Moebius!           Presents....       |
|                                                                             |
|  Kracked By: The Necromancer                                                |
|                               Special Thanks To/Documents By: The Mechanic  |
|_____________________________________________________________________________|


                        THE MYSTIC RUNES OF WINDWALKER


        The Making of Windwalker...

        As Windwalker's development cycle was winding down, ORIGIN's art director asked the game's author, Greg Malone, to provide samples of his research materials to use in documentation and packaging.  What the art director received was astounding, and provides great insight into the author's attention to detail and commitment to authenticity during the making of Windwalker.
        Realistic, player-controlled martial arts maneuvers provide the focus for the fast-action sequences in Windwalker.  Texts such as "Ninja: Warrior Ways of Enlightenment" and "Zen in the Martial Arts" were the primary sources used to identify the weapons and tactics employed by the fighting men of the ancient Orient.  Books could not, however, provide the detailed imagery needed to accurately depict the intricate movements in the varied disciplines of the martial arts.  Greg went the extra mile, tracking down experts, and shooting hours of video tapes and hundreds of still photographs of the live models in action.  These images were then digitized and incorporated into the real-time, combat graphics.
        As you explore the lands of Windwalker, you will be taken by the Oriental flavor of the visuals - the character icons, the architecture, the flora and the fauna - in this unique world.  Only Greg's painstaking research and the knowledge he acquired through books like "The Archaeology of Ancient China," "Oriental Art: A Handbook of Styles and Forms," and "The Japanese Garden: Islands of Serenity" could bring such vivid imagery to the computer screen.
        While Windwalker does not represent a specific historical or geographic perspective, you will discover an adventure that embraces the philosophy and culture of the Orient.  The influence of works including "Chinese Mythology," "I Ching, The Book of Changes," and "Chinese Herbal Medicine" become evident as you interact with the diverse characters, and pursue the intriguing rewards of the game.
        Windwalker may have been designed primarily as entertainment, but the experience of playing the game encompasses much more.


                                 WINDWALKER

Table of Contents

1) The Summons From Moebius          2) The World Below
3) Objects of the Realm              4) The World Above
5) Making Your Way in the World      6) Defending Yourself
7) Orders of Enlightenment


                          THE SUMMONS FROM MOEBIUS

                  (Hexagram 35: Earth below, Fire above.)

Progress.  The sun rises above the earth.  So does the enlightened person reveal virtue.  Conditions favorable for progress.  Help others through cleverness and virtue.  - I Ching

        Greetings to you, my disciple.  I am Moebius, called the Windwalker.  I walk the boundaries of Time, Space, and Thought as an observer of the ways of humanity.
        You seek training and enlightenment.  To this end I send you into the world of turmoil to bring forth justice.
        Good must always give way to evil, evil to good; that is the Way.  In my travels I have found a new evil in the realm of Khantun.  Not since the rebellion of Kaimen have i witnessed such a blight.  Enter that realm, dispel darkness, and, if you can, achieve enlightenment.
        The goal is distant, the test arduous.  At times it may prove more practical to avoid a threat than to face it.
        So long as you use your wits and cleave to the Way, your karma will sustain you in this world.  Should you fail in correct persistence, dark spirits will carry your spirit away to face the Mirror of Truth, and you failure will come back to mock you forever.
        Now heed my teachings, that you may gain enlightenment.


THE WORLD BELOW

        (Hexagram 23: Mountain above, Earth below.)

        Deterioration.  The weak earth cannot support the mountain.  The realm deteriorates.  Enlightened people stabilize their lives through generosity towards less fortunate.  - I Ching

        How revered is Choa Ti, the Harmonious Emperor!  His wise policies brought peace for all his subjects.  He opened the way for trade with the distant land of Nubia.  In Choa Ti's reign of three score years no foreigner has dared to invade Khantun.  Achieving venerable age, Chao Ti governed with the mandate of Heaven.
        Yet evil always lurks; it is the Way.  One of the Emperor's Warlords, Zhurong, recently returned from a mission to Nubia.  Though he was ordered only to explore, the ambitious Zhurong turned to conquest.  He pillaged Nubia's principal city and kidnapped the Ivory Princess, daughter of the Kind of Nubia.
        The princess, once heiress to a continent, now inherits only sorrow as Zhurong's slave.
        Zhurong returned to Khantun filled with ambition and dark purpose.  He has conspired with the court alchemist, Shen Jang, to overthrow Emperor Chao Ti.  Together the two usurpers have imprisoned the Emperor and his wife as hostages.  Zhurong now sits upon the ornate Nightingale Throne.
        Since the tyrant Zhurong rules without the mandate of Heaven, thousands have resisted his rule; before many witnesses, his troops massacred the protesters.  Zhurong bands discussion of the vent and outs forth lies that the massacre never happened.  Even more than his blood thirst, this contempt for truth shows he is unfit to rule.  To cut off further resistance, Zhurong has conscripted most able-bodied men to work the faraway jade mines.
        Meanwhile, the crazed alchemist has brought forth evil spirits to take possession of Khantun's holy shrines.  At each new moon, evil spreads across the land line a rising river.
        The priests and monks are sworn to non-violence; the cowed peasants make no resistance; some protesters have fled to the hills and caves, but they cannot organize.  You alone, my disciple, must overthrow Zhurong, defeat Shen Jang and his evil spirits, and restore the Harmonious Emperor to his Nightingale Throne.
        Learn now the nature of this realm, that you may move freely in it.


