ten short fighting fantasy books and one long one

Ten short Fighting Fantasy books and

one long one

Stuart Lloyd

Contents

Introduction Page 3

Basic Rules Page 4

Bane of Silverton Page 8

Bakland Battlegrounds Page 18

Left for Dead Page 30

Forest of Chaos Page 37

Survivor’s Struggle Page 45

In the Name of Love Page 53

The Presence of a Hero Page 71

Tomb of the Ancients Page 92

The Triad of Skulls Page 105

Simonius’s challenge Page 126

War of Deities part 1 Page 143

Overall conclusion 22

INTRODUCTION This is a collection of ten short adventures that I have written. Six 25 paragraphs long. Five of the 25 paragraph adventures were created as quickly as possible in an experiment in creativity. They were intended as experiments to see what I should improve on in my FF books and so I will put comments on them. The comments may contain spoilers so do not read them until you have tried the adventures. The 25 paragraph book entitled ‘In The Name of Love’ was my entry to the Fighting Fantasy Valentines’ competition, which I won (the competition, not the book!) Three of them are 50 paragraphs long. ‘The Presence of a Hero’ was my entry to the Fighting Fantasy Christmas competition. ‘Tomb of the Ancients’ was just an idea I was working with. Simonius’s challenge was written because I wanted to do the opposite to what I normally do. The last one, ‘Triad of Skulls’ is 81 paragraphs long and was my entry to the 2008 Windhammer prize. War of Deities part 1 is my first 400 paragraph book. I made it a very simple dungeon crawl in order to make sure I finished it. I intended it to be the first in a four part series, but I think it is redundant in the series now. However, it was good practice for a long book. I then tried to write S Shadowcaster part 1 which was 548 paragraphs but I went too fast. Shadowcaster was too complex as well as being very long and is quite buggy. That is another reason why I have written short books. Some of these books are on other parts of the web, but I thought that I would collate them. The following books are on the following web pages. ‘In the Name of Love’ and ‘The Presence of a Hero’ are on www.fightingfantasy.com ‘Triad of Skulls’ is on http://www.arborell.com/gamebook_archive.html along with my non Fighting Fantasy gamebook, ‘City of the Dead’. There is an error with ‘Triad of Skulls’ on this site – your skill is between 10-15 where it should be between 10-12. ‘Tomb of the Ancients’ and ‘Triad of Skulls’ are on http://www.ffproject.com/download.htm. The version of ‘Triad of Skulls’ on this site is correct. I also have my two longer fighting fantasy books on the site. In my opinion, some of my adventures here are complete disasters. However, they are all a valuable learning experience and that is why I am putting them out on the net. I crave feedback, even if it is abusive, as long as it is well backed up. Please email me on [email protected]

BASIC RULES

These are the rules that apply to all adventures. They are basic Fighting Fantasy rules.

SKILL, STAMINA AND LUCK Your Initial SKILL, STAMINA, and LUCK scores are determined differently in each adventure as you play a different character each time. Read the beginning of each adventure to determine your scores. For reasons that will be explained below, all your scores will change constantly during the adventure. You must keep an accurate record of these scores, and for this reason, you are advised to write small in the boxes or to keep an eraser handy. However, never rub out your Initial scores, except on those very rare occasions when the text specifically tells you so. Although you may be rewarded additional SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK points, these totals may never exceed your initial Scores, except on very rare occasions, when you will instructed on a particular page. SKILL reflects your general expertise in fighting and combat; the higher the better. STAMINA score reflects your general constitution, your overall will to survive, your determination and overall fitness; the higher your STAMINA score, the longer you will be able to survive. LUCK score indicates how naturally lucky a person you are. Luck – and Magic – are facts of life in the fantasy world you are about to explore.

BATTLES

You will often come across situations in the book where you are instructed to fight a creature of some sort. An option to flee may be given, but if not – or if you choose to fight the creature anyway – you must resolve the battle as set out below. First, record the creature’s skill and stamina scores in the first vacant encounter box on your adventure sheet. The scores for each creature are given in the book each time you have an encounter. The sequence of the combat is then:

1. Roll both dice once for the creature. Add its skill score. This total is the creature’s attack strength.

2. Roll both dice once for yourself. Add the number rolled to your skill score. This total is your attack strength.

3. If your attack strength is higher than your opponent, you have wounded it: proceed to step 4. If the creature’s attack strength is higher than yours, it has wounded you: proceed to step 5. If both attack strength totals are the same, you have avoided each other’s blows – start the next combat round from step 1, above.

4. You have wounded the creature, so subtract 2 from its stamina score. You may use luck to inflict additional damage (see below). Now proceed to step 6.

5. The creature has wounded you, so subtract 2 from your own stamina score. Again, you may use luck at this stage (see below).

6. Make the appropriate adjustments to the stamina score of either the creature or yourself (and to your luck score if you used luck – see below).

7. Begin the next attack round by repeating steps 1 to 6. This sequence continues until the stamina score of either the creature you are fighting or yourself has been reduced to 0 (death). If you die, you must start your adventure again from the start.

ESCAPING

On some pages you may be given the option of running away from battle should things be going badly for you. However, if you do run away, the creature automatically gets in one wound on you (subtract 2 stamina points) as you flee. Such is the price of cowardice. Note that you may use luck on this wound in the normal way (see below). You may only escape if that option is specifically given to you on the page.

FIGHTING MORE THAN ONE OPPONENT

Sometimes you will have to fight more than a single opponent. If you are told to take them on one at a time, proceed by fighting them individually in the order in which they are listed. If you are instructed to fight them all together, at the start of each combat round, you must design which one you are attacking. Next roll both dice for each of your opponents to determine their individual attack strengths. Resolve your personal combat against your chosen adversary in the usual way for that combat round. Then compare your combat strengths for that round with the attack strengths of all your other opponents. Any creature with a higher attack strength than yours has scored a hit against you, and you must subtract 2 points from their stamina. If you have a higher attack strength than an opponent you haven’t chosen to attack then you do not wound it.

LUCK

At various times during your adventure, either in battles or when you find yourself in a situation in which you could either be lucky or unlucky (details are given on the relevant pages), you may call on your luck to make the outcome more favourable. But beware! Using luck is a risky business and if you are unlucky, the results could be disastrous. The procedure for using luck is as follows: roll two dice. If the number rolled is less than or equal to your current luck score, then you have been lucky and the result will go in your favour. If the number rolled is higher than your current luck score, then you have been unlucky and you will be penalized.

The procedure is known as testing your luck. Each time you test your luck, after you have tested your luck, subtract 1 from your current luck score. Thus you will realise that the more you rely on luck, the more risky this will become.

USING LUCK IN COMBAT

On certain pages, you will be told to test your luck and will be informed as to the consequences of your being lucky or unlucky. However, in battles, you have the option of using your luck, either to inflict a more serious wound on a creature you have just wounded or to minimize the effects of a wound a creature has just inflicted on you. If you have wounded a creature, you may test your luck as described above. If you are lucky, you have inflicted a severe wound and may subtract an extra 2 points from the creature’s stamina score. However, if you are unlucky, the wound was a mere graze and you must restore 1 point to the creature’s stamina score (i.e. instead of scoring the normal 2 points of damage, you have now scored only 1). If the creature has just wounded you, you may test your luck to try to minimize the wound. If you are lucky you have managed to avoid the full damage of the blow. Restore 1 point of stamina (i.e. instead of doing 2 points of damage, it has done only 1). If you are lucky, you have received a more serious blow. Subtract 1 extra stamina point (i.e. instead of doing 2 points of damage, it has done 3). Remember that you must subtract 1 point from your own luck score each time you test your luck.

TESTING YOUR SKILL

In some situations in the adventure, you may be called upon to test your skill. The procedure for testing your skill is similar to testing your luck. Roll two dice. If the number rolled is equal to or less than your skill score then you have succeeded the test of skill. If it is higher, you have failed. Unlike testing your luck, your skill score remains the same after testing your skill. Do not deduct any skill points after testing your skill.

RESTORING SKILL, STAMINA AND LUCK

Skill Your skill will not change much during your adventure. Occasionally, a paragraph may give you instructions to increase or decrease your skill score. Your skill score can never exceed its initial value unless otherwise stated in the text.

Stamina

Your stamina score will change a lot during your adventure as you battle enemies and undertake arduous task. As you near your goal, your stamina score may be dangerously

low and battles may be particularly risky, so be careful. Remember also that your stamina score may never exceed its initial value unless you are specifically instructed to otherwise.

Luck

Additions to your luck score are awarded during your adventure after you have been particularly lucky; details are given in the appropriate paragraphs of the book. Remember that as with skill and stamina, your luck score may never exceed its initial value, unless you are specifically instructed otherwise in the paragraph.

Bane of Silverton

Introduction

In this adventure, you play a battle hardened member of the watch who is sent to investigate the murder of a prominent citizen. You must unmask the killer before any more foul deeds are performed!

Skill, stamina and luck

Roll one die. On a roll of 1-2, your initial skill is 8. On the roll of a 3-4, your initial skill is 9. On the roll of a 5-6, your initial skill is 10. Roll 2 dice. Add 8 to the number rolled. This is your initial stamina. Roll one die. On a roll of 1-2, your initial luck is 7. On the roll of a 3-4, your initial luck is 8. On the roll of a 5-6, your initial luck is 9.

Equipment You start this adventure with a bare minimum of equipment. You are armed with a sword and you wear chainmail armour bearing the coat of arms of Silverton. If you are wounded in combat, roll 1 die. On the roll of a 1-3, you may reduce the damage dealt by 1. You also have a pouch containing 5 gold pieces. You may obtain other items during your adventure.

Background

You want this noise to be over. There is a rogue lying on the floor of the watch house, groaning in pain. You are trying to explain to Captain Garralos why you had to break his arm. ‘It’s one in the morning and I have to put up with this ne’r do well on top of everything else?’ He spits out. You almost regret catching the man. You are Silverton’s top investigator for the militia and the whimpering figure before you was a con man. He was trying to sell a farm to two different merchants, which is bad enough but it is worse when he did not even own the farm in the first place. It has taken you a week to collect the paperwork and evidence needed to prove that this man is a fraud. You found one of his disguises and several letters to different people of him claiming to be farmer Barrick, a man who recently died. First the man tried to run. When you caught up with him, he tried to resist. That’s how he got his arm broken. Captain Garralos has not been in a good mood since the messenger from Salamonis arrived in Silverton two days ago. He is carrying a large, well cut emerald – a present to Baron Sukumvit for his Deathtrap Dungeon. This messenger carried a letter from the merchant’s guild commanding that the bearer should have anything he requires and should be heavily guarded. Since he had arrived, he has been the honoured guest of Owen Carralif and constantly surrounded by six well armed militia men. You have guarded him yourself a couple of times. It is an easy job. The man barely leaves the house, except to go to the shops. He stopped here to rest and to purchase new horse shoes from Galron, the blacksmith. He is planning on leaving first thing tomorrow, much to Garralos’s and therefore your relief. Sergeant Kalack rushes in, tripping over the rogue. ‘Captain! He spurts out. The messenger has been murdered!’ You and Garralos look at each other, incredulous. The captain looks more irritated than shocked. ‘I guess we should investigate.’ He sighs. With that, he kicks the rogue in the head, knocking him out and motions for you and Kalack to follow him…

1

You run to the large house of Owen Carralif. When you get there, you find the fat mayor outside, wearing silk pajamas and gasping in a hysterical manner. A militiaman is trying to calm him down. Garralos takes an instant to acknowledge that the mayor is not dead before calling out to one of his militia. ‘You there! Are there any other casualties?’ ‘No sir.’ Replies the young soldier. ‘The emerald’s been stolen.’ ‘Dammit!’ Shouts Carralos. He turns to you ‘Get on with this! And make sure you get that emerald! I hate having merchants on my back and I don’t want to anger a man who owns a dungeon full of crazy monsters and deadly traps.’ Carralos gathers the guards then storms over to the mayor. You establish that they had all points of the house under watch all the time since the messenger had arrived. None of the guards had deserted their posts and no one heard anything. You ask them to show you the crime scene. One man takes you upstairs to the messenger’s room. There is a bed where the body of the messenger lies. His throat has been slit and blood stains the white sheets. A dagger lies by the bed. You notice that there is an open box by the bed. It has a complicated lock, but it did not help as the box has been forced open. Apart from the dagger and the forced box, the furnishings of the room seem completely normal. Nothing has been disturbed or broken. You pick up the dagger (Add the dagger to your adventure sheet.) As you do, Carralos joins you ‘The mayor saw and heard nothing. Not surprising considering his drinking habits. Hmmm. This place looks tidy for a murder scene.’ You agree that the killer has left very little for you to go on and ponder what your next move shall be. If you go to Galron the blacksmith to work out who could have made it turn to 21. You could also visit a rough part of town and find some low life informants. You could crack some skulls together to extract some information (turn to 4.)

2

As you dispatch the dog, you noticed the blacksmith making a run for it. You chase him. Test your stamina. If you fail, turn to 6. If you succeed, you catch up with the blacksmith and strike him with your sword, sending him sprawling onto the ground. You knock him out with a blow to the head. Turn to 25.

3

You go to the old toad to talk to the staff. The landlord, Yert does not drink and enforces this rule on his staff. All of them confirm that the blacksmith was here for several hours and never left. There’s no way he could have got to Carralif’s house on the other side of town. Turn to 14.

4

You head down the windy back streets in Silverton where people are chatting, drinking and fighting. Three in the morning seems like an active time for them. You then spot Rill the Rat. He notices that you have spotted him, curses and turns tail, only to stop in before a dead end. He curses again for hanging out down an alleyway and turns to face you, only to have you fist smash into his face. ‘Murder and robbery at the mayor’s!’ You shout. ‘Give me names!’ ‘I know nothing’ guv’nor!’ Squeaks Rill. You drag him up by the scruff of his neck. ‘You know everything this low life scum get up to! Give me names or you can go back to gaol. “Special Hugs” Skalos would love to have you as his cell mate again.’ Rill tries to wriggle free. ‘Okay okay! A couple of guys said that they wanted to rob someone rich a week ago. They were boasting about it in the inn!’ Rill gives you the address of the men. You throw him to the ground. ‘Hey, what about my payment?’ Shouts Rill. ‘I’m sorry,’ you reply ‘here.’ You give the pathetic creature a kick in the face and he crumples to the ground. If you want to find these robbers, turn to 7. If you want to visit the blacksmith, turn to 21.

5

You head towards the front door, hoping that you will be quick enough and quiet enough to take him by surprise. Test your luck. If you are unlucky, as you open the front door, a dagger strikes you in the arm and wounds you. Lose 2 stamina points. The blacksmith is facing you, holding a cleaver. If you are lucky, you quickly shut the door and hear a dull thud as the dagger strikes the wood. You then face the blacksmith with his cleaver.

BLACKSMITH SKILL 7 STAMINA 12

If you reduce his stamina to 4 or less, turn to 25.

6

Alerted and given time by your battle, Galron has too big a head start. You cannot catch him. You search all over, but you have no way of knowing where he has gone. He has gotten away with murder and his brother’s ghost cannot rest.

7

You come to a derelict hovel. You can hear men whispering inside. The door is hanging off its hinges, so you storm in, brandishing your sword. There are three filthy men in rags sitting around a table with a candle on it. They look at you in surprise. Before they can react, you bring the pommel of your sword down on the head of the nearest rogue. He crashes to the floor. The other two men draw daggers and lunge at you in desperate viciousness. Fight them both at the same time.

SHADY THIEF SKILL 5 STAMINA 8 CUT THROAT SKILL 7 STAMINA 5

If you win, you find some tax money that had been stolen from a tax collector who was beaten up and robbed recently. You drag the unconscious thief back to gaol with the bag of money. You hand the coins over to Carralos and wait for the robber to awake. When he does, you interrogate him. It takes very little beating for him to explain his plan. The gang was going to a farm three miles north of Silverton. They knew that it was deserted because its owner has recently died and his relatives have not yet moved in. This man knows nothing about the emerald. You leave him to rot in gaol. By the time all of this is done, it is dawn and your shift is over. Turn to 14.

8

Rose pushes past you and grabs the curate’s arm pulling it. He lets go of the wisewoman’s hand breaking the circle. There is a rushing wind and the temperature goes down even further. You all watch in horror as a spirit of a man appears, laughing manically. He has been summoned through the gate that the séance was trying to make. You draw your sword and swing it at the ghost, but the blade merely passes through it. ‘Use this!’ Shouts Azamoth, throwing you his silver Athame. You face the spirit with the silver dagger. Whenever it touches you, you feel a chill as it drains your life force. Since the spirit’s fists can pass through your armour, it cannot help you in this combat.

DERANGED SPIRIT SKLL 7 STAMINA 8

If you win, you grab the Blacksmith’s wife and take her to the cell. . When you have locked her up, you turn around to find Azamoth standing before you. He tells you that the poltergeist is Barrick, the farmer and blacksmith’s brother. He was murdered because he was richer than the blacksmith who was jealous of him. Barrick inherited the farm from their father because he was the favourite. No he is trying to get justice by framing the blacksmith in the murder of the messenger and the theft of the emerald. Turn to 17.

9

Azamoth shout’s ‘Run!’ You both run down the stairs, pursued by the cleaver wielding poltergeist. You run out of the door, and it stops. The poltergeist throws the cleaver at you, but Azamoth gestures and it strikes an invisible barrier. You go back to the watch house. There, Azamoth explains that the spirit is a poltergeist which has been evoked as it was the victim of a brutal murder. He says that he will be able to identify the spirit in a séance that he can do tonight. After having been attacked by a flying cleaver, you heartily agree that this spirit should be put to rest. Later that night, you arrive at Azamoth’s house to find out that the séance has been set up in his front room. There is a circular table, a pentagram, a wand, a chalice of holy water and a silver dagger. There are three other people – the wisewoman, Azamoth’s apprentice and the local curate. You stand and watch. They all join hands around the table and Azamoth starts to chant. The temperature drops and you hear a thumping in

your head. Shapes start to materialize before you. Then, Rose, the Blacksmith’s wife bursts into the room. With a scream she lunges at the séance. You rush to stop her. Test your luck. If you are unlucky, turn to 8. If you are lucky, you block her, grab her and take her to the cell. When you have locked her up, you turn around to find Azamoth standing before you. He tells you that the poltergeist is Barrick, the farmer and blacksmith’s brother. He was murdered because he was richer than the blacksmith who was jealous of him. Barrick inherited the farm from their father because he was the favourite. No he is trying to get justice by framing the blacksmith in the murder of the messenger and the theft of the emerald. Turn to 17.

