The Defenders of Dusk
Page 11
199
You re-enter the room previously belonging to the fierce warrior Dysidious. The furniture is lying in pieces from where you did battle, with droplets of blood strewn across the circular carpet. The first spear he threw at you still holds its grip upon the wall. You search through what little possessions the warrior owned and find a small blue bottle sealed with a silver stopper inside the same box which had previously contained the warrior's swords. You take a few moments to rest and examine the bottle. Thinking that a warrior like Dysidious did not seem the type of fighter to use poison, you take a gulp of the liquid and are pleasantly surprised to taste mead laced with a healing element. Restore 2 lost HEALTH points, if necessary. There is enough healing mead left in the bottle for one more dose. You may use this whenever you want (including during battle) to restore another 2 lost HEALTH points. Make a note of this on your CHARACTER SHEET if you do not wish to use it immediately. Continuing on, you leave via the only other exit; another tunnel sloping upwards. Turn to 26.
200
Some of the boards below your feet groan as you walk over them, but thankfully not so loud as to attract any attention from the guards. Once you judge yourself to be far enough away from the guardhouse, you quicken your pace and move on to the middle of the bridge. Turn to 93.
201
You quickly but silently move up behind one of the soldiers; using the cacophony of a crumbling building nearby to mask the sound of your movements. Before he recognises the danger, you roll into the back of his knees, causing his legs to buckle. He lets out a gasp which attracts his friend, providing enough of a distraction for Arinzo to slip in behind him. Simultaneously you both slide your daggers along the soldiers' throats, cupping your hands over their mouths to prevent the resulting gurgling from attracting the attention of anyone nearby. You lower the bodies carefully down beside the dead town guards, making it look like they all died from the same battle. In case you should see further conflict ahead, you pick up one of the soldier's short swords and slip in into your belt. It is then that Arinzo notices one of the Town Guards is still alive, but barely.
“Go on ahead,” he says. “I must see if this man can be saved. I will meet you at the Guild entrance if I can.” Nodding silently, you carry on through the sewer entrance and into the dark, sodden tunnels beyond. At least down here, you will be safe from the fires above. Turn to 392.
202
You walk behind a row of diligent guardsmen who are acting as watchful sentinels along this western stretch of the wall, looking down upon the ever-advancing formations of enemies below. You see no sign of enemy ladders on this part of the wall yet, so an uncomfortable silence has settled over these men, who are awaiting their turn to join the battle. From here you can observe a ballista firing above you on the tower to the west, while you can hear sounds of conflict and the clashing of steel to the east. Will you climb the stone steps leading to the top of the western tower (turn to 351) or head eastwards, back to the centre of the wall (turn to 354)?
203
As you close in on the next corner, a flicker of light along the tunnel wall betrays the approach of the soldier ahead. He is walking in your direction! This is actually advantageous for you, as now you won't need to sneak anywhere to ambush him. You crouch low, ready to attack. Roll 2 dice. If the result is equal to or lower than your AGILITY, turn to 105. If the dice roll is higher than your AGILITY, turn to 224.
204
Fagen collapses to his knees with exhaustion, bleeding profusely from the wounds he has sustained from your blades. You stand back for a moment, taking one last look at your opponent before moving in to finish the job. As you do so, the sorcerer begins to cackle madly, and suddenly stands upright again, now bathed in a red glow. Zabel attempts to run him through from behind with her sword, but the energy surrounding the sorcerer throws her backwards, sending her slamming into the wall of a nearby building. You call out to her motionless form but she doesn't stir.
