by Dane Barrett
“Draw!” You raise your bow and take aim, pulling the bowstring back to ready the arrow for firing.
“Loose!” You release your first arrow and immediately reach for another. The battle has now begun, and the roar of enemy foot soldiers charging at the wall can now be heard from below. From this moment you will be recording a new statistic called RESISTANCE points. These start at 0 but will increase as you successfully repel invaders. Roll 2 dice three times. For each roll that is equal to or lower than your AGILITY, add 10 to your RESISTANCE points. For each dice roll that is higher than your AGILITY, add nothing. Once you've performed these three dice rolls and recorded RESISTANCE points accordingly, turn to 262.
304
You walk beneath the bridge, carefully watching the water's edge. You have almost made it to the other side when you sense a shadow descending upon you! Roll 1 die. If the result is 1, 2 or 3, turn to 341. If the die roll is 4, 5 or 6, turn to 5.
305
You grasp a narrow beam above, lifting your body into the air and begin to swing, one arm at a time, over the damaged section of the structure below. The thinner wooden shaft bows slightly under your weight, and the crosswind is strong here, threatening your grip with every forward movement. Roll 2 dice. If the result is equal to or lower than your STRENGTH, turn to 197. If the dice roll is higher than your STRENGTH, turn to 260.
306
On trying to open the door you find that it is locked, and being that it is reinforced, you doubt you could push it aside with brute force, either. Do you have the keyword IRON? If so, turn to 227. Otherwise, you will need to return here later if you should happen to find the key. In the meantime, you decide to head through the other exit. You step past the portcullis and find yourself standing inside another tunnel which leads away from the rat room, twisting in several directions as it goes. This passage seems old and has been fashioned without bricks, suggesting this may be an extension to a natural cavern instead of being part of the city's sewer system. Turn to 383.
307
As you reach the tower's summit, you are suddenly knocked aside by an unseen enemy who was lying in wait at the top of the steps. The force of the blow is so great that it takes you off your feet, and the impact of hitting the stone floor causes your weapons to be jolted from your hands. You try to stand again, but a significant weight bears down on you, and you peer up to see a giant lizard pinning you down with its huge clawed feet. You take a moment to glance around the tower and can now see it has been entirely overrun by several of these lizards and their riders. The ballista and its crew are in pieces, and there is no sign of Ullucus. You have only a moment to realise the hopelessness of your situation before the lizard pinning you separates your head from your body with one swift bite from its mighty jaws. Your adventure ends here.
308
Reaching into your pocket, you withdraw the small vial given to you by Ullucus the Wizard. Removing the stopper, you liberally pour the contents into the river water, hoping that the Wizard's alchemy skills are everything that he claims them to be. As you watch the liquid flow into the water and out of sight, you catch a glimpse of a shape in the reflective surface; something is lurking above you! Glancing up, you spot the winged rat-gremlin which attacked you earlier, suspended from the ceiling. As you draw your sword, eager to put this creature in the ground, you also notice a hulking form looming up from the tunnel floor nearby. You gasp in shock as you recognise the Filth-Demon from your earlier encounter in the peasant quarter. You have walked into a trap! The winged beast cackles gleefully at your predicament and readies its throwing knives to do battle!
FILTH-DEMON: FIGHT 8, HEALTH 6
RAT GREMLIN: FIGHT 7, HEALTH 6
Note: Due to the Rat Gremlin's ability to fly out of range, you cannot inflict any damage upon him until the Filth-Demon is defeated. The gremlin will continue to pepper you with throwing knives in the meantime, so can still cause you harm.
If you win this battle, turn to 89.
309
You soar bird-like above the hole in the wall, landing safely on the other side with the gracefulness of an eagle. You quickly step away from the eastern edge of the broken parapet just as more of it collapses as a result of your landing on it. With the hole substantially widened, you doubt you could cross back to the west now even if you wanted to. Suddenly you hear screams emanating from the battlements to the east, and so you rush off in that direction immediately! Turn to 109.
310
Without having prior knowledge of their immediate battle plans and the size of their force, you are unsure which strategy these mercenary leaders would favour, and you're worried that giving the wrong answer might anger them! Will you suggest that you'd be happy to follow either of the attack plans (turn to 274) or agree that a pincer movement would be the wiser option (turn to 97)?
311
You duck into the left passage and follow it a short distance as it twists along like a serpent. It isn't long before the path comes to a sudden and unexpected dead-end. It's as if this tunnel wasn't finished, or that whatever dug through here eventually lost interest and gave up. You search the walls and ceiling briefly to make sure there aren't any hidden exits before turning around and heading back to the cavern. Will you instead head into the middle tunnel (turn to 63) or the narrow right-hand crawlspace (turn to 132)?
312
The soldiers already have their swords drawn and are battle-ready, so when they spot you rushing in to attack, they are more than ready to meet you head-on. Do you have the keyword RAPIER? If so, turn to 258. Otherwise, turn to 195.
