by Joe Dever
Before you set off on your perilous mission, Captain D'Val offers you the choice of the following equipment and provisions:1
Enough food for 3 Meals
Rope
Potion of Laumspur — Restores 4 ENDURANCE points when swallowed after combat
Sword
Spear
Make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart before turning to 140.
[1] If you do not have a Backpack, you may choose to assume here that you are outfitted with one by Captain D'Val.
13
The show finally comes to an end, and you make the necessary preparations for a night's sleep. At dawn the next day, you and your company bid farewell to the travelling players and continue on your way to Ruanon.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 171.
If the number is 5–9, turn to 25.
14
Your rangers spread out and move stealthily forward under cover of the large boulders. When you are almost close enough to reach out and touch the enemy, you give a piercing whistle — the signal to attack! In unison, your men rise up and strike. Two bandits die instantly, their skulls cloven in two by ranger swords. A third turns to run, but he is felled from behind and swept away in the foam-flecked water. Your target is a formidable looking warrior; great bracers of steel encase his wrists and a grim necklace of shrunken skulls adorns his leather battle-jerkin. You strike first, but his reactions are lightning-fast. He turns your blow aside with his spear and lunges at your face.
Illustration I—Your target is a formidable Bandit Warrior.
Bandit Warrior: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 28
If you wish to evade combat at any time, you can dive into the River Xane by turning to 31.
If you win the combat, turn to 146.
15
You have ridden less than a hundred yards when you notice fresh hoof prints in the dust of the winding track.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Tracking, turn to 264.
If you do not possess this skill, turn to 134.
16
You reach the door and quickly make your escape. The land behind the tavern is steep and heavily forested. Two of your men follow, but they are both badly wounded and cannot keep up with you. You turn to shout encouragement, only to witness their deaths as they are brutally stabbed to the ground. The bandit murderers wipe their blades and sprint towards you.
If you wish to run straight into the forest, turn to 123.
If you wish to try to change direction as soon as the trees hide you from your pursuers, turn to 169.
17
A spear tip has grazed your forearm. It is a mere scratch, yet your arm has become numb and useless. You strike back at your assailant, hoping to catch him as he pulls back, but your blow is weak and poorly aimed. Your vision is becoming a blur; you cannot coordinate your movements. Blind terror engulfs you as you suddenly realize that the bandits are using poisoned weapons.
A spear catches you beneath the arm and another sinks into your chest. As darkness engulfs you from all sides, the last sight you remember is the triumphant grimaces of your murderers as they stab you to death.
Your life and your mission end here.
18
You recognize the hoof prints of a Sommlending cavalry horse. There are two sets of tracks, and you are sure that they were made by two of your missing scouts. You decide to follow them eastwards in the hope of finding your men.
Turn to 150.
19
You instantly recognize these amulets. They are the symbols of a Holy Order known as ‘The Redeemers’, a silent order of pilgrims devoted to a lifetime of prayer and healing. You apologize for your hasty reaction. The holy men both nod their shaven heads in forgiveness.
Your men have pitched camp beneath the marble canopy, and preparations are soon underway for a good night's sleep. You are hungry and you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Turn to 233.
20
An arrow hisses overhead; a scream of agony fills the air. The bow slips from the archer's fingers as he sinks to his knees, the arrow lodged deep between his startled eyes. The clack of fangs and the soft swift pad of stealthy feet tell you that the Warhounds are closing in. You look up to see a man running towards you from the barricade. He has a shield in one hand and a longbow in the other; it is Guard Captain D'Val. He reaches you, breathless from his run, and draws an arrow from his quiver. D'Val aims and fires, drawing another arrow from his quiver as soon as the first is loosed. The Warhounds tumble and crash to the ground around you, felled by D'Val's deadly shafts. Eight lie dead before his quiver is empty.
The captain grabs you by the arm and, swinging you over his shoulder in one swift motion, carries you back towards the barricade. Others run forward to help you, but the bandit archers are now in range and your men are forced back by a hail of arrows. The red shafts of the enemy whistle past on all sides. You reach the barricade, a wagon is pulled aside, and you are carried in through the gap. Captain D'Val is close to exhaustion; he staggers, and his men rush to catch him before he drops to the ground.
Turn to 341.
21
After half an hour, one of your men reports sighting a track ahead. The narrow dirt path leads off to the east and the west.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Tracking, turn to 264.
If you wish to follow it east, turn to 134.
If you wish to it west, turn to 191.
22
You fumble in your Backpack to remove a Torch,2 and in doing so, you drop one other item from your Backpack into the crevasse. (If you were only carrying a Torch, you have lost a Weapon instead.)
You eventually manage to light the new Torch and make your way safely across to the other side of the bridge.
