Greetings adventurers! It's a classic sword & sorcery mission in the continent of Allansia this time.
The good folk of the Vale of Willow are under threat from the evil demi-sorcerer Balthus Dire, who is planning a full-scale invasion. The people would be powerless against Dire's army of chaotics, but King Salamon believes that disaster would be avoided if Dire could be assassinated first.
Somebody must infiltrate the citadel, avoiding all of it's traps and deadly creatures, then defeat Dire.
This sounds like just the mission for the Analand Sorceress....

Citadel Of Chaos is an enjoyable game, with a good atmosphere, but it is extremely easy on the stats. In this walkthru you will only need to fight three creatures, all very weak, near the start of the mission when your own stats are still at their initial values. Even in Hardcore Hero mode with modest starting stats yourself, this shouldn't be difficult.
The real challenge here is finding the correct route (which is very specific) to obtain the info & items required for success.

With the exception of "Starship Traveller" (which you can complete without a single fight, skill test or luck test) this is one of the easiest FF missions that i have undertaken.

The visible constellations in the continent of Allansia are different to the Old World, so your ability to use magic is limited.
Your magic allocation is calculated by 2d6 + 6, meaning that you will begin with between 8 and 18 single-use magic scrolls.

There are a range of different spells which can be used when the option is offered in the text. They can be used to defeat/distract enemies and help you avoid potentially tricky combat.
There are also spells for skill, stamina or luck increase, as on this mission you have no provisions or traditional potion-of-your-choice.

In this optimum walkthru you must choose at least these seven specific spells at the start:
1 x Shielding
1 x Weakness
1 x ESP
2 x Levitation*
2 x Creature Copy**

The remainder of your entitlement should be made up of at least one stamina spell.

* You only actually need one Levitation spell to defeat Dire, but after you defeat him the text ends by saying that you must either return thru the citadel, which you wouldn't be able to do, or use a Levitation spell to escape, so i add a second one for completeness.

** You will need three Creature Copy spells to complete this walkthru, but you will collect the third one along the way.

There are seven Steam achievements for this title.
Three are self-explanatory: Free-read win, Adventurer win & Hardcore Hero win. Simply follow this guide to complete the quest in each mode.

Two of the other achievements Good Dog, Bad Ape & G-G-Ganjees! can also be completed during this winning walkthru. They are indicated in the walkthru where they occur.

The other two achievements can be unlocked by following the walkthru until described below:

Knifey Knifey: When you leave the room with the gark guard, go thru the left door, instead of the right door. Play along with them. Play Knifey-Knifey. Roll 1d6: 1-5: you win and unlock this achievement. (But roll a 6 means you die....)

Lady Lucretia: Follow the walkthru until you enter the room with the gark guard, but draw your sword and fight it. (You can use a Weakness or Creature Copy spell if you wish.) + Hairbrush, +6 g.p. Then take the right-hand door, enter as instructed, ask for secrets of the black tower, leave the room, take the right-hand stairs, try the door to the left, use a copper key, tell her you have a special gift for her, offer her the hairbrush.

Pose as a herbalist.
Suggest "Kylltrog".
Steam Achievement: Good Dog, Bad Ape

Tiptoe thru the shadows to one of the groups.
The group around the fire.
Sit down without asking. + password: "Scimitar"
Press them for info about the box.
Draw your sword and fight them: dwarf: Sk 5 St 6, goblin: Sk 6 St 4, orc: Sk 5 St 7
(You can use luck tests in this combat to help you. There are no subsequent luck tests on this walkthru, so it doesn't matter if you ruin your luck score.)
+ jar of ointment, + Creature Copy spell, + Strength spell, + copper key, +8 g.p.

Head directly towards the citadel.
Ignore her.
Make your anger obvious to her.

Knock and wait for the guard.
You know the password: "Scimitar".
Go forwards to the door.
Ring the bell.
Take the left fork.

Risk tiptoeing into the room.
Apologise for disturbing the gark.
Say you are a guest of the citadel.
Take the right hand door.
Enter as instructed.

Ask for secrets of the black tower. + info: lock combination is 217
Ask for the section on Balthus Dire. + info: sunlight is deadly to him.
Attempt to leave the library thru the door behind the librarian.

Take the right hand staircase.
Try the door in the centre.
Walk confidently across the room to the far door.

Take the left hand door.
Ignore the chest and walk round the trench to the other door.
Use a Stamina spell at this point.

-1 skill, -2 stamina, -1 luck
Feel in your pack for an artefact.
Try the jar of ointment.
Steam Achievement: G-G-Ganjees!

Use a Creature Copy spell.
Use another Creature Copy spell.
Use another Creature Copy spell.

You know the combination. 217
Cast a Shielding spell.
Cast a Weakness spell.
Cast an ESP spell.
Cast a Levitation spell.
Fly towards the window.
Pull one of the drapes down and throw it over his head.
(*Just for the purists, you still have another Levitation spell with which to escape.)

You have defeated the evil Balthus Dire and saved the Vale of Willow. Yay!