Storylines

It was a nice, sunny day as Lara walked across the garden to her mail-box. In it, there were two magazines, a lot of junk-mail and something unusual: Lara found a letter. But there was no address on the envelope.

A few minutes later, when she was back at home, she opened the letter: who had used this old-fashioned way to get through to her? Even before reading the signature her question had an answer, as she recognized the handwriting: Walter!

They had attended Archaeology classes together at university, and Walter was more than a fellow student to Lara. They were a tight-knit couple. Walter was very fond of Bruce L. Cathie theories about the 'World energy grid' and he hoped to discover scientific evidence about these ley lines. But, after he had graduated, Lara lost contact with him. Walter left his dreams behind, and without giving any explanation to Lara, he enlisted in the armed forces and eventually became an SAS colonel.

But now he was trying to contact her: "I left the army some years ago and I went to Cambodia to find evidence of the world energy grid in Angkor Wat (as you know, Angkor Wat is one of the most important "grid points"), but I discovered something much more thrilling: another temple complex that lies in the mountains north-west of Angkor Wat. There I found a great source of world energy." Then Walter wrote the co-ordinates of the place. "I couldn't phone or send an e-mail to you, because they might be bugged, so I put this letter in an envelope, I gave it to a trustworthy friend, who put the letter, your address and the instructions in another envelope and gave it all to another trusted friend and so on, until the envelope reached London, where someone put this letter in your mail-box."

"Now Walter is paranoid too!" thought Lara. But the letter went on: "I'm living here like a hermit, worshipping Naga's regenerating power. I might become a super-man, maybe a God, but am I ready to pay the price for this? The devil and the deep dark jungle. "The best way to reach the place where I am, is by going up the river. Ask for Benjamin Marlowe. He was working for Air America in the early seventies, then, after the Vietnam War was over, he remained in Cambodia, where he bought a boat and fixed it up. You can trust him: He'll take you up the river until it's navigable, then you'll have to carry on alone."

What was happening in Cambodia? Surely Walter was going mad. And now he was asking for help before it was too late.

The Light of Enlightenment has been sought by many.

It resides deep within a decaying dark temple; protected by traps, challenges and riddles which ensure that only those most worthy are able to attain it, and thereby gain their own personal paradise.

Legend says that Cambodia was originated from the union of a Princess and a foreigner. The latter was an Indian Brahmin named Kaundinya and the Princess, the daughter of a Naga King who ruled an aqueous country. One day, as Kaundinya approached the coast, the Princess met him in a boat to greet him.

Kaundinya shot an arrow from his magic bow to the Princess' boat; she got scared and she agreed to marry him. In needing a dowry, her father took the waters of their land and handed them to Kaundinya to be ruled.

The new Kingdom was called Kambuja. Lara discovered the location of a Temple built by Kaundinya and decides to explore...

Lara has decided to take a rest far from home and explore new sites.

She's back in Cambodia and due to her fond memories of the place, she won't stop until she discovers the artefact that lies beneath the Khmer Temple.

Phimaï historical park, Thailand, present day ...

A door closed behind me. My friends are gone and I can't go back.

I need to continue this paved driveway in front of me. I will see what will happen to me.

The adventure continues ....

From journal of Cpt. Phen of Cambodian army:

Special Unit B.t.B-14.

Mission: Investigate sector U-8.

Day 1.
Today we arrived to the only village in sector U-8. Locals seemed very distanced and when we asked about nearby ruins they refused to talk. We moved on to check out the area.

Day 2.
I have decided to set the camp near the ruins and took three men on patrol. Area looked deserted, yet I felt like someone was observing us. I ordered everyone to stay alarmed. We also found some kind of a gem in the ruins.

Day 3.
This place is mad! I have lost four men today. We went inside the ruins and got attacked by something big. Two men slashed into pieces right on the spot. Another one ran away into darkness... Leng fired a grenade and the tunnel collapsed on him and that thing. Two of us managed to get to the quad bikes, but Chuon lost control of his vehicle and fell into some hole. Now only three men remain and they are too afraid to do anything, and I swear something is hiding in the trees...

Day 4.
That gem... We can't leave it here... No one shall have it...

Inside they found a creepy trap-filled room past an underwater passage with an inscription saying "Those with the strength to survive Indra's challenge will acquire the Soma." The adventurer decided to go back outside and camp until daylight to go further, but the Temple had somehow vanished in the morning.

The authorities wrote this off as nothing but a hallucination or some sort of dream, but Lara was not convinced after looking into it; while they got lost and were lucky to stumble across help, the Adventurer was not out of supplies and still had food and water when rescued, and his accounts of the temple were more detailed than any dream or hallucination should be. Not unfamiliar with magically hidden locations, two particular details stuck out to Lara; the Soma and the Full Moon. Soma, the plant that gives the Hindu gods immortality, is associated with the Moon and collected on a Full Moon.

After some research and a meeting with the Adventurer, Lara managed to get enough detail to pinpoint the general location of where this temple should be. Lara heads to the location on the next full moon and immediately sees something promising...

After a violent storm hits Cambodia, a lot of its historical temples have been submerged by the great deal of rainfall. However Angkor Wat being one of the temples in ruins, lays under threat due to a specific artifact known as the Reliquary Candle. The candle holds an eternal flame that stops the bad spirits from the underworld entering our own world.

The summer is hot and nobody wants to work or study... except Lara Croft. She desires a new adventure... she always does! But she doesn't have to look for it - it comes to her.

Lara hears about some people searching for a powerful Khmer artifact, supposed to give his owner incredible energy (just like always).

But those are bad guys, hunting the artifact for their own evil deeds. What a luck they are not too smart so they don't understand the legend telling the item is hidden above a Khmer Palace on Flying Islands...

What are Flying Islands? Lara hastes to the Khmer Palace location, hoping to find the artifact before the baddies. Of course she needs help, and where the Flying Islands might be?

Lara has arrived at the archaeological digs of Banteay Kdei.

She has heard that there is a lost green orb that will unlock the doors to the sixth temple of Banteay Kdei.

Join Lara in her exploration and pack your pistols – you may need them!

Lara has heard from her musician friend Phil that one of his most famous songs is based on a legend about supposed underground temple hundreds of meters under ancient cemetery. It's also said that Temple is hiding one of the last known Khmer artifacts. Lara hopes at least one of those rumours is true...

You've gotta fight…

for the right…

to raid!!!

But someone stole the Arrow, took the throne and, fearing to lose power the same way, tried to mince the artifact. But as tough as divine items are, it was hidden instead, guarded even harder, location note burnt. People dag everywhere in search for it, marking each checked place with a temple. They found nothing.

Now Lara wants to find Winston a girlfriend. He's a devoted single, so only the Arrow can do. Acquired scraps of its location note reveal the oldest human trace in Cambodia - the cave of Laang Spean – might be a Naga tank. More than memories may live down there... Lara sets off.