The Realm of Khantun

        The island of Khantun rise from the Boundless Ocean like the shells of sea turtles.  Some islands, large as continents, hold villages and even the Imperial palace.  Smaller islands stretch from them like the beads of a jade necklace.
        The climate is fair through most of the realm.  Storms may arise at times.  The enlightened person seeks shelter indoors, to avoid the peril of lightning strikes.
        As you visit these lands, mark the passage of time.  As night succeeds day, so do the phases of the moon mark the passage of the months.
        I place you in this realm upon a full moon night.  As the moon wanes toward new, beware.  Of late, the nights of the new moon, when the sky is at its darkest, have brought terrors upon the populace.
        In the body of a humble fisherman, you begin your test in the small fishing village of Xiang Loh.  Only a few people survive here.  Speak with them to learn your first tasks.  You may procure supplies at the merchant's store.  Search for medicine man to meet the needs of health, and pray at the holy shrine to restore your spirit.


Travellers' Tales of the Realm

        As part of the test, I give you no more information about the world than the residents of Khantun know themselves.  In this isolated village citizens know of the further reaches of Khantun's geography only as mysterious places mentioned by passing sailors.
        To the northeast, across the inner reaches of the Boundless Ocean, lines the Emperor's Celestial Palace.  Here Zhurong sits upon his usurper's throne, and the made alchemist pursues his unholy researches.  Here the Emperor and his wife lie imprisoned.
        None may enter the Palace, save for harmless monks.  Even Zhurong dares not anger the heavenly realm by refusing them admittance.  The guards arrest and imprison all other entrants.
        Beyond the Palace lies the Monastery of the Sanctified Order of the Enlightenment Khisa.  In this peaceful place monks take vows to silence and practice the regimen that leads to enlightenment.
        Beyond the land of the monastery no traveller goes -- partly because legend claims that across the ocean lies the Isle of the Dead.  This mysterious realm is an island shrouded in perpetual storm.  Here monsters dwell and demons roam freely.  A mortal traveller cannot hope to survive for long without magical protection.
        Past the lands of Khantun lies areas you cannot hope to visit during your test.  Beyond the reach of maps lies the continent of Nubia.  Far across the ocean in an unknown direction are the Imperial Jade mines.  Your test will not take you to these distant lands.


Personages of the Realm

        Here I share with your descriptions of persons and creatures relevant to your task.


The Imperial Court

The Harmonious Emperor, Choa Ti

        Choa Ti ascended to the throne after decades of chaos under the Fifteen Mad Emperors.  In the "Thousand Beautiful Days" that followed he restored authority, expunged corruption, regulated the currency, created schools, established the civil bureaucracy, and resurrected the Imperial state ceremonies.
        The duration of peace is his reign has never been equalled in the long history of Khantun.  The Emperor remains handsome in his venerated old age.  His rich garments depict dragons and mystic symbols.
        The third and fourth fingernails on each of his hand have grown to no less than nine inches long!
        Overthrown in he 62nd year of his glorious reign, the Emperor now lies in a cell in the prison tower of the Celestial Palace.

The Empress, Cheng Sing

        Once a mere concubine, Cheng Sing so rose in the Emperor's esteem that, many decades ago, he officially recognized their marriage.  The people call her "Beloved Nightingale" for her melodious voice, and the Nightingale Throne is named for her.  She is famous for her collection of jade, gifts from the people and from foreign potentates.
        Cheng Sing blessed the Imperial dynasty with many heirs, but Zhurong has murdered them or exiled them to the jade mines.  Cheng Sing herself is believed to be held captive with her husband.