“You thought it would be that easy, didn't you?” the sorcerer's deep voice gloats as you witness his body regenerating, healing his wounds and making his muscles even stronger than before. “I control a magic most ancient, that mere mortals cannot begin to comprehend. You could never hope to kill me on your best day!” As you slump down on one knee, bearing witness to the hopeless situation you are in, a giant shadow seemingly passes over you. Something stirs in the back of your mind, and you think you may have one last idea up your cunning sleeve. Do you have an item you wish to use? If so, take each of the letters in the name of that item and run it through the table below.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
1
4
0
9
5
6
2
9
7
6
5
9
0
3
5
7
7
8
7
6
1
3
8
2
0
9
Each letter of the item name should produce a number. Add all of these numbers together, add 200 to the sum and turn to the section number equalling the final total. If the resulting section does not begin with the words 'As the sorcerer continues to grow...” then turn to 215 instead.
205
You creep away from the shed and lower yourself from the platform back down to the ground below. Withdrawing one of the whistler arrows from Zabel's quiver, you use your dagger to carve a few more holes into the hollow shaft. Before long, you have created a makeshift flute, designed to be loud enough only to project sounds over a short distance. Write down the keyword FLUTE. You perform a little tune on the instrument, which attracts the attention of the guard in the shed above. As he exits the enclosure and leans over the edge of the platform to locate where the music is coming from, you drive your sword up into his throat, before using it to drag his body down to ground level. Write down the keyword SENT. You are careful to hide the body in the shadows before checking to make sure no one is coming to investigate. It appears the murder took place unseen, so you climb back into the shed to have a closer look at the table. The crossbow isn't much use to you, and the cheese is stale, but the bottle is filled with mead which you can use to restore 2 points of lost HEALTH. If you don't need healing right now, you may keep the mead to heal yourself once later on (it can be used to restore 2 HEALTH points at any time even during combat). Make a note of this on your CHARACTER SHEET if applicable. With the sentry out of the way, you must now decide where to go next within the courtyard ahead. Will you head down the left side (turn to 188) or along the right side (turn to 347)?
206
As you take a seat within the hideout, torrential rain begins to pour down upon the rooftop. This is the work of Ullucus, who has begun using his elemental powers to draw up water from the underground river and deposit it across the city to extinguish the fires. As the sound of the water beats a regular rhythm above, the events which have come to pass since the initial attack upon the city finally begin to catch up with you. Tiredness and exhaustion seep into your body and mind, and you sink down upon a rough sack filled with potatoes before slowly drifting towards a deep and peaceful slumber. Do you have the keyword PLAN? If so, turn to 172. Otherwise, turn to 247.
207
You emerge into a poorly-lit room with the only source of light being from a broken wall which exposes the interior to the outside; actua
lly, more like a broken roof, as this low-set enclosure is effectively an attic. Rubbish is plentiful, with discarded papers and food waste prevalent. Does something live up here? Once your eyes adjust to the dark, you spy the motionless form of a man laying upon the floor in chains. You wish to rush up to the prisoner to find out if it is Arinzo, but another figure silhouetted against the glow of the moonlight gives you pause. The creature is bipedal, thick-set and misshapen. It looks out upon the city as fires continue to spread, tearing apart a panicked civilisation below. The beast has made companions of several flies who buzz incessantly around its lower torso. This is no mercenary, but a dreadful FILTH-DEMON! You sneak forward to get a better look at the chained prisoner, and can now see that it is definitely Arinzo; alive but wounded. As his eyes focus with recognition of who you are, he motions silently with his head towards the demon's legs. There is a metal key stuck inside one of its thighs! The monster doesn't appear to know you are behind it, making this a perfect opportunity to attempt a sneak attack. Roll 2 dice. If the result is equal to or lower than your AGILITY, turn to 41. If the dice roll is higher than your AGILITY, turn to 322.
