FOLKLORIST DIARY - THE HIDDEN PALACE

Level by Leonardo (Leoc1995)

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

Begin in a passage.  Jump down into the water far below and pull up onto the S stairs leading up and out of the water.  Follow to a crawl space, lower Lara down the other side and continue until you reach the crossbow arrows for SECRET #1.  Return to the water, swim forward and pull down the ceiling lever N to open a gate above you.  For some reason, SECRET #2 is registered here.  Surface, pull out and enter the grass shack.  Pick up the CROSSBOW and pull down the wall switch to open the underwater gate.  Jump back into the water and swim into the open W gateway.  Pull out right at the other end and make your way past the swinging blade.  Climb the ladder into an upper area.

Loop around left and pull up into the crawl space.  Lower Lara down the other side and pick up the UZIS for SECRET #3, then step forward for some uzi ammo.  Use either crawl space (W or E end) to get back out.  Don't try to run across the bridge, or you'll drop down onto a flame tile.  Instead, jump into the water below and swim through the E passage into a large room.  Surface for air, then explore the pool bottom a bit.  Around the corner in the NE part is a small medipack.  In the E wall of the main pool is a small grate at floor level.  The only place you can pull out is SW, so do that and note the closed door requiring a key at the top of the stairs.

Go past the closed door to the E wall and loop around to your right.  Climb the long ladder one hand at a time (Lara's customary animation doesn't kick in until she's at the top), shift right and drop down into the passage.  Go to the other end and slide down a series of slopes until you reach an area on the other side of the pool that you couldn't access from below.  Locate the nearby ladder (Lara's animation here is normal) and climb until you're three rungs from the top.  Take a rolling back flip onto a pillar.  Face the W wall switch and take a running jump and grab to the alcove.  Pull up, then pull down the switch to open the gate below.

Safety drop to the floor and enter the open N gateway.  Hop up N toward the bright urn and turn left just before you reach it.  Stand on the white tile and face S.  Take a running jump to grab the alcove and pull up for SECRET #4.  Pick up the crossbow arrows and the flares, and jump back to the white tile.  Push the urn W away from a wall switch and pull it down to open the door to your right.  Enter and pick up the shiny gold LASERSIGHT.  Return to the pool area.

Jump into the water and swim across to the SW corner.  Pull out at the foot of the stairs as you did earlier, then face NE and locate that grate in the water.  Combine the crossbow and laser sight and shoot the grate.  (There's a slightly delayed reaction before it shatters, so don't panic.)  Swim down and through the small opening.  Turn to your right and take PALACE KEY 2 from the alcove.  Swim out, pull out SW and use the key to open the S gate. 

The red floor may look dangerous, but it's not.  Yet.  Pick up the large medipack, then the small medipack, and pull down the wall switch in the S alcove.  A flyby shows you that a gate you may have noticed earlier in the pool area is now open.  What's more, that red floor has suddenly become quite dangerous.  Getting back is difficult, but not impossible.  Face the exit a couple of steps back from the edge and take a standing jump to a safe spot equidistant between the flames.  Turn right to face the E wall.  Sidestep to the right so that Lara's left foot is on the line marking the safe spot.  Side flip left and carefully turn to face the exit.  A curved standing jump should get you safely to the white tile.

Pull up into the pool area, turn right and climb the malfunctioning ladder.  Slide down into the N section of the pool area as you did before, then climb the S ledges and drop down to enter the E gateway.  Follow the foreboding-looking path, and suddenly you're beset by two sword-dragging knights, one in front and one behind.  Nothing you can do but run past them and enter the E tunnel. 

Run into a room with a white-covered flooring and go around the central structure to the N side.  Drop down into a shallow hole for SECRET #5 and pick up the flares.  Get onto the central structure and find a trap door handle that you can activate by standing under it facing S.  Hop up E into the passage and follow to an icy room.  The gold door ahead requires a key.  Turn left and walk down to the edge of the slope.  Take a running jump across the water and grab the ledge in front of another closed door requiring a key.  Pull up, get onto the block to your right, hop back and grab the edge and shimmy right as far as you can.  Pull up and take a rolling back flip to grab an alcove among some crates.

