Legend of Grimrock – level 9

Level 8 was not hard at all. Even the ogres couldn’t spoil the fun.

This level begins with a sign claiming it’s a “Temple” and some fire elementals.

The long tapestries on the walls can be cut with a sword and often have something behind. In the first area after the entrance you will find hidden:

• Button opening the “Scriptures” area.
• Alcove with food.

Scriptures.

Fire elemental holding the Ornate key.

Alcove with a scroll about a vow from the order of fire protecting the Undying one.

Another alcove with much more useful scroll:

Checkered room.

This are has 12 pressure plates and few tapestries. Behind one of the tapestries is an alcove with a scroll:

“This is the Checkered Room.
Don’t let it fool you.”

Actually both possible checkerboards which you can do in this room will open the portcullis. But only one of them is useable.

The corridors after the checkered room leads to the Armory (west) and Temple grounds.

There are two reverting squares in the corridors towards the temple. You will find them by the disappearing iron ring on the wall when you step on them. It’s almost like there is a glitch in the game and the texture fails to display but is actually well designed trick to fool you if you don’t use map often.

They rotate you 180 degrees and you get back where you came from.

To pass them – just step back and step forward again.

Armory.

The armory is guarded by a fire elemental.

There are some arrows, lightning bomb, longsword, ring mail and iron basinet.

You already have better stuff, so just collect what you can use.

Break the crates. Behind one of them you will find a button opening a small room with a fire elemental and the Norja:

Excellent weapon if you are focused on axes.

Temple grounds

This area starts with a warning. Cool. More fights.

There is a generator of Ice Lizards, which will come for a fight in random number. They are not very strong but they are very sturdy, so prepare for long fights. Lizards give 675 experience and occasional Ice lizard steak (food). Ice lizard steak fills you completely, so stash them somewhere when done.

Explore the area and when you kill around 15 of them, they will drop the golden key.

A button opens a secret room in the northwest area with pit-fighter gauntlets:

There is a lever which opens a blast door with the Lightning bolt scroll:

North of the regenerator, you will find a circlet of war:

Behind the regenerator room, there is area which can be closed with portcullis, so you isolate the Ice Lizards. Yo may go there to make your next stand.

Outer Sanctum.

Needs the ornate key from the Scriptures room.

As soon as you enter the room, the door will shut and 3 fire elementals will come. Try Fire shield if you have it – to minimize damage (16-th level fire spell).

[There is a button in the center area, which opens the way back out.]

The area is divided in 3 parts, each one has inscription and teleporter.

“Hands that slaughter, Eyes that deceive.”
“Three ancient beings of deep.”
“Sun of hatred.”

A scroll will emerge in the feet of the central statue after you unsuccessfully enter any 3 of the portals. It says:

“III – II – I – III”

Now let’s get back to the inscriptions:

1. Sun of Hatred (One sun).
2. Hands that slaughter, Eyes that deceive. (Two hands)
3. Three ancient beings of deep. (Three beings).

This means, the order is: West-North-South-West.

This leads you to the next area, with some trap doors, shooting heads and teleporter back.

Drop something on the floor, so the plate remains pressed.

Don’t go towards the heads – poison cloud.

Drop something behind the portcullis, so the pressure plate opens it.

On both sides of the trap door will be levers – pressing both opens small room with alcove containing another Ornate key.

The trap door leads to a room on level 10 with 3 empty torch stands, teleporter back and small secret room. You need 3 torches and 2 rocks to open it:

Cast darkness just to be sure (I marked the torches’ “cross” with N on the main map). (According to Chris – you may also use Throwing stars instead of rocks and it also works.) The reward is the “Cuirass of Valor“:

Pillared hallway.

There are invisible teleporters, take you back from where you started and the hallway looks endless. See the map. This is where the clue “Two times left she slithers …” comes into account.
I’ve drawn a map for you, if you can’t figure it out yet:

If you don’t do it right – you get back to where you start.

A fire elemental will come to greet you for your success reaching next area.

There are some corridors. In one of them you will find another Toorum note pressed by a rock:

One room has 2 hornets and some tapestries for slashing. Behind one of the tapestries is the Lurker hood. The hornets can disease you, so be vigilant.

Corridors end with a blast door opened by a hidden button (west wall, 2 squares before door).

In an alcove, you will find another free level-up:

Taking the book opens the four side walls, so you need to take it (who wouldn’t?). This allows you to get faster to past areas and opens another way west.

The way west is the blue stone and one…

Extremely nasty cryptic puzzle 🙁

There are 4 inscriptions and 4 alcoves. The inscriptions say:

• “Tear of the Land”
• “Game’s bane with head of steel”
• “Unraveller of Mysteries”
• “Severed Dread”

You need to place items in the alcoves, according to the short puzzle inscription. If you manage to guess the item, the alcove says :Click:…

It took me some head scratching. I was a step away to run to the forums screaming and cursing. The easiest 2 to guess are…

• “Tear of the Land” – is ordinary rock. There is one on this level, pressing another Toorum note (look above). Not hard to guess – but it was still a fluke.
• “Severed Dread” – is a skull. The verb “severed” is used for body parts. (Still quite hard if English is not your native language and there are no other hints.) Let’s hope you have a minotaur Head Hunter with you and you collect skulls. Otherwise, the best place to look is in the end of level 7 in an alcove, just before the main exit to level 8.

Now the two others, much harder:

• “Game’s bane with head of steel” – An arrow ;( … I actually tried all helmets and got 2 levels above to collect few more from places I’ve stashed useless junk. Then I’ve tried watching the GAME opening video and staring at the GAME’s logo to spot SOMETHING that is the BANE of the GAME and has steel HEAD… Then I remembered, that GAME also translates as something TO HUNT, such as deers, boars and so … and they are hunted with arrows. (Bolts will also “click” if you don’t have arrows).
• “Unraveller of Mysteries” – turned out to be a key. But I also tried the compas, most of the Toorum scrolls and some things that were not logical at all. Then I’ve surrendered and read the game forum. Obviously the two loose keys were here on purpose. There were no any more doors to open on this level and … CLICK! Both gold or ornate key will fit.

After the door opens – you may collect all your stuff back. No need to abandon good arrow or +3 Minotaur Head hunter attack from a skull.

After the exit is an alcove with scroll praising your awe … you don’t say.

There are few more easier areas left.

The treasury.

3 gold key doors and only one gold key again.

• North room has second Flarefeather hat and second Serpent bracer. You already have such items if you followed this guide.
• West room has plate greaves and 2 frost bombs. IMHO – totally useless.
• South room has ANOTHER book of Infinite wisdom.

Puzzle room

“Made from the dead
Guillotined Man
does not need me.”

The answer is Bone amulet. There are 2 in the upper levels, so go collect if you dropped them. (First bone amulet is on level 2 – room “Enter thy grave”. Don’t remember where I’ve found the second.)

The reward is Zhandul’s orb. Quite good for mages:

Next area is opened by ornate key you took from one of the puzzles. (You don’t abandon it in the alcove in the previous puzzle – yes?) The area is a spiral going clockwise:

One long corridor south, then long corridor west. In the middle of the second corridor is a button. It opens the door back to the start. There are 2 ogres in those corridors. And when you get attacked a wall will barrage your way back. So, in case you need to return to the blue healing stone for revive – be sure to find the hidden button.

In the end of the spiral is the way to level 10. Good job. Time for Goromorg temple II.