10

You find some parchments in a drawer in the kitchen. They look important, so you take them back to the watch house for Azamoth to read. He tells you that they are the details of Barrick’s farm which has been left to Galron. The farm is 3 miles north of Silverton. You thank the wizard and, when he offers to teach you to read, you once again tell him that you are too busy. Turn to 23.

11

You have to run. You run down the stairs. The poltergeist throws the cleaver at you which hits you (lose 2 stamina points.) Deciding that this is all too weird to deal with alone, you seek out the help of the eccentric wizard Azamoth. The wizard offers his services to the militia in return for a good amount of gold. However, despite his eccentricity and cost, he has helped you solve many cases in the past. You find the unkempt young man in his garden wiping smelly green ooze all over his plants. ‘Keeps the insects away!’ He announces proudly. You tell him your story and he strokes his chin. ‘Sounds like a poltergeist, evoked because of a brutal murder. I can form a séance tonight in order to divine its identity.’ You thank him and set a time for you to return. Later that night, you arrive at Azamoth’s house to find out that the séance has been set up in his front room. There is a circular table, a pentagram, a wand, a chalice of holy water and a silver dagger. There are three other people – the wisewoman, Azamoth’s apprentice and the local curate. You stand and watch. They all join hands around the table and Azamoth starts to chant. The temperature drops and you hear a thumping in your head. Shapes start to materialize before you. Then, Rose, the Blacksmith’s wife bursts into the room. With a scream she lunges at the séance. You rush to stop her. Test your luck. If you are unlucky, turn to 8. If you are lucky, you block her, grab her and take her to the cell. When you have locked her up, you turn around to find Azamoth standing before you. He tells you that the poltergeist is Barrick, the farmer and blacksmith’s brother. He was murdered because he was richer than the blacksmith who was jealous of him. Barrick inherited the farm from their father because he was the favourite. No he is trying to get justice by framing the blacksmith in the murder of the messenger and the theft of the emerald. Turn to 17.

12

Tired of the blacksmith’s lies, you decide to find more evidence against him. You go back to Carralif’s house and circle it. You notice that a back window on the ground floor has been smashed. That definitely wasn’t there before. You enter the house and approach the bedroom where the foul deed was done. As you do, a chair flies out of nowhere and strikes you hard. Lose 2 stamina points. Then a cleaver flies towards you. You must fight it, but you cannot harm it. Fight until you win an attack round and then you can disengage from it.

FLYING CLEAVER SKILL 9 STAMINA 0

When you win an attack round, turn to 11.

13

You sneak around and try to open the back door quietly. There is a bark in the garden. The farm’s guard dog is running to attack you. You must fight.

GUARD DOG SKILL 6 STAMINA 5

If you win and the battle took 3 or fewer combat rounds, turn to 2. If it took longer than 3 combat rounds, turn to 6.

14

After a hard day’s work, you have finished. You may visit the wise woman for some healing herbs (they will cost 2gp and restore 4 stamina points). You then go to your hut and sleep. Turn to 18.

15

‘Where were you last night?’ You demand. Galron’s wife immediately bursts into tears. ‘We were at my brother’s funeral yesterday. We then went to the Old Toad for the wake. We were there until recently. I’ve got dozens of witnesses who can tell you this, so I didn’t kill anyone!’ If you decide to search his house anyway, turn to 19. If you check out the blacksmith’s story with some reliable contacts, turn to 3.

16

Azamoth, like most wizards, is a complete weirdo. He does, however still need to eat and performs magic for the watch for a price. You find the young, unkempt man on his doorstep, talking to a cat. ‘Good day to you, Azamoth.’ You say. ‘Good morrow to you!’ Announces the wizard ‘It is a good day to be human. Molting does not sound like much fun. What can I do for you?’ You explain the situation to him. ‘Ah! Just need to delve into this man’s mind for a bit to divine the truth. Should be no trouble!’ The wizard takes a few moments to collect some items of magical paraphernalia before you both head to the watch house.

When you both get there, Azamoth stands behind a puzzled Galron, holds his hand over his head, closes his eyes and starts to mumble. He runs his hand over Galron for a few minutes, before his eyes flick open. ‘He’s telling the truth!’ Exclaims Azamoth. You can’t feel as happy with the result. ‘But there is something else here. It is like there is someone connected to the blacksmith. Like a spirit…’ Instead of finishing his sentence, he rummages through his bag and pulls out a Y shaped piece of metal. ‘We will use this to detect the supernatural being.’ You’ve got nothing else to go on, so you go along with the eccentric wizard’s plan. The Y shaped piece of metal waves about in Azamoth’s hands and you follow him. At first you think that he is doing it himself, but your skepticism is dowsed when you are taken to the mayor’s house. You circle it. A window around the back of the house of the ground floor has been smashed. That definitely wasn’t there before. You then go upstairs. As you approach the bedroom where the messenger was killed, the Y shaped wire swings towards the bed. ‘Look out!’ Shouts Azamoth, just as a chair flies out of the bedroom. You both duck and it clatters downstairs. Then a cleaver comes flying towards you. The wizard shouts out that it is a poltergeist and that it cannot be killed with a sword. Fight until you win an attack round, then you are able to disengage from it.

POLTERGEIST SKILL 9 STAMINA 0

When you win an attack round, turn to 9.

17

Your instincts were right all along! The blacksmith was a murderer. You sprint to his house to finally put the man behind bars, but you find it deserted. Cursing, you search the house in an attempt to find a clue as to where he has gone. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 10. If you are unlucky, you find nothing. Turn to 23.

18

You a woken up by a bang at the door. Cursing, you fling it open, to find another militiaman. ‘The mayor’s been attacked!’ he exclaims. He barely gives you time to get your uniform and armour on before you are running through the streets to the mayor’s house. Soldiers are dotted around, searching for clues. You approach the broken front door and notice that it has been smashed from the inside, not the outside. There is also no other point where a door or window has been forced open. The mayor is sitting in the parlour with Captain Garralos. He is groggy and nursing his head. Questioning reveals that he was hit on the back of the head and did not see his attacker. The weapon, however leaves little doubt to the attacker. It is a blacksmith’s hammer. You and three soldiers immediately go to Galron’s house and take him in. If you have found the gem, turn to 22. If not, soldiers search the house and find the green gem in the fire grate. Rose is hysterical and pleads innocence. Turn to 22.

19

You push past Galron and ignore the sobbing protestations of his wife. You kick over the table to see if anything is stuck underneath, you tap the floorboards and then you search through the fire grate. You lift it up to find a huge emerald lying there. Both the blacksmith and his wife look at the gem, shocked. As you approach the blacksmith, he panics and picks up an iron bar. Fight until you reduce the blacksmith’s stamina to 8 or less.

BLACKSMITH SKILL 7 STAMINA 12

If you reduce his stamina to 8 or less, turn to 24.

20

You set out for the farm immediately. When you get there, you search the barn and the animal pens only to find nothing. The farmhouse is the only place left. You notice a dim light in the front of the farmhouse. If you wish to enter by the front, turn to 5. If you wish to creep around the back, turn to 13. .

21

You go to Galron’s house and bang on his door. ‘Open up! It’s the watch!’ you shout. The door is opened by the bleary eyed blacksmith. You can see his wife standing behind him. He looks at you in confusion, but before either of you can say anything, you see him notice the dagger in your hand. He immediately starts to sweat and look panicked. ‘This is a murder weapon. You made it didn’t you.’ He nods, looking pale. His wife, Rose, pipes up. ‘Galron makes all the daggers for this town.’ If you wait to hear the balcksmith’s story, turn to 15. If you decide that you’ve heard enough and search Galron’s house, turn to 19.

22

You are getting sick of this. Galron pleads innocence repeatedly, no matter what you say. You finally get a story from him – he was visiting Barrick’s farm today because he is going to move there soon and take over his dead brother’s business. You know that Barrick died in an accident on the farm. The conditions for his death may be innocent, but Galron is definitely up to something. However, he is not cracking. If you get Azamoth, the town wizard, to use his magic to make the blacksmith spill the beans, turn to 16. If you search the mayor’s house, turn to 12.

23

Where has the blacksmith gone? If you have an idea of where he might be hiding, you will know how many miles away he is. If you do, subtract the number of miles from this paragraph and turn to that paragraph. If you do not know where the Blacksmith is hiding, you search the town but do not find him. By the end of the day, you give up on ever finding him. He has got away with murder and his brother’s ghost cannot rest.

24

Getting through Galron’s defence, you punch him in the face, sending him reeling back. You then grab the bar and wrench it out of his grasp. While his wife wails, you push Galron at sword point to the watch house where you triumphantly throw the emerald on captain Garralos’s desk. However, he looks at you, fuming as you tell him your story. ‘I was in the Old Toad last night at Barrick’s funeral. Galron and Rose were there all night! He’s been framed! Let him go, find the real killer and check your facts next time!’ Lose 1 luck point. Turn to 3.

25

Barrick is thrown into gaol and the next day he is tried and found guilty for murder. He had convinced everyone that Barrick had been kicked in the head by a horse whereas he had beaten him to death with a horseshoe. His wife had provided an alibi for him and she is found guilty for obstructing the law. They had done it for the farm which had been a source of contention between the brothers. Barrick had spent his life on the farm and was the obvious choice to inherit it, but Galron had become envious of it over the years. After the judge gives his sentence, you and Azamoth leave the court to be confronted by the ghost of Barrick. He is smiling. Gradually, the spirit fades away, happy that justice has been restored. Notes: Basically came from the first things in my head. What will the adventure be about? A robbery. Who did the robbery? A ghost. I then had to shut off my critical faculty, saying that a ghost stealing something is a stupid idea and continued to go with the process. Why would a ghost steal something? To frame someone. Why would he frame someone? Because they murdered him. And that’s how the story was born. It is my favourite story of the 25 paragraph ones as it has development and a twist. Not as much choice as I would have liked, though.

It’s hard to do a mystery in 25 paragraphs as you can only really fit in one twist. It’s very hard to increase replayability of a short stand alone gamebook. It is not a very replayable book.

Bakland Battlegrounds

Introduction

In this adventure, you are a seargant of the Analand army; the leader of a squad of soldiers whose job it is to protect the builders of the Great Wall of Analand from the terrors of the Baklands. You are in charge of four great adventurers and you have faced many dangers together. First, there is Phoros, a dark and moody wizard who obsessively studies the Analand spellbook. Then there is Mellos, a sightmaster who is determined to protect the border. Tharos is a swordmaster and you have seen no other who equals his skill. Finally, you have the jolly Trias, a hunter and tracker who guides you through the dangerous countryside.



Equipment You start this adventure with a bare minimum of equipment, but you may find or buy other items during your adventure. You are armed with a sword and a bow. As well as the bow, you have a quiver containing 6 arrows. You carry a backpack to hold your equipment and any treasures you might come across. In your backpack, you carry and lantern and a tinderbox. You also have a pouch containing 5 gold pieces.

Using your bow

If you have a bow and at least 1 arrow, you can fire an arrow at an opponent before a combat. If you face multiple opponents, you may choose which opponent to fire the arrow at. Before a combat, you may test your skill. If you are successful, you hit an opponent and cause 2 stamina damage. If you fail, you miss. Either way, you lose the arrow. You may be able to fire the bow more than once if you are instructed in the text. However, you may not be able to fire it at all if you are caught by surprise.

Treasure table

During your adventure, you will fight many brigands and cut throats. If you defeat some, the text may instruct you to roll on the treasure table one or more times. If you do, roll your dice and consult the table below. Add the items found to your adventure sheet.

Die Roll Treasure 2-3 Amongst the primitive arrows in one

raider’s quiver, you find two high quality arrows with vicious metal barbs as points. If you fire one of these arrows before combat and hit an opponent, they deal 3 stamina points of damage instead of 2.

4-5 Amongst the creatures’ pockets, you find 1-3 gold pieces (roll 1 die and divide the result by 2, rounding fractions up.) You also find some cooked boar meat in a haversack, enough for 1 meal.

6-8 In a small pouch, you find 1-6 gold pieces (roll 1 die)

9-10 You find 1-3 gold pieces in the bottom of a backpack (roll 1 die and divide the result by 2, rounding fractions up.) You also find a bomba fruit lying there. You may eat one bomba fruit along with a meal to double the amount of stamina you restore.

11-12 In a grubby backpack, you find a brown glass bottle. The liquid inside it smells of pungent spirit. It is firewater. You may drink it at any point you are not in combat. It will increase your attack strength by 1 in your next combat.

The market place

When you are off duty, you may be able to visit the market place. When you are given the opportunity, you may buy any of the following items listed below.

Item Cost Meal 3gp

Giant’s tooth 4gp Shield 5gp

6 arrows 1gp Sharpen sword 6gp Chain cuirass 8gp

Meals can be eaten when you are instructed in the text. If it is the first meal of the day, it will restore 2 stamina points. Every subsequent meal you eat in the day will restore 1 stamina point. You may buy any number of meals. The giant’s tooth is not useful to you, but you know that Phoros (the wizard) can summon monsters by casting spells on their teeth, so you can give it to him. You may only buy one giant’s tooth. The shield can be used to block blows from enemies. If an enemy’s attack strength is higher than yours by 1, then you block your opponent’s blow and instead of being wounded, it counts as if neither of you won the attack round. The arrows are to fill up your quiver. You may not carry any more than 6 arrows. If you get your sword sharpened, you may increase your attack strength by 1 in your next combat only. Then the bonus goes away. However, you may get your sword sharpened again. You cannot sharpen it twice in one go and get twice the benefit. The chain cuirass can reduce some damage sustained in combat. If you are hit in combat, roll a die. On the roll of a 1-2, reduce the damage dealt by 1 point.

Background

The five of you stand around, watching the builders, masons and other workers scurrying around. ‘I’ll be glad when this section is complete.’ Says Mellos. ‘This is a particularly dangerous area.’ ‘They will find another way in.’ mumbles Phoros, darkly. ‘Our work will never be done.’ ‘Don’t worry, wiz, we’ll make sure you get your study time.’ Quips Trias. ‘We all need time to stay sharp.’ Replies Tharos. ‘Otherwise, we’ll just fade away.’ While this conversation is going on, you have spotted a master mason having a frantic conversation with an officer. It does not bode well. You are ready when the officer approaches. You all snap to attention and salute. ‘Listen men. We need two men to patrol the wall west of here. There has been an increase in attacks around that area. Any volunteers?’

1

You step forward, eager to do something that does not involve watching builders. Who will you take with you? Do you want to take Mellos? (turn to 22) or Phoros? (turn to 11)

2 You capture the bandit and bring him down. Cheering, your squad joins you and starts to point at him, laughing and jeering. ‘Where is your base?’ You demand. Terrified, he tells you that his camp is in a nearby wood and that when you come to a fork in the path, you should go left. You tie him up and then return to the wall. Turn to 16.

3 It is all quiet at the gatehouse. Then you hear a horn blow from the distance You curse and then sprint over to the sound of the horn with your squads close behind. A score of bandits have set upon the squad guarding the breach in the wall. You lead the charge into their flank. Fight the following opponents one at a time. Reduce your attack strength by 1 when fighting the orc as you are exhausted. You do not have time to use your bow for this combat.

TATTOOED ORC SKILL 6 STAMINA 6 WILD CENTAUR SKILL 7 STAMINA 8

CLOAKED THIEF SKILL 8 STAMINA 5

If you win, you look around and see that your companions have fought off the raiders. The last raider makes a run for it. If you chase him, turn to 9. If you have an arrow, you could try to bring him down by shooting him (turn to 12). If you return, turn to 16.

4

You feel some force against your ankle and then hear a tinkle of a bell. You curse. Before you can do anything else, arrows fly about you. You are hit on the shoulder Lose 2 stamina points. Then raiders jump out of the undergrowth. You draw your weapons to fend them off. Fight the archer and the leader one at a time. You may not use your bow before this combat as you were ambushed.

ARCHER SKILL 7 STAMINA 7 LEADER SKILL 9 STAMINA 10

If you win, turn to 21.

5

Phoros mumbles some words and sniffs yellow powder. He runs abnormally fast and catches the goblin. He drives his Shortsword in the goblin’s neck. The goblin lets out a pathetic squeal and goes limp. Write the codeword rethguals on your adventure sheet. Turn to 18.

6

Mellos spots them first and signals to you silently. You signal for the men to prepare as you see a group of figures wielding torches approach. When they are within range you shout ‘Fire!’ Cries of pain and distress go up as you rain arrows and spears down upon the raiders. Then, while they are still reeling, you lead the charge against them. Fight the raiders one at a time.

WOUNDED ORC SKILL 6 STAMINA 2 OGRE SKILL 8 STAMINA 8

SWORD WIELDING ASSASIN SKILL 7 STAMINA 5

If you win, you look around and see that your companions have fought off the raiders. The last raider makes a run for it. If you chase him, turn to 9. If you have an arrow, you could try to bring him down by shooting him (turn to 12). If you return, turn to 16. Holt)

7 Phoros casts his spell and creates a giant that wreaks havoc in the camp. It punches a huge brute of a bandit and sends him flying. The raiders lose all vestiges of organization and start to run around in panic. They are then slaughtered by your men. You then notice a man who shows more skill than the others with his weapon. He ducks and slashes at the giant, slaying it, but not before he has been badly injured by the huge creature. You approach him to finish him off.

BANDIT LEADER SKILL 9 STAMINA 4


8 You take your squads to the gate house and position them along the wall, ready for attack. You wait for several hours. You may eat a meal and gain 2 stamina points if it is the first meal of the day or 1 stamina point if it is not. If you have the codeword rovivrus on your adventure sheet, turn to 3. If you have the codeword rethguals on your adventure sheet turn to 20.

9 You run after the raider in an attempt to capture him. Test your stamina. If you succeed, turn to 2. If you fail, he gets away and you return to your squad. Turn to 16.