208
You send an arrow soaring through the air, which lands squarely in the middle of the guard's chest. He staggers for a moment before toppling forward and over the edge of the cliff, barely missing Zabel on the way down. If she didn't know somebody was lurking above her before, she certainly does now. As Zabel scrambles up another few feet, she lifts herself onto the ledge by the waterfall and quickly kills the other guard with a throwing knife. Zabel then creeps behind the waterfall, and you lose sight of her as she enters the cave. Turning your eyes over to Babin, he seems to be making surprisingly quick work of ascending the cliff face until you realise he has discovered a section of hidden steps carved into the stone. He then uses a grappling hook and rope to swing himself around to another sheer wall, before shimmying across to another rock. As he disappears from view entirely, you realise he must have discovered another hidden cave. It is then that you notice three guards creeping up the hidden steps, tracking Babin's path. The little man may have been spotted! Roll 2 dice. If the result is equal to or lower than your INTELLIGENCE, turn to 373. If the dice roll is higher than your INTELLIGENCE, turn to 142.
209
The soldier's blood spills from his body into the wastewater, and you carefully lower your victim into its cold embrace. Write down the keyword ECHOES. Leaving the corpse behind, you continue up the tunnels towards the next source of torchlight. Roll 1 die. On a result of 1, 2, 3 or 4, turn to 87. If the die roll shows 5 or 6, turn to 203.
210
With one eye on the tent entrance and the other on the table, you grab the letter and swiftly pull it from its resting place. This causes the armband to topple over the edge of the tabletop. Roll 2 dice. If the result is equal to or lower than your AGILITY, turn to 369. If the dice roll is higher than your AGILITY, turn to 250.
211
You place both the letter and the armband back upon the table where you found them. You are about to examine something else when you hear Xanth whistle behind you. You turn to see him scrambling over to the cut you made in the side of the tent.
“Quickly!” he whispers. “Guards are coming. They must have heard the fight. We must go now!” Do you agree with Xanth, and leave immediately through your infiltration point (turn to 131) or will you risk looking at something else on the table? If you choose to do the latter, will you examine the map (turn to 379) or the knife (turn to 187)?
212
It takes another hour for you and Zabel to escort the prisoners back to your temporary hideout. Arinzo, Zabel and Babin then proceed to check the Mayor and his personal guards for injuries while you are taken aside by Ullucus to talk privately.
“Before I speak to your Guild leader,” the Wizard says while lighting a pipe he has produced from somewhere within his robes, “I wish to know from you, one of many who have been out there fighting, what the situation is in the city streets. What have you accomplished thus far?” You proceed to relay the current events to Ullucus as well as your own part in them. Do you have the keyword DEEP? If so, turn to 387. If not, but you have both of the keywords DEAD and SPIKE, turn to 151. If not, but you just have the keyword DEAD (without SPIKE), turn to 269. If not, but you just have the keyword SPIKE (without DEAD), turn to 273. If you do not have any of these keywords, turn to 160.
213
You and Zabel wait until nightfall before heading to the rooftop of the building next to the Town Hall. The simple title of the governmental headquarters makes it sound less grand than it actually is. In fact, this place resembles a cathedral with two parallel towers, though it lacks the religious motifs often associated with such structures. Zabel unfurls a rolled-up piece of leather, revealing the equipment supplied for this mission. She hands you a set of lockpicks, some throwing knives, five metal loops and a coil of grappling rope with an odd-looking tube attached to its hook.
“The rope is your escape route, so don't use it before you're ready to leave,” Zabel explains. “The little tube by the hook is a rocket filled with flash powder. I've upped the dose so that you can fire this thing over the range of two rooftops. The hook will embed itself in your chosen target, and you and the prisoners can use the greased metal loops to slide down the rope to safety.”
“Thanks, Zabel,” you reply. “All the lower-to-middle windows are barred, whereas the ones in the clock tower are only shuttered. I'll head there first to get inside. Then I should be able to traverse over to the prison tower.”
“Get going, then. I'll cover you with my bow.” Turn to 317.
214
As you reach the top of the stone steps leading to the western tower, you glance about to get an idea of the present situation. If you have amassed 80 or more RESISTANCE points, then things are relatively quiet here, with Ullucus and the guardsmen in control of the situation. There isn't much for you to do in this case, so you descend the steps again to the western parapet (turn to 237).