Continue along this tunnel and turn to 157.
[2] If you are using a Kalte Firesphere instead of a Torch, you will still lose an item as you fumble for the Firesphere in your pocket.
23
You reach the door, but only to find it locked.
If you possess a Brass Key, turn to 282.
If you do not, turn to 105.
24
You leap across the warrior's dead body and enter the watchtower. Running up the wide stone stairs, you reach a landing on the first level where two soldiers are firing their bows through narrow oblong slits in the wall. Suddenly one of them cries out in pain and staggers back, an arrow sunk in his chest.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Healing, you can help this wounded soldier by turning to 238.
If you wish to continue up the stairs to the watchtower roof, turn to 223.
If you wish to pick up the wounded archer's bow and man his position at the arrow slit, turn to 207.
25
After journeying through the rich wheat fields of southern Sommerlund, the view that lies before you now looks especially bleak and colourless. The landscape is flat and desolate, only relieved here and there by a ragged copse of stunted firs or mound of broken earth. (You have entered the Wildlands south of the Pass of Moytura and cannot use the Kai Discipline of Hunting to hunt for food in this desolate area.) During the afternoon, storm clouds gather above the peaks of the Durncrag Mountains to the west, and the roll of distant thunder warns of imminent rain. It is early evening when your scouts find the ruins of an old temple, less than a mile from the highway.
If you wish to set up camp for the night in the shelter of the ruins, turn to 290.
If you wish to avoid the temple and continue, turn to 141.
26
As you run towards the ladder, the dreadful screams of your dying men claw at your ears, as they are eaten alive. You stop and stare back into the tunnel. The Stoneworm is now barely twenty feet away and is slithering towards you at a terrifying pace. You know that you will never reach the ladder in time to escape. In desperation, you raise your weapon and prepare for combat. The creatu
re is immune to Mindblast.
Illustration II—The Stoneworm slithers towards you at a terrifying pace.
Stoneworm: COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 38
If you win the combat, turn to 321.
27
You leap over the side of the wagon and sprint towards a line of densely packed trees less than twenty yards from the track. Luck is with you, for the bandit guards fail to notice your daring escape and the wagons continue on their way towards the gantry.
Pausing just long enough to catch your breath, you give silent thanks to the stranger who helped you, before pressing onwards through the trees.
Turn to 200.
28
As the warrior lets out his last dying gasp of pain, he topples back into the mine shaft and plummets into the darkness. His men seem stunned by your fighting prowess, and trip over each other in their haste to escape a similar fate. As the sound of their hurried footsteps disappears along the tunnel, you quickly cross the bridge and leave the chamber through a tunnel in the west wall.
Turn to 348.
29
The Torch burns fiercely for just a few seconds before it sputters and dies. You try to relight it but it is hopeless — it simply will not burn.3 If you possess other Torches in your Backpack, you will also discover that for some mysterious reason, they will no longer light.
If you possess a Firesphere, turn to 168.
If you wish to continue in the dark, turn to 246.
If you wish to leave the vault and attempt an entry via the guarded crypt door, turn to 183.
[3] You need not erase any Torches from your Action Chart in this case.
30
The long night ride and the lack of sleep begins to tell on both your men and their horses. No matter how hard you urge your company on, you cannot outdistance the bandit horde.
Suddenly, a large force of armoured horsemen appear from behind a shallow ridge to your left. They are trying to cut across and block the highway. As your paths converge, you brace yourself for the imminent confrontation.
Turn to 176.
31
The water is swift, dark, and very cold. You tumble helplessly downstream as the irresistible current carries you towards a new and unforeseen danger: white water! The hiss of the rushing water fills your ears. You gulp a lungful of air and brace yourself, for it is now too late to avoid the torrential rapids that lie ahead.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 272.
If the number you have picked is 5–9, turn to 329.
32
The hideous creature uncoils itself from your legs and sinks into the water. You are elated by your victory, but your lungs feel as if they are on fire. You claw your way upwards until you eventually reach the surface, choking and gasping for air.
The only sign of the rowing boat and your men that remains on the surface of this dark and dreadful river is a splintered oar floating nearby. You hook your arm over this and drift with the current towards the far bank. A check of your Backpack and pockets reveals that nothing was lost during your struggle in the water, but this discovery comes as cold comfort now that your brave company is no more.
Steeling yourself against the unknown dangers that may lie ahead, you resolve to reach Ruanon and uncover the veil of mystery that surrounds it. But first you allow yourself one last look at the black river before you enter the west tunnel.
Turn to 309.
