by Joe Dever
Turn to 185.
299
Quickly you pull you men into line, shoulder to shoulder across the entrance to the mine. Their shields form a wall of wood and steel to deflect the arrows now falling from the sky. As they flood out from the trees, the bandit warriors discard their bows in favour of long, curved swords. Many of them stumble and fall, but their leader beats them forward with the flat of his battle-axe. He is an ugly brute dressed in a heavy brass hauberk. As the first of the enemy smash into the shield-wall, he screams a deafening war-cry. A numbing thunder of blows rains down as the bandits hew and slice into your line. The fight is bitter but the wall holds firm, as your men bravely defend themselves.
The first wave of bandits stagger back clutching their wounds, a dozen left dead at your feet. None of your men have fallen. However, you barely have time to wipe your blood-spattered brow before their leader bounds towards you, his battle-axe sweeping the air. He batters his way through the shield-wall and attacks you. You cannot evade him and must fight him to the death.
Bandit Leader: COMBAT SKILL 19 ENDURANCE 29
If you win the fight, turn to 121.
300
A scream of pain and terror fills the air. The sniper crashes to the ground as the jaws of a Warhound clamp tightly around his neck. Other hounds are drawn by his ghastly screams, and he is soon ripped to pieces. 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 Captain D'Val.
He reaches you, breathless from his run, and draws an arrow from his quiver. The Warhounds, tired of their victim, are in search of fresh sport and are turning their attentions on you. D'Val aims and fires, drawing another arrow as soon as his bow is empty. Warhounds tumble and crash to the ground around you, felled by D'Val's deadly shafts. The captain grabs you by the arm and swings you over his shoulder in one swift movement, before carrying you back to the barricade. Others run forward to help him, but the bandit archers are now in range and the men are forced back by a hail of arrows. The red shafts whistle past on all sides. Finally you reach the barricade; a wagon is pulled aside and you are carried through the open gap. Captain D'Val is close to exhaustion; he staggers and his men rush to catch him before he drops you to the ground.
Turn to 341.
301
The street continues past a stable with a large paddock. The enclosure is full of horses, all of which are saddled.
If you possess the Kai Discipline of Animal Kinship, turn to 106.
If you do not possess this skill, turn to 236.
302
The chest appears to be unlocked, but with the loss of your men still fresh in your mind, you decide to take no chances. Standing to one side, you ease open the chest with the tip of your weapon and flick back the lid. You wait with bated breath but nothing happens; whoever lives in this room must be confident that the pit trap will foil any would-be thieves, for the chest contains an assortment of loot. There are plates and goblets of gem-encrusted gold, necklaces of turquoise, pearls, and statuettes of marbled jadin, a rare and precious stone. You marvel at their beauty but decide against taking them for they are heavy and of little practical use. Then you notice a soft leather bag beneath the gold plates. When you pull it out of the chest, you immediately recognize its distinctive shape. It is a herbwarden's satchel and contains the following items:
2 Potions of Laumspur — Each restores 4 ENDURANCE points
1 Potion of Alether — Increases COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for the duration of one combat.
1 Flask of Holy Water
If you wish to keep any of these items, mark them on your Action Chart.
Examine the far door and turn to 131.
303
Your knees and knuckles are badly bruised, but you are still alive and clinging to the wooden bridge floor. You lose 2 ENDURANCE points. However, the slatted floor of the bridge makes an excellent ladder, and you waste no time in climbing out of the mine shaft. Your enemies scream and curse at you from the other side of the chamber, for they are now trapped there and unable to pursue you. With a wry smile you wave them farewell before entering a tunnel in the west wall.
Turn to 348.
304
One blow is enough to sever the writhing tentacle and free the ranger. He shouts his thanks and quickly slices the tip from another rubbery limb as it rises from the slime-stained river. Suddenly there is a tremendous crack as yet another tentacle punches its way through the bottom of the boat. The boat is lifted into the air, and you are hurled into the icy cold water.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 47.
If the number is 5–9, turn to 234.
305
A bold plan springs to mind. You remove the Onyx Medallion from your pocket and stride boldly towards the bandit spearmen. They are so busy talking to each other that they fail to see you. Your appearance comes as a sudden shock. Acting your part to perfection, you scold them for their slovenliness and threaten to report them to Barraka himself. As their eyes fall upon the Onyx Medallion, you can almost hear their hearts miss a beat. Frantically they pull themselves together and stand to attention, awaiting your next command. You send them marching off towards the forest and then hurry away in the opposite direction, just in case they realize that they have been tricked.
Turn to 204.
306
Your men push open the door with their swords and quickly enter. You hear a muffled voice, and a ranger soon reappears at the door. ‘It is safe, my lord,’ he says, and stands aside to allow you to enter.