The Warlord Zhurong

        There is no more awesome warrior in Khantun than the Warlord.  He has mastered the supremely difficult Two Swords Art and moves with such speed that he can pluck flies from the air.  He was a promising leader in Khantun's defending army.  Yet his mastery brought with it ambition and arrogance; he revels in his swordsmanship.
        As you would heed the Warlords's twin swords, disciple, heed the twin perils of pride and cruelty, or you can be no more than Zhurong himself.

The Imperial Alchemist, Shen Jang

        When the Emperor designated him as court alchemist, the inquisitive Shen Jang, was still lucid.  Later experiments with unholy chemicals wrought delusions in his mind.  He went mad.  But his insanity, a cunning variety, let him simulate correct action.  So, against Emperor Choa Ti's strict instructions, he pursued secret researches into the forbidden subject of astral demonology.
        When Zhurong returned from Nubia, the Warlord found a willing ally in the alchemist.  Shen Jang evidently cares nothing for the occupant of the Nightingale Throne.  He only wishes to unleash the results of his demented researches.  Zhurong cards just as little for spiritual matters, and so he allows Shen Jang his insanity.

Kuafu, the Jailer

        All too many an unfortunate soul has been placed under the custody of Kuafu, the pitiless jailer of the Imperial Prison.  However, though quick to brag on how escape-proof his prison is, Kuafu's vigilance is often in question considering his penchant for long naps punctuated by shrill snoring.

Imperial Guards

        Chao Ti's esteemed Palace Stewards, heirs to the traditions of hundred generations, now work the jade mines along with other protesters.  In their stead Zhurong hired dozens of ragtags, scoundrels, vagrants, and failed farmers as his thugs.  This rabble now guards the Celestial Palace.

Concubines

        Though these lovely ladies remain loyal to the Emperor, Zhurong has made them his love-slaves.  They are trained in the gentle arts of song, formal dance, and conversation.  The concubines serve, unofficially, as central coordinators for gossip and rumor in the court.

The Nubian Princess

        Formerly the Ivory Princess of the kind of the distant land of Nubia, she now leads the life of a captive, kidnapped by the deceitful Zhurong during his recent mission of conquest to her homeland.  Few can learn from her since she only speaks her native tongue and refuses to learn the language of Khantun.


People of Devout Ways

Priests

        These monks have devoted their lives to maintaining a holy shrine.  Skilled in ritual and serene in outlook, they can bless the incense you use to send your prayers skyward.  But beware of priests possessed by Shen Jang's evil spirits.  You must exorcise these spirits to heal the priests and restore harmony.

Monks

        In the Monastery of the Enlightened Khisa, monks devote much effort to copying the scrolls of past ages.  Their monastery library holds the lore of ancient scholars.

Shamans

        These animist magicians seek truth through contact with nature.  By protracted study of the laws of the wilderness these wizened man and women deduce ways to influence natural law -- in other words, they learn the ways of magic.

Medicine Men

        Practitioners of the arcane rites of alchemy, these respected tradesmen prepare elixirs, healing balms, and potions that fortify the spirit of cleanse the digestive system.  With proper study they can prepare antidotes to many poisons and drugs.  The rarity of their ingredients forces them to change high prices for their services.

Fortunetellers

        For a nominal fee these seers interpret the mystic I Ching, or Book of Changes, to predict your fate.  Cast three coins six times and the fortuneteller will divine the timeless wisdom of the ancients.


People of Humble Ways

Farmers

        These peaceful folk pray in the shrines each morning, farm their rice fields all day, and sleep on straw mats at night.  Their lives, though strenuous, were happy until Zhurong took the throne.  They gladly offer their dwellings as safe shelters for an honorable disciple who seeks rest.

Fishermen

        Simple folk like farmers, the fisherman trawl for shrimp in small boats.  They take long trips over the Boundless OCean to many different parts of Khantun.  Travellers, impressed with the fisherman's profound knowledge of the waters, often follow his boat to interesting places.

Merchants

        In these trying times goods are short, quantities small, and prices high.  Merchants try as best they can to maintain sticks of useful items.  Merchants in Khantun maintain high integrity and refuse to sell their goods to those of imperfect honor.

Beggars

        By the Harmonious Emperor's decree, blind people received the charity of the state.  Under Zhurong's rule, the blind have been driven to beggary.  In their humiliating circumstances they deserve respect and compassion from those more fortunate.  Though deprived of sight, beggars retain keen hearing.  They often hear information others might miss.


People of Dishonorable Ways

Thieves

        Cowardly skulkers, these vagabonds prey upon the unwary.  They seldom present much threat to the disciple of clear mind and purpose.  But beware of the thief's dagger, often thrust toward the midriff in a rapid assault.  If you fall to a thief, take consolation that they often steal belongings but leave your alive -- so that the thieves may steal from you again, another day.