If you have not yet amassed 80 RESISTANCE points, then the situation is dire. Two giant lizards along with their riders have scaled the battlements and killed several of the guards here! Ullucus looks exhausted, so you leap forward to help with the battle. You must face off against all four opponents at the same time!
GIANT LIZARD 1: FIGHT 8, HEALTH 10
GIANT LIZARD 2: FIGHT 7, HEALTH 11
SWORDSMAN RIDER 1: FIGHT 8, HEALTH 4
SPEARMAN RIDER 2: FIGHT 7, HEALTH 4
If you defeat all four enemies, the guards manage to regain control of the western tower. Add 5 to your RESISTANCE points. You regather yourself after such a hard-fought battle and notice a concentrated trebuchet bombardment happening off to the east. You decide to descend the steps to head in that direction (turn to 237).
215
Under the intense pressure of the situation, you are unable to come up with a last-minute plan to defeat the evil Fagen. As you stand defiantly, hoping that your own failure may still pave the way for another hero to defeat this powerful sorcerer in the future, you glance one last time at Zabel, who lays unconscious upon the ground nearby. I hope she survives is your final thought as Fagen obliterates your body with dark matter. Your particles swirl through the air for a brief moment, before eventually fading away to nothing. Your adventure ends here.
216: As you round a corner near the hidden Guild entrance, you suddenly come upon a small, winged creature
hovering in the passage ahead.
216
As Zabel and Babin are assigned their own tasks, you choose to travel back to the sewers, where the underground river which supplies much of the city's water resides. You remember the Chain-Man and his centipedes who were searching around a spot near the entrance to the Thieve's Guild, so you make your way there first. On arriving via a street-side drain, you spot several creatures wandering the tunnels. They have red, beady eyes, brown hairy bodies and long tails. Rats, of course, but these ones are t
he size of dogs. You pause to allow your eyes to adjust to the dark, and to lather your body with some of the sewer water to mask your scent before proceeding. As you round a corner near the hidden Guild entrance, you suddenly come upon a small, winged creature hovering in the passage ahead. It is rat-like but buzzes about like a hummingbird. Though you remain as still as a statue, the animal produces a cackling laugh before tossing a throwing knife in your direction. Roll 2 dice. If the result is equal to or lower than your AGILITY, turn to 336. If the dice roll is higher than your AGILITY, turn to 46.
217
As Tannurat clamps his jaws around your torso, you attempt to prop his immense maw open by bracing your sword in between the roof and floor of his mouth. The idea is sound in theory and is the stuff of many childrens' tales of fighting legendary serpents. The reality is, sadly, a broken longsword, snapped in half like a toothpick, followed rapidly by a thief being cut to ribbons by two mighty rows of sharp teeth. At least you die quickly, not having to experience the unpleasant totality of being digested by an angry dragon. Your adventure ends here.
218
You take careful aim before shooting a popper against a rock to the right of Zabel's location. Recognising the significance from the burst of colour, the slender thief manoeuvres her lithe form onto a new set of handholds, steering herself away from the men above. Zabel eventually reaches the right-hand side of the ledge and slides carefully onto the flat of it while staying close to the rock wall. She shimmies across and finally spots the guards for the first time. Waiting patiently for the two men to turn their backs, Zabel then sneaks into the cave behind them. Turning your eyes over to Babin, he seems to be making surprisingly quick work of ascending the cliff face until you realise he has discovered a section of hidden steps carved into the stone. He then uses a grappling hook and rope to swing himself around to another sheer wall, before shimmying across to another rock. As he disappears from view entirely, you realise he must have discovered another hidden cave. It is then that you notice three guards creeping up the hidden steps, tracking Babin's path. The little man may have been spotted! Roll 2 dice. If the result is equal to or lower than your INTELLIGENCE, turn to 373. If the dice roll is higher than your INTELLIGENCE, turn to 142.