10

As you go along the path, you start to smell cooked meat and you hear the sounds of revelry. You position your squad to ambush the raiders and cause the most havoc. With your signal, your men descend on the band. Tharos cuts down two men in an instant. If Phoros is still alive and has a giant’s tooth, turn to 7. If not, you make your way to the leader, intent on putting an end to his attacks on your country. A scarred man with an eye patch and a serrated dagger stands in your way. You have to fight him to get to the leader. Fight your opponents one at a time.

CUT THROAT SKILL 6 STAMINA 7 BANDITLEADER SKILL 9 STAMINA 7


11

You and Phoros walk along the Baklands with the huge wall on your left and the desolate and dangerous wildlands to your left. Phoros talks about his latest spells. He is learning how to create creatures from their teeth. He has only managed it with goblins and giants so far, but he wants to do it for horses too. Phoros stops you and points. You look up to see a birdman flying towards you. Then you spot humanoids approaching from the Baklands. Four figures are striding towards the wall. They are a varied bunch, these raiders. You see a ragged human bandit, a vicious looking orc, a scrawny black elf and a small goblin with a crude bow. The bandits are charging towards you, full pelt as the birdman dives, Shortsword drawn. As you prepare for combat, Phoros mumbles some words and grasps the reflective gold disk that hangs around his neck. He then points it at the diving birdman. Another birdman, identical to the raider shimmers into existence, ready to repel the original birdman’s assault. The original birdman lands and cautiously approaches his doppelganger who charges at him, squawking for blood. You pick two opponents and charge towards them. Phoros attacks one of the raiders as the goblin hangs back and unslings his bow. The goblin does not take part in this combat; instead, he fires his small but vicious arrows at the fighters. At the beginning of each round, roll 1 die and consult the table to find out who is hit by an arrow. Whoever is hit loses 1 stamina point. If that combatant the arrow is supposed to hit is dead, the arrow misses. If Phoros defeats his opponent before you do, he will aid you and attack one of yours (or you both attack the same one if there is one left.) If you defeat your opponents before Phoros, you can aid him by attacking his opponent. If the raider birdman wins his combat, he will attack Phoros. If the mirror birdman wins the combat, he will vanish as the spell has expired. If Phoros is killed, his opponent will join in attacking you.

Die roll Combatant hit 1 You 2 Phoros 3 Bandit 4 Orc 5 Black elf 6 One of the birdmen (roll a die. If it is even,

the arrow hits the raider. If it is odd, the arrow hits the mirror birdman.)

Phoros’s combat:

PHOROS SKILL 6 STAMINA 13

BANDIT SKILL 5 STAMINA 7

Your opponents:

ORC SKILL 6 STAMINA 5 BLACK ELF SKILL 7 STAMINA 6

The Birdmen combat:

RAIDER BIRDMAN SKILL 8 STAMINA 5 MIRROR BIRDMAN SKILL 8 STAMINA 5

If you survive, turn to 15.

12

You take aim at the cowardly bandit and unleash your arrow. Cross one arrow from your adventure sheet. Test your skill. If you succeed, you hit the bandit and send him tumbling. Turn to 2. If you miss, he is too far away to chase, so you start to return to Analand. Turn to 16.

13 You return to the incomplete section that you were attacked at this morning, ready for any bandits that would take advantage of the chink in Analand’s armour. You wait as the sun slowly sets on the horizen. You may eat a meal and gain 2 stamina points if it is the first meal of the day or 1 stamina point if it is not. Then you see the cloud of dust of a raiding party rise in the distance. You hear a hunting horn blow and prepare for battle. If you have the codeword rovivrus on your adventure sheet, turn to 6. If you have the codeword rethguals on your adventure sheet turn to 24.

14 Following the footprints, you set off along the path. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 17. If you are unlucky, turn to 4.

15 The bandits lie dead around you. If the goblin is dead, write the codeword rethguals on your adventure sheet and turn to 18. If the goblin is still alive, it flings its bow to the ground and runs frantically away. You can’t let him escape and tell others that this part is unfinished or he will return here with more raiders. If Phoros is with you and still alive, turn to 5. If not, if you wish to bring the goblin down with an arrow, turn to 25. If you wish to try to catch the goblin by chasing it, turn to 19.

16 Before you go, you search the raiders for treasure. Roll three times on the treasure table and add the results to your adventure sheet. You then return to Analand at dawn to get some sleep. Gain 1 stamina point, but if you did not eat a meal yesterday, lose 3 stamina points. You wake up in the afternoon. You get dressed and equip yourself. You walk out of the barracks to see a solider standing before you. He tells you that Captain Merreck wants to see you and your squad in two hours. Since you have some free time, you go down to the village centre and watch some men who have stuffed rags in their clothes dance around holding sticks and bashing them together. You hear that this was invented by a man called Morris. Suitably amused by the dancing, you browse the other wonders on offer. You may buy items from the market. After an hour, you return to the barracks, gather your squad and go to Captain Merreck’s building. A soldier lets you in, where you all salute the battle scarred captain. He motions you to sit. ‘This morning, our scouts spotted a large camp in the woods. We think it is a stop off point for raiders to rest and pick up food and recruits. If we can destroy it, we should have fewer encounters. Any questions? No? Good. Off you go.’ You stand up, salute the captain and leave. Turn to 23.

17 ‘Hang on!’ says Trias. You all stop. He pushes past Tharos to where you are standing. Kneeling down, he shows you that you were inches away from hitting a tripwire with your foot. Thankful you tell him to lead the way in order to spot other traps. Trias does so and gets you all to a dead end in the path, blocked by inpenetrable foliage. You go back and take the left fork. Turn to 10.

18 Holding your nose, you loot the raiders’ bodies. If you are with your companion, roll twice on the treasure table and add the results to your adventure sheet. If your companion has died, roll four times on the treasure table and add the results to your adventure sheet. You then return to Analand where you report your encounter. You then have some off duty time, where you can enjoy the nice weather in your village, visit the tavern or go shopping. You may buy items from the market. You then go to the barracks and prepare for night duty. You may eat a meal and restore 2 stamina points You collapse on your bed and sink into a welcome slumber. Gain 1 stamina point. You then gather your squad together to guard the wall at night. As well as your companions, you are leading another squad of a dozen heavily armed soldiers. They carry bows, spears and shortswords. They are determined to spill raider blood. There are two places that they will attack. One is the gatehouse which bears the brunt of raider attacks. The other place is the incomplete part of the wall that you were guarding this morning as they could

easily slip into Analand that way. If you guard the gate building, turn to 8. If you guard the section of the wall you were at this morning, turn to 13.

19 You run after the goblin. Test your stamina. If you are successful, you catch the goblin by grabbing its neck and throw it to the floor. You slit its throat. Write the codeword rethguals on your adventure sheet. If you fail, you cannot keep up with the goblin’s frantic sprinting. It manages to escape. Write the codeword rovivrus on your adventure sheet. Turn to 18.

20 Mellos is the first to spot them. ‘Raiders are approaching.’ He says. At first, you see nothing, but then you notice the glow of torches in the distance. You silently signal your men to prepare their ranged weapons. As soon as the raiders are within range, you shout ‘Attack!’ Spears and arrows rain down on the raiding party, causing cries of distress and anguish. While they are reeling from that blow, you lead the charge against the party. Fight the following opponents one at a time.

WOUNDED ORC SKILL 6 STAMINA 2 WILD CENTAUR SKILL 7 STAMINA 8

ENRAGED BARBARIAN SKILL 9 STAMINA 3 If you win, you look around and see that your companions have fought off the raiders. The last raider makes a run for it. If you chase him, turn to 9. If you have an arrow, you could try to bring him down by shooting him (turn to 12). If you return, turn to 16.

21 The raiders have been routed and their leader has been slain. You and your men loot the bodies and then set fire to the camp in the woods before you return to your homeland. Analand is a little safer now thanks to you and the construction of the Great Wall will be finished in this area. However, Analand is a big place and you’ll be placed somewhere else along the border to make sure that more of the wall is completed. For the moment, you can enjoy a huge meal and nice flagon of ale back at the barracks.

22 You patrol for a few hours with the Great Wall to your right and the Baklands to your left. Mellos gazes into the distance with his large eyes as you talk about how successful the wall is. Then he stops and points. At first, you can see nothing, but eventually, you see a cloud of dust in the distance. Four figures are striding towards the wall. They are a varied bunch, these raiders. You see a ragged human bandit, a vicious looking orc, a

scrawny black elf and a small goblin with a crude bow. Mellos then looks up and shouts a warning. A birdman is also flying towards your position gripping a Shortsword. As soon as the bandits come within range of your bow, you are ready to fire your arrows. Mellos flings a spear at the bandit and strikes him in the chest. When the raiders are near you, they charge. You both prepare for combat. Since you are prepared for this combat, you may fire 3 arrows at your enemies instead of 1. You may fire these arrows to any opponent, including the goblin who has a stamina of 4. If the goblin survives, he does not take part in the combat; instead, he fires his small but vicious arrows at the fighters. At the beginning of each round, roll 1 die and consult the table to find out who is hit by an arrow. Whoever is hit loses 1 stamina point. If that combatant the arrow is supposed to hit is dead, the arrow misses. If Mellos defeats his opponents before you do, he will aid you and attack one of yours (or you both attack the same one if there is one left.) If you defeat your opponents before Mellos, you can aid him by attacking on of his opponents (or the same one if there is only one left.) If Mellos is killed, his opponent(s) will join in attacking you.

Die roll Combatant hit 1 You 2 Mellos 3 Bandit 4 Orc 5 Black elf 6 Birdman

Mellos’s combat:

MELLOS SKILL 9 STAMINA 12 WOUNDED BANDIT SKILL 5 STAMINA 4

BIRDMAN SKILL 8 STAMINA 5

Your opponents:

ORC SKILL 6 STAMINA 5 BLACK ELF SKILL 7 STAMINA 6

If you survive, turn to 15.

23

You hike out to a small wood north of Analand. Thankfully, the trip is uneventful and you make good time. You may eat a meal and gain 2 stamina points. You get to the edge of the wood where there is a muddy path. You walk along it single file, keeping an

eye out for ambushes. You come to a fork in the path. The right hand path has footprints on it but the left hand path does not. If you go left, turn to 10. If you go right, turn to 14.

24 Nothing comes. You hear a horn blow from the gate. You curse and sprint to the gate, your men following. The guards are desperately trying to fend off a score of raiders. You lead the charge at their flank Fight the bandits one at a time. Reduce your attack strength by 1 when fighting the orc as you are exhausted. You do not have time to use your bow in this combat.

TATTOOED ORC SKILL 6 STAMINA 6 SWORD WIELDING ASSASIN SKILL 7 STAMINA 5

OGRE SKILL 8 STAMINA 9

If you win, you look around and see that your companions have fought off the raiders. The last raider makes a run for it. If you chase him, turn to 9. If you have an arrow, you could try to bring him down by shooting him (turn to 12). If you return, turn to 16.

25

You aim your bow at the goblin and fire. Test your skill. If you are successful your arrow strikes the goblin in the back and sends him tumbling. You run up to the winging pathetic creature and slit its throat. Write the codeword rethguals on your adventure sheet. If you fail, you miss the goblin who manages to escape. Write the codeword rovivrus on your adventure sheet. Cross an arrow off your adventure sheet. Turn to 18.

Notes

This book is very combat heavy, but I wanted to make sure that the combats were interesting and that characters with lower scores could survive them. This is why I introduced the bow and arrows, the shield and the chain cuirass. I wanted the hero to be able to get lots of treasure and to make it replayable, I made a random treasure table. Up until the end, I had a charm that would restore 2 luck points on it if you rolled a 2-3, but then I realized that there was only 1 non combat test for luck, so I changed it to arrows that cause more damage. There is also not much story in this book. It is basically three combat encounters that you have to play through. I think this book has a lot of potential to be a 400 (or more) paragraph book. The main focus would be the decisions you make around your squad who are a band of soldiers

with different talents. Your decisions would involve using them wisely in many situations on an extended mission. This 25 paragraph book was far too short to explore that potential. Overall, I don’t think this premise works in 25 paragraphs, but there would be lots to explore if it was a larger book.

Left for dead

Introduction

In this adventure, you are an adventurer who has been hired to guard a merchant’s caravan in the Flatlands. However, you soon realize that you are out of your depth when a horde of barbarians raid it.



Equipment You start your adventure with no equipment as you have just been robbed, knocked unconscious and left for dead! Hopefully, you’ll be able to acquire some items that will help you get out of your predicament. If you have to fight unarmed, reduce your attack strength by 2.

Background

It seemed like an easy job. Guard a caravan from Warpstone to Chalice. You were with five other experienced adventurers, including Gravin, an axe wielding warrior who you have worked with many times before. You know him to be a good warrior. You’ve done this route ten times before and not encountered any more than half a dozen man orcs which you and the other guards dispatched in no time. This time was different. First, you saw a cloud of dust approaching. Then you heard the horns and chanting. You arranged the wagons in a circle and armed yourselves, but even after taking these precautions, you gasped at the size of this horde. Dozens of barbarians descended on your caravan. You and your companions fought hard and with valour, but the assault was relentless. You cut down three barbarians before facing a huge brute with a two handed axe. You stave off his attacks, but you are wounded and exhausted. The last thing you see is the barbarian raise his axe and then something strikes you on the back of the head. Blackness descends…

1

You awake. You have a splitting headache and blood is oozing out of a gash in your arm. Lose 4 stamina points. The caravan has been smashed up and is lying on its side. There is no sign of any of the other merchants or guards. Then you catch a whiff of the smoke coming from the fire and smell burning flesh. With a groan you pick yourself up and investigate the scene of destruction. The barbarians have taken everything from the caravan. However, you find Gravin’s axe lying close by. Add the axe to your adventure sheet. You then decide where to go. You came from the northeast, first heading west and then south along a dirt track. If you head north along the track, turn to 17. If you head west across country, turn to 23. If you wish to search the remains of the caravan more thoroughly, turn to 19.

2

Villagers go into their homes and come out bearing weapons. The village wisewoman offers healing herbs to anyone who is injured. Restore 6 stamina points. Just after midnight, barbarians ride into the streets. People on the roofs start firing arrows and throwing stones while others come out of their houses to ambush the barbarians. You swing your axe and sink the blade into a barbarian’s neck, killing him instantly. You then fight another barbarian.

BARBARIAN SKILL 8 STAMINA 8

If you win, turn to 15 3

You walk for longer and your stomach rumbles. If you search for food, turn to 8. If not, you search for a safe place to sleep before it gets dark. You climb a tree to sleep in the branches. As you reach the top, you see lights to the north. That must be the village you came from. You settle down to sleep. You wake up. If you did not eat yesterday, lose 2 stamina points. The day is grey and cold and it starts to rain. If you do not have a cloak, lose 1 stamina point. Roll 1 die. If you roll a 1-3, turn to 14. If you roll a 4-6, turn to 20.

4

You head to the inn. It is packed with farmers and hunters. You may buy an ale for 1sp. You may also buy a hot meal for 5sp. If you buy a hot meal, restore 4 stamina points. If you buy ale or a meal, turn to 21. If you ask about a room, turn to 11.

5

As you leave the inn, an old farmer stops you. He tells you that if you help him move his plough, he will let you sleep in his barn tonight. You have nothing to lose, so you both go to his field to move his plough. You are moving it towards the barn, when an arrow hits you in the shoulder. Lose 2 stamina point. The farmer raises his lantern and you see a wild eyed BARBARIAN standing in the barn. Since you are at the entrance, you have trapped him. He drops his bow, draws a dagger and leaps towards you. You must fight him.


If you win, you search the body. The farmer is very worried and thinks that he may be a scout for a bigger band of raiders. He shuffles off to warn the village. You can take the barbarian’s bow and 3 arrows. Add the bow and 3 arrows to your adventure sheet. Turn to 2.

6

You run up to the barbarian and strike one of them. The barbarians draw swords and prepare for battle. Fight them at the same time.

FIRST BARBARIAN SKILL 8 STAMINA 5 SECOND BARBARIAN SKILL 7 STAMINA 8

If you win, you search the barbarians. They can’t have been in much favor in the tribe as all they have between them is two loaves of bread, some cheese and some apples. You eat some of the food (restore 4 stamina points) and take a backpack with the rest of the food in it. You also take a warm woolen cloak that one of the barbarians was wearing. Add 1 meal of provisions and the wool cloak to your adventure sheet. You settle down to sleep. Turn to 10.

7

You draw the string on your bow and fire at the leader. Test your skill. If you succeed, you hit the barbarian chief and deal 2 stamina points of damage to the leader. You may do this for as many times as you have arrows. If you hit him twice or more, you may reduce his attack strength by 1 when you fight him. After you have emptied your quiver, a manic, wounded barbarian runs up to you to protect his chief.

WOUNDED BARBARIAN SKILL 7 STAMINA 3


8

You see a wild boar by a pool of water. You sneak up on it. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 25. If you fail, turn to 16

9

You face the leader. He is big and powerful and bare chested. He wields a bastard sword in one hand. You must fight him. Remember to make any adjustments before you fight him.

BARBARIAN CHIEF SKILL 10 STAMINA 12


10

It is now getting dark. You climb a tree to sleep in the branches. As you reach the top, you see lights to the east. That must be the village you came from. You settle down to sleep. Turn to 12.

11

The innkeeper tells you that you can buy a space on his floor for 3sp. If you wish to do that, turn to 18. If you cannot or will not pay, you will have to leave the inn. Turn to 5.

12

You get to the village. You may sell the following things on the market.

Boar tusks 3sp Cloak 3sp

You may also buy some food for 2sp. If you buy some food, gain 2 stamina points. You head for the inn. Turn to 4.

13

With the leader dead, the rest of the tribe get demoralized and start to retreat. The villagers whoop in joy and reward you and let you stay. Well done.

14

A farmer is trying to cut up lots of firewood. He sees the hero with his axe and offers 1sp for an hours work. The hero can decide to work for an hour chopping wood. If you accept the job, lose 1 stamina point and add 1sp to your adventure sheet. Turn to 12.

