Suikoden Books

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History and Information
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Beginning with this game, every Suikoden to date has used an
information source in-game to help the player with many of the
not-so-obvious tricks such as recruitment, True Rune lore,
Rare Finds, and recruitment of certain Stars which..you may
not otherwise be able to obtain.

To best use and appreciate the Old Books in the original
Suikoden game, you need to recruit yourself a decent librarian.
In this game, that character would be Hugo (Chisui Star).
Hugo can be found in the game facilitating study at the
Qlon Temple. But, you can find many of the Old Books before
you recruit him, so make sure that when you obtain one you
keep it in storage with Rock until you can deliver them to
Hugo.

To recruit Hugo, you need to find what's called a "War Scroll".
There is only one in the game, and luckily for you, it's right
close and handy to where Hugo is. It can be found in the depths
of the caves behind Qlon, where you are forced to journey
anyways for story purposes. When you find it, simply revisit
Hugo and he will decide to join up with your army.


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Locations (Where to find the Books)
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There are a total of eight (8) Old Books in this game.
Less you'll find, than the sequels it has thus far spawned.
Many of these books are quite easy to find, and hard to miss,
but I realize that sometimes inventory room is hard to plan,
and sometimes you just may not find the right chest or certain
hiding place of the book itself.

Old Book Volume 1
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This book is found within a chest at Pannu Yakuta Castle. It
is concealed in the one of the chests which is laying in wait
on the upper floor of the fortress. Simply open the chest to
retrieve this Old Book.

Old Book Volume 2
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The reason this edition may be hard to find, is because it
is carefully concealed away within the depths of the Qlon Caves,
behind Qlon Temple. If you've ventured inside to any great
length of time, you probably are aware of the frustration
that can sometimes be found within. Especially, when you're
playing the game for the first time. Anyways, the book is
found within a chest and is found before reaching the
Star Dragon Sword.

Old Book Volume 3
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This book in particular, may be the one which is easiest to
find or miss, depending on how you look at things. It is
concealed away from sight behind where Hugo is standing at
the Qlon Temple. If you walk up to the bookshelf on the
left side of the room, and press the (X) button on your
controller to search, you should be able to find it right
away.

Old Book Volume 4
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Much like Volume #3, this book can be obtained by searching
a bookshelf in the proper location. The place you want to
look for it, is at the Dragon Knight's Fortress, in
Joshua's room, it is in the right hand side bookshelf.
Simply walk up to it and press the (X) button to search
for it again and it's yours for the taking.

Old Book Volume 5
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This book is found a few moments before actually reaching
the Dragon Knight's Fortress. If you look carefully for
chests within the Dragon Den Cave, you can find this volume
waiting for you tucked away within the rocks.

Old Book Volume 6
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When you get to the point in the game where you need to
infiltrate the Soniere Prison, you can find this particular
Book on the 1st Floor of the garrison, corner room, in a
typical and familiar chest. You can't really miss this one
if you're keeping your eyes open for loot.

Old Book Volume 7
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You obtain this Book quite late in the game really, at the
Northern Checkpoint leading to Moravia Castle. You should
be able to spot it straight-away as it's in a chest as you
pass through the checkpoint on foot.

Old Book Volume 8
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Found within a chest in Kalekka, this is one of the more
often missed Books in the set. Once you enter the ghost
town, look for the sign designating what used to be the Bar
or Tavern. There is a chest in this building which contains
the Old Book, safe away from the Monsters reach.

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Contents
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In this section of the guide, we'll explore together what
each of the Old Books define as their contents. While much
of this may seem familiar, much of it may not, in
comparison to the Old Books found in the later versions of
the series. These books will be listed as Volume 1-8 in
the order that they are displayed in Hugo's Library for
reading pleasure. Keep in mind, these are listed with the
grammar and punctuation as they are found in-game. I didn't
correct any of the mistakes due to wanting to keep it as
original in content as possible for you, the reader.

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Old Book Volume 1
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"The 27 True Runes: Their Creation"

"In the beginning...there was "Darkness". "Darkness" lived
for eons in a rift in time. Suffering in solitude for so
long, "Darkness" finally dropped a "Tear". Two brothers
were born of "Tear". "Sword" and "Shield". "Sword" said
he could cut anything to pieces. "Shield" swore he could
protect anything. And so, the two went to battle. The
battle lasted seven days and seven nights. "Sword" cut
apart "Shield", and "Shield" broke "Sword" into pieces.

Fragments of "Sword" fell and became the sky. Fragments
of "Shield" fell and became the earth. Sparks from the
battle became the stars. The 27 jewels that adorned
"Sword" and "Shield" became the "27 True Runes," and
the World went into motion.

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Old Book Volume 2
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"Ancient Teachings"

At certain times, the runes can give men immense powers.
The power they provide is magic. Each rune provides four
magical powers. But, the great ancient magician Crowley,
found a method of surpassing teachings. If two souls are
united, two runes are united, and their ultimate power is
unleashed, a power greater than the sum of the parts is
generated. The union of souls means that two runemasters
apply their magic almost at the same time.

