Tomb Raider II Story

Prelude

Tomb Raider 2 is all about getting the mystical Dagger of Xian, a mystical and historical artifact which can bestow the powers of a dragon onto the person who drives the dagger into their heart, thus surrendering their soul to the ancient power. If the dagger is ever removed from the heart of the person, now dragon, then they will melt down into a large carcass, powers ripped.

The dagger being removed by the unnoticed monk

The Tomb Raider 2 opening sequence showed this, when the current possessor of the dagger, the Emperor of China had decided to conquer the vast lands of China with the power of the dagger inside him. He was a force to be reckoned with, and as the China mainland fell, one group of brave Tibetan Monks fought against him and his forces. One monk (who seemed hazy, probably due to the heat of the dragon's flame) was not noticed by the dragon as he flamed a part of the Great Wall above him. The monk was right underneath the dragon, and so ripped the dagger from the heart of the beast. The effects were immediate, but not fast enough for the dragon to melt instantly; with one last breath of fire, the dragon burnt the monk into oblivion, before collapsing, and turning to mere bones. After the battle, the monks discovered the hidden entrance to where the dagger was first found, the Temple of Xian. With torches, they slowly made their way down the hallway, until discovering the door shaped as the symbol which recurs very often throughout the game. The Talion is still in the door, and so they turn it. The door dramatically opens, and one monk is sent through, while the others return to the surface with the Talion. He places the dagger into a dragon like slot, also called Dais, and the 'eyes' on it light up in purple when the dagger is inserted. Blue lights fill around the room, and the monk screams, followed by the camera zooming out of the Dais room, and then the door lights up for a second in the shape of dagger symbol.

The symbol seen constantly throughout Tomb Raider 2

The Great Wall of China

Lara is first seen as she descends from a helicopter circling the Great Wall of China in modern times, 1997 to be precise. The pilot could find no where to land the craft, so Lara simply said "No problem", and so descended her way down the rope to a patch of land aside the wall. She then fell down a slope to a small valley by the Great Wall, and gameplay begins. Lara must of heard that the Temple of Xian was hidden deep within the Great Wall, protected by numerous traps that, unfortunately, Lara must face. Lara makes her way up to the first Guardhouse, seen on the valley floor as the helicopter pulled away. After pulling the first switch, she walks upon the top of the wall (the camera pulls out at this point for an interesting view), and down into a pool on the right hand side of it, where the first key lies. Lara then makes her way through dangerous traps someway underground. These traps include spiked walls, collapsible floor tiles (with spikes at the bottom) and slashing blades capable of killing Lara with one slice. These traps end with Lara being deposited (by a 'good' collapsible tile) into a large cavern like area. A rope sliding mechanism lies at the edge of a gigantic valley (home to two T-Rex's and the Gold Dragon). Using it takes Lara across the large valley, where the same door seen in the Prelude is seen, but with no Talion inserted. It's hard to beleive, but the next 13 levels are all about just getting the Talion! As she approaches the door to investigate the key mechanism, an armed follower of Marco Bartoli attacks her from the small ledge to one side of the cavern area. He hits the door, and his weapon (believed to be a Tommy Gun) flies out of his hands. Lara raises her pistols towards him, and orders him to divulge about what he knows about the dagger. He explains that the doors are waiting for the right person, and tries to get Lara to pledge her loyalty to Marco Bartoli, who the follower believes is the one that the dagger would honor. He commits suicide by drinking an unknown liquid just after admitting who he worked for. Lara uses a nearby laptop to discover who Bartoli actually is, and discovers a link that he is currently in Venice.

The Venice Levels

Lara arrives in Venice, through unknown transportation, but she is seen dropping from above the small avenue. Armed Fiamma Nera's are positioned all around this scenic level, as well as Rabid Dobermans and unarmed Fiamma Nera's. Lara, using her discovered speedboat, must make her way through the canals, dodging and killing those wishing to kill her. She must discover the switches that raise two iron gates so she can race her speedboat to Bartoli's hideout, through double, timed, doors and water mines that must be defused first with the second speedboat provided. There are three keys (Boathouse, Steel and Iron), and the latter two open doors that can access switches that raise one of the gates, or open something else which can eventually be used to find the switch. After Lara opens both, she guns her speedboat along the Iron Gate canal (it's a shortcut, and the only way to make it in time) once the button that opens the exit is pressed. Beyond the opened door is the hideout of Bartoli. Lara gets into the hideout via the two double doors seen as the Level begins.

Lara in the hideout

After dealing with Armed Fiamma Nera's, Lara enters another section of the hideout, and then to the huge Ballroom

The giant and impressive ballroom in Bartoli's hideout

, which is one big puzzle. Then, through the grand library, and into the outside area (where the hidden Uzis can be discovered, (see Tomb Raider 2 Secrets) and then she obliterates the hideout by detonating it with a key (The Detonator Key). Through the rubble, the long, sloped tunnel is the entrance to the Opera House (which evidently looks like the Venetian Opera House, La Fenice.) The Opera House is the final level in the Venice series, but has a more darker touch to it. More Fiamma Nera enemies reside here than anywhere else in Venice, along with one super baddie at the end; the Fiamma Nera Boss (or sub-boss, as it is not Bartoli)