The Paradox Tower Quest
Step 1 Learn the story of the feared Hugo
Before the Riddler lets you through, you must have heard the story of Hugo from 4 NPCs, in this order: say "myth" to Oldrak in the temple on the Plains of Havoc (32816,32260, floor 6), "crunor's caress" to Zoltan in the magic academy of Edron (33268,31849, floor 4), "footnote" to Padreia in the druid guild of Carlin (32300,31816) and "stable" to Lubo north of Thais (32488,32119). Each of them brushes you off until the one before has told you their part. Without the whole story the Riddler's second question turns into a trick question that always ends in Hellgate. Shopping on the way: Imalas in Carlin (32334,31801) sells melons, bananas, cherries and grapes, Lubo sells red apples, and no NPC sells coconuts - sibangs drop them.
Step 2 Fetch key 3899 from the dead tree
The locked door on floor 4 of the tower opens with key 3899 from the dead tree at 32497,31887, north of the tower. Leave Kazordoon by its northern exit at 32579,31891, rope up at 32567,31940 and drop through the hole at 32558,31962 (floor 6) into a small valley. Dig into the loose stone pile at 32558,31960 with a shovel, rope up at 32546,31969 (floor 8), walk west and dig into the stone pile at 32489,31965. The minotaur cave below leads north to the rope spot at 32466,31874 (floor 8); on the surface follow the path east to the tree. The only tile next to it, 32497,31888, is a trap: 200 poison damage and poison fields around you - unless something lies on the tile 32502,31890 behind the bushes, so first throw any junk item there from 32500,31890. The tree gives 1 key per character. A door opened with it stays unlocked for everyone until the daily restart, unless someone locks it with the key again.
Step 3 Climb the mountain and sacrifice 4 skulls
The tower is reached from a mountain top above the same valley, and the climb needs the Levitate spell (exani hur up; premium, level 11, magic level 3) - 3 parcels dropped on your own tile also lift you 1 floor when you walk north, but without the spell the only way back is through Hellgate. At 32571,31975 cast it facing north and again from where you land (floor 6); on floor 5 step north to 32571,31972 and cast it again, and once more from 32571,31971 on floor 4, where 2 wyverns live. On floor 3 pass the level 30 gate at 32567,31969 and rope up at 32561,31974 and at 32566,31968 (floor 2). On the mountain top put exactly 1 skull on each of the 4 sacrificial stones (x 32563, 32565, 32567 and 32569, y 31957, floor 1) - a bigger stack is used up as well - and step on the strange carving between them, 32566,31957. You land at 32479,31923 below the tower and the skulls are gone, so every trip costs 4. The 4 strange carvings at 32486,31927, a few steps south-east, take you back to the mountain top.
Step 4 Uncover the stairs on the ground floor
North of the landing spot a corridor is choked by 3 rows of jungle grass (y 31920 to 31922), and the tower room behind the doors at 32478,31907 is overgrown too, around rings of stones. Cut through the corridor with a machete, then cut a path along the west, north and east walls to the switch at 32481,31905 - its grass as well - plus a side path from 32480,31900 down to 32479,31903, next to the hidden stairs at 32478,31902. Cut grass grows back after 5 minutes. The switch only works once both grass tiles at 32478,31920 and 32479,31920 in the corridor have grown back, and you cannot see them from there: wait until 5 minutes have passed since you cut the corridor, step on the switch (off and on again if nothing happens) and walk straight to the stairs. Get your whole group inside first - anyone who steps on the ground right outside the doors (32478,31908) hides the stairs again. The tower is a protection zone.
Step 5 Levers, a crate, fruit and chess pieces
Wherever a ladder is already in place from an earlier group, just climb it. Floor 6: the 6 levers on the north wall must point right, right, left, left, right, left from west to east (after a restart all point left, so pull the 1st, 2nd and 5th); then the lever at 32479,31905 places a ladder at 32476,31904. If that ladder is already there, leave the lever alone - pulling it again removes the ladder. Floor 5: the lever at 32481,31904 drops a crate into the walled-off strip to the north, where a ghoul is locked in. The ghoul kicks the crate around, and while the crate lies on the switch in the corner at 32476,31900 a ladder stands at 32478,31904 - climb it at once. That is pure luck and can take a while; stay on this floor, because the ghoul only moves while it sees someone, and after about 100 seconds the lever can be switched back and pulled again for another crate. Floor 4: open the door at 32479,31903 with key 3899 and put 1 melon, banana, cherry, red apple, grapes and coconut on the 6 counters, in this order from west to east; the lever at 32479,31905 takes the fruit and places a ladder at 32476,31904, which then stays until the daily restart. Floor 3: put a white knight on 32478,31903 and a black knight on 32479,31903 - the same sides as the statues of Cedric, the white knight, and Tristan, the black knight - and pull the lever at 32478,31904; the ladder appears at 32479,31904 and disappears if someone pulls the lever back. Chess pieces lie in game rooms, for example in the drawers at 32619,31987 (black knights) and 32621,31987 (white knights) on floor 11 of Kazordoon.