The union of runes refers to harmony. In other words,
Fire and Earth, and Wind, and Water, Water and Lightning,
Lightning and Fire are harmonious. Ultimate power means
the release of the maximum runic magic. When three of
these powers are combined, the greatest of magical
powers is unleashed.

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Old Book Volume 3
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"Strategy of War"

War begins with the understanding of the enemy's methonds.
A soldier is stronger than an arrow. An arrow is stronger
than magic. Magic is stronger than a soldier. As a result,
knowing the enemy's methods are a natural advantage. To
know an enemy's hand, it is necessary to utilize Ninja
Power. An enemy's methods always follows a pattern.
Knowing the pattern is a shortcut to victory. When the
enemy is without a magician, attack in full force.

Betrayal is most effective when you are few and the enemy
is many. When the enemy is reduced to a few, use arrows.
When your numbers are many, soldiers and arrows are
effective. When you are few in number, magic is
effective. The only way to increase your number is to
recruit.

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Old Book Volume 4
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"The Knights of the Dragon's Den"

Joshua Levenheit, Commander of the Knights of the
Dragon's Den, keeps the Dragon Rune. From a very early
age, the children of the Dragon Knights are brought up
in the Palace of the Dragon Knights. Once a year, they
participate in the Bonding Ritual. Only those who
succeed in bonding with a dragon, become a Dragon Knight.

If a child fails to bond before the age of six, he
will never become a Dragon Knight. The bond between a
dragon and his knight is strong. A dragon lives longer
than a human, but should a Dragon Knight die, his
dragon, out of sorrow, will take its own life.

On the other hand, if a dragon dies first, its master
loses his rights and privileges, and must leave the
Knights of the Dragon's Den.

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Old Book Volume 5
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"Craftsmen's Profiles"

Mace Master blacksmith. Of stubborn temperament, but
very kind to his apprentices. Tesla, Scrivener of
Antei. Competent. Gen Simple-minded shipbuilder of
Teien. Templeton Mapmaker. Perfectionist who appears
whenever changes occur. Kimberly Ostensibly a
stampmaker. She is in fact. Sergei. Unsuccessful
inventor. Said to be in Kaku. Antonio. Excellent cook
living in Seika. Lester Cook whose specialty is stews.
Presently working in Moravia Castle.

Hugo Librarian of Qlon Temple. Kasios Balladeer.
Deeply in love with Milich, to whom she sings. Jabba
Arrogant but exceptional appraiser. Feels he can
appraise anything. Kamandol Popular alchemist of
Teien.

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Old Book Volume 6
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"Black List"

The following list, compiled by the Imperial Guard,
describes suspicious characters who may have evil
intent against the Empire: Clive Appears to be on the
trail of somebody with the intention of extracting
revenge. Occasionally sighted at an inn in Rikon.

Kreutz Follower of the former Emperor Geil Rugner.
Long incognito, but recently discovered to be hiding
out with the Knights of the Dragon's Den. Anji
Pirate of Lake Toran. Long-standing friend of Tai Ho.
Rubi Stray elf. Fuma Masterless ninja. Hides out with
the Knights of the Dragon's Den. Fu Su Lu Warrior who
wears a tiger mask. Always repays his debts and
obligations. Pesmerga Seems to be looking for Yuber,
the Black Knight in the service of Windy.

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Old Book Volume 7
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"Antique Prices"

Failure Urn- 10 bits
Octopus Urn- 500 bits
Flower Urn- 2500 bits
Wide Urn- 4000 bits
Persian Lamp- 7500 bits
Blue Dragon Urn- 8000 bits
Celadon Urn- 10,000 bits
Black Urn- 20,000 bits
Fine Bone China- 60,000 bits

Hex Doll- 60 bits
Japanese Dish- 3000 bits
Chinese Dish- 6000 bits
Peeing Boy- 16,000 bits
Bonsai- 25,000 bits
Knight Statue- 30,000 bits
Goddess Statue- 100,000 bits

Graffiti- 100 bits
Flower Painint- 7000 bits
Landscape Paining- 40,000 bits
Nature Painting- 200,000 bits
Lover's Flower Garden- 29,000 bits

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Old Book Volume 8
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"The Kalekka Tragedy"

Border disputes between the Empire and the City-State
have been going on for many years. The so-called
"Kalekka Incident" took place against this tense, ugly
background. Taking advantage of the civil strife
within the Empire, the City-State overran the
northern part of the Empire all the way to Kalekka,
which they occupied. After pacifying the Empire,
Barbarosa's forces headed to confront the invaders.

As the City-State's forces began to retreat, the
Imperial Army entered Kalekka. What they found was a
burnt-out city whose residents wiped out. Leon, let
his forces know of the appalling devestation of
Kalekka. Despite their exhaustion after the long
march north, the forces were infuriated by the news
and, with renewed vigor, succedded in forcing back
the City-State Army.