15

The battle is starting to reach a stalemate. Although the villagers have the advantage of numbers and had the advantage of surprise, the barbarians are more hardy and better warriors. You see the leader and go to cut him down. If you attack him with a bow, turn to 7. If you charge at him with your axe, turn to 9.

16

You step on a twig and it snaps. The boar turns round and grunts angrily, then charges.

WILD BOAR SKILL 6 STAMINA 5

If you escape, turn to 19. If you win, turn to 25.

17

As you head along the path, you see two barbarians on the track. One is wearing a hat that you saw the merchant wear. If you attack them, turn to 6. If you avoid them, you duck into a nearby copse until they walk on. Turn to 10.

18

You are woken up in the night by the village bell tolling. There are sounds of battle. You run downstairs to find barbarians running in the street, attacking villagers and breaking down the doors of houses. A screaming, wild haired barbarian charges at you, waving a club.



19 You start to pick up bits of wood and throw them aside to find any sign of life or any items that might help you. Roll 1 die. You may choose to ‘spend’ a luck point to add 1 to the number rolled.

Die roll Event 1-2 As you move a piece of wood another piece

falls on your leg and cuts it. Lose 1 stamina point.

3-4 Searching through the rubble, you find a quiver of arrows. Most of them are broken, but you manage to find 1 arrow that isn’t.

5 or above You find a small bag full of vittles. This will provide enough food for 1 meal.

After your search, you consider your next move. If you head north along the track, turn to 17. If you head west across country, turn to 23.

20

A farmer asks you to catch his escaped chickens. Test your skill and test your luck. If you succeed both tests, you catch all the chickens and the farmer gives you 2sp. If not, you cannot help him and leave. Turn to 12.

21

You sit at the only space in the tavern, by a group of farmers discussing the possible weather tomorrow (trees drooping, cows standing up) As you sit down they stop their lively debate and stare at you. You introduce yourself. The farmers ask you what your business is in this part of the world. If you tell them all about the ambush, turn to 24. If you tell them that you are just passing through, you chat for about half an hour. You then ask for a room. Turn to 11.

22

You look around. Barbarians are slaughtering villager who are no match for them despite their valiant efforts. You have no choice but to escape the village to stop yourself getting

killed. You manage to run out to the plains but you have left the village to be pillaged. Your adventure ends here.

23

You push through the flatlands. The walk is quite easy and pleasant. After a few hours, though, you see something heading towards you. You grasp your axe in readiness for the monster that the Flatlands will throw at you. Roll 1 die to discover what your opponent will be.

1 Two scrawny and rabid WILD DOGS sprint towards you growling and barking. Fight them at the same time.

FIRST WILD DOG SKILL 4 STAMINA 4

SECOND WILD DOG SKILL 4 STAMINA 4

2 A large WOLF leaps to your throat. You have to defend yourself.

WOLF SKILL 5 STAMINA 6

3 You are attacked by an AARDWOLF.

AARDWOLF SKILL 6 STAMINA 7

4 A manic HOBGOBLIN raises its club and prepares to beat you to death.

HOBGOBLIN SKILL 7 STAMINA 6

5 A huge OGRE strides towards you wielding a huge tree branch.


6 A flatlands WILD HORSE gallops towards you and then past you, leaving

a trail of dust behind it. No battle for you, then. If you fought the ogre or the hobgoblin, you may take a fur cloak that they were wearing, which, although smelly would protect you against the elements out here on the Flatlands. Add the cloak to your adventure sheet. Turn to 3.

24

The farmers’ jaws drop and a look of fear comes across their faces. They tell you that barbarians sometimes raid the village and that they try to defend themselves. They all shoot up and start warning the other patrons and tell them to prepare for battle. People start running out of the inn. Turn to 2.

25

A well aimed blow to the boar’s head sends it crashing to the ground. You cut its head off, drain its blood and build a fire to cook it. You feast on the boar meat. Gain 4 stamina points. You also have extra meat to take with you and the boar’s tusks which you can sell. Add 1 meal of provisions and boar’s tusks to your adventure sheet. You search for a safe place to sleep before it gets dark. You climb a tree to sleep in the branches. As you reach the top, you see lights to the north. That must be the village you came from. You settle down to sleep. You wake up. The day is grey and cold and it starts to rain. If you do not have a cloak, lose 1 stamina point. You then come to a farm on the outskirts of the village. Roll 1 die. If you roll a 1-3, turn to 14. If you roll a 4-6, turn to 20. .

Notes

I realized when writing this that I wasted a couple of paragraphs (20 and 14.) Another redundant paragraph is 19 from 3. You can say that if you don’t look for food, you get to a tree – turn to 12. If you beat some opponents in combat, you can put what you find on them on the same paragraph. This is important as if you only have 25 paragraphs, you have to use as much space as possible for the story. I attempted to make it replayable with directions to go in. Neither direction shows the true path. I try not to rest vital decisions on whether you go north or south because how would you know what is there (unless you have a map or there is a clue before hand). It is for this reason that I do not like the Maze of Zagor because you have to turn to the correct paragraphs in sequence but there is nothing else in the maze save a minotaur and a few dwarves. It is not very entertaining.

Forest of Chaos

Introduction

In this adventure, you are an apprentice to the Grand Wizard of Yore in the forest near Salamonis. Someone has stolen his familiar and he has tasked you to stop the thief and recover the familiar.


Roll one die. On a roll of 1-2, your initial skill is 6. On the roll of a 3-4, your initial skill is 7. On the roll of a 5-6, your initial skill is 8. Roll 1 die. Add 9 to the number rolled. This is your initial stamina. Roll one die. On a roll of 1-2, your initial luck is 10. On the roll of a 3-4, your initial luck is 11. On the roll of a 5-6, your initial luck is 12.

Equipment You start your adventure with a bare minimum of equipment but you may find other items later. You have your staff to use in combat and you are dressed in your wizard’s robes.

Background

It’s not easy being the apprentice to the Grand Wizard of Yore. It took you a month to learn the Elvish etiquette and hand signals to stop the native half elves killing you on sight. You then had to learn seven different languages and then how to play the harp, piano and flute. Apparently, this was to make sure your hands could do the precise movements. You last task was to climb a nearby mountain and catch a piece of the north wind in a bag before you actually had to learn a spell. But once all that was done, you took to magic very quickly, absorbing your master’s teachings like a sponge. You still had to perform seemingly ludicrous tasks, though. Feed a cow to a tree. Make a handprint in the ground that lasts for a week. Eat nothing but orange food for a month. The list goes on. Apparently, these are the tasks that one who wants to attain true enlightenment must go through, but they just infuriated you. This happened for years. Until this morning, when you master approached you with a task you understand.

‘My familiar has been kidnapped! I can sense it in this wood, but it is moving out fast. It is with another sorcerer, an apprentice to Balthus Dire. You need to find him and free him.’ The Grand Wizard’s familiar is a crow with an acerbic wit. You immediately grab your staff and head out into the wood to find the crow.

1

You come to a fork in the path. If you choose to go left, turn to 20. If you choose to go right, turn to 15. If you decide to use your magic to help you, you think about how your magical talents can help you. Using magic has its risks. If you meditate on the psychic residues in the area to see if anything went this way, turn to 5. If you wish to try to expand your sight and see what is down each path, turn to 13

2

Somehow, the mage can still see you and a bolt of fire shoots out of his hands and hits you. Lose 6 stamina points. How will you counter attack him? If you use a fireball, turn to 19. If you want to beffudle him, turn to 4.

3

The bear stares at you as you approach the altar, but makes no move to attack you. When you touch it, a feeling of warmth and energy flows through you. For the remainder of the adventure, if you have to test your luck in a non combat situation, you will automatically be lucky and will not have to deduct a luck point. You continue through the forest. Turn to 17.

4

You cast the spell. The apprentice is mumbling but immediately stops, distracted by a bird. You rush up to him and take him by surprise. When you fight him, you will automatically win the first attack round. Turn to 21.

5

You relax and close your eyes. After a while of breathing, slowly, you start to see colours and shapes through your third eye. You see a faint aura leading left. It is a recent psychic trail but it is weak and may not have been made by something very intelligent. If you go left, turn to 20. If you go right, turn to 15.

6

The apprentice breaks off from combat and pulls a vial from out of the sleeve of his robes. He uncorks it and flings it into your face. You are engulfed in a strange gas. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 10. If you are unlucky, turn to 14.

7

You free the crow from the cage who thanks you. You then mumble the words of a levitation spell on the apprentice. His unconscious body rises to your waist height and you push him back to your master who is sitting in his favourite clearing, reading a book. He thanks you for returning his familiar and then performs some telepathy on the apprentice to discern his secrets. Balthus Dire is apparently going to invade the Vale of Willow soon. Just then, a half elf bursts into the clearing. ‘Master, master…’ he begins. ‘Balthus Dire is going to invade soon?’ Asks The Grand Wizard, matter of factly. ‘Yes. How did you know?’ Asks the half elf, amazed. The Grand Wizard does not reply, but just looks at you. He knows exactly what you want to do, so you run off immediately to pack…

8

You speak the words of the spell and put your hands on the tree. You then hear an loud and ancient voice in your head. ‘Human! What brings you here?’ You explain that you are seeking the Grand Wizard’s familiar. ‘I may help you, flesh one.’ Says the tree. ‘But I am old and need life. Can you give up some of your life for me?’ If you decide to do this, turn to 25. If not, you leave the tree and continue. Turn to 23.

9

As a wizard of the forest, you are bound to protect it. Slaying a creature that was not hostile to you is in violation of your oath. Lose 1 luck point. You leave. Turn to 17.

10

You close your mouth and hold your breath, avoiding taking a gulp of gas. You jump out of the cloud and strike the apprentice in the head. He crumples to the ground, unconscious. Turn to 7.

11

You wave your hands in the shapes that counter the apprentices and you manage to stop it. A small flame shoots out of his finger and falls to the ground with a splutter. How will you attack him. If you use a fireball, turn to 19. If you want to beffudle him, turn to 4.

12

You babble a spell that allows you to understand the language of animals. ‘Hello.’ You say to the bear.

‘Greetings, friend of the forest.’ Replied the bear. The bear is not hostile, so you continue. ‘Did you perchance see a wizard carrying a bird? It is a familiar he has kidnapped.’ ‘I did; he passed this way only an hour ago. He stopped at the altar to cast a spell of protection on himself. He told the bird that he would now be immune to any fireballs his rivals would attack him with.’ You thank the bear. It also advises you to touch the altar as it bestows a blessing to all who use magic. Turn to 3.

13

You sit on the ground and close your eyes. You speak the words of your spell. Then you can see yourself in the clearing. You can see in all directions. You move your magical eye on the right path and eventually come to a clearing with an altar. This is as far as you can go and so you move your eye back to the clearing and then along the left hand path. You go a hundred metres down there and see a wolf sniffing around. You look at it for a couple of seconds, but then the wolf looks up with a start. It has sensed your magic eye. Test your luck. If you are unlucky, turn to 22. If you are lucky, the wolf loses interest and goes back to sniffing around in the undergrowth. If you take the left fork you will have to fight the wolf, but you will automatically win the first attack round due to surprise. Turn to 20. If you take the right fork towards the altar, turn to 15.

14

You can’t avoid taking a lungful of gas and start to feel an overwhelming sense of drowsiness. You collapse on the floor and fall asleep. When you awake, there is no sign of the apprentice or the familiar. You have failed.

15 You walk along the path for about fifteen minutes before you come to a clearing. The clearing has an altar made of pure white marble. However, there is a large brown bear, staring at you in the clearing. If you approach the altar, despite the bear, turn to 3. If you attack the bear, turn to 24. If you decide to use magic here, you need to decide what magic will you use in this situation? If you use a spell that senses danger, turn to 18. If you wish to use your magic to talk to the bear, turn to 12. If you back off slowly go back down the path and take the left path instead, turn to 20.

16

You fall asleep. When you awake, the apprentice has long gone. You have failed.

17

After another ten minutes of walking, you come to a clearing with a large tree. Its leaves are looking a bit brown and its branches are drooping. You have a spell which allows

you to talk to plants and this ancient tree may have much wisdom. If you wish to use magic to speak with the tree, turn to 8. If you wish to continue through the forest, turn to 23.

18

You sense that the bear is no threat and that there are no traps. You approach the altar. Turn to 3.

19

The fireball flies towards him and engulfs him. However, the flames do not harm him and he laughs. The flames go out and he starts to chant in a low tone while swaying. He is trying to put you to sleep. Test your luck. If you are lucky, you manage to stay awake, but you are drowsy. Reduce your attack strength by 1 in your combat with the apprentice. Turn to 21. If you are unlucky, turn to 16.

20

You start to walk down the path and then see a large grey wolf sniffing around. It stops and then looks at you. With a growl, it charges at you, bearing its teeth.



21

The wizard draws a curved knife, ready to fight you.

APPRENTICE WIZARD SKILL 6 STAMINA 10

If you reduce the apprentice’s stamina to 4 or less, turn to 6.

22

You see the wolf growl and then you see it bound down the path in your direction. You panic and start to bring your consciousness back into your body. You open your eyes to see the wolf standing in the clearing growling. You must fight it.


If you win, you may go left (turn to 17) or right (turn to 15)

23

After fifteen minutes, you find the apprentice with the bird. He is wearing glasses. He sees you and starts mumbling a spell of attack. If you try to dispel it, turn to 11. If you make yourself invisible. Turn to 2.

24

As you raise your staff, the bear rises up on its hind legs and beats its chest with its claws. Then it charges at you. This will be a difficult fight.

BEAR SKILL 7 STAMINA 8


25

Pain runs through your arms and a feeling of fatigue comes over you (lose 4 stamina points). The tree’s branches start to look more sturdy. It speaks to you again. ‘Thankyou flesh one. The man you are seeking did come this way. He stopped here to put on a pair of glasses. I heard him talking to himself; saying that they let him see invisible things.’ You thank to tree and leave. Turn to 23.

Notes

I got this idea from virtual reality books and from the shattered realm books that people with magical abilities would be given an option of spells to use in certain situations. I don’t think this book is very good as a game as there is very little consequence to most actions and the replayability factor is small. I also did this system because I wanted a magic system that didn’t have a cost to spells. Most books with magic system have a cost to magic (you can use the spells a certain number of times; or they cost magic points; or they cost stamina points). When I was young, I didn’t like it because I thought it limited you as a here, but the idea of doing this is to introduce choice into the book, but I wanted a system where there was no cost (like Black Vein Prophecy.) and the choice was ‘which power should I use.’. However, the problem with this system is that you are at the mercy of the book as to whether the results of your spell choice makes sense. A choice you may think of as logical may end with disasterous results. I don’t know if the premise is particularly believable or inspiring. Why you and not the elves that live in the wood? I don’t know. If you didn’t have to knock the apprentice out

at the end, it could have been a test to go up to the next level. Maybe I should have made it all an illusion. Redundant paragraphs draft 1: 10 is redundant. You can have the options of spells on paragraph 1. 7 – can put options on paragraph 15. 6 – can say what will happen if lucky on page 19. I was thinking about ways the increase the use of 25 paragraphs and then I thought about testing your luck. This is a quite paragraph intensive process as each test could use up 2 paragraphs. I think a way to get around it is to not instruct you to turn to a paragraph if the outcome is obvious. For example, if you are in a dungeon and a pit opens in front of you and you have to test your luck to avoid it, if you are lucky, you just carry on and don’t have to turn to a new paragraph. If you are unlucky and fall down the pit to another part of the dungeon, then you have to carry on. In some cases both outcomes are obvious. If enemies are firing arrows at you and you test your luck to see if they hit, you can guess that if you are lucky, you won’t be hit and if you are unlucky, you will and so you must deduct stamina points so there is no need to tell the reader to turn to another paragraph for either outcome. If there is one thing that writing microadventures has taught me, it is to use your paragraphs wisely. The decision to make it a prequel to Citidel of Chaos was a last minute decision. It is my desire for interconnectedness.

Survivor’s Sturggle

Introduction

In this adventure, you are a sailor who has been marooned on a tropical island. You need to use all of your skills to survive and build a raft to get you home to Port Blacksand.


Roll one die. On a roll of 1-2, your initial skill score is 8. On the roll of a 3-4, your initial skill score is 9. On the roll of a 5-6, your initial skill score is 10. Roll 2 dice. Add 12 to the number rolled. This is your initial stamina score. Roll one die. Add 6 to the number rolled. This is your initial luck score.

Equipment You start your adventure with a bare minimum of equipment but you may find other items later. You are armed with a knife. Whenever you hit an opponent with it, roll a die. If you roll a 1-4, it inflicts 1 stamina point of damage. If you roll a 5-6, it inflicts 2 stamina points of damage. You also have a backpack and a map of the island.

Provisions

You have no provisions to start with but you will need to find them to survive. You may rest and eat a meal in any paragraph where you are instructed that you may. Eating provisions restores 4 stamina points.

Background

You are trying to bring the sails down during a violent storm. It just rushed up on you all. The rain lashes in your face and you can barely see. You can hardly hear the voices of your shipmates over the wind. Then lightning strikes. It shears the mast in two and crashes through the ship. You hit the decks. With a creak, the mast falls onto the ship, crushing three of your crewmates. ‘Abandon ship!’ Yells the captain. You run for the

lifeboats. You jump into one and begin to lower yourself and some of your crewmates down, but the ship lurches and you are all flung into the sea. You struggle against the waves valiantly, but soon you are overwhelmed and you lose consciousness…

1

You hear the sound of the sea. You feel wet and achy all over. Lose 2 stamina points if this is the first time you have come to this paragraph. You open your eyes to find yourself lying on a sandy beach. You get up and survey your surroundings. There is no sign of your crewmates, but debris from your ship is scattered all over the beach. You start to look for pieces of wood that you can make a raft with. After two hours of walking and carrying, you have a pile of wood that you could build a raft with. Lose 1 stamina point through exertion. However, you have nothing to tie the wood together with. You remember that you grabbed a map of the area before you abandoned ship. It has kept dry in the scroll holder. You look at your map to see where you could go to find rope. The island has a forest and a swamp near your position. The centre of the island is made up of mountains but you can only get to them via the forest or swamp. If you have at least two pieces of rope, turn to 10 immediately. If you wish to search the beach further, turn to 15. If you want to try to catch some fish, turn to 18. If you want to head into the forest, you walk for several hours until the trees become thicker and eventually, you find yourself in the forest. Lose 1 stamina point through exertion and turn to 22. If you want to explore the swamp, you travel across the countryside until the ground becomes more squishy and muddy. Lose 1 stamina point through exertion and turn to 7.