Assassins

        Among his many other atrocities, Zhurong has recruited the deadly ninja, the cult of assassins, to carry out his ruthless deeds.  These black-clad fanatics attack with shuriken - throwing stars - and deadly fists.  Much legend surrounds these people of the night, making it difficult for me to advise you.

Beasts and Monsters

        Khantun's varied wildlife includes white herons, sea turtles, and other harmless creatures.  Enjoy their beauty.  The Life Force shapes itself in many forms, and the enlightened person takes joy in them.
        More dangerous to your mission are the giant water beetles that rend travellers in their jaws.  (Fishermen sometimes use the jaws of dead beetles as scaling knives.)  Beware also of the sea dragons, monstrous lizards of titanic power.  Do not venture too close to these creatures of the deep, lest they strike at your by surprise.
        Last and deadliest come the monsters from beyond this realm, the dark beings summoned by the mad alchemist:
        The oni, a giant horned demon of poisonous claws and equally poisonous cruelty.
        The fire elemental, a spectral form whose touch imparts burning pain.
        And the astral demon, a malign demigod of profound cunning and limitless contempt for truth.  These demons are possessing and desecrating the shrines of Khantun.  You must exorcise them from those who they possess.  I will explain how momentarily.


Objects of the Realm

        Do not neglect the details of correct living, for your mission tests your resourcefulness as well as your prowess.  In the form of a fisherman, you will require money to purchase food and supplies.  You may earn money by procuring goods a merchant desires, or as a reward for heroism.  If fortune smiles upon your venture, you may also discover wooden chests of money and belongings.  These may be washed ashore on beaches or hidden in the depths of caverns.
        The currency of Khantun, a small brass coin, also purchases other important items:
        Health elixirs that can heal all bodily damage.
        Incense for prayers of restoration.
        Other potions of various natures.
        Parchment, ink, and heron-quill pens, useful for copying scrolls.
        Maps of Khantun and environs.
        And the sextant, a navigational instrument that uses the position of the sun, stars, and landmarks to determine your position.  The sextant serves no purpose indoors.

Boats and Ships

        Khantun is a land set upon the water.  The Boundless Ocean provides food, travel, commerce, and defense from invaders.  Several kinds of ships ride its waters.

Fishing Boats

        A fisherman will spend three quarters of his life on one of these humble vessels hewn from sturdy pine, with no more than a single mast and linen sail.  As your test begins, you stand in Xiang Loh near your own boat.
        You may encounter fishermen at sea.  if you hail their boats, they can offer directions and even sell you supplies.

Pirate Skiffs

        At sea as on land, scurrilous rogues wait to plunder the innocent.  These skiffs, no larger or sturdier than the fishing boats they rob, travel outside normal fishing lanes.
        Aboard pirate skiffs ride merciless thieves and assassins.  They assault their victims first with a barrage of shuriken, the dishonorable throwing star of the ninja.  Assassins even leap overboard and swim over to attack you.
        If you can defeat a pirate crew, you may take control of their vessel and use it as your own.  But no disciple on the path of honor may use their lethal shuriken.

Imperial Warships

        Large craft with hulls of weathered oak and mighty sails, these noble ships now serve the tyrant Zhurong.  Their iron cannons fire metal spheres whose impact can break bones and send the passengers of the target vessel flying into the cold waters upon which they sail.
        Zhurong's guards serve as crew.  Setting forth from the Celestial Palace, they search the Boundless Sea for resisters.  Try to elude these warships if you wish to avoid struggle.


                               THE WORLD ABOVE

                   (Hexagram 20: Wind above, Earth below.)

        Contemplation.  As the wind moves over the earth, so the ancient rulers travelled the world.  They visited its regions and contemplated its many cultures.  Observe and explore new ideas.  - I Ching

        I have found that in all people of good intent dwells the need for enlightenment.  That pursue it in many ways, some ordinary, some curious.  Through the very act of searching, each finds some part of the truth behind all material things.
        Yet recall the tale of the six blind men who found an elephant.  One, feeling its side, said the elephant was like a wall; another, feeling the tail, argued that it was like a rope; a third, feeling the ear, retorted that the elephant seemed much like a sail; and so on.
        In the same way seekers of truth cannot grasp its infinite diversity.  They treasure their small parts of it, and they elaborate it with ritual and doctrine.  Each true in its way, non captures the whole Truth.
        Do not hold them in contempt, disciple.  Rather, delight in their humanity as I do, and contemplate the many aspects of truth they reveal.  All can help you in your quest for enlightenment.

