|
|
The Keep of Mahn-Tor by Chris
Ahh, the Keep of Mahn-Tor (or as you probably know it, the Minotaur Village out in the middle of nowhere). This-rarely visited area has some fine equipment on it's "Minotaur elite" group, and also has some passable gear on it's other denizens. All of it is fairly valuable to; nothing outrageous though. I
The first thing to know about this particular area, is that it does a good job of inspiring an image; the image of an icey mountain-top village, alone and desolate. You can almost feel the bitter chill of the wind, blowing across the ice-wastelands to the east and below - it's howl almost fills your ears. You can almost feel your footing slip along the thick layer of whitish-clear ice on the roads and streets. It's a relief to find the tower keep finally, and to gain entrance (perhaps after dropping a few of the guards). On the surface, this area is fairly plain, with nothing really notable being easily seen. But after you explore a bit - bumping into doors and elite guards - you relize that there is quite a bit to this place, more then first meets the glance. The minotaur elite are in a seperate hallway; you'll need to kill a keyguard, and then figure out how to use the keys, before you'll get to meet them, behind thier brightly colored doors. The Minotaur King - Mahn-Tor himself - is hidden away very carefully, with a few slave girls to keep him warm. He's also hiding pretty good, if ya dont notice him at first.
Nearly every mob has some equipment on them, wether it's the common Kopish sword of the average citizen, or the nearly full sets of armor on some of the elite. The weapons are of only average or slightly below average quality - nothing to write home about, certainly. The armor and magical items, are of variable quality - some is acutally quite useful (there's a healing wand and a con-increasing belt, for example), some of it's not very useful at all.
Most interesting is to come here without gating. The way to this area is through an artic wasteland, through a portal at a small sea in the north woods. While it would have been more "interesting" to have the artic wastelands at a point far across the sea, the current system is fine - with the wastelands through a portal, to a temple in the ice. If your in your early 20's or below, be ready - not only will the maze-like trek test your endurance and stamina, but the mobs will test your combat ability, particuarly the frost-damage iceworms. It makes gaining the summit, and the minotaur village itself, feel like a real accomplishment.
Note that if you are under 20 or so, you wont last long at the village proper; best to bring a freind or 3. A group of 4 20 - 25's should be able to take out most of the village and some of the keep, if not Mahn-Tor himself. So, next time your in the mood for a very imaginative, and vividly described level, take a peek at the ice-stronghold of Mahn-Tor, king of the minotaur's; you wont be disappointed.