Step 6 Pass the Riddler's test
The Riddler, a ghost, waits on floor 2 around 32479,31902. Say hi, test and yes, then answer: goshnar, demonbunny, Tha'kull, yes, breath, silence, old, yes, a colour, nothing, and finally your number. Only these colours count: red, blue, black, white, orange, green, yellow, brown, violet, pink, silver, gold and grey - remember the one you said. Any wrong answer sends you to Hellgate far below Ab'Dendriel, and your first test always ends there, because A Prisoner tells you the number only after the Riddler has heard your colour. Answer each question within a minute and do not walk away or say bye in the middle: that either counts as a wrong answer or leaves the test unfinished, and an unfinished test makes the next one start with a question nobody can answer. To quit cleanly, say no when he offers the next seal. To get out of Hellgate you need a rope and exani hur up (or 6 parcels): climb the ladder you land on (32725,31589, floor 12), go down the holes at 32590,31575 (floor 11) and 32664,31571 (floor 12), rope up at 32740,31556 (floor 13), take the hole at 32788,31596 (floor 12), rope up at 32798,31611 (floor 13) and take the holes at 32826,31667 (floor 12), 32825,31702 (floor 13) and 32708,31703 (floor 14). On floor 15 levitate facing north at 32659,31645 and again at 32659,31642 (floor 14), take the ladder at 32659,31638 (floor 13) and rope up at 32620,31702 (floor 12) and 32626,31700 (floor 11). If the drawbridge at 32628,31699 (floor 10) is not there, drop back through the hole and pull the lever at 32625,31698 (floor 11) - pulling it again removes the bridge. Cross it and rope up at 32612,31683 (floor 10), 32616,31700 (floor 9) and 32603,31704 (floor 8) to the surface south-west of Ab'Dendriel. On the way: ghouls, skeletons, rotworms, beholders, a demon skeleton and many wasps near the exit.
Step 7 Get your number from A Prisoner
A Prisoner sits in a cell of the Mintwallin prison, deep under the Ancient Temple north of Thais. The way down: the stairs at 32356,32170 and 32356,32173 (floor 8), the holes at 32371,32242 (floor 9) and 32388,32255 (floor 10), the trapdoors at 32502,32217 (floor 11) and 32493,32215 (floor 12), the hole at 32577,32179 (floor 13), up the ladders at 32552,32154 (floor 14) and 32553,32154 (floor 13), down the trapdoors at 32550,32186 (floor 12) and 32551,32185 (floor 13), and the trapdoor at 32484,32101 (floor 14) into the minotaur city. There take key 3620 from the drawers at 32411,32155 (floor 15), climb the ladder at 32394,32115 to the prison, unlock the door at 32393,32136 (floor 14) and climb the ladder at 32397,32138 to floor 13. Talk to him through the bars from 32396,32138: hi, math, yes, the colour you last told the Riddler, yes. He says that 1 + 1 is 49, 94, 13 or 1 - picked at random for your character and told only once, and no quest log keeps it, so write it down. Back up: the ladder at 32484,32101 (floor 15), the hole at 32511,32147 (floor 14), the rope spot at 32525,32145 (floor 15), then the rope spots and ladders below the holes and trapdoors you came down. Expect orcs, a fire devil, poison spiders, cyclopses and plenty of minotaurs, minotaur guards, archers and mages.
Step 8 The treasure room and the way out
Climb the tower again - 4 new skulls and the grass switch every time, the ladders only where they are gone - and pass the test with your number: the Riddler puts you into the treasure room at 32478,31905 (floor 1). The chests at y 31900 hold, from west to east, a wand of cosmic energy, 100 platinum coins, 32 talons and a phoenix egg, and each gives its item once per character. Every stone switch in the 2 rows in front of them empties a chest for you, and you have to cross both rows. Stepping on 32477,31903 and then 32477,31902 (or on 32480,31903 and then 32479,31902) empties only the wand chest, so you get the other 3. To keep the wand you lose 2: 32476,31903 then 32476,31902 leaves the wand and the talons, 32478,31903 then 32478,31902 the wand and the platinum coins, 32479,31903 then 32480,31902 the wand and the phoenix egg. Way out: the magic forcefields at 32481,31905 (floor 1), 32479,31904 (floor 2), 32476,31904 (floor 3), 32481,31904 (floor 4) and 32476,31904 (floor 5) take you down, but the stairs at 32478,31902 on floor 6 lead to the ground floor only while the jungle grass under them, at 32478,31903 or 32479,31903, is cut - so leave a partner downstairs to cut it. Alone, leave through Hellgate instead: the forcefield in the treasure room takes you to the Riddler, and a wrong answer sends you there. Below the tower the carvings at 32486,31927 take you to the mountain top; go down the holes at 32566,31968 (floor 1) and 32561,31974 (floor 2), pass the gate and levitate down facing south at 32571,31970 (floor 3), 32571,31971 (floor 4), 32571,31973 (floor 5) and 32571,31974 (floor 6).