Turn to 84.
307
From all along the forest edge, groups of bandits emerge from the trees, whipped and scolded by their bullying sergeants for allowing you to escape. This spurs you to quicken your pace, and you cover the first hundred yards with ease. Then arrows begin to fall around you. You duck and weave, making yourself a difficult target for the archers, and gradually the falling shafts dwindle in number. You smile at their futile attempts to stop you, but your confidence is soon shaken by a pack of snarling Warhounds breaking out of the woods to your right; they are off the leash and hungry for blood. You are less than five hundred yards from Ruanon, but the Warhounds are closing in.
If you wish to quicken your pace and try to outrun them, turn to 225.
If you wish to stop and fight them, turn to 36.
308
You turn the key and push open the iron door. Immediately, a loud hissing fills your ears, like steam escaping from a geyser. A cat-like creature leaps at you from out of the darkness knocking you to the ground; its eyes glowing with a green fire and its fetid breath scorching your face — it is an Elix! As you struggle to free yourself from its powerful fanged jaws, more of these creatures bound through the open door and attack your men. You cannot evade combat, and you must fight this beast to the death.
Illustration XVIII—A loud hissing fills your ears, like steam escaping from a geyser.
Elix: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 30
If you win the combat, turn to 127.
309
You follow the tunnel for three hours before arriving at a great hall where several tunnels, all at different depths, meet up. A series of wide stone ramps connect each tunnel to those immediately above and below. Four levels below you, teams of men are pushing wagonloads of ore. Others, dressed in red armour, stand guard over the wagon-pushers and urge them on with whips and curses.
The tunnel in which you now stand is on the highest level. You realize that the only way you can proceed is by descending the ramp to a tunnel on a lower level. To your dismay, you notice that each of the ramps is guarded by armed men. Inching forward, you peer over the edge of the ramp; two guards are sitting near the tunnel entrance below. They are laughing and giggling and pointing at an empty wine flagon that lies at their feet. After watching them for several minutes, you decide they are probably too drunk to notice you. You
decide to make a dash for the tunnel.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess the Kai Discipline of Camouflage, add 4 to the number you have picked.
If your total is now 0–7, turn to 138.
If your total is 8–13, turn to 244.
310
You are less than ten yards from the watchtower door when a spear haft knocks you to the ground. You roll aside in time to avoid a deadly thrust and spring to your feet to face your assailant. He is a hard-faced warrior with eyes as black as coal, his armour tarnished with the blood of his dead horse. He raises his spear and stabs at your chest. You cannot evade combat and must fight him to the death.
Vassagonian Warrior: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 25
If you win the combat, turn to 24.
311
Three Sommlending soldiers come to your aid. Their swords slice into the evil Warhounds until both dogs stiffen and die, and you thankfully stagger to your feet and try to assess the situation as the battle rages all around. Sommlending soldiers still man the barricade, forming in groups that hold firm where the wall does not. Spears and arrows arc through the sky piercing metal, wood, and flesh. Men fall from their horses, horses scream and bolt, and the dead and the wounded lie everywhere.
The Warhounds have been driven back upon the spears of their masters, who now advance behind a wall of shields. To your right, a bandit warrior is trying to jump his horse across the barricade, but the animal is wounded and near to death. It cannot make the jump; the rider is hurled forwards over the wall, falling close behind you.
If you wish to attack the bandit warrior, turn to 90.
If you wish to rally the Sommlending soldiers to repel the advancing spearmen, turn to 3.
312
All around you the ruins echo to the clash of weapons and the screech of battle-cries. These armour-clad horsemen are no ordinary bandit clan; they fight with a discipline and skill unheard of among the lowly outlaws of the Wildlands.
You step over the dead warrior and call about you a handful of your men. The enemy have surrounded your horses, and you must act quickly if you are to save them from being taken. You lead a charge through the ruins, piercing the enemy line. They falter and flee back into the darkness. However, by the time you have reached the temple perimeter, only eleven of your horses remain — the others have vanished.
After much thought, you decide to choose ten rangers to continue the mission with you, sending the remainder of your company back to Sommerlund to report what has happened. As the gloomy light of dawn gradually fills the sky, you and your chosen companions bid a sad farewell to those who must march back on foot.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–2, turn to 120.
If it is 3–9, turn to 51.
313
You lay your hands on the wounded ranger and manage to set the bones in his shattered elbow, binding them tightly with cloth strips torn from his tunic. Meanwhile, the other man has freed his ensnared leg and severed two more of the slimy tentacles that cling to the battered hull. Then he grabs the oars and frantically rows towards the distant bank, but the blades of the oars have barely entered the water when there is a tremendous crack.
Turn to 96.