33
It is almost dark when you reach the edge of a densely forested valley. You can just make out the highway disappearing into the trees ahead and catch sight of a signpost pointing towards the south. You are now only forty miles from Ruanon, but your men are tired and in need of food and rest.
If you wish to set up camp at the edge of the forest, turn to 74.
If you wish to send some men into the valley to scout for bandits, turn to 139.
If you decide to go without food and sleep and press on to Ruanon as quickly as possible, turn to 251.
34
The creature is flooded by the golden light of your sword. A look of terror crosses its ghoulish face and it hurls itself upwards to avoid your sword blow. You brace yourself for another onslaught but it never comes: your silent attacker has escaped into a fissure in the ceiling.
Sheathing your sword, you prepare to continue. You notice a low portal in the vault wall leading to a long and narrow corridor.
If you wish to continue along the corridor, turn to 235.
If you wish to leave the vault and attempt to enter the temple via the guarded crypt door, turn to 183.
35
Using your Kai skill, you blend into the shadows of the chamber wall and slowly inch your way nearer and nearer to the bridge. Suddenly, the guard puts down his block of wood and turns his back: he is rummaging in his haversack for some food. You see your chance and sprint towards the bridge, your weapon poised to strike down the unwary guard.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Kai Discipline of Hunting, or if you have reached the Kai rank of Guardian or higher, then add 3 to the number you have picked.
If your total is now 0–7, turn to 147.
If your total is now 8–12, turn to 231.
36
The Warhounds lope towards you at an unnerving speed. You can see their great red-lipped jaws clearly and hear the clacking of their fangs. You fight to control your breathing, to concentrate all your warrior skills, for you must dispatch the Warhounds quickly and with precision if you are to avoid being torn to pieces. Two dogs, faster than their brothers, break free of the pack and close upon you. They leap simultaneously, their slavering jaws spread wide for attack. You dive forward and roll, striking at their bellies from beneath as they pass above. Both howl with rage and pain and tumble lifeless to the ground. You are back on your feet as the next Warhound attacks.
Vassagonian Warhound: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 25
If you win this combat in 3 rounds or less, turn to 155.
If you win the combat in more than 3 rounds, turn to 277.
37
You signal to the driver to stop. The wagons halt and a small, moon-faced man in a bright pink tunic throws open the rear door of the leading carriage. He shouts and curses the driver as he descends the ladder, pausing only to adjust the cummerbund that barely covers his huge stomach. Seeing your men, he lets out a strangled shriek and fumbles for a short sword hanging at his side. ‘Bandits! Robbers!’ he cries, and wrestles to free his sword from its ornate scabbard. A row of anxious faces appears at the wagon windows, but the expressions soon change to a smile when they recognize your Sommlending uniforms.
‘Calm yourself, Yesu,’ shouts an elderly woman. ‘They are Sommlending rangers. They will not steal your gold.’ Laughter ripples along the carriages as the little fat man suddenly unsheathes his sword with such force that he spins around and tumbles to the ground.
Illustration III—The little fat man spins around and tumbles to the ground.
‘You must forgive Yesu,’ says the old woman. ‘He means you no harm. “Raider's Road” has made him a nervous wreck.’
You question the old woman, asking her where they have come from and their destination. You learn that they are a troupe of players and have journeyed many miles from their native land of Cloeasia in the east. They last played for the people of Eshnar, but it was a disappointing show. It seems that the town was as quiet as the grave; those who did come to see them were a sad and sorry crowd. They are now bound for Holmgard, and hopefully a more appreciative audience.
‘Light is fading,’ remarks the old woman. ‘Perhaps you and your men will camp with us tonight? We would deem it an honour, and would be happy to entertain you all with songs and dancing.’ You notice a hopeful look in the eyes of your men as they await your decision.
If you wish to set up camp with the troubadours, turn to 182.
If you decide to press on to Ruanon, turn
to 247.
38
No cargo remains inside the charred shell of the wagon. The wood is black, and the metal fittings have buckled and blistered in the heat. However, in spite of the damage, you find enough proof from the ashes to confirm your suspicions. This is the wreck of a Sommlending cavalry wagon; one of three that left for Ruanon with Captain D'Val's troop over a month ago.
As you stand in the wagon, brushing the ash from your hands, one of your men suddenly cries out in pain. You glance up in time to see him fall from his horse, a disc of sharp steel embedded in his chest. ‘Ambush! Take cover!’ you shout, as more of the deadly discs whistle out of the trees to claim their victims. Frightened horses gallop in all directions, your men desperately clinging to the reins. The hidden attackers vanish as quickly as they came, but not before three of your men are left dead upon the highway.
After burying your dead, you must decide on the best course of action; for now only four men remain at your side and the hidden enemy may return at any time to finish their evil handiwork.