Khisanism

        Those of this faith follow the path of their enlightened founder, who passed from this existence centuries ago.  Followers achieve enlightenment through contemplation, study, prayer, and fasting in moderation.
        The devout monks of the Sanctified Order guard the knowledge of times past.  Study this lore as they do, with clear mind and pure desire for enlightenment.  You can copy their scrolls freely, so long as you have parchment, ink, and a quill pen.
        You may even take the vow of silence and attempt to join the Sanctified Order.  By joining the monks in their daily devotions, you show commitment to their principles.  If you are able to prove your mastery of self, you may earn the marks of their Order, the silk robe and the oaken staff.
        The founder's serene form adorns many shrines around Khantun.  In these shrines you may read the Order's Holy Script and learn useful prayers for renewed energy.  Devotions to the founder's memory take the form of incense, burned in a censer.  The benevolent priests of the Order can bless this incense for you.  Thereafter, when you burn it, your prayers will ascend Heavenward and be answered, whether or not you are in a shrine.
        Certain prayers are known by all who practice the Khisan way.  Though the specific words to the prayers are inscribed in the Holy Script, their purposes are thus...
            Physical healing
            Spiritual restoration
            Forgiveness and renewed honor
        In these troubled times, the mad alchemist Shen Jang has summoned evil spirits on new moon nights to possess the priests of the shrines.  A special prayer of exorcism allows you to cast a fiery trace of demonic influence from the possessed.

Shamanism

        Shamans seeks truth through nature.  They study the ways of animals and the physical realm.  Attuned to the rhythms of the world, these solitary teachers have discerned magical spells that work on the physical form.
        The enchantments rely on talismans and on mantras, chants the improve concentration and activate the realm's magic.  All such enchantments drain the spirit in casting, so that only an adept can maintain them for long.
        Having discovered their spells, shamans typically retreat to caves and meditate on them.  Since this retreat often lasts all their lives, many spells are lost when they pass from this realm.  Only a new enchantments are currently known, and their mantras are closely guarded.  You must seek the mantras in the lore of ages past.
        Shamans create talismans that embody their enchantments.  But to use a talisman, you must have the shaman bind it to your spirit.  This requires a ritual of divination, wherein the shaman examines marks on the shell of a sea turtle.  Reasonably enough, shamans refuse to carry these shells with them, so you must provide one.  Special care must be taken by the practitioner of talismanic magic that he not let his Spirit become drained to depletion.  A depleted SPirit will surely result in death.
        Levitation sends the caster high in the air to gain a brief overview of his surroundings.  The caster cannot move laterally while levitating, so the spell's use is limited.  However, it can be useful to know who -- or what -- awaits you around the next turn.
        Invisibility renders other insensible to the caster's presence.
        Water-walking allows the caster to travel across the sea as though walking on dry land.
        Invulnerability, most powerful of enchantments, renders the caster immune to bodily harm.

Idolatry

        Scholars exert much ingenuity to deduce the ways of the ancient people called the Nahai.  Many generations ago these primitive people built colossal granite idols on some of the islands of Khantun.  Little other evidence of the Nahai remains; they vanished from history before the scholars could learn how they erected the idols.
        The idols depict pagan deities that gaze into eternity.  The Nahai evidently worshipped the idols as symbols of their tribal spirit.  Through rituals of music, feasting, and their mysterious "tantric dance," the Nahai supposedly secured the blessing of their deities.

Alchemy

        In truth lies immortality.  Alchemists of Khantun believe that in immortality lies truth, and so they seek elixirs that preserve and prolong life.
        Alchemy combines the rarest herbs and metallic elements in potions that benefit the body and spirit -- atleast so the alchemists claim.  Some of their ingredients seem unlikely at best and dangerous at worst, such a cinnabar, powered gold, and rat bladders.  And yet infinite are the paths of Truth.
        The alchemist's patient quests have produced several elixirs that may help you in your test.  Consult with medicine men to learn of these.  No alchemist has yet distilled the Elixir of Everlasting Life.  All seek a missing ingredient, the legendary Peach Seed of Immortality.  They believe this to belong to the God of Luck; but thus far no one has been lucky enough to find him.


                       MAKING YOUR WAY IN THE WORLD

                 (Hexagram 56: Fire above, Mountain below.)

        Travel.  Illumination upon the tranquil mountain makes conditions favorable for travel.  The enlightened person is clear-minded and not detained by disputes.  Progress and good fortune through correct persistence.  - I Ching

        In the course of your test you may travel the whole realm of Khantun.  You will face many obstacles and adversaries.  Through correct behavior you will not only restore the Emperor of his throne, but you will also achieve enlightenment.
        As my disciple, you serve the Way of Truth and Understanding.  Serve, in this case, by example; let no one who witnesses your action doubt that you follow the Way.
        Here I summarize the cardinal virtues of my disciples.