Pull up and turn right to pull up still higher.  Turn around and jump E, then turn to your left and take a running jump to a higher sloped slope.  Turn around and jump back S toward the opening.  Pull up and follow the passage to a wall switch.  When you pull it down, a needlessly lengthy flyby shows you that you've opened a gate down below.  Get down to the crate you pulled up onto and hop down S toward the gate you just opened.  Pull up there and enter an outdoor icy area.

There's an abominable bull resting amidst some flames, but you needn't disturb him yet.  Simply press the N wall button to open the door to your right, then pull up into the passage and follow to some explosive crossbow arrows.  Now boldly approach the bull and take the PHAROS PILLAR in front of him to get his attention.  Run for dear life to the NW corner and pull out to safety. 

Now it's time to take a dip.  Go to the N bank and simply drop into the water below.  It's cold, but not life-threatening.  Locate the ceiling switch under the low-lying pillar and pull it.  Pull out S and enter the open gateway for PALACE KEY 1.  Go back, jump into the water and pull out onto a NE ledge.  Climb up N and take a standing jump W.  A running jump W, a running jump S, another running jump W and pull up to the higher W block.  Turn left and pull up onto the icy bank.   Run SE and use your key to open the palace gates. 

Pause for a large medipack and a small medipack, then go up the stairs to the raised ledge while flames pop up beside you and devilish laughter is heard.  As long as you're here, pick up the small medipack, the large medipack and another PALACE KEY 2.  You can hear the dragging swords of two approaching knights, so turn around and jump across the flames (using the safe spots).  Run past the knights to the N bank.  Take a running jump and grab across the water.  Pull up and run forward to use the key to open the N palace gates.  Enter the dark interior and jump into the water hole.  Swim along the long W passage and turn left at the end.

Swim around the central obstructions as you continue S.  Pull out SW at the end into what appears to be a chapel.  Drop down through two holes in the floor and pull up at the end of the W passage.  Continue and slide down to face a receptacle for your Pharos Pillar.  Insert it, back up and face the S opening.  Lara looks down to her right.  The bridge is a phantom, so drop into the water and swim through the open W gateway.  Follow the passage and pull out to Lara's theme music.  Run toward the S opening and the level appears to change (although its name stays the same).

Hop down into a blue-tinted room and step forward into the trench to slide down a long slope.  A flame greets your arrival below.  Head S through the passage into the next room and engage two flying bugs.  After dispatching them, go to the NW corner and climb the ladder.  Pull up, turn left and jump to the nearer structure.  Jump S to the adjacent structure and activate the jump switch on the W side.  A nearby block is raised, so get up on it and pull down the wall switch.

A door is opened high up in the E wall, so climb the ladder again and jump to the structure as before.  Take a standing jump toward the open doorway, hitting the action key so that you glide into the opening.  Shoot the golden coffin for some flares, then go up the opposite ramp and shoot the ornate door.  Follow the winding passage until you reach the end, then slide down into a small room.  Get up on the block and pull down the wall switch.  The gate next to you opens, so follow the passage until you come to a Gold Key (called LOAD in your inventory).

Retrace your steps to the opening that leads from the room where you killed the flying bugs.  Hop down and loop around left along the E passage to a room where you'll find a receptacle for your key.  Inserting it causes a block to rise to your right, giving you access to a wall switch.  Pull it down to open the stained glass section in the SW corner of this room.  Go there, vault up into the opening and slide down to your left.  Another level jump seemingly takes place, although the level name remains the same.

When you land, the doors open ahead of you.  Pause for the small medipack and the large medipack, which alerts a hammergod -- no, two hammergods.  Run past them into the room and hop onto a nearby block for some temporary relief.  There are fifteen (15) blocks in this room, each of which has a wall switch in one of its faces.  However, the last block, the one near the N wall which has a different appearance from the other blocks, has two switches, so be sure to pull them both.  When all switches are pulled, two doors open in the blue section of the W wall.  Pull up or hop inside and follow the passage to a small room with a hole in the floor.  Hop down, slide to the bottom and follow to a pair of open doors and the finish trigger.