Backstory of Dungeons of Avalon

The following backstory is translated from the German version of the manual.

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It was a land of sun and fragrant meadows, the land of Avalon. People lived happily ever after in their small town of H-Khan. They went about their daily business with joy and were hospitable to every stranger who visited their country.

So it happened that one day a magician visited this beautiful land and gratefully accepted the hospitality of the inhabitants. But people did not know what terrible intent this wizard was seeking their land. Soon they realized that this master of black magic would only bring disaster and ruin on their peaceful land. But they were too weak to do anything against him.

So he began to tyrannize the people of Avalon. He crowned himself the ruler of this land and killed anyone who made even the slightest attempt to overthrow his rule. Through his magical power he had the opportunity to blackmail the people. He enchanted the country in a cold snowy landscape and threatened to destroy everyone’s belongings if he did not do what he ordered.

He let the poor people build a castle, which he protected by an entangled labyrinth. By now his power was so great that no one dared to drive him out of the country. Rather, creatures of the underworld came from all gentleman countries to submit to him and live in his kingdom. They settled and built a city of evil around his castle called Ghale. So they controlled the evil wizard’s labyrinth and protected him from anyone who entered his realm with heroic intent.

So it happened that the wise sorcerer Arakus set out to banish the evil sorcerer Rhateph from his kingdom and put an end to the curse of the cold. But on the way through the labyrinth to the city Ghale he was attacked by robbers and killed. His secret of how he wanted to defeat the evil Rhateph, he hid in the dungeons through hidden and cryptic riddles, so that an equally good magician would finish his task and free the land Avalon.

People went off to fathom the mystery of Arakus, but no one could interpret and understand the puzzles correctly.

But now is the time to stop the evil rule and find the rune that can save the land of Avalon.

The people have gathered to provide five volunteers who will banish the dark ruler forever and forever from his evil realm. Now it’s up to you to choose the right people and lead them through the dark labyrinth on their hard way. Make your decisions wisely, and the land of Avalon can be saved …

Notes

1. It says here “H-Khan”, though in the final game the city’s name is written H’Khan. It’s a clear reference to the name of the game’s author, Hakan.
2. The “land of snow” storyline is referenced in an unused graphical effect appearing in an early alpha version of the game. At the title screen, which shows a mountain range, clicking the mouse button causes the mountaintops to turn white.
3. If Rhateph overthrew the king and crushed all rebellion, then who is the king that the party reports to in the ending credits?
4. It appears that at some point after this backstory was written, Arakus was renamed to Kham. No mention of Arakus is made in the game itself, and he fills the same role as Kham.
5. “Kham” may be another reference to Hakan, the game’s creator.
6. It’s possible that Arakus is a reference to Ara, founding member of German demoscene group Argon. Dungeons of Avalon musician Rudolf Stember was also a member of this group. “Ara” is also mentioned in the game with the items Ara’s Shield and Ara’s Armour, and appears in the early alpha as the namesake of the Temple of Ara.
7. The backstory refers to “five volunteers” because in the early alpha, the party contained only five characters. This is another suggestion that this backstory was written before the final game.