ÿþ<html> <head> <title>Water Well Key</title> <meta content="Mark Patraw" name=Author> <meta content="Images of, and information about, a life-sized Water Well Key item, from the 1993 ASCII Gameboy rpg Wizardry Side Story III: Scripture of the Dark, made by Mark Patraw." name=Description> <meta content="Water Well Key,Ido no Kagi,Wizardry,Side Story,Gaiden,Scripture of the Dark,Yami no Seiten,ASCII,Sir-Tech Software,item,accessory,rpg,fan art,figure,sculpture,model,toy,Mark Patraw." name="Keywords"> </head> <body text=white link=e5ad6b bgcolor=black background="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/kramwartap003/WZD_SotD_bg3_zpsa62e2565.png~original" bgproperties=fixed> <br> <br> <table width=85% align=center cellpadding=10 border=10 bgcolor=252222 bordercolor=455244> <tr> <td> <center> <font size=5>¦0£0¶0ü0É0ê0£0 û0 YOIII <br> Ç•n0V€xQ</font> <br> <br> <img src="http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/MAP2/WZD_SotD_logo.gif"> <br> <br> <br> <br> <font size="7"><b><i>Water Well Key</i></b></font> <br> <br> <table align=center border=0> <tr> <td align=center> <font size=2>D0</font> <br> <font size=6>•N</font> </td> <td align=center> <font size=2>i0</font> <br> <font size=6>8b</font> </td> <td align=center> <font size=2></font> <br> <font size=6>n0</font> </td> <td align=center> <font size=2>K0N0</font> <br> <font size=6>u“</font> </td> </tr> </table> <br> <EMBED src="WZD_SotD_battle.mid" width="0" height="0" autostart="true" loop="true" hidden="true"></center> <br> <p align=left> This is one of several keys that the party must acquire during their adventures if they ever hope to succeed in their quest (original Japanese name: •N8bn0u“, which romanizes to "Ido no Kagi"; "ido" is Japanese for "water well", "kagi" means "key", and "no" is a particle denoting possession or a source). As you have doubtlessly gleaned from its name, said item opens a locked well, which can be found deep in the Southern forest. Removing the lid from said structure will then allow the party to enter a door that was previously unpassable, down on the sixth basement level of the nearby South Cave dungeon. The Water Well Key itself can be found on the first floor of the Temple, on an altar in a hidden chamber. When you first acquire it, the Water Well Key will be unidentified, just like all <i>Wizardry</i> items obtained in the field, and thus, just a generic-looking key with unknown properties, but, returning to town, and paying Mikela $100 to appraise it, or doing it yourself, for free, if one of your party members happens to be a Bishop, will reveal what it really is. <br> <br> This is the location, marked by the red arrow, of the altar on the Temple's ground floor. If you're wondering, M0_0 is Japanese for North (S), and r0L0W0 is East (qg). Thus, the coordinates of the altar are 11 North, 8 East. Please note that all of the following screenshots have been colored by me, as <i>Scripture of the Dark</i> was made for the original black and white Nintendo Gameboy portable gaming system (and the sad thing is, I spent a much greater amount of time enhancing those images, and designing/writing this web page, than I did making the actual key--I have seriously screwed-up priorities when it comes to time management). <br> <br> <p align=center><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/kramwartap003/WZD_SotD_map_temple_altar_zpsf66b424d.png~original" border=3."></p> Here's what you'll see when you step up to that altar. The Japanese hiragana text romanizes to, "Jiin no saidan ni wa kusari kaketa tsue ga tsuki sasatteiru nanika iwaku no aru mono dearouka.", which I would translate as, "On the altar of the temple, there's a staff strewn with chains; an object is on the ground." Have your party search, and they will find the Water Well Key near the staff. <br> <br> <p align=center><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/kramwartap003/WZD_SotD_altar_colored_zps6b000919.png~original" border=3."></p> Man, the local hooligans must really enjoy throwing rocks through the Temple's stained glass windows, huh? I sincerely hope that zombies caught, and ate, those vandals! Of course, maybe zombies are the ones that did it in the first place . . . <br> <br> This is the inventory screen for "Alchemy", my unimaginatively-named Level 14, Good (Zen) aligned (seikaku), 16-year-old (nenrei) female (onna) Mook (Mu-ku) Alchemist (Arukemisuto). Mooks are a hairy, sasquatch-like race of creatures, and, naturally, Alchemists are the character class that specializes in alchemic magic. In addition to the Water Well Key (in red), she also has the Gold Key (Kin no Kagi) and Silver Key (Gin no Kagi), and is equipped with a Dark Night Cloak (Yamiyo no Manto), Mage's Bow (Mahou Tsukai no Yumi), and Pope's Robe (Houou no Ro-bu). The middle window is asking, "Which (item) do you want to use?" ("Dore o tsukaimasu ka?") <br> <br> <p align=center><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/kramwartap003/WZD_SotD_inventory_well_key_zps4bca350d.png~original" border=3."></p> I imagine that it must be sacrilege to wear the Pope's robes if you're not the Pope. Aside from the gender barrier (the Catholics made up that rule, so don't complain to me), no 16-year-old Mook girl that spends all of her time experimenting with dangerous chemicals, murdering innocent(?) monsters, and hoarding mountains of gold is ever going to be pure enough to be the Pope. As I see it, Ms. Mook is probably going to roast in Hell for all eternity! <br> <br> Pictured is the location of the well in the Southern forest region of the game's overworld (note that the only way to get to this spot is to enter from the adjacent Southeastern map area, which isn't shown, but the passage is indicated by the dashed line): <br> <br> <p align=center><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/kramwartap003/WZD_SotD_map_locked_well_zps5834a624.png~original" border=3."