2

You search the ravine for any sign of life. You find the skeletal remains of what must have been climbers. Their backpacks still contain hammers and spikes. Add a hammer and spikes to your equipment list. If you ever test your skill due to climbing, you may subtract 2 from the number rolled. You may also take a wool cloak from one of the bodies to keep yourself warm. From now on, you will not lose any stamina from cold. As you leave the ravine, you hear a distant rumble and small rocks start to fall. Then large rocks start to fall. You start to run to escape from the rockslide. Test your luck. If you are lucky, you escape the rockslide. If you are unlucky, you are hit by rocks. Roll 1 die and half the result, rounding fractions up. You lose that many stamina points. You may not search the ravine again. After the rock slide, you find a cave to go to sleep in. You may eat a meal. In the morning, you think about where else you can go. Turn to 17.

3

It is hard going to chop down the tree. Lose 1 stamina point. Note down that if you come across the phrase ‘You are worried about the stability of your raft…’, you will be automatically lucky and do not need to deduct a luck point. After you have gathered wood and returned it to the beach, you sleep under the stars. You may eat a meal. Roll 1 die. On a roll of a 1-3, you lose 1 stamina point through cold. You wake up back on the beach. Turn to 1.

4

You come to a flat part where you disturb a giant eagle in its nest. You must fight it.

GIANT EAGLE SKILL 6 STAMINA 6

If you win, you may take the eagle’s eggs for food. Add 2 provisions to your adventure sheet. You may not use the tinderbox as there is no wood here. You also find a lantern with a candle in it. This may come in handy if you have a means of lighting it. Add the lantern to your adventure sheet. You may not return to this place. You climb down the mountain and find a cave to go to sleep in. You may eat a meal. You lose 1 stamina point through cold. You may not use a tinderbox here as there is no wood. Turn to 17.

5

You climb to the hut and find a tinderbox. You may use this tinderbox to start fires in order to keep warm and to cook food. Whenever you find food, you may increase the number of provisions you gain by 1 as you have cooked it and made it more nutritious. You do not need to lose stamina through cold. You curl up in front of a fire and fall into a comfortable sleep. In the morning, you may eat a meal. You go down the rope, but cut a nick in it with your dagger to weaken it. When you get to the bottom, you tug on it and snap it. You now have a good length of rope to build your raft with. Add rope to your equipment list. You may not search the forest again. Turn to 22.

6

It is now night. It is dark and cold. You may eat a meal. Roll 1 die. On a roll of a 1-3, you lose 1 stamina point through cold. You cannot use a tinderbox here. You then see the lights of a ship. If you have a lantern and a tinderbox, you light the lantern to make a signal. The ship sails over to you and you are hauled on board and taken care of until you reach Port Blacksand a day later. Turn to 25. If you do not have both of these items, test your luck. If you are lucky, The ship sails over to you and you are hauled on board and taken care of until you reach Port Blacksand a day later. turn to 25. If you are unlucky, turn to 9.

7

The swamp is wet. Long grass obscures puddles and mud holes so you have to tread carefully. If you search the swamp, turn to 24. If you wish to hunt for food, turn to 13. If you wish to travel to the mountains, you travel through the muddy swamp until the terrain becomes steeper and more rocky. Lose 1 stamina point through exertion and turn to 17. If you wish to travel to the forest, you push your way through the grasses until the ground becomes harder and you are surrounded by trees. Lose 1 stamina point through exertion and turn to 22.

8

You raft holds and the storm passes over. Once it has gone, you start to paddle again. Then you see a fin in the water. It is heading towards you. Then the SHARK bashes into your raft. You must fight it. If you have a spear, you have more reach into the water. If you fight the shark with the spear, increase your attack strength by 1.

SHARK SKILL 7 STAMINA 6

If you win, turn to 6, 9

The ship sails on by. You spend another two days paddling in your raft. You may eat two meals. You get very tired, hungry and thirsty. Lose 3 stamina points through exertion. Eventually, you come to the coast. It is dusk. You can see many lights to the south. That must be Port Blacksand. You start to walk across the terrain, but you encounter a wild beast. Roll 1 die to find out what you face. 1-2 A WILD DOG leaps out at you. If you have 1 provision, you can give it to the dog to keep it distracted. Otherwise, you must fight it. It is SKILL 4 STAMINA 4 3-4 A GOBLIN points a dagger at you and squeaks threateningly. If you have treasure, you can give it a gem which will keep it distracted for long enough to let you pass. Otherwise, you must fight it. It is SKILL 5 STAMINA 4. 5-6 A HOBGOBLIN demands a toll for passage. If you have treasure, you can give it some coins and it will let you pass. Otherwise, you must fight it. It is SKILL 6 STAMINA 6. If you win, you reach the gates of Port Blacksand. Turn to 25.

10

You lash the bits of wood together to make your raft. Wasting no more time, you push off, eager to get off the island. You may eat a meal. After a few hours of paddling, the sky goes darker and rain starts to fall. Then you see a flash of lightning and hear the crash of thunder. A harsh wind picks up and the sea starts to toss you to and fro. You are worried about the stability of your raft. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 8. If you are unlucky, turn to 23.

11

The climb is hard going. Test your skill, adding 2 to the number rolled. If you succeed, you get to the top of this part of the mountain. Turn to 21. If you fail, you fall down the slope. Lose 1 stamina point. You may try this as many times as you like. If you give up, dejected, you find a place to sleep. You may eat a meal. Lose 1 stamina point through

cold. You may not use a tinderbox here as there is no wood. If you are in the mountains, you may return here to try the climb again. You wake up and think about where else you can go. Turn to 17.

12

You traipse through the forest, looking for the movement of animals or trees that bear fruit. You hear a rustle of the bushes and run after it. You find a boar, backed up against a tree, ready to charge you. If you have a spear, you may throw it at the boar. Test your skill. If you succeed, reduce the boar’s stamina by 3. You may not use the spear in this combat whether you succeed or fail. The boar charges at you and you meet its attack.

BOAR SKILL 6 STAMINA 5

If you win, you drain the boar’s blood and cut off lumps of meat. Add 2 meals to your provisions. You may not hunt for food again. You may eat a meal. It is late now and you curl up to go to sleep. Roll 1 die. On a roll of a 1-3, you lose 1 stamina point through cold. You think about what else you can do in the forest. Turn to 22.

13

You look around the swamp for animals that you could kill for food. While you are scouring the distance, though, you are not paying attention to the long slithering GIANT SNAKE crawling towards you on its belly. It rises up from the ground, large jaws gaping, ready to devour you. The hunted has become the hunter. You must fight it.

GIANT SNAKE SKILL 6 STAMINA 10

If you win, you take raw snake meat from the large snake carcass. Add 2 provisions to your adventure sheet. You may eat a meal. You find a patch of dry ground and curl up to fall asleep. Roll 1 die. On a roll of a 1-3, you lose 1 stamina point through cold. You cannot hunt for food in the swamp again. You think about what you can do next. Turn to 7.

14

The climb is hard going. Test your skill, adding 2 to the number rolled. If you succeed, you get to the top of this part of the mountain. Turn to 4. If you fail, you fall down the slope. Lose 1 stamina point. You may try this as many times as you like. If you give up, dejected, you find a place to sleep. You may eat a meal. Lose 1 stamina point through cold. You may not use the tinderbox here as there is no wood. If you are in the mountains, you may return here to try the climb again. You wake up and think about where else you can go. Turn to 17.

15

You spend several hours traipsing round the beach, looking for useful items. Roll 1 die. If you roll a 1-2, you find a shovel. If you roll a 3-4, you find a fishing net. If you decide to go fishing, you may subtract 2 from any test for skill roll. If you roll a 5-6, you find both the shovel and the fishing net. You may not search the beach again. Return to 1 and choose another option.

16

You come to a hut in the forest. However, its inhabitant is guarding it. You must fight the APE-MAN.

APE-MAN SKILL 7 STAMINA 6

If you win, you may take the ape-man’s spear. It will always cause 2 stamina points of damage in combat. You try to climb the rope to the ape-man’s hut. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 5. If you are unlucky, turn to 20.

17

There are two peaks in the mountains separated by a ravine. If you wish to explore the ravine, turn to 2. If you wish to climb the north peak, turn to 11. If you wish to climb the south peak, turn to 14. If you wish to head to the forest, you climb down the rocky mountains until you start to walk through thicker undergrowth and eventually you are in the forest. Lose 1 stamina point through exertion and turn to 22. If you wish to travel to the swamp, you climb down the rocky mountains until the ground becomes wet and muddy underfoot. Lose 1 stamina point through exertion and turn to 7.

18

You run out into the sea, trying to grab some fish. Test your skill, adding 2 to the number rolled. If you succeed, you catch some fish. Add 2 provisions to your adventure sheet. You may not go fishing again. Return to 1 and choose another option.

19

You dig for ages. It is hard going as the mud slides back into the hole. However, you eventually find a rope sticking out of the ground. You pull hard on it and gradually pull a small chest up from the swamp. You open it to find gold coins, necklaces, rings and gems. You may take some treasure, but it will be of little use to you here. Note the treasure on your equipment list. However, what is more useful is the rope, which you can use to tie the wood of your raft together. Add the rope to your equipment list. You find a dry piece of ground to curl up and go to sleep on. You may eat a meal. Roll 1 die. On a roll of a 1-3, you lose 1 stamina point through cold. Turn to 7.

20

While you are half-way up the rope, it snaps and you fall back to the ground. Lose 1 stamina point. However, you now have a good length of rope to help you build your raft. Add rope to your equipment list. You may eat a meal. You curl up and go to sleep in the forest. Roll 1 die. On a roll of a 1-3, you lose 1 stamina point through cold. You may not search the forest again. Turn to 22.

21

You find a path that seems quite artificial and walk along it. After a while, you come to a broken rope bridge. The other side of the bridge has snapped and so the rope is hanging down into the ravine. You can cut some of the rope off it to help you build your raft. Add the rope to your adventure sheet. You find a cave to stay for the night, but it is cold at this altitude. You may eat a meal. Lose 1 stamina point through cold. In the morning, you go back down to the mountains to go to another location. Turn to 17.

22

What will you do here? If you have an axe, you can cut down a tree for wood to improve your raft. If you do this, turn to 3. If you wish to hunt for food, turn to 12. If you wish go deeper into the forest, turn to 16. If you wish to travel back to the beach, you walk through the forest until you reach the sandy beach. Lose 1 stamina point through exertion and turn to 1. If you wish to head to the mountains, you walk through the wood until the ground starts to get steeper and the trees start to thin out. You are at the top of a rocky mountain. Lose 1 stamina point through exertion and turn to 17. If you wish to travel to the swamp, you travel across terrain where the trees thin out and the ground becomes more squshy. Lose 1 stamina point through exertion and turn to 7.

23

The raft is flung upside down and you land in the water with a crash. Lose 3 stamina points. You climb aboard again. You are sopping wet. If you have a cloak it can no longer protect you from cold. Turn to 8.

24

You traipse through the swamp, looking for any sign of life. The grass is pulled aside and you are faced with a SLYKK. It charges at you with an axe. You must fight it.

SLYKK SKILL 6 STAMINA 7

If you win, you may take the axe. Add the axe to your adventure sheet. It deals 2 stamina damage in combat. You then notice that there is a pole sticking out of the ground. It has a familiar glyph on it. This is a pirate marker showing that treasure is buried here. If you have a shovel, you may try to dig it up. Turn to 19. If you do not want to dig it up, you find a dry patch of ground to sleep on. You may eat a meal. Roll 1 die. On a roll of a 1-3, you lose 1 stamina point through cold. Make a note that if you

find a shovel and are on paragraph 7, you may return to dig up the treasure by turning to 19. Turn to 7.

25

You are now in Port Blacksand where you find some old friends in a tavern. They offer you a hammock for the night. In the morning, you think about what you will do. You could hang around for this crew for a while. After all, the high seas are always full of adventure… Notes I wanted to do a survival type book. I enjoy gritty fantasy and as I have got older, I am less fond of powering up your heroes with several magic items that you find lying around in the countryside or a dungeon full of random monsters. Looking back on the book I see that apart from some of the combats in the book, you could easily be in a world where there is no fantasy or magic. I started having this book where provisions did not restore stamina and you had to eat one when you travelled from place to place or lost 1 stamina point. However, since getting provisions involved combat 3 out of 4 times, it seemed like it was better to just take the hunger damage, so instead I have travelling will cause stamina loss and eating provisions will restore 4 stamina points. I decided to have instructions for when you can eat a meal to avoid confusion. It was going to be that you can eat a meal on a paragraph without combat, but some paragraphs with combat have you then resting and going to sleep, so you can eat a meal then. Also, some paragraphs without combat would not be appropriate times and places to eat a meal, such as 23. On paragraph 9, I wondered whether you should eat the meal before or after you lose stamina. I decided before because if you have 3 or fewer stamina points, you would die before you have a chance of eating a meal to regain stamina. If you have more than 3 stamina points, but you are low on stamina, it won’t make any difference. The only problem is if you stamina score is close to its initial value as you have no way of restoring it to that value. However, if this is the case then you can afford to lose some stamina points. The book is slightly easier because of this. I don’t like this book. It plays like a bad version of a Fabled Lands book. I like Fabled lands, but either I’m not good with the Fabled Lands style or a Fabled Lands type book is not good in 25 paragraphs or both. I don’t like the way that it is dependent on die rolls. This way, the reader becomes an observer of the random fortunes of their character. Gamebooks should involve choice. You can have choice with dice rolls (having different attack modes, using items that affect dice rolls, getting ‘powerup’ items) but in this case, your fate is decided by dice rolls and you have very little choice. I think the trick with this book is going to the places in the right order so that you can get the rope as quickly as possible and lose as few stamina points as possible. The book also doesn’t seem to flow well. It is too episodic, which is bad for 25 paragraphs.

Some mountains, like foothills have lots of vegetation on them, but these mountains are higher than that and rocky, which is why you can’t use the tinderbox on them. There’s plenty of wood in the forest and you can use debris from the ship on the beach. You can use woody plants in the marshes. I’m not sure if woody plants grow in marshes, but in my world, they do. I’ve learnt a lot from this book. I actually like complete disasters.

In the name of love To determine your Initial SKILL, STAMINA, and LUCK scores: Roll one die. If you roll a 1-3, your initial skill is 9. If you roll a 4-6, your initial

skill is 10. Roll one die. Add 9 to the number. Put the result in the STAMINA box on the

Adventure Sheet. Roll one die. Add 6 to the number and enter this total in the LUCK box.

COMBAT STRATEGIES

You are a master fencer and have been trained to employ different strategies in combat, depending on your opponent and your conditions. When you fight a combat, at the beginning of each combat round, you must decide on which strategy you will use. A particular strategy may be advantageous in certain combats. You will need to use your judgement to work out which strategy is the best. The defensive strategy: You use your sabre to hold your opponent off while trying to observe and exploit a weakness in their defence. If you decide to use the defensive strategy, you may increase your attack strength by 1 for that round. However, if you win the combat round, you do not inflict any damage. Instead, you may do one of two things: If you are given the option to escape (see below), you may do so without taking any damage. If you decide to continue the combat, you may increase your attack strength by an additional 1 point in the next combat round for any strategy. You may do this using a defensive strategy again, and increase your attack strength by 2, but you will not wound your opponent. This will not finish the combat but it will buy time if you need it.

If your attack strengths are equal, neither you nor your opponent loses stamina. If your opponent’s attack strength is higher than yours then they have wounded you, but your defensive strategy has prevented them from inflicting a serious wound. Subtract 1 point from your stamina. The aggressive strategy: You sacrifice your own defence make sure you inflict a wound on your opponent. If you decide to use the aggressive strategy, you may increase your attack strength by 2 for that round. If you win the combat round, your opponent loses 2 stamina points as normal. However, since your defences were lowered, they have managed to injure you. Subtract 1 point from your own stamina. If your attack strengths are equal, your opponent has managed to wound you. Lose 2 stamina points. If your opponent has the higher attack strength, they have inflicted a more serious wound upon you. Lose 3 stamina points. This is the cost of risking your safety. The neutral strategy: You keep a steady balance of defence and offence. You do not adjust your attack strength using this strategy. If you have the higher attack strength, subtract 2 points from your opponent’s stamina. If you and your opponent have equal attack strengths, neither of you lose stamina. If your opponent has the higher attack strength, subtract 2 points from your stamina.

BATTLES

You will often come across situations in the book where you are instructed to fight a creature of some sort. An option to flee may be given, but if not – or if you choose to fight the creature anyway – you must resolve the battle as set out below. First, record the creature’s skill and stamina scores in the first vacant encounter box on your adventure sheet. The scores for each creature are given in the book each time you have an encounter. The sequence of the combat is then:

8. At the beginning of the combat round, you must select your combat strategy. 9. Roll both dice once for the creature. Add its skill score. This total is the

creature’s attack strength.

10. Roll both dice once for yourself. Add the number rolled to your skill score. Make any adjustments due to using a particular strategy. This total is your attack strength.

11. If your attack strength is higher than your opponent, proceed to step 5. If the creature’s attack strength is higher than yours, your opponent has wounded you: proceed to step 6. If both attack strength totals are the same, you have avoided each other’s blows if you are using the neutral or defensive strategies – start the next combat round from step 1, above. If you are using the aggressive strategy and both attack strengths are the same, the creature has wounded you. Lose 2 stamina points, then start the next combat round from step 1, above.

12. If you have used the neutral strategy, you have wounded the creature, so subtract 2 from its stamina score. If you have used the aggressive strategy, you have wounded the creature, but the creature has also landed a glancing blow against you. Subtract 2 from the creature’s stamina score and 1 from your own stamina score. If you are using the defensive strategy, you have not wounded your opponent, but you have found a weakness in the creature’s defence and you may increase your attack strength by an additional 1 point in the next combat round. You may use luck to inflict additional damage (see below). Now proceed to step 7.

