[Bungleau]

Aiax,

As others have said, welcome to the boards. May your journey be more pleasant.

To respond to your questions...

1. I don't recall the rat skull being needed for anything in particular. Other skulls (and spider eggs) have a use later on in the game, but I don't remember using the rat skull for anything. Perhaps Rethpian has a thought on it...

2. Once you've completed the Serpent Temple, I don't think you need any of the keys that you used in there. I confess to being a pack rat -- I keep things much longer than actually needed. If you're a little paranoid about losing them, you can create a "mule" character and leave them with him at an inn.

3. As for Freyedies treasury, it's your choice. The section by Ratscallion is nothing; the real section is where you have to fight the guards. Once you fight them, everyone in the mines is after your skull... I didn't find the treasure in there to be stupendous. Some high level magical items, and some Dragon Plate, but that didn't thrill me a whole lot by then.

4. Check the Best Tips thread for thoughts on ability points. If you're playing the game to max effectiveness, you only put ability points to two or three abilities anyway; you can train almost all the others up at the guilds when you level up. And for another tip, save ankhs until the ability is either 20 (if you can train at a guild), or 18 (if you can't). Otherwise, I consider it wasted.

And I'm not sure about the inability to gain 7th level spells outside your primary spell school. I thought you could, but I could be again mistaken. Or I could be wrong about that... yeeuuccckkk! In any case, aside from certain key spells (cure disease, for example), I focus on the highest level spells available to me at any levelling up.

You might also look for scrolls at the mage guilds or temples. I never leave without an exorcism scroll per person, or a restore health potion.