 Guardians of Zork, 948 (A) 1st DM beyond Guardians, 948 (A) |
The Guardians of Zork are a military order of ancient lineage, the memory of which has been preserved in the form of two massive, identical stone statues in the Eastlands, deep underground. These statues face each other from pedestals on opposite sides of the corridor in the third level of the Dungeon of Zork in perfect symmetry. These guardians are portrayed as heavily armored warriors standing at ease, hands clasped around formidable bludgeons, appearing ready to strike. Though normally impassive, they come alive and destroy all intruders (and objects) trying to gain entrance to the Treasury of Zork.
Any effort to attack the guardians is about as useful as attacking a stone wall (and also attracts their attention to dispatch the infiltrator effortlessly). There have been two known ways to bypass this defense. The first is any method of invisibility. The second, used by the Second Dungeon Master, was to enter a box with mirrors on either side and gradually slide past. Since both statues were completely identical in perfect symmetry, they will not realize that they are watching a reflection of their twin. But this use of mirrors must be done perfectly, for even the slightest wobble will arouse their suspicions, as well as their powerful bludgeons.
| SOURCE(S): Zork II |