13. The creature has wounded you. If you are using the neutral strategy, subtract 2 points from your stamina. If you are using the defensive strategy, subtract 1 point from your stamina. If you were using the aggressive strategy, subtract 3 points from your stamina. Again, you may use luck at this stage (see below).

14. Make the appropriate adjustments to the stamina score of either the creature or yourself (and to your luck score if you used luck – see below).

15. Begin the next attack round by repeating steps 2 to 7. This sequence continues until the stamina score of either the creature you are fighting or yourself has been reduced to 0 (death). If you die, you must start your adventure again from the start.

ESCAPING

On some pages you may be given the option of running away from battle should things be going badly for you. However, if you do run away, the creature automatically gets in one wound on you (subtract 2 stamina points) as you flee (unless you won the previous attack round using the defensive strategy). Such is the price of cowardice. Note that you may use luck on this wound in the normal way (see below). You may only escape if that option is specifically given to you on the page.

EQUIPMENT

You start your adventure with a bare minimum of equipment but you may acquire other items later. You are dressed in warm but worn clothes suitable for travelling. You wear a slouch hat to protect you from the elements. By your side, you have your trusty sabre.

You also have a backpack, but you have fallen upon hard times and it contains neither food nor money.

CODEWORDS

Your actions will have consequences, for good or for ill. You may be instructed to write down codewords to indicate what actions you have taken during your adventure. Keep a record of them in the notes section of the adventure sheet.

BACKGROUND

Love. It inspires and drives people to the highest achievements. Your inspiration was the love of your father. As a child, you remember him as a strong and kind man who taught you how to hunt, how to fish and how to swordfight. He was a soldier in the Salamonis army and had to travel a fair bit. When he left, you remember being upset. When he returned, you remember being ecstatic. Then one day, he did not come back. A soldier delivered the news. You remember your mother crying. Your father was killed by an orc called Grumush the Grim in the Moonstone Hills. This is why you joined the army and rose through the ranks with your dedication. One day, your commanding officer, Lord Capulet asked for volunteers to purge the Moonstone Hills of orcs. You volunteer with relish in an attempt to avenge your father. You march out of the city with pride. You experience weeks of hardship and battle, but it does not quell your desire. Then came the attack on your platoon that changed your life. The battle is hopeless. The tribe of Grumush the Grim is indeed vast. There are too many orcs rushing into the valley ready to slay your platoon. Nevertheless, the brave soldiers of Salamonis hold their ground and make the vile creatures pay in blood. You are overlooking this battle with your two companions, Captain Escalus and Lord Capulet, the man who commands this army from Salamonis. Tall, imperious, handsome – he is everything a wealthy and powerful aristocrat should be. Escalus is the second cousin of Capulet’s son. He is young, but eager to please his uncle and always ready to charge into battle. You, on the other hand, have no royal blood. Your father was a dedicated and celebrated soldier in the Salamonis army. He inspired you to follow in his footsteps and you quickly rose through the ranks with your skill and quick wit. Your devotion to the army means that you rub soldiers with those of royal blood as a captain of men. Capulet peers through a brass spyglass at the other end of the valley. He turns to you and Escalus. ‘There are more orcs entering the valley. If they attack our phalanx’s rear, our men will be undone. Take your squad and hold them off so that I can effect a retreat.’ The two of you lead your hand picked squad of ten men down the valley side. There are at least fifty orcs advancing towards the soldiers and you need to intercept them.

‘Fire arrows!’ You order. You men unlimber their bows and unleash a fiery rain of death upon the vile beasts. You hear cries of anguish and pain from the tribe, but this only slows their advance. ‘Take them!’ Yells Escalus, running towards the horde. Your men likewise draw their weapons and charge towards the orcs. You rush forward, sabre in hand. You immediately skewer an orc through its eye. It roars in pain as grey green blood splatters across your tunic. You yank your sabre out, dodge the axe swinging towards you, and slash at the orcish arm holding it. You quickly survey the battle. Capulet’s platoon is withdrawing and heading to higher ground. Your skilled soldiers are making short work of the orcs around you. Then you notice something strange. A little way off from the main body of orcs stands a small group of the green skinned humanoids, not engaged in the battle. On of them wears a wolf skin and carries a staff. He is flanked on either side by two large brutish orcs carrying large serrated swords. The orc in the wolf skin is jumping around and waving its arms as if it is possessed. But you know otherwise. ‘Escalus!’ You yell over the cacophony of the battle. ‘Shaman! We must stop it!’ Escalus impales an orc on his sword, looks at the shaman, then you and nods. He kicks another orc away and you both run towards the small group. The two large orcs see you heading towards them and run towards you, waving their swords. With a clash of steel, you meet them. The fight is hard going as these orcs are stronger and more skilled than most of their kind. As you both desperately attempt to slay them, you hear a rumble of thunder and notice that the previously clear day has suddenly turned overcast. Magical energies crackle and flash around the orcish shaman as the hairs on the nape of your neck rise. ‘We don’t have time!’ Exclaims Escalus. ‘Slay the shaman! I will hold off the two orcs!’ You run from the large orc who tries to follow you, but he is stopped by a sword thrush from Escalus. However, the other orc catches Escalus’s arm, inflicting a serious wound. Escalus gasps in pain, but kicks the other orc away. You sprint up to the shaman who seems lost in the ecstasy of sorcery and does not even seem to notice you. You put your sabre through his chest. Almost immediately, the crackles disappear and the clouds dissipate, revealing the sun once more. You then hear the cry. Escalus is lying on the ground with a large sword stuck in his back. He looks at the body of the shaman, smiles and then dies. One of the large orcs is dead, but the other one turns to face you and smiles a vicious smile. Its smile vanishes as a crossbow bold connects with the side of its head and comes out the other side. Without a fuss, the orc crumples to the ground. A soldier urges you on and you follow the platoon up the valley to safety where Grumush’s tribe do not follow. You then return to Salamonis. Your men are grateful to you for slaying the shaman, but Capulet barely speaks a word to you on the journey back. However, you cannot read his impenetrable expression. When you return to Salamonis, you are immediately arrested and put on trial for disobeying orders and deserting your post, resulting in the death of Escalus Capulet esquire. You try to argue that the shaman was about to unleash a spell that would decimate your platoon, but you are unable to prove this. Capulet states that it was merely a mad orc you slew. You are found guilty and banished from Salamonis. You wander

Allansia as a hired sword trying to find a way to make a living. You have worked all over from Sardath to Kallamher and you have slain many strange beasts and had many adventures. Now you find yourself back in the Moonstone hills, near Salamonis. You awake. It is dawn over the Moonstone hills, four years since your imposed exile. You sit up, only to be greeted by the sight of a crossbow bolt pointing at your nose. You reach for your sabre, only to find it missing. You look around. You are surrounded by half a dozen soldiers dressed in chainmail and laden with weapons. Their chests bear the insignia of soldiers from Salamonis. You groan inwardly. You would have rather been captured by orcs than these treacherous pigs. At least orcs are straightforward with their intentions to maim, pillage and torture. ‘What do you want?’ You demand of the man wielding the crossbow, a young earnest fellow. ‘We have been searching for the orc warlord Grumush.’ He replies. ‘But we need to stock up on supplies. We need someone to escort us to the nearest village. In return we will pay you with food and shelter.’ ‘I don’t need anything from you!’ You spit back. The crossbow wielding man just points at a soldier who is holding your backpack upside down. You know that it is empty, but the soldier shakes it to emphasize your destitute nature. It is true that you haven’t eaten properly for a week and you cannot remember the last time you slept under a roof. However, you cannot bring yourself to submit completely to these swine in the clothing of nobles. You will take them via a long and inconvenient path to the nearest village. When you say that you agree the soldiers return to you your backpack and sabre. You learn that the man with the crossbow is their leader, a sergeant Lawrence. ‘We are going to slay Grumush’ declares Lawrence as he picks his way through the bracken and nettles you lead him through. ‘Ha!’ You scoff ‘Grumush has at least a thousand orcs in his tribe. Even if you do get to fight him, he is seven foot tall and built like a dragon. He carries a huge hammer that can crush you with one blow.’ Your words do not dissuade the idealistic soldier. ‘We have not fought him directly! We have waged a war of attrition upon his tribe. We have ambushed his hunters so that he will not get food. We have slain his soldiers when they have wondered alone. When he is weak, we will strike and be victorious.’ Another soldier chips in. ‘Scout!’ He barks at you. ‘Why are we struggling through this undergrowth when I can see a well used path just down the hill?’ ‘It’s safer up here.’ You reply in a condescending tone. ‘Don’t you know there are orcs in the Moonstone hills?’ The soldier scowls but holds his tongue. Then Lawrence holds his hand out to stop. You notice a single file of humanoids walking along the path. Then you notice that they are green. Orcs! There is one orc that stands above the rest of them and carries a huge hammer. He wears a bearskin. It is Grumush! Lawrence looks at you. ‘Well done scout! Thanks to your route, they haven’t noticed us.’ You don’t believe it. You have actually helped the soldiers of Salamonis! ‘Great!’ You reply. ‘Now let’s hide until they go past.’

‘Oh no.’ Replies Lawrence ‘we may never catch Grumush in such a vulnerable position again. There’s only a score of orcs accompanying him. This is our chance. For Salamonis!’ cries Lawrence, raising his spear. His soldiers roar in reply and follow his charge towards the bewildered orcs. Grumush growls, grins, and raises his hammer. The orcs have seen you and some start to run towards you. You will definitely end up as orc meat if you do not fight, so you draw your sabre and charge towards them too. This way, there is a tiny chance that you might survive…

NOW TURN OVER

1

The soldiers take out their crossbows and unleash a volley of barbed bolts upon the orcs. Lawrence’s bolt strikes Grumush in the arm. The huge orc roars in pain and rage. The orcs that are still standing ready their weapons and charge at your group. The soldiers ready their spears and fling them at the orcs. Four more orcs fall from the rain of spears. Grumush is struck by a spear in the chest. The soldiers then draw their swords and set upon the orcs with brutal efficiency. You slash one orc’s throat, slaying it instantly and you begin to feel hopeful that you will survive this. Then you hear the hunting horn. Hordes of orcs start to charge into the valley. ‘We must slay Grumush!’ Shouts Lawrence. You agree that the only way to survive is to slay the warlord. This may demoralise the tribe enough to retreat. If it doesn’t, then you would have at least avenged your father. You stab the orc engaging Lawrence while the other soldiers slash a way to the Chief of the tribe who is swinging his hammer. Lawrence dodges the head of the hammer and sticks his sword in the orc’s arm. The orc grunts and drops his hammer. He then grabs Lawrence’s arm in his other hand. The giant orc picks up the young soldier and flings him ten metres down the path. Lawrence crashes to the ground and does not move. You put your sabre through an orcs skull and survey the situation. The other soldiers are hard pressed against the tribe and are struggling to hold ground. ‘Keep at it men and we still might escape this!’ You shout. You break away from combat and desperately rush towards the unarmed and injured orc warlord, determined to put an end to its life. Some orcs rush towards you, but Grumush roars at them, stopping them in their tracks with fear. Grumush relishes a one to one combat. Even when heavily injured and unarmed, Grumush is still a formidable opponent. What makes things worse are the stones and arrows being fired from the orc tribe. At the beginning of each combat round, roll 1 die. If you roll a 1, you have been struck by a stone, arrow or other small missile and you must lose 1 stamina point. Grumush’s armour and thick skin prevents him from being injured by such missiles.

GRUMUSH THE GRIM SKILL 8 STAMINA 18

If you win, turn to 20

2 You head towards the nobles’ offices in the hope of finding Capulet’s room. If you have the codeword location on your adventure sheet, turn to 7. Otherwise, test your luck. If you are lucky, you find a door with the Capulet coat of arms on it. Lawrence breaks the lock and you stride in. Turn to 7. If you are unlucky, your search proves fruitless. Now roll 1 die. If you roll a 1-2, make a note of this paragraph and turn to 22. If you roll a 3-6, read on. You may decide to search rooms again. If so, you must test your luck again. If you search through the cells, turn to 8. If you search Capulet’s tower, turn to 19. If you search the dungeons, turn to 3.

3

The dungeons are mainly used to house dangerous criminals and political enemies of Salamonis. They are a dark, dingy maze of cells. You can also hear the sound of clashing swords echoing around the dungeons. If you search through the cells, turn to 8. If you follow the sound of fighting, turn to 6. If you search Capulet’s tower, turn to 19. If you search the nobles’ rooms, hoping to find Capulet’s study, turn to 2.

4

Your stagger back from your wounds and the guards pour into the room. Shout to Lawrence that he needs to run, but he ignores you and kisses his lover. As the two lovers kiss, the guards grab Lawrence and drag him away from the screaming Julia. ‘Lord Capulet wants you as guest of honour at the wedding!’ Laughs one guard. You know that your fate will be less pleasant. You dive out of the window. You land in the moat with a splash. You heard Julia say that she will be married within the hour in the great hall. You swim to the edge of the moat and get in through the servants’ quarter intent on getting to the great hall and stopping the wedding. You make your way through the kitchens where you notice some soup simmering in a cauldron of soup. You notice this as chef Abram’s herbal soup, which you both swallow. It tastes disgusting but it gives you a warm glow (restore 4 stamina points). Determined to stop the wedding, you head for the great hall. Turn to 14.

5

You and Lawrence jump into the back of a cart and cover yourselves with hay. The soldiers are randomly stabbing carts with their spears to make sure that the farmers are not smuggling anything into the city. Test your luck. If you are lucky, the soldiers do not stab your cart and you get within the walls of the city. Turn to 10. If you are unlucky, you are stabbed (lose 2 stamina points). ‘Run!’ You shout. You push past the soldiers and run through the gates. The soldiers ring the bell and several more guards come out of the guard house and start pursuing you. Roll 3 dice. If you roll less than or equal to your stamina, you lose the guards and duck into an alleyway. Turn to 10. If you roll a number higher than your stamina, the guards catch you and take you to the dungeon. Turn to 23.

6 By following the sound, you come to a large iron door. You carefully push it open to see an old but spritely man fencing with a young, unsure looking man. You instantly recognise the old man as Mercutio, your old blademaster. He notices you and stops the fencing lesson. He tells his student to rest for five minutes. Mercutio embraces you with great enthusiasm. You introduce Lawrence and you both tell him your story. ‘I see.’ Muses the old man. ‘I know that Julia is not in the cells. I do not know where she is, but I can help you if Tybalt...’ Mercutio spits on the floor ‘...crosses your path. You see, he is a skilled swordsman, but he was also very vain. Too vain. He cares more

about his own position to care about anything else. I’ll warrant his marriage is just to help him rise through the aristocratic ranks. Anyway, his vanity is his weakness. After you left, I continued to tutor him in fencing. He became a formidable swordsman, but if ever I aimed an attack for his face, he would forget his stance and shrink back. He is so vain that he cannot bear having his face cut. If you make an attack for his face in combat, you will have the advantage. I hope you prevail, for I loved you like one of my own children and your exile broke my heart.’ You now have Tybalt’s weakness (gain 1 luck point). This means that when you fight him in combat, if you use an aggressive strategy against him, he will not hit you if your attack strength is higher or equal to his as he is trying to protect his face. If your attack strength is lower, he will only inflict 2 stamina points of damage. You thank your mentor and leave the room. Now roll 1 die. If you roll a 1-2, make a note of this paragraph and turn to 22. If you roll a 3-6, read on. If you search Capulet’s tower, turn to 19. If you search the nobles’ rooms, hoping to find Capulet’s study, turn to 2. T 2 by David Holt)

7 Lord Capulet’s study is full of books lined on shelves on the walls. There is also a desk with a neat pile of papers on it. You look at the book shelves. You notice Lord Capulet’s journals. His first journal, volume 1 was written for the year 265AC. Volume 2 is written for 266AC. Volume 3 is written for 267AC. This continues up until volume 20, which is the current year, 284AC. You wonder if any of his journals mention you and your exile. You have time to look through one journal. If you want to, turn to the paragraph that corresponds to the volume number of the journal. If the paragraph does not make sense, the information in the journal is not relevant and you must read on. ‘I’ve found it!’ Exclaims Lawrence, clutching a piece of parchment. The wedding is taking place in the great hall within the hour!’ You both head towards the hall with great haste. Turn to 21.

8 You spend an hour walking around the corridors, looking for any prisoners. You do not find anyone in the cells. Salamonis is obviously enjoying an era of peace with its neighbours. Not wanting to waste any more time, you find Lawrence and head somewhere else. Now roll 1 die. If you roll a 1-2, make a note of this paragraph and turn to 22. If you follow the sound of fighting, turn to 6. If you search Capulet’s tower, turn to 19. If you search the nobles’ rooms, hoping to find Capulet’s study, turn to 2.

9 At the doors of the great hall stands King Salamon LVII. You all kneel before him. ‘Stand, my subjects.’ He commands and you all do. ‘Now, I have heard that much trouble has been caused in the palace today. Can someone enlighten me as to why?’ If you have Lord Capulet’s journal, add 2 to the volume number of the journal and turn to that paragraph. If you do not have the journal, turn to 11.

10 No that you are in the city, you need to get inside the palace. You notice two men in servants’ uniforms. You look at Lawrence who is thinking the same thing. As the servants walk down an alleyway, you follow them. Then you both draw your swords and bring the pommels of your weapons on the servants’ heads, knocking them out. You both swap clothes with them. You then head over to the palace, dressed in your disguises and go over the bridge into the servants’ entrance. When you are inside, you overhear two washerwomen gossiping. ‘Are you going to watch the parade for the wedding today?’ ‘Who’s wedding be that then?’ ‘That be young Julia Capulet’s wedding. Her father’s making her marry Tybalt and keeping her prisoner till she does.’ ‘Ooh, that Capulet is a piece of work he is.’ You and Lawrence move on quickly. ‘No wonder he wanted you out of the city! He didn’t want you to come back. That Capulet is a pig. And he’s making her marry Tybalt!’ ‘Who’s Tybalt?’ Asks Lawrence. ‘I trained as a swordsman with Tybalt under our blademaster, Mercutio. He came from a rich and decadent aristocratic family and was too arrogant and ambitious to care about the city. He just wanted to get on up the royal ranks. Obviously he’s found favour with Capulet.’ ‘We must find Julia and free her!’ Says Tybalt. Where will you begin your search? If you search the dungeon, turn to 3. Since Lord Capulet is rich and powerful, he has his own tower in the palace. If you search Capulet’s tower, turn to 19. If you search the nobles’ rooms, hoping to find Capulet’s study, turn to 2.