314
The forest is patrolled by bandits, but they take little interest in their guard duties, and you find it easy to avoid them in the dark. Then, by chance, you come across a small log cabin hidden deep in the woods. A candle flickers at the window, and the door is ajar.
If you wish to enter the hut, turn to 53.
If you do not wish to enter the hut, continue your mission by turning to 258.
315
In the flickering light of your torch, you can see that the tunnel is supported by a criss-cross of props and beams. The rock is damp, and a narrow rivulet of ore-stained water runs along the tunnel floor. You soon reach a junction where the tunnel heads off to the left and right.
If you possess the Kai Discipline of Tracking, turn to 48.
If you wish to go left, turn to 269.
If you wish to go right, turn to 145.
316
You are halfway across when one of your men slips and is washed away by the torrential river water. His desperate cries alert the bandits. Suddenly a bandit warrior appears on top of the boulder behind which you are hiding. He screams and lunges at you with his spear. Deduct 2 from your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of the fight, for you are at a disadvantage. The bandit warrior towers over you and your footing is wet and slippery.
Bandit Warrior: COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 26
You may evade combat at any time by diving into the River Xane. Turn to 31.
If you win the combat, turn to 146.
317
You concentrate your powers and direct them at an outcrop of loose shale overhanging the shaft on the opposite side of the chamber. In seconds, there is a crack of slate and stone as part of the outcrop crumbles away and falls into the gaping mine shaft. The guard is startled by the sudden noise and leaves his post to investigate. Without a moment's hesitation, you dash across the now empty bridge and disappear into the tunnel beyond.
Turn to 348.
318
Oren Vanalund is the fifteenth baron of Ruanon, a noble warrior of royal lineage, and fifth in succession to the throne of Sommerlund. This once proud and chivalrous warlord now lies upon the cold stone floor of the chamber, red-eyed and whimpering like a frightened dog. ‘He has lost everything,’ says D'Val quietly. ‘Barraka has destroyed his castle, his land, his town, and his family. His sons are dead, and his only daughter has been taken captive by Barraka himself. I fear the ordeal has turned his mind.’
Illustration XIX—‘He has lost everything … his castle, his land, his town, and his family … ’
The pathetic man raises his tear-stained face, and with feeble voice mutters a curious rhyme, over and over again.
When a fair royal maid on the altar dies,
The dead of Maakengorge shall rise.
If you possess a Scroll, turn to 279.
If you do not possess a Scroll, turn to 57.
319
The food is delicious. You eat your fill and then make preparations for a good night's sleep. At dawn, you and your company bid farewell to the travelling players and continue on your mission to Ruanon.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 25.
If it is 5–9, turn to 171.
320
The two guards are completely unprepared for your attack. They have only just drawn their swords when your men reach them and knock them both to the ground.
‘Shall we dispatch them immediately, my lord?’ asks a ranger, his sword tip at the throat of a nervous guard.
‘No,’ you reply. ‘Tie them. They may be of some use to us yet.’
If you wish to search them, turn to 268.
If you wish to question them, turn to 76.
321
The foul creature lets out a ghastly shriek and dies, but its huge slimy body trembles and convulses for several minutes. You wait for a while before daring to squeeze past it to the chamber beyond. No trace of your men remains. Their bodies lie partially digested inside the Stoneworm carcass. With nausea rising in your throat, you turn and flee from this terrible chamber.
Turn to 309.
322
Extinguishing your torch, you curl up on the floor and quickly fall into a deep sleep. Many hours pass before you awake, totally refreshed by your rest. Restore 2 ENDURANCE points.
Relighting your torch, you can now see that the hut is full of mining tools. Picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows are stacked upright along the far wall.
If you wish to take either a Pick or a Shovel, do so and mark it on your Action Chart as a Backpack Item. Due to the size of these tools, they each take up the same amount of space as two normal Backpack Items.
Two tun
nels lead away from the chamber. One heads west, the other south.
If you wish to take the west tunnel, turn to 54.
If you wish to take the south tunnel, turn to 129.
323
You release the arrow, and it whistles through the air and buries itself deeply into the mail-clad shoulder of the Bandit Leader. You hear his scream of pain ring out above the din of battle, but even though he is badly wounded he still attempts to rally his men. You stoop to take another arrow, but, to your horror, the dead soldier's quiver is empty. Looking up you see two dismounted Vassagonian horsemen clambering across the barricade towards you. You throw down your bow and run to a large water cask defended by a stout Sommlending sergeant. The ground around the cask is carpeted with enemy dead.
‘Shoot the leader!’ you command, pointing towards the enemy officer. The sergeant aims and fires his bow with one swift and fluid movement. The arrow arcs through the battle-smoke and pierces the officer's shiny breastplate. Slowly his cruel eyes flicker and close as he slips from the saddle, the shaft lodged deep in his heart.
