S H U N N E D

by J. Gonchong

Okay, there are a few different approaches to doing this mission. It is possible to sneak it, with some patience, an important point being that the light mushroom on the second floor (Third if you're American) is 'fragile' and can be taken out by an broadhead arrow.

Anyway, from the top:

I: Dead Souls: The Necronomicon
You've just jumped over the garden wall. All looks calm, if a little derelict. What's that in the well? Weird! A singing skull! Lets try the front door, calmly ducking as the gargolyes unleash a magic missile at us. Ugh! Blocked, and a less than friendly welcome to boot! Try round to the left of the house, hiding from a strolling Zombie. Hmm, the shed looks interesting, and a chest therein yields something that may be of use later on. On to the rear patio door then. Pool could do with a little maintenance. Spying round the corner you see two Zombies wandering around. One looks a little pale, too pale to be of any bother, and the other.. well.. stinky. Wait for stinky to wander out of sight, sneak in and hide in the kitchen to the right. Eek! a spider! A swift arrow or sword chop should suffice. And that door seems to have a mind of it's own. Open in a crack, and wait for stinky to head away from you again. Follow him into the hallway and hide near the broken stairs in the shadows. I don't think we'll make things difficult trying to climb them. Wait for Stinky to pass again and head round towards the front of the house, noting the locked cellar door and general decay of the front rooms. Aha, a diary page in the front room. Maybe some insight into what's going on? A hole in the roof seems a safer way up than the stairs, and a well place rope arrow should do the trick. Up in the ruined bathroom (I think the toilet fell through the floor...) and a cheery skeleton seems to be enjoying a nice bath. Have a closer look.. Splash. Urk. Hey, think I'll keep that water crystal. Carefully leave the bathroom onto the little gallery. Creepy statue. Keep in the shadows, something very unpleasant's in the next room. Hmm whats that behind those boxes? Aha! Fistral's old Necronomicon hideaway. Maybe he's still got something useful in there. Back to the main room and it's unpleasant occupant. There are a few things lying around, including another diary page, but the guardian won't give it up that easily. With luck you can sneak past him deftly. You have a feeling it takes quite a few holy arrows to drop that thing. Onto the stairwell. Note little hiding place beneath in case of trouble. Another diary page. Read it. Hmmm interesting...Fistral dumped his spare safe key in the pool. Good job you remembered to get it on the way in wasn't it? Having gone all the way back to retrieve the key, sweating and cursing you climb the stairs, crouched, slowly. You take objection to the way that skull on the cabinet grins at you. Arrggh! Its flying towards you with great speed! Run! Duck! Smash! By this point you may well have alerted everyone with your thrashing around, so its time to let the creatures on this floor eat holy arrow. Unless you're trying to sneak, of course. From this floor you can access the balcony (nice view, but occupied) A small bedroom (Something useful?) And a boarded up room. What's in there? Not caring about noise now you smash it in with your sword, and enter into an oasis of eerie calm. A ghost Hammerite wishes you better luck than him with the undead fiends. His story is in his journal, and a few other trinkets lie around.
Back onto the main floor, and up the stairs to the attic. A Hammerite head bounces down the stairs in warning. A narrow corridor on top with access to the Eaves. Nice view. A lone Zombie stands in the midst of a shattered room, and another diary page floats around. Looks like some kind of arcane portal. A locked door (You knew those lockpicks would come in handy) gives you access to the roof. Don't fall off. Climbing up the sloped areas reveals another small roof area. Whats this near the edge? Strange place for a safe! Must have had something to hide! Still, the key from the pool soon opens it, and you take it's contents.
You now work your way all the way back down to the cellar door, unlock it (more rotten stairs) and drop down. Two ghosts of servants past seem to have been at the grog, but don't worry, they are shy. Unlike the rotten spiders down here. Arrows to the rescue. Now that hole looks unpleasant. Jump down (Or rope arrow down if you value your anklebones) into a strange tunnel. You traverse this, minding the bottomless pit, and... OH !
Stranger and Stranger. The flying Shub-gub-gib thing talks tough, but if you're quiet he'll leave you alone. Like those skulls... Drop down and sneak round the edge. Make a break for the book. Kneel down and read it...

BOOM!!
.....falling...
...........falling.........
SPLASH!

Head above water, breathe, breathe calm down. All this pent up magic seems to have blown the crap out of the house. Oh dear, and by the sound of it Hammerite reinforcements have arrived to investigate the commotion you've been making. Best get out of the water. You mantle up onto terra firma. Running over to the remains of the dining room you look through a crack in the wall the ensuing battle, rooting for whatever side you most fancy to win.

II: A Means To An End: The Hand of Glory
Intuitively realising that the Hand Of Glory must have been in that chest you noticed up in an previously inacessable part of the eaves, you decide to rope arrow and mantle back up there. Different ways to do this. A good way up to the very top is to plant a rope arrow right in the apex of the roof, get onto this from the ruined bathroom, climb up and jump. Your journey is watched attentively by a very strange floaty head...

III: Love Will Tear Us Apart: The Wedding ring
Outside. You may have to mop up any survivors from the battle. The late Fistral and his Wife have been woken by all the noise. Dispatch them using some of the Hammerites left over battle kit. Her ring should be in the grave, after a good grub round.

IV: I Remember Nothing: Escape
The garden wall seems to have been blown away. You flee through the orchard, swearing you'll stick to the humdrum task of robbing the manors of fat noblemen in future.