11

‘I can’t hold it in anymore!’ Sobs Julia. ‘My father, Lord Capulet is a monster! He has exiled and imprisoned many men to keep power!’ ‘Silence, you insolent daughter!’ Lord Capulet shakes with rage. He orders his men to shoot you and Lawrence. Six soldiers prepare crossbows, three point them at you and three point them at Lawrence. ‘NOOOOOO!’ screams Julia. She runs in front of Lawrence just as the soldiers loose their bolts. They all strike Julia who collapses, blood pouring from her wounds. Three guard fire at you. Test your luck. If you are lucky, one of the bolts strikes you in the chest. Lose 2 stamina points. If you are unlucky, all three bolts hit you. Lose 6 stamina points. If you are still alive, Julia is lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Lawrence rushes to her and hold her in his arms. If you have the codeword crystal, on your adventure sheet, turn to 15. If not, turn to 13.

12

You and Lawrence trudge around the walls of the city. You do not find any other entrances to through the walls but you do find a section of the wall with holes in it. You will be able to climb this part of the wall to get into the city. Test your skill three times. If you succeed all three times, you get to the top of the wall and climb down stairs into Salamonis. Turn to 10. If you fail any roll, you fall (lose 1 stamina point). Then roll 1 die. If you roll a 1-2, a group of guards patrolling the wall spot you. They drop a heavy net on you both and then arrest you with the intention of taking you to the dungeons. Turn to 23. If you roll 3-6, nothing happens. You may try to climb the wall again or you may try to sneak in the city in a hay cart. If you decide to hide in the cart, turn to 5.

13 ‘Medic!’ Shouts Lawrence. But no one comes. Julia is quickly fading. She manages to gasp out her last words. ‘Lawrence, I love you!’ ‘I love you too!’ Says Lawrence. Julia smiles and then her eyes close, peacefully. Lawrence lets out a howl of anguish. ‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!’ You and Lawrence are both pardoned and Capulet is put in prison for abusing his power. You both rise up the ranks of the army, but you can tell that on that day a large part of Lawrence died.

14 You have to sneak through the palace to avoid the patrols. It seems that Capulet does not want anything going wrong today. You notice that the main door to the great hall is guarded by six guards with spears. You wonder how will get into the hall. Then you notice a small unguarded open door with stairs leading upwards. You go up the stairs and find yourself on the balcony of the great hall. You are able to hide behind the balcony and peak out. Lawrence is there, his arms held by two guards. Julia is also there and so it Tybalt, dressed in full military regalia with a rapier by his side. His hair has been combed to perfection. Poser, you think. You look around, in an attempt to find a way down. You see a rope hanging from the ceiling. You hear the priest say ‘If anyone has any reason why these two should not be joined. Speak now or...’ You jump up on the balcony and declare yourself, interrupting the ceremony. ‘Ladies and gentlemen!’ You say. ‘I object to this wedding!’ As one, the crowd gasps, incredulous. Tybalt, seeing you, draws his sword. ‘Come on then, you stinky peasant! Have at thee!’ You swing down on the rope sword drawn and land gracefully in front of Tybalt. ‘I accept your challenge, you arrogant pig!’ You see Lawrence smiling. Tybalt lunges towards you with his rapier. You must fight him. Fight until you have reduced Tybalt’s stamina to 4 or less.

TYBALT SKILL 10 STAMINA 14

If you reduce Tybalt’s stamina to 4 or less, a regal commanding voice rings out in the hall. ‘Stop this!’ Turn to 9.

15 Medic!’ Shouts Lawrence. But no one comes. Julia is quickly fading. She manages to gasp out her last words. ‘Lawrence, I love you!’ ‘I love you too!’ Says Lawrence. Julia smiles and then her eyes close, peacefully. Lawrence lets out a howl of anguish. ‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!’ Then something happens. A blue glow appears around Julia’s chest. It grows brighter until there is a flash of blue light, blinding you all. When your vision returns, you see Julia standing triumphantly amongst the crowd. All her wounds have closed. She is holding the blue flower crystal in her hand. She was wearing it for her wedding. Lawrence embraces her and kisses her. King Salamon orders the guards to arrest Lord Capulet and take him to the dungeons. He then turns to Lawrence and asks him who he is. ‘I am in love with Julia Capulet, your majesty.’ He replies. ‘Lord Capulet told me that if I slew the orc warlord, Grumush the Grim, that he would recommend me for knighthood and allow me take his daughter’s hand in marriage. When I returned, I was not allowed inside the city. Lord Capulet only set me the task to either kill me or keep me away long enough to marry his daughter off to someone else.’ The king dismisses everyone except for you and Lawrence. He sits in his throne in the great hall. He asks you to recount your story. If you tell the whole truth, turn to 25. If you lie and say that Lawrence killed Grumush singlehandedly, turn to 24.

16 You flick through this journal and find an entry referring to you. You read it. My nephew, Escalus was killed today. Although an orc landed the blow, that common pig is responsible. Instead of holding the line, he encouraged Escalus to kill an orc shaman. This will be a good chance to get rid of the commoner. The king has decided to knight anyone who kills a few orcs and it is insulting to those of us with a lineage that stretches back to the time of Atlantis. Only those of royal blood should prevail! I asked Montague, a wizard and an expert in orcish magic, what spell the shaman was casting. He told me that if the shaman had completed the spell, then several lightning bolts would have been unleashed upon my men. That pig probably saved all our lives that day and I must live with that for the rest of my life. However, I will use this against him. I threatened to throw Montague into prison if he ever breathed a word of this to anyone. This way, I can persuade the judge that Escalus was killed because the commoner disobeyed orders and effect an exile. You do not believe it. Here you have irrefutable proof of your innocence! Gain 1 luck point. Capulet did not care a jot about Escalus or saving the soldiers’ lives. All he cares about is keeping the ‘commoners’ out of the palace. His ‘ideals’ were threatened by your skill at arms and devotion to Salamonis, so he had you exiled. You want wring that dog’s neck! You take the journal to present to a judge when this adventure is over. Add the journal to your adventure sheet. Make a note of its volume number. Lawrence snaps you out of your reverie. ‘I’ve found it!’ Exclaims Lawrence, clutching a piece of parchment. The wedding is taking place in the great hall within the hour!’ You both head towards the hall with great haste. Turn to 21.

17

You hold of your opponents valiantly, but reinforcements arrive and the guards pour into the room. You shout to Lawrence that he needs to run, but he ignores you and hands Julia the blue crystal that he found. Add the codeword Crystal to your adventure sheet. As the two lovers kiss, the guards grab Lawrence and drag him away from the screaming Julia. ‘Lord Capulet wants you as guest of honour at the wedding!’ Laughs one guard. You know that your fate will be less pleasant. You dive out of the window. You land in the moat with a splash. You heard Julia say that she will be married within the hour in the great hall. You swim to the edge of the moat and get in through the servants’ quarter intent on getting to the great hall and stopping the wedding. You make your way through the kitchens where you notice some soup simmering in a cauldron of soup. You notice this as chef Abram’s herbal soup, which you swallow. It tastes disgusting but it gives you a warm glow (restore 4 stamina points). Turn to 14.

18 ‘Your majesty!’ You say, running up to the king. ‘This man, Lord Capulet is a corrupt liar who has ended the careers and lives of many promising soldiers to maintain his power.’ Lord Capulet is livid ‘How dare this little slug burst into my daughter’s wedding and accuse me of such things! Off with...’ A look from the king, stills his tongue. ‘These are serious allegations against a loyal servant of mine. Do you have proof?’ ‘Yes!’ You declare. ‘I have here a journal of Capulet where he writes in his own hand that he exiled me to maintain the royal bloodline despite the fact that I saved his life!’ As you pull the journal out of your backpack, the congregation gasps as one person. You hand it to the King who leafs through the pages. He then looks up. ‘It is true. Lord Capulet, I must arrest you for perjury and for abusing your position. The rest of you must go.’ He turns to Lawrence, still being held by the guards. ‘And who are you?’ ‘I am in love with Julia Capulet, your majesty.’ He replies. ‘Lord Capulet told me that if I slew the orc warlord, Grumush the Grim, that he would recommend me for knighthood and allow me take his daughter’s hand in marriage. When I returned, I was not allowed inside the city. Lord Capulet only set me the task to either kill me or keep me away long enough to marry his daughter off to someone else.’ The king dismisses everyone except for you and Lawrence. He sits in his throne in the great hall. He asks you to recount your story. If you tell the whole truth, turn to 25. If you lie and say that Lawrence killed Grumush singlehandedly, turn to 24.

19 It is easy to find Lord Capulet’s tower. You climb the stairs, occasionally listening at doors. Eventually, you reach the top of the tower to come to a locked wooden door. ‘Who is that?’ You hear a woman’s voice say from behind the door. Lawrence perks up. ‘It’s her!’ He exclaims and starts kicking the door, despite your concern that he will alert the guards. The door crashes open. You see a beautiful young woman with long golden hair standing in the centre of a plush and luxurious bedroom. Julia is dressed in a large wedding dress in preparation for her wedding. Her eyes widen in delight to see her sweetheart, Lawrence, who kneels down on one knee in front of her. Before he can say anything, though, four guards appear at the door. You draw your sabre and run to the door so that they cannot get in and only one guard can get to you. While you are doing this, Lawrence engages Julia in a conversation. He looks like he has forgotten the imminent danger. Fight the guards one at a time. If you are wounded at least once (this includes being wounded from using the aggressive strategy) and your stamina is reduced to 3 or less, turn to 4. If you manage to last 10 combat rounds without having your stamina being reduced to 3 or less, turn to 17.

First GUARD SKILL 7 STAMINA 12 Second GUARD SKILL 9 STAMINA 9 Third GUARD SKILL 8 STAMINA 10 Fourth GUARD SKILL 7 STAMINA 12

20

You last stab goes into the orc’s stomach. He totters for a moment as you run backwards and then falls to the earth with a massive crash. You have avenged your father and will soon be rejoined with him. You look at the orc horde and await your death at their hands. But it doesn’t come. The orcs stand stupefied, first looking at the gigantic body and then at you. Then as one, the tribe turn tail and flee, screaming and shouting. You laugh in disbelief. You have slain your father’s killer and lived to tell the tale! Your companions have fared worse though. Not one of them still stands. Five of them lie amongst a score of orc bodies. They made them pay dearly. Lawrence, the sixth, lies away from the combat. You then see him raise his arm and let loose a groan. You run over to him to inspect his wounds. He is badly cut and bruised but miraculously has no broken bones. You help him to his feet as he is still very dazed. ‘Did we win?’ Asks Lawrence. ‘We killed the warlord, but your friends are all dead.’ You reply flatly. Lawrence goes pale and starts to shake. ‘Did I do the right thing?’ He asks. You have no idea, but you can’t bring yourself to say this to the eager young man. ‘An orc warlord that has killed hundreds of people is dead. You did do the right thing.’ You fell Lawrence relax as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. You have no idea why the opinion of a ragged exile should matter so much to him. ‘Come on.’ You say. ‘Let’s get to the nearest village.’ Before you go, Lawrence takes a tooth of the orc warlord as a memento of the battle and you do likewise (add Grumush’s tooth to your adventure sheet.)

You and Lawrence hobble in the direction of Haven along the path. As you travel, he tells you the story of his mission. ‘I volunteered to kill Grumush to get a knighthood. The thing is, I fell in Love. She is wonderful; everything I could want. But her father wouldn’t let me marry her because she is of royal blood and I am not. Her name is Julia Capulet. I begged her father to let me prove myself. Eventually, he relented and told me that he would ask the king to knight me if I could kill the orc warlord Grumush. My men and I have been dogging him for the past six months. However, something else happened a week ago. Something strange. I was hunting for food in a small wood alone, when I came across a white stag. I stood there, flabbergasted at it. It looked at me and then turned and walked off, slowly. I followed it until it stopped, turned around, looked at me and then looked down. On the ground, I could see a piece of blue crystal shaped like a flower. It was beautiful. I picked it up and as I did, I heard a voice in my head. It told me to give the crystal to my one true love. When I looked up, the stag had gone.’ You are prepared to scoff, but Lawrence produces the blue crystal flower from his pocket. It is indeed beautiful. You then tell Lawrence your sorry story and how Lord Capulet exiled you because you tried to save your platoon but ended up getting his nephew killed. Lawrence listens intently. When you have finished, he says ‘If I were Escalus, I would have been proud to have died for Salamonis.’ The young soldier’s comment seems to lighten your burden a little and it raises a smile. For the first time, you are glad to have him with you. Eventually, you get to the village of Haven. Lawrence buys herbal remedies, bandages and good food. You both patch up your wounds and then partake of a meal of pork, bread and cheese, washed down with some good ale (restore your stamina to your initial level.) You spend the night in a good inn. The next morning, Lawrence buys a large bag of vittles, some bread, dried fruit and two large waterskins full of water. You both start the walk to Salamonis. A week later, you arrive to the gates of the beautiful City state. Lawrence describes it as the Jewel of Allansia. Despite your hatred of the rulers of the city, you cannot deny that the city is beautiful. You decide that it would be nice to accompany Lawrence to the city. Even though you have been exiled, it is unlikely anyone outside the palace would remember you. Lawrence walks up to the gate where two dour, stocky guards stand. ‘Sorry, Lawrence you aren’t allowed in.’ says one guard. ‘What? Why?’ Asks the young man, devastated. ‘Lord Capulet’s orders. You’ve been exiled.’ ‘Hang on!’ You exclaim. ‘Listen pal, there be two dozen of us behind this gate. Either you walk away nicely and nothing bad happens or we take you to the dungeons.’ Despite your intense desire, you don’t whip out your sword and stab the guard. That would be suicide. You drag the protesting Lawrence away. ‘Why is Lord Capulet doing this?’ He demands. ‘I don’t know.’ You reply ‘He’s just a sadistic swine, like most of those aristocrats. Listen. We will get in, but we’ve got to be smart about it. Then you can marry your sweetheart’ You can think of two plans to get into the city. You notice that there are several carts full of hay, corn or other crops entering the city. If you hide in a cart, turn to 5. If you go around the walls to find another way in, turn to 12.

21

You make your way through the kitchens where you notice some soup simmering in a cauldron of soup. You notice this as chef Abram’s herbal soup, which you both swallow. It tastes disgusting but it gives you a warm glow (restore 4 stamina points). As you leave the kitchens, you both walk straight into six guards who grab Lawrence. You draw your sabre, but you can see that you will be hard pressed. ‘Run!’ Shouts Lawrence. ‘Stop the wedding. Don’t worry about me!’ You turn tail and run. As you do, you hear the soldiers saying that Lawrence will be the ‘guest of honour’ at the wedding. Turn to 14.

22 As you decide on which location you should visit, you are stopped by two guards who look at you both, shout out for reinforcements and then attack you. You must defeat them quickly or more guards will turn up. Roll one die to find out who your opponent is. If you defeat your opponent by the end of 6 combat rounds, you make haste for your next location. Turn to the paragraph you were previously at and decide where you should go. If your opponent is still alive at the end of the sixth combat round, a horde of guards charge up to you both, wrestle you to the floor and lock you in the cells. Your adventure ends here.

1-2 SPEAR WIELDING GUARD SKILL 7 STAMINA 10 3-4 AXE WIELDING GUARD SKILL 8 STAMINA 8

5-6 SWORD WIELDING GUARD SKILL 9 STAMINA 6

23

The guards drag you inside the palace and take you to the dungeons where they strip you of your weapons and lock you up. All the guards then go, except one who is left to keep an eye on you both. You both sit there fuming. After a few minutes, the soldier turns around. Lawrence smiles. ‘Gregory!’ He says. ‘Lawrence! I’m glad you survived. It’s good that you’re back. Lord Capulet is going to marry off his daughter, Julia, today to Sir Tybalt.’ Sir Tybalt! He is the man who trained as a sword fighter with you under your blademaster, Mercutio. He came from a rich and decadent aristocratic family and was too arrogant and ambitious to care about the city. He just wanted to get on up the royal ranks. Obviously he’s found favour with Capulet. ‘What? We must stop him.’ Gregory grabs the keys and unlocks the cell. He hands you both your swords. ‘Capulet is keeping Julia locked up somewhere. I don’t know where, but it is not the dungeons. Maybe his study has the answers.’ Gregory tells you where to find Lord Capulet’s study in the maze of corridors within the palace (write the codeword location on your adventure sheet.) Lawrence thanks Gregory and you leave to begin your search. Searching the rest of the dungeons will prove fruitless, but you hear the sound of clashing swords echo throughout the cells. If you follow the sound of fighting, turn to 6. Since Lord Capulet is rich and powerful, he has his own tower within the palace. If you search Capulet’s tower, turn to 19. If you search the nobles’ rooms, hoping to find Capulet’s study, turn to 2.

24

The king considers your story and looks at Lawrence. ‘Is this true?’ Lawrence looks at you. He understands what you are doing and smiles in thanks. ‘Yes your Majesty.’ The king nods in understanding. You get the feeling that he understands completely. He loves his city and knows that this will bring the best for it. ‘Then tomorrow, I will dub thee Sir Lawrence and the day after that, you will marry Julia Capulet.’ The king turns to you. ‘And you are pardoned for your noble and unselfish acts. If you wish, you may return to your old position within my army.’ You smile. Everyone has got what they deserved and you feel proud of your achievements. Love has prevailed. Your destiny is within your hands. You may become a celebrated soldier in the army of Salamonis. Or you may go back to adventuring with the hope of obtaining fame and fortune.