The Way of the Disciple

        A clear and Receptive mind -- Most curious are the ways that people think and act at times.  And yet all, in their way, seek peace and enlightenment.  Since every disciple captures some aspect of the Truth, respect and learn from the practices of others.
        Unstained honor -- Live honorably among the people.  Steal nothing.  Show generosity toward the unfortunate.  Never flee from a just battle.  Revere your elders, and respect the common people.  Live cleanly to achieve enlightenment, as the tree must root in clean soil to grow straight and tall.
        Never aggressive, yet ready to defend -- Maintain your physical health as much as your spiritual health, for the enlightened person often meets those who mock enlightenment and would gladly extinguish it.  However, note well the vice of aggression.  The aggressive disciple poisons his spirit through pride and reliance on force; study Zhurong for an object lesson in these dangers.  You must not attack without provocation.
        Always seeking understanding --  Be tolerant of the ignorant, but show no mercy toward ignorance.  The darkness of ignorance waits always to overwhelm the world; the light of understanding flickers without constant care.  Peruse the lore of past times, copy scrolls as you will, and examine their messages for clues to enlightenment.
        Resolute until the deed is done -- The test is complex and requires many days.  You will often face obstacles that appear indomitable.  Do not despair.  As the seed is carried far and then falls at last to fertile ground, you may not yet have found all the tools you require to overcome the obstacle.
        Search widely throughout Khantun.  Do not delay for long at any one obstacle, but seek its solution elsewhere.
        Your MISSION requires cleverness and rewards adroit solutions.

Know Yourself

        Seek enlightenment first through self-knowledge.  Learn your capacities by ranking them in the four traditional attributes, or qualities, of the disciple.
        As your teacher, I help you visualize your attributes by presenting them as rows on the abacus, the traditional calculating device.
        Each row of bead on its wire represents one of your attributes.  Your current status is each attribute is shown by the position of the beads.  The more beads that slide along the row away from their symbol, the weaker that attributes becomes.
        As you rise in my Order, you grow stronger in your attributes.  The beads grow weightier and slide less quickly, giving you greater stamina in each attribute.
        Your attributes and their symbols:
        Body, symbolized by the mighty ox, represents your health and vigor.  Your body attribute is reduced by wounds in combat, by lack of food or sleep, and by the many other perils of like.  When the beads of the body wire all slide away from the ox symbol, your physical form has expired.  The Spectre of Death will try to claim you.
        Spirit, is represented by the lightning bolt, for this is the life force, the ch'i.  This universal force animates your form as the lightning enlivens the night sky.  Your strength of spirit governs the casting of magic.  When you cast a spell, your expend a certain amount of your life force, and a bead slides down the wire.  When all the spirit beads slide to the right, your enchantment fails.  You can regain spiritual energy through prayer of through certain rare elixirs.  But, be forewarned, my disciple... to let one's spirit become depleted is to surrender one's life force to the Spectre of Death.  Caution is urged in the use of magical efforts.
        Honor, is represented by the smouldering incense urn.  The honor from your actions goes forth and drifts among men as the smoke from this urn.
        You lose honor by improper social conduct or by fleeing from a battle in fear.  If too many honor beads slide away from the urn symbol, the common people will be less friendly, and your task will grow more difficult.  The successful disciple strives to maintain perfect honor.
        Karma, the spiritual consequence of your actions, is represented by the symbol of yin and yang.  The ancient glyph shows that good and evil, the positive and the negative, are inextricably related.
        In this test karma shows how many times I allow you to fact the Spectre of Death.  Each time your body or spirit perishes, I shall steal you away from the Spectre and restore your life -- but a karma bead slides down the wire.
        If all of your karma beads come to rest away from the yin-yang symbol, you have failed this test.  The Spectre of Death passes you on the taunting demons of Mirror of Truth.  I dare not reveal the fate they plan for you.