313
You try to drop down to cause the knife to fly high, but you fail to move quickly enough, and the blade catches you along your forehead. Subtract 1 from your HEALTH. If you are still alive, you spring back to your feet, ready to face your foe, but watch in dismay as it crawls into a crack in the wall. Rushing up to take a closer look, you spy nothing in the confines of the stone. You are quickly tiring of this little fiend taking potshots at you! You make a careful and thorough examination of the dead-end, and while you can detect a breeze coming from between some of the stones, they are all too tightly-packed together to pull any part of the wall away. You have no choice but to turn around and head back the way you came, this time taking the branching passage. Turn to 345.
314
You extend both of your arms on either side of your body to help stabilise your balance. As soon as the crosswind lets up, you continue along the cable until you feel a great sense of relief on reaching the upper balcony of the prison tower. Hurriedly you make your way over to a metal door before attempting to unlock it with one of the lock picks supplied to you by Zabel. These towers haven't seen upgrades in many years, so these entrances don't present you with much of a challenge as you detect the satisfying click of the lock being released. You head inside and start searching for signs of the people you are here to rescue. Several cells line these walls, each with solid iron doors with small barred windows set into them. Most of the rooms prove to be empty until you reach the far side of the second passageway, where you finally discover four cells with occupants; Mayor Vadul, two of his personal guard and the Wizard Ullucus. All have been stripped of their possessions except for the clothes on their backs. You signal the Wizard as to your presence, and he immediately recognises you as a member of the Thieves Guild before pointing an aged finger at the door. Turn to 349.
315
Stepping out from your place of concealment, you stride forward confidently until you are standing in front of the guards, who both wave about their short blades in a threatening manner.
“Go away!” one of the orcs says to you. “Only death awaits you here!”
“Nonsense!” you retort. “I have been sent with a most important message for Gromin Snilsplitter! If I don't deliver it to him personally and immediately, he'll have the dirt here enriched with your blood!” Roll 2 dice. If the result is equal to or lower than your CHARISMA, turn to 24. If the dice roll is
higher than your CHARISMA, turn to 47.
316
Your mind reinforces its determination to hang on, and your muscles respond in kind. You continue to swing on until you reach the final rod, and on taking a firm grip, you make one final leap over to the window. You successfully manage to grab the lower ledge and haul yourself into the opening, thankfully not making much noise while doing so. You glance back at the balcony, which is still in one piece, none of it having collapsed while you made your way across. Now safely inside, you find yourself in a storage room with a boarded-up door and a ladder leading into a hatch in the ceiling. There is nowhere else to go, so you climb the ladder and slowly open the door above. Turn to 207.
317
You hurriedly descend the neighbouring building before beginning your long climb of the Town Hall. The architecture of this grand structure is jagged, with highly-defined lines and elaborately-carved trimmings and gargoyles. These all provide numerous handholds for you to grasp, making your initial climb up to the clock tower relatively easy. Once you've reached your destination, you are faced with the unusually spiralled shape of the gigantic town clock, with only a single defined ledge to walk upon, whereas everything else is moulded in curves and circles. You lift yourself onto the ledge, noting that you are currently on the opposite side of the tower from the clock face. You hope to find some open windows here. You begin to shimmy along the ledge, shooing away several birds which get in your way. You finally reach a window with a closed shutter, but your attempt to open it reveals it to be locked. There is no keyhole to speak of, so it must be bolted from the inside. Will you attempt to open this shutter using force (turn to 329) or continue making your way along the outside of the clock tower (turn to 277)?
318
You slip through the right-hand doorway and pass through an empty room into another which is stacked with boxes filled with straw. Checking the contents of one container reveals several pieces of broken pottery; you suspect this building might be a storage area for damaged market items. Peering into the next room, you can see it leads straight out into the hall occupied by the mercenaries. Along the right wall is an open window where you can see lines suspended between this building and another, with wet clothing hanging over some of the ropes. Will you attack the mercenaries from this position (turn to 302) or try sneaking out the window (turn to 56)? Alternatively, you could return to the entrance and head through the left-hand doorway instead (turn to 39).
319
You curl your arms and legs around the cable and prepare yourself for the traversal across. Roll 2 dice. If the result is equal to or lower than your SENSE, turn to 62. If the dice roll is higher than your SENSE, turn to 59.
320
You creep up to the doorway of the makeshift guardhouse with swords drawn, and when both orcs have their backs turned, you rush in to press your attack! The guards are taken entirely unawares by your arrival, and you successfully run your longsword right through the back and chest of your first opponent before he even knows what is happening. The second orc reacts quickly at seeing your long blade pierce through his friend's body, and readies himself for battle. Thankfully he isn't smart enough to think about calling for help, but you will nevertheless need to defeat him quickly so that more enemies are not attracted to the commotion!
ORC GUARD: FIGHT 6, HEALTH 3
If you win this battle in three rounds of combat or less, turn to 149. If you win this battle in four or more rounds of combat, turn to 375.