25

You tell the king the whole story. ‘Then you shall receive a knighthood tomorrow.’ He turns to Lawrence ‘And you shall be pardoned and made an officer in my army.’ You enjoy your knighthood, but feel a little uncomfortable with the title. It is strange, but you must have changed since your time as an adventurer. There was more freedom and in a sense more power. Lawrence is happy for you and becomes a distinguished officer in the army, but he never gets a title himself. Neither he nor Julia marry and despite living a full life, you notice that they die a little day by day. Every time you see Lawrence or Julia, you wonder if you could have done anything more to have helped them. Notes I’m quite proud of this one. The hero is based on the concept of a romantic hero on wikipedia – someone who stands out from the crowd but is outcast for it. The romantic hero has seen the world and is a bit cynical. I introduced the combat modes to give an element of choice in the combats. Now every round is a choice. 25 is a failure paragraph deliberately. I also tried to make it seem like 25 was supposed to be the victory paragraph. Thankyou Crimson Tide for that idea! I also tried to put a lot of clichés in this book in a tongue in cheek fashion, such as ‘NOOOOOOOOOOO!’ I think this has a good mix of story and dice rolling. It is very hard to get a good story with choice in a 25 paragraph gamebook, but I think I managed it with this one. It is longer in word numbers than every other book though. What I would like to know is whether people look for a good story or a straightforward dungeon bashing where you can get lots of magic items and treasure. I’d like to know what the best mix that would appeal to everyone would be. I’d also like to know the best length of a gamebook. 25 is too short to sell. Is 400 enough, or should it be 350? 500? How many paragraphs do you feel you should read to finish the book? If anyone has answers to these questions, email me! ([email protected]).

The Presence of a hero

Introduction In this adventure, you are the apprentice to Nicodemus and you are about to undergo the last challenge of your education.

SKILL, STAMINA AND LUCK To determine your Initial SKILL, STAMINA, and LUCK scores: Roll one die. If you roll a 1-2, your initial skill is 7. If you roll a 3-4, your initial

skill is 8. If you roll a 5-6, your initial skill is 9. Put this in the SKILL box on the Adventure Sheet.

Roll one die. Add 11 to the number. Put the result in the STAMINA box on the

Adventure Sheet. Roll one die. Add 6 to the number and enter this total in the LUCK box.

SPELLS

You have spent several months studying under the tutelage of one of Allansia’s most prestigious wizards, Nicodemus. You have progressed quickly with your hard work and intelligence, but the road to becoming a mighty wizard is a long one and you have only learnt a handful of minor spells. You may choose THREE of the six spells below to aid you in your quest. Every time you cast a spell, it drains 1 stamina point. You will be prompted by the text when you are able to cast a particular spell. However, two spells – fire bolt and iron hand – may be cast before combat. Bear in mind that you may only cast ONE spell before combat. FEAR: This spell creates an intense fear in one humanoid or animal. The affected creature can do nothing but try to flee you for as long as the spell is in effect. FIRE BOLT: This spell creates a short blast of intense fire, which you can aim at a creature. You may use this spell before a combat to deal 1-6 stamina points of damage to one opponent (roll 1 die) ILLUSION: This creates one medium sized illusion that can fool intelligent creatures for a short amount of time. IRONHAND: This spell may be cast before a combat or when you test your skill. It will increase your initial and current skill by 1 for the combat or for the skill roll.

OPEN: This spell will open one locked object such as a door or chest. It does not open objects that have been locked by powerful magic. WARD: This spell creates an invisible shield that protects you from missiles such as arrows or stones for a short amount of time.

EQUIPMENT

You start your adventure with only one item of equipment – that is a small box containing the artefact that you need to deliver to the chosen hero. You do not have a weapon, but it will be advisable to find one as soon as possible. If you ever fight unarmed, you must subtract 4 from your attack strength. You may find other items of equipment during your adventure.

BACKGROUND

‘Didn’t he die well!’ Yells Hister Brey, Chief Executioner of the infamous Port Blacksand. The maniac picks up the puffy severed head of his latest victim and tosses it into the hysterical crowd in Executioner’s Square. The rabble of bloodthirsty peasants tosses it from one side of the crowd to another before the head lands at your feet. The lifeless eyes of what was Blacksand’s foremost dye merchant stare up at you. In response, you roll your own eyes at this macabre New Year’s celebration and groan inwardly at the thought of another three days like this one. A short weasel-like man climbs up on the stage while guards are dragging the podgy body off it and an old washerwoman scrubs the bloodstains off the chopping block. He unravels a piece of parchment, puts a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles on his nose and starts his speech with an air of self-importance. ‘That was one Mister Alamos Thor, a wealthy and illustrious dye merchant who always wanted to get ahead…’ ‘Well he didn’t today!’ Roars Brey. Boos and hisses assault him from the crowd and in return, he makes a few gestures to them. The beaurocrat looks irritated at this exchange and waits impatiently for the noise to die down. ‘…in business.’ He eventually finished. He then continued. ‘Alamos’s time was unfortunately cut short as he did not pay his window tax despite him being helpfully informed of it at the monthly tax collectors’ meeting held in the cellar of Lord Azzur’s Palace warned quite publicly of the consequences of not paying in the classified list of city deviants, written every month and kept in a secure strongbox in a secret location for safety. For such a grievous crime, our lord in his infinite kindness has decided to share Alamos’s wealth with the poor of Blacksand. Those that make the backbone of our fine city.’ You start to push your way through the cheering crowd, having no wish to be part of the events which are about to happen. You only just get to the edge of the square when the guards start throwing gold pieces into the crowd. The peasants and beggars start to stampede and brawl over the paltry sum of money. Screams of pain go up from the crowd, which has become an orgy of flying fists and feet. You turn your back to this melee and start to walk down Square Street, back home. The streets are full of people, most of them drunk because of the five-day New Year celebrations. It is now Fireday, the 24th day in Locking and so it is the 2nd day of the drunken festival. As the drizzle soaks through your cloak, you step over comatose beggars and peasants in the cobbled street. Eventually you walk down Candle Street. The smell of sewage is stronger here, indicating that you are getting closer. You have spent nine months in Blacksand and even after all of this time, your stomach still turns at the its smell. The hot days are unbearable. Everywhere you go, the smell of raw fish mixed with excrement and rotting flesh conquers your senses as if to remind you of the triumph of stench and corruption over this City. Yet you gave up the comfortable life of a noble of Salamonis to be here and you still have not regretted it. You still remember the day you told your father that you needed to be a wizard. Not wanted, needed. You explained that your intention to study magic was not a

whim, but a compulsion, driving you on. You did not know what, but you knew that eventually, it would lead to ascension. You remember the rage in your father’s face. ‘You were betraying the family! Your lot was to be a knight! You must lead the troops of Salamonis!’ He would wave his sword in your face and threaten to finish you if you mentioned it again. So you did not mention it again. You packed your backpack and left the city. You knew exactly where you needed to go and it was not long before you were bribing a gate guard to let you into Port Blacksand. You did not go to the Sorcerers’ guild and you never have. You laugh at the bizarre building as you walk past it but you do not laugh at its weirdness. You laugh because despite its powerful members, there is still one sorcerer who has no part in it and he is the one you wanted to learn from. As you walk down Candle Street, you reminisce about the first time you did so in order to reach the Singing Bridge. Of all the places in Allansia, this is where your schooling in sorcery would begin. Under a rickety bridge over a dead, stinking river, there lived one of the greatest Wizards of good that Allansia had ever seen - Nicodemus. You had heard the tales of the mage as a youth. You hard how he slew an evil shaman to prevent the resurrection of three ancient wizards. You learnt how he narrowly escaped the death spell and you learnt that eventually he had become sick of people asking him for help and so he had retired to a place where only the desperate would seek him out. You were scared when you first approached the hut. You had heard rumours that if he took a dislike to you, you would leave his hut as a small furry animal – if you were lucky. However, it did not dissuade you. You needed to learn his wisdom, so you steeled yourself and knocked on his door. You remember him flinging to door open, and looking at you with impatience and anger.’ Why have you disturbed my afternoon nap?’ He demanded. However, when he heard what you had to say, his anger turned into interest. You offered him the medallion of your house. ‘Are you really prepared to give it all up for sorcery?’ He asked. You said that you were, so the old mage took you in. Over the past nine months, you have learnt the basics of magic and you are now beginning to learn some more powerful spells. You also have the job of doing Nicodemus’s legwork. You are now at his door again, clutching the vegetables and fish that he wanted. The old mage opens the door. You prepare a meal for the two of you. While you fry the fish in a pan, the mage looks at you thoughtfully. ‘You know my apprentice, our lives change over time.’ He begins. ‘As a young man, I felt I had to complete the journey of a hero. Now I feel my journey is complete, I must point others in the right direction of their own hero’s journeys.’ ‘What has this got to do with me?’ You ask.

‘Patience my apprentice.’ Chides Nicodemus. ‘Your time will come. But you must do something important for me tonight. A young man has grown up here in Port Blacksand. One day, he will save Allansia from a great evil, but he doesn’t know it himself yet. Do not ask me why he was placed here. The Gods work in mysterious ways. But last night, I had a dream from Hamaskis. In my dream, I was wearing my red robes and hat of ritual and he told me to deliver an Elvish artefact in my possession to this man. I need you to do it.’ Nicodemus pulls out a small intricate box and hands it to you. You pull the lid, but cannot open it. ‘Only the one it was intended for can open it. His name is Syleron Maris and he works at the Valentis Bane inn as a barman. He will do something of great import one day and he must have this Elvish made artefact tonight.’ ‘Of course I will deliver it.’ You reply. ‘Maybe this is my own hero’s journey.’ ‘Maybe it is.’ Replies the old wizard. ‘Now off you go.’ ‘What? I haven’t armed myself. I haven’t even eaten yet.’ ‘No time for that! Just get the box to Syleron. It shouldn’t be that hard for an enterprising apprentice such as yourself!’ Nicodemus is standing up now and shoving you out of the front door. He has a lot of strength for such an old man. As soon as you are outside in the cold and the rain, he slams to door shut in your face.

NOW TURN OVER

1 You sigh in frustration. Sometimes that man can be impossible! Of all the inns in Port Blacksand, the Valentis Bane inn is the nastiest, most disgusting and dangerous. The existence of such a place is an achievement in depravity. And Nicodemus expects you to stroll in there unarmed and give an ornate box to a man who you can’t even identify. You start to climb the rickety wooden stairs and walk along the Singing Bridge and turn into Harbour Street. The light is fading now and the rain is falling heavily. Despite being soaked through, you are glad that the weather is cold is wet. The cold suppresses the constant stench of the filth and excrement that festers in the cobbled streets and the rain washes it away into the sewers. You then turn right into Stable Street and stroll through the streets. Two robed and hooded figures are having a vicious knife fight in the street and you give them a wide berth, just like the other Blacksanders who a scurrying by, desperate to get inside, away from the cold, rain and danger. People are out as the New Year market is open and the traders are selling their wares to revellers in the market square. You have always wondered how people can celebrate in a city where the hearts of its rulers are as cold and dangerous as its tempestuous weather. As you turn into Weaver Street, you are blasted by the gale blowing in from the sea. You hurry to get into Cloth-cutters’ Square, away to shelter behind a building. You are too slow and something brown and wet blows into your face. You run into the square and spit it out down the well. Disgusting! After removing the disgusting smear from your face, you take stock of your surroundings. The square has two inns in it; the Eye of the Needle Tavern and the Valentis Bane Inn. There are a few people in the square. A couple of beggars stare at you as they sit by the Eye of the Needle Tavern. You remember that you are always being watched in Port Blacksand. Nothing escapes the Thieves’’ guild in this city. There is also an unconscious man lying around the well, snoring in a drunken stupor. You steel yourself and walk towards the ramshackle den of cutthroats known as the Valentis Bane Inn. As you do, there is a crash and a shower of glass as a man is flies through the window and lands with a thud at your feet. He is dressed in a ragged sailor’s uniform and he is covered in cuts and bruises. He drunkenly picks himself up and glares at you through his one good eye. He even makes his eye patch seem menacing. ‘What yoo looking at skunk?’ He yells. Before you can answer, he runs into the inn, screaming for blood. You sigh and follow him. Turn to 47.

2 Behind the next stall is a young man selling weapons and small items of equipment. You may buy the following things. If you do, deduct the amount of gold you have paid.

Item Price Dagger 2 gold pieces

Jar of salve 4 gold pieces Small stone figurine 5 gold pieces

Rope and grapple 7 gold pieces Lantern 3 gold pieces

If you bought anything, turn to 38. If not, turn to 4.

3

You leap over the bar and land heavily. You see a pouch on the floor, which you quickly grab, stuff in your tunic. You then run through the door into the pub’s storeroom. You quickly look inside the pouch and find 2 gold pieces (add 2 gold pieces to your adventure sheet). See a small door in the back of the room. You try the handle, but it is locked! If you can, you can cast the open spell (turn to 35) or you can try to force the door (turn to 42) or go back over the bar and try to escape through the front door (turn to 25)

4

There is nothing more that interests you in the market. You may have come across a clue as to which street Syleron is in. If you think you know, convert the name of the street (just the name; do not include the word ‘street’) into a number using the code A = 1, B = 2, C = 3 etc. and turn to that paragraph. If the first word is not the name of the street, you have guessed incorrectly. If you do not know which street Syleron is on, you go to a location that you haven’t been yet. You may either ask Nicodemus for help (turn to 19), go to Syleron’s barge on Herring Wharf (turn to 29) or investigate the Dragon’s tooth inn, near the market (turn to 39).

5

You cast the spell (lose 1 stamina point) just as the arrow is loosed off. It stops, inches from your chest. The cat-man, looks surprised as you look up and smile at him. Then you hear a shout. ‘City watch! Halt!’ Half a dozen armoured guards are running down Clog Street towards you, waving their spears. The cat-man nimbly climbs up the wall of a house by digging his claws in the wooden walls. You have to run for your life, so you sprint towards the docks. Turn to 17.

6

As you light the lantern, you hear some squeaks of alarm and see rats scurry into the cracks in the barge. You perform a quick search, mindful that you could attract the attention of the city watch. You find a journal lying on a desk, which you quickly scan. One entry is interesting. It appears that Syleron owns a large house in Clock Street. There is a drawer in the desk, which you try, but it is locked. If you know the open spell and wish to use it, turn to 27. If not, you may go to Clock Street now to find Syleron (turn to 44), report to Nicodemus (turn to 19) or see if the market has anything useful (turn to 9).

7 You raise your fists to fight to pirate who is armed with a cutlass. He is badly wounded from all the brawling but you can see that all he wants in blood.

WOUNDED PIRATE SKILL 5 STAMINA 2


8 You cast the spell (lose 1 stamina point) and point at the dog. It whimpers and slinks off with its tail between its legs. Turn to 32.

9 Despite it being late in the evening, the market is well lit and busy to celebrate the five-day New Year holiday. Snow has started to fall and settle like a white dust. You browse the market stalls. The first one you come across is a tent with a sign that reads ‘Madame Star, clairvoyant.’ If you enter it, turn to 21. If you carry on, turn to 45.

10 There is a moment of stunned silence as the thug falls to the floor and then the entire inn erupts into a huge riot with fists, feet and furniture flying everywhere. You need to get out of here quick! Will you try to fight your way out of the front door (turn to 25)? Or try to escape through the back door (turn to 3)?

11

You mumble the words of the spell (lose 1 stamina point) and point at Halim. You demand that you should have the key to Syleron’s room. The now cowering landlord acquiesces and hands over the key. ‘Just leave me alone!’ he begs. You run up the stairs and open the door to room 23. The room is a mess. Clothes and papers litter the floor. On piece of paper shows a map of Port Blacksand. You notice a cross on a house in Clock Street. You leave the tavern. If you wish to head to Clock Street straight away, turn to 44. You could also report your mission to Nicodemus (turn to 19). Otherwise, you could investigate the market. Turn to 9.

12

Apart from seeing a man kick a body down the bank and into the river, you get back to the Singing Bridge without incident. Snow has now started to fall and the streets are now covered in a thin white layer. You could cross the bridge and head towards the market square (turn to 9), descend the stairs to report your adventures to Nicodemus (turn to 19), Head out to Herring Wharf to search Syleron’s boat (turn to 29) or investigate the Dragon’s Tooth Tavern (turn to 39)

13

You pay her (deduct 2 gold pieces from your adventure sheet). She looks into her crystal ball and looks into her crystal ball, making a gurgling sound. Her eyes roll up into her sockets and she seems to go into a trance. In a slow, laborious voice, she tells you that you seek a man with a mystery that only he can unlock. She tells you that she can see a green cat chasing the man, intending to kill him. I see a large house in a street with a clock in it. She comes out of her trance. Madame Star is shaking with fear. ‘Beware the cat!’ She says. ‘Now go!’ You leave the tent, shocked and bemused by her predictions. Turn to 45.

14 Quick as a flash, you put the box in the man’s hand. Unlike the first time you met him, Syleron is being quite friendly. He opens the box, pulls out a beautiful bejewelled silver dagger, and offers it to you! ‘What?’ You ask, bemused. This is yours! ‘No.’ counters Syleron. ‘You must take it. This letter will explain.’ Syleron gives you the silver dagger. As you touch it, you feel the tingle of powerful magic. Add the silver dagger to your adventure sheet. It will add 1 to your attack strength in all combats. It also has other powers, which you will discover later. Syleron then pulls out a piece of parchment from the box. Before he can give it to you, there is a smash as the cat-man with green hair crashes through the window. He strikes Syleron in the face with a clawed hand. Syleron falls to the floor in a heap. In the cat man’s other hand is a small crossbow, which he points at you. A vicious barb is at the end of the bolt. If you know the ward spell, turn to 46. If not, turn to 18.

15

You invoke the power of the spell (lose 1 stamina point) and point at the thug. The thug’s expression turns instantly from one of aggression to one of terror. He turns to flee you and runs straight into a huge bald tattooed pirate, who throws him to the floor. The entire inn erupts into a huge riot with fists, feet and furniture flying everywhere. You need to get out of here quick! Will you try to fight your way out of the front door (turn to 25)? Or try to escape through the back door (turn to 3)?

16 You rush to help Syleron. He is still alive, but he was knocked unconscious by the cat man. Eventually, he comes round and speaks. ‘Thank you my friend. I was warned about him, but I didn’t think that he would find me here.’ ‘What is it?’ You ask. ‘It’s a crossbreed; an experiment of the priests of the Demon Princes. Nicodemus has a great many enