<!-- Do not use the "dated prod" template directly; the above line is generated by "subst:prod|reason" -->


Diadem of Maunstraut is the first full-length King's Field fangame made with Sword of Moonlight <ref>Sword of Moonlight: The King's Field Making Tool is a computer program to build King's Field games http://www.fromsoftware.jp/main/soft/som.html</ref> to be in the English language. The game has a concept similar to the traditional King's Field games (and other games of the series) as well as its own original soundtrack.

History

Before a concept for a game was created, there was the musical project Maunstraut done by Tom Eversole, which used MIDI to emulate an instrumental orchestra. Major influences for the Maunstraut sound were gothic video game soundtracks from series such as Legacy of Kain, the Myst games and King’s Field. Once JDO Translations translated the Japanese-only Sword of Moonlight to English<ref>JDO Translations specializes in converting Japanese language software and games to English http://jdo-translations.100webspace.net/JDO.html</ref>, Diadem of Maunstraut went under development at end of June 2008, and was completed with its first version mid August 2008. A major highlight of the game was the original soundtrack.

Story

The royal crown, a mystical diadem, repels evil in the land of Maunstraut. It begins to crack and a great source of evil is soon discovered to be the cause. Lord Schnell, the reigning King of Maunstraut, decides to sent his most trusted servant, Zeir Grimholdt, to the darkest corners of the land, in hopes to seek out and destroy the source of evil and aid in the diadem’s repair. Zeir is to seek out the “signs and swords” of the land, to build his power and destroy evil once and for all.

Maps

The world of Maunstraut is very large and has multiple areas, divided into their own worlds similar to Shadow Tower of King's Field kin. Here is a list of different worlds:

The Forbidden Fields & Caves

The Passage of Sorrows

Castle Imbrium

*Ensom Grav – The Earth Lair

*Fortapelse – The Fire Lair

*Sorgsvarte – The Wind Lair

*Livets Rett – The Water Lair

IX Legio Draconis – Praesidium

Items & Equipment

Some items and equipment are featured exactly as they are in the King’s Field series; others are new additions. These are a few examples of items and equipment that can be bought or found throughout the land of Maunstraut:

Items

*Earth Herb - The leaves from this plant can cure minor wounds.

*Magic Essence - A small gem that when consumed will replenish a small amount of magic.

*Phantom Rod - A magical staff that will reveal hidden walls for a short period of time; in exchange for a large amount of magic.

*Maunstraut Ore - Consuming this gem recovers a large amount of magic and health.

*Graveyard Key - A key to the royal graveyards and gardens around Castle Imbrium.

*Fruit of the Healing Tree - Holding out this magical fruit will forever bring you back to the place of healing.

Equipment

*Holbein Dagger - This dagger blessed by a priest helps resist darkness. It also has a small amount of holy power.

*Long Sword - A medium weight sword with a long blade.

*Leather Armor - Leather armor which offers more protection than bare clothes.

*Crescent Axe - A large axe with excellent range that takes much effort to swing due to its heavy weight. An all around powerful weapon.

*Iron Arms - Iron arm guards which still allow great maneuverability.

*Magic Defense Amulet - Offers a small magical power increase and slight protection against magic elements.

Magic

Like the other King's Field installments, there are quite a few spells to learn and the game play is heavily magic based. Generally speaking (there are exceptions) defensive spells are learned from gaining levels, and attack spells are learned from magic pedestals. A few instances:

Offensive Spells

*Resonance Nonetheless - A permanent wizard's script to summon shockwaves along the ground. Effective only at close range.

*Perkuno's Flame - This spells summons all the hatred of the damned and expels it in a wave of flames. Has the power of fire. Works best in large, open, flat areas.

*Our Destiny Beckons - Summons dark waters from the ground in an extreme gush of water. Impales and freezes in great force.

Defensive Spells

*Sacred Defense - A spell to add an all around defense increase for a short duration.

*Hallowed Defense - A fairly strong spell that will increase all around defense for a time.

*Resurgence - A powerful recovery spell that cures all status effects and heals the body.

Enemies

Diadem of Maunstraut has an arrangement of enemies. Some of them have appeared on previous King's Field games, others have appeared under a different names, and some enemies are entirely new. Here are a few examples:
:*S-Knight - A large armored snail that attacks from a distance. Strong against physical attacks, weak against magic. Has harnessed the power of earth.
:*Psythe - A skeleton disgruntled because of its ghost head. It's magic will curse, and its attacks bring darkness. Beware in groups.
:*Wild Kobalt - A man given wolf appearance by a curse. Disgruntled because of this, they wish to smash all humans. Resistant to magic.
:*Resilient Golem - A very tough and durable golem. Strong against all types of magic and physical attacks. With no weakness, only persistent attacks are effective.
:*Skeleton Soldier of Bitterness - A skeleton soldier armed with a debilitating cleaver. Attacks cause lethargy and it has unparalleled defense.
:*Log Stalker - Before he died, the warlock Geryon decided to animate an entire forest to make an evil army to do his bidding. A warrior with high magical and physical defense was born. Resistant to water.

NPCs

NPCs (or Non-Playable Characters) are abundant in Maunstraut, even though there are no designated towns. Civilians sometimes have valuable information, sometimes they're just plain crazy, sometimes they're both. Most are in need and will donate something useful to your cause if you provide for them.
:*Erschiessen - A sinister looking shop keep who makes deals with the dead. Secretly wants to do business with the living but would never admit it.
:*Thelema the Bard - A magical messenger from Lord Schnell with vital information to complete your quest.
:*Cornutus - A visitor to Livets Rett. Has suddenly gone insane after drinking large quantities of the water he is standing in. He knows one secret of the area.
:*Archbishop Mithras - The only archbishop in this corner of Maunstraut. He remains in the temple and on active duty. He is very wise, knows and guards great secrets, and is very powerful.
:*Shemhazai - The last and 9th of the Legio Draconi. Each dragon in ancient times guarded a sect of Maunstraut. Shemhazai guarded all the temples.

The Death of King’s Field

A major motivator in Diadem of Maunstraut's production was the death of the King's Field series. On June 2nd 2006, Mark Johnson head of Agetec announced that, until further notice, there will not be any other King’s Field (type) games being developed.<ref>Mark (Duhrin) goes into detail throughout a YUKU post, the death of King's Field http://agetec.yuku.com/topic/1758</ref> This was hard news to take amongst diehard fans. A select few began to seek out Sword of Moonlight, an almost forgotten PC relic, with attempts to make their own games.
The full version of Diadem of Maunstraut is free for anyone to download.<ref>Diadem of Maunstraut information, screenshots and game download http://agetec.yuku.com/topic/2414</ref> It is an ode to all King’s Field type games created by From Software and published to the US by Agetec. It is also a gift to the fans of this series who are craving a new game of this genre.

Acknowledgements & Credits

Tom Eversole - Map design & item/object/enemy placement and schematics, soundtrack and artwork

John Osborne - Sword of Moonlight translations, patches and fixes, additional Diadem of Maunstraut objects and items

----

References