321
The blue-stone statue is a little slippery, and it takes some skilful manoeuvring to avoid having your boots skid off the slick surface. You balance yourself tentatively, being careful not to place too much weight on any single spot, and finally shift your bulk to the other side of the statue. From here, the climb to the window is relatively easy, and you clamber through the opening to the inner corridor of the clock tower. Turn to 122.
322
You cringe in despair as the toe of your boot drags slightly across one of the wooden floorboards, alerting the demon to your presence. It swings its body about and attempts to hit you all in one motion, but you successfully evade its first strike before positioning yourself in a battle stance. You must fight it!
FILTH-DEMON: FIGHT 8, HEALTH 6.
If you win this battle, turn to 108.
323
You have almost made it past the guardhouse when a particularly treacherous wooden board decides to betray your presence with a creak so loud it would wake the dead! Both of the guards spot you and come rushing from their post with their weapons at the ready. Thankfully neither of them are smart enough to think about running for help, so you must fight them both at the same time, and will need to defeat them quickly so that more enemies are not attracted to the commotion!
ORC GUARD 1: FIGHT 6, HEALTH 3
ORC GUARD 2: FIGHT 5, HEALTH 4
If you win this battle in four rounds of combat or less, turn to 149. If you win this battle in five or more rounds of combat, turn to 375.
324: This does nothing to quell the giant lizard's
thirst for your blood, however...
324
You travel north on horseback with steeds kindly provided to you by Captain Jadu. As you are approaching the northern mountain range, your nose detects the telltale signs of campfires burning ahead. Dismounting, you tie your horses to a tree before climbing a wooded hill overlooking the next area. Your eyes confirm the presence of the Dactyl army, made up of foot soldiers as well as Gekka shock troops, spread across the muddy terrain as they prepare themselves for battle. They have cut down trees to build climbing ladders and even a few trebuchets. You look to the river and watch intently as several giant lizards ferry people and equipment across the river. Around twenty more identical beasts have been trained as mounts, with saddles upon their backs, penned across the far side of the camp.
“This looks quite bad,” comments Zabel. “We must return to Dusk at once so that the Town Guard have time to prepare the wall!”
Just as you rise to make your way back to the horses, the trees to your flank suddenly erupt with a scattering of leaves. From the gap emerges one of the lizard beasts, upon which a soldier sits. A mounted patroller! Zabel reacts instantly, notching and releasing an arrow which pierces the neck of the rider. This does nothing to quell the giant lizard's thirst for your blood, however, and even as its master slides lifelessly from his saddle, the beast lunges forward to attack!
GIANT LIZARD: FIGHT 8, HEALTH 10
If you win this battle, turn to 266.
325
You summon your strength and push upwards, dislodging the drain cover and causing Fagen to lose his balance. You push his ankle through the bars on the grill, twisting it around until he cries out in great pain. The sorcerer comes at you as you take time to lift yourself out of the drain, but you deflect two of his incoming blows, swinging him about and slamming him against the nearest wall. Subtract 1 from Fagen's HEALTH. You plant several swift knee shots into Fagen's stomach before you suddenly feel your hair standing on end. Wheeling yourself away from danger, you barely avoid the pulse of lightning the sorcerer shoots out from his hands. Kicking some mud into Fagen's eyes, you take this opportunity to run down the next street for cover before he attempts to electrocute you with his magic. If you have lowered Fagen's HEALTH to 8, turn to 271. If not, continue reading.
“Blackguard!” Fagen shouts after you. “I will make sure your kind are wiped from existence! It matters not where you hide, or which shadowy cavity you attempt to slither out from, I shall locate you and torch you to a cinder!”
Once you are sure that you are out of the sorcerer's sight, you quickly look around trying to decide how to harry him next.
Will you attempt to surprise him around an alley corner (turn to 81),
drop on top of him from a balcony (turn to 34),
attack him from under another drain grill (turn to 80),
ambush him from one of the windows (turn to 190)
>
or hide in the shadows and try to sneak up behind him as he passes by (turn to 166)?
326
Preparing your blades, you rush ahead into the shed to attack your target. While the creaky floorboards give away your presence, your quickness allows you to slice your longsword blade across the orc's leg, injuring it and making it more difficult for him to manoeuvre during combat. Let the battle commence!
ORC SENTRY: FIGHT 5, HEALTH 2.
If you win this battle, turn to 272.
327
As you attempt to reach out for another handhold, you overbalance yourself, and suddenly find your body slipping away from the wall altogether. You desperately flail for a ledge or an outcropping; anything that might prevent you from plummeting to certain death. You find nothing, and glance down as you begin your descent to the inevitable. You've often heard that people who fall to their deaths perish before reaching the bottom of their drop. You never find out if this is true, as your head collides at great velocity with the edge of a balcony on the way down, releasing small parts of your brain out into the world. Your adventure ends here.