></p> Here's a screenshot of the locked well. The romanized Japanese hiragana text says, "Kagi o ake ido no futa o torihazushita.", which I would translate as, "A key is needed to open the well's cover." <br> <br> <p align=center><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/kramwartap003/WZD_SotD_well_colored_zps374d7531.png~original" border=3."></p> Call me crazy, but I bet a burly Fighter, Lord, or Samurai could easily hack or bash their way through that padlock in a minute or two. Warhammer, sledge hammer, it's all same thing to me. RPGs never let you do something practical like that, which is a shame. I don't care if they're "magic" restraints, I guarantee that brute strength would triumph in this case. <br> <br> Finally, here's the door, down on the sixth, and final, basement level of the South Cave, that you may now pass through after opening that troublesome well. <br> <br> <p align=center><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/kramwartap003/WZD_SotD_map_well_door_zps55daaff5.png~original" border=3."></p> If you don't feel like going through that convoluted process, you could just break into our house and steal my real Water Well Key instead. Better watch out though, as my lair is known to be guarded by fur-ocious 2D1+1 cats and 1D1 dogs at all times! Who knows, I might even cast a spell to summon 1D4 police officers to arrest you . . . <br> <br> All right, now that I've finished my lecture on all that game-related stuff, and assuming you haven't fallen asleep, we'll move on to the actual piece of artwork! In the game, there's no image of the Water Well Key, so, all I had to work from was the name. I based my design, in part, on a real vintage key I own, as well as some photos of others that I clipped out of a magazine a long time ago to use as a visual reference for a project like this. <br> <br> <p align=center><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/kramwartap003/WZD_SotD_key_references_zps4c41f1ce.jpg~original" border=3."></p> Nineteen bucks for seven decorative metal keys seems a bit steep to me--half that price would be more reasonable. And, as far as employing them as paper weights goes, while it would probably work, I'd say just be sensible and close the windows! <br> <br> In keeping with the theme I started with the <i>Wizardry Side Story IV: Throb of the Demon's Heart</i> <a href="kin_no_kagi.html">Gold Key (Kin no Kagi)</a> item I made back in 2012, I wanted to incorporate the pair of kanji that means "water well" into the handle. Aside from looking cool, it virtually ensures that I'll never forget what the combination of those two characters mean. Speaking of which, I wanted to take a photo of the two of them together, but I'll be damned if I can remember where I put that Gold Key after I took my last group shot of all my <i>Wizardry</i> art projects. I also briefly considered modeling a cylindrical, brick-textured well for the key's handle, but, after making some sketches, it seemed awkward-looking to me, and it would have probably added unnecessary heft/bulk to the item (not to mention increasing the time needed to complete this piece). <br> <br> Anyhoo, here's the completed Water Well Key. If you want to try replicating the color/finish you see, what I did was paint the entire key matte black, dry brushed silver over that, applied a nutmeg brown wash, and then sealed the whole shebang with a thin white glue top coat. </p> <p align=center><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/kramwartap003/WZD_SotD_well_key_zps436b98f9.jpg~original" border=3." alt="Why the hell are you sticking that key in a door when the label clearly says 'water well'?"></p> <br> <p align=center><b><font size=+1 color=gold>Materials:</font></b> <br> Newsprint, cardboard, lined white paper, tissue paper, white glue, and acrylic paint.</p> <p align=center><b><font size=+1 color=gold>Dimensions:</b></font> <br> 8.3 cm (3.3") in length x 2.9 cm (1.1") in width at the widest part of the handle.</p> <p align=center><b><font size=+1 color=gold>Time:</font></b> <br> Several hours on July 9, 2014.</p> <br> <hr width=650 size=3 color=gold> <br> <br> <center><font size=+1 color=gold><b>REFERENCES:</b><br></font></center> <br> <li>&nbsp;&nbsp;Emonoya <i>Wizardry Side Story III: Scripture of the Dark</i> <a href="http://www.pekori.jp/~emonoya/item/g3/g3i_6.html">Miscellaneous Items (Japanese)</a>. </li> <br> <li>&nbsp;&nbsp;Mark's Art Page <i>Wizardry Side Story III: Scripture of the Dark</i> <a href="WZD_SotD_bestiary.html">color bestiary (mine)</a>. </li> <br> <li>&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Wizardry Side Story III: Scripture of the Dark</i> Nintendo Gameboy video game. <br> </li> <br> <br> <br> <p align=center><a href="wizardry_index.html"><font size="5">&laquo; Return to my <i>Wizardry</i> Fan Art Gallery Index Page</a></font> <br> <br> <br> <font size="2"><i>This is a nonprofit web site. <br> <br> Any and all copyrighted imagery, terminology, etc., depicted on this page belongs to its respective holders/owners, namely ASCII/Sir-Tech Software. <br> <br> The repeating background graphic is cutscene artwork of the demon statue, from the South Cave area of the game, that I digitally colored. <br> <br> The midi music playing is the "battle" theme from Wizardry Gaiden III: Scripture of the Dark.</i></p> <br> </td> </tr> </table> </body> <br> <br> </html>
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