Journeying

        You will travel by land, where you may either walk or run; and on the sea, where you may swim or sail.  Do not attempt to board another's boat, unless it be a dishonorable pirate ship whose pilot has fled.
        Not that by exertion you can speed your normal passage over land or water.  But be moderate in this, for it saps your strength.
        Remember to eat atleast once a day.  A simple handful of rise and fish cakes can sustain you.  Sleep, too, is vital to your health.  Further, you can retreat into sleep when you want time to pass quickly.
        But be careful where you sleep, for dishonorable persons seek to plunder helpless sleepers.  And other menaces lurk within your own spirit.  Dreams may awaken you before your achieve full rest.  Worse, should you fall short of perfect honor, dangerous nightmares may plague your tainted spirit.
        Your leather pouch, which holds most of your possessions, is always at your side.  You can carry bulky possessions at your belt, strapped across your back, or in hand.  You may examine these possessions at any time except during battle, when your attention is obviously elsewhere.
        At every turn seek to converse with those you meet.  They may know something that can help you.  In general, anyone you approach (save for thieves and the life) will strike up a conversation.  Even those who have spoken to your before can share further information as news travels the realm.
        Though the enlightened person respects privacy, a healthy curiosity about one's surroundings is correct.  Enter buildings that offer open doorways.  Examine the scrolls, cabinets, and shelves that you find.  You cannot know whether one may hold something that aids you in your mission.


                           DEFENDING YOURSELF

        The enlightened disciple never attacks.  However, you will certainly need to defend your life and honor in combat.  Herewith, my advice.

Training

        Before you being your test, I offer you the chance to train your defensive skills.  First unarmed, then with a staff, you will face some of the opponents you will encounter in the world:  thieves, assassins, guards, and yet more dangerous foes.  Be aware, though, that those whom you will train against may be far less aggressive than those whom you will defend against in the world.
        If you achieve honorable victories in a full cycle of training before you being your test, I shall grant you early advancement in my Order.
        The enlightened person takes every opportunity to gain self-knowledge.  Learn well your defensive maneuvers and your opponents' patterns of aggression before you venture forth.

Unarmed Defense

        Master the four blows: punch, high kick, front kick and roundhouse kick.  The punch and front kick are quickest to land, but the other kicks are deadly and can stagger your opponent.  Some masters follow a high kick with a punch for doubled effectiveness.
        Blows aimed at the opponent's head yield best results, but these are the hardest to land.  Strikes to the midriff prove more practical in close quarters.
        Step lightly toward of away from the opponent.  For very rapid closing, use handsprings; for rapid distancing, use cartwheels.
        The opponent seldom expects these adroit maneuvers.  You can escape a deadly thrust, or close within the foe's guard to deliver a thrust of your own.  The handspring itself is an attack, as well.
        At all times strive to time your attacks with suddenness of the falcon.  Strike after opponent has completed his attack, and before be can prepare another.

Defending with a Staff

        The staff, symbol of spiritual transcendence, served also as protection for your physical form.  With its long reach you may strike from a safe distance.
        Master the three staff blows: the high swing, the low jab, and the front thrust.  You can also fruitfully employ all the kicks described above.
        Front thrusts and low jabs, quick and easy to use, form the foundation of staff technique.  High swings take longer, but their effect when landing is most rewarding.  Use these with finesse, especially while the opponent is stunned.

Concentration; Intuition

        The disciplined mind can shut out distractions.  Employing concentration, you may speed your perceptions so that each exchange of blows seems to proceed at your chosen pace.
        In this state of concentration you may gauge the situation and choose your next maneuver when you are ready.  The opponent has not time to make more than a single move in response.  By careful consideration you may suit each maneuver precisely to the requirements of combat.
        But the trained fighter also knows that value of surrendering to the moment.  Replying on your intuition, you let your ch'i, you inner spirit, guide your blows.  This method is practical when your confidence is your defensive skill is high and provides great internal satisfaction to the intuitive one.

Reflecting on your Experience

        In the flurry of combat one seldom musters the perspective needed for learning.  I grant you the ability to review each combat after it is completed.  If you reflect on your experience, you may learn your strengths and avoid repeating your mistakes.  The enlightened person reflects on his experience, you may learn your strengths and avoid repeating your mistakes.  The enlightened person reflects on his experience in combat.  Try to discern the techniques each enemy employs, and develop your own maneuvers to counter them.

Your Opponents' Fighting Styles

        You will discover during your training, or soon after you being your test, that your opponents fight with different techniques and patterns.  For example, the clever thief often feigns a high, swinging stab, then suddenly turns it into a short thrust.
        Note also the different time and effect their maneuvers require.  A rabbit punch or jab falls as quickly as the lightning.  But a long sword stroke takes much longer.
        Use this information about your opponent to your advantage.

Fleeing Combat

        In desperate straits you may flee combat.  Flight from a fair battle brings dishonor upon you.  You will suffer a blot upon your honor, and a bead will slide to the right on the abacus of your abilities.


                          THE ORDERS OF ENLIGHTENMENT

                    (Hexagram 19: Lake below, Earth above.)

        Promotion.  The receptive earth about reflects in the lake beneath.  So it is the enlightened person willing to teach and learn from others.  Exceptional progress through persistence.  - I Ching

        I mark my disciple's degrees of enlightenment by these ranks, called orders.  You will achieve greater enlightenment through persistent effort, generosity toward others, defeat of unjustice, and achievement of your goals.
        I shall reward you spiritual growth with greater prowess in the world below.  Recall the abacus of your abilities.  As the enlightened life grows rich, so each bead upon the abacus gains in value according to your Order.  Thus. when you are hurt or cast magic, the beads slide away less often than before.
        Take pride in your increases only as they let you pursue your path with more certainly.  The Way is not pride, but humble regard for one's fellows and harmony with all.
        Remember, there are many things I have not told you.  They are there for you to learn, as part of your test.  Now Process!  The path of the disciple lies before you.


                         The Order of the Windwalker

                The Orders of Earth      The Orders of Water

                   1.  Mongoose             1.  Barracuda
                   2.  Badger               2.  Manta
                   3.  Boar                 3.  Octopus
                   4.  Wolf                 4.  Shark
                   5.  Lion                 5.  Dolphin
                   6.  Bear                 6.  Whale

                The Orders of Air        The Orders of Fire

                   1.  Raven                1.  Viper
                   2.  Owl                  2.  Cobra
                   3.  Heron                3.  Crocodile
                   4.  Falcon               4.  Python
                   5.  Condor               5.  Hydra
                   6.  Phoenix              6.  Dragon


                           AUTHOR's AFTERWORD

        Since the release of MOEBIUS, the predecessor to WINDWALKER, I've given much thought as to the direction of scope the WINDWALKER should take.  Always foremost in my mind has been the desire to provide the player with both pleasurable and intellectually stimulating experience.  In such a way, I have sought to share, in part, the personal joy that I take in the quest for knowledge and understanding about the world around us and the inhabitants therein.
        A common them woven into WINDWALKER's story involves the interaction of the player character with persons of differing viewpoints and experiences from his own.  Perhaps lessons about living in our own real world may be drawn from these game experiences, though just having fun and high adventure are worthy rewards alone to the imaginative mind.  If 'story morals' are transparent to the player, so too might be the other hidden lesson to be found in WINDWALKER, i.e. that expanding one's awareness of the world around us should be a source of great personal pleasure and a challenging end goal within itself.
        Finally, though the player character in WINDWALKER is given 10 karma beads, or game lives, within which to accomplish the story objectives, we can only be sure of one opportunity to fulfill our own personal dreams in this world.  So, whether you are 13 or 30, just starting your life quest, or already well along the path, seek to increase your awareness of the intricate beauty and diversity that this life and the people you meet in it have to offer.  There is no greater treasure to be found, no any greater source of both amusement and entertainment!


                               BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chinese Alchemy: The Taoist Quest for Immortality; J.C. Cooper, Aquarian Press; 1984

Through the Moon Gate: A Guide to China's Historic Monuments; Oxford University Press; 1986

Chinese Herbal Medicine; Daniel P. Reid; Shambhala Publications; 1987

I CHING, The Book of Changes

The I Ching Coloring Book; Rita Aero, Doubleday & Company; 1984

The Archaeology of Anicent China; Kwang-chih Chang; Yale University Press; Fourth Edition; 1986

Oriental Art: A Handbook of Styles and Forms; Auboyer, et al; Rozzoli; 1980

Chinese Mythology; Anthony Christie; Peter Bedrick Books; 1985

Japanese Mythology; Juliet Piggot; Peter Bedrick Books; 1987

Larousse World Mythology; Pierre Grimal; Excalibur Books; 1965

Understanding Far Eastern Art' Julia Hunt; E.P. Dutton Div. NAL Penguin Inc.; 1987

The Art of Zen Gardens; A.K. Davidson; Jermey P. Tarcher, Inc.; 1983

The Japanese Garden: Islands of Serenity; Haruzo Ohashi; Graphic-sha Publishing Co. Ltd; 1986

Light on Yoga; B.K.S. Iyengar; Schocken Books; 1972

Tao Magic: The Secret Language of Diagrams and Calligraphy; Ladzlo Legeza; Thames and Hudson Ltd.; 1975

An Illustrated Cycle of Chinese Festivities in Malaysia and Singapore; C.S. Wong; Jack Chia-MPH Ltd.; 1987

Zen in the Martial Arts; Joe Hyams; Bantam Books; 1979

Ninja: Warrior Ways of Enlightenment; Stephen k. Hayes; Ohara Publications; Inc.; 1981


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| Hideout ..... (608) 873 - 6502              Deathstar .... (313) 261 - 1968 |
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| End of Documentation ........................ Another Fine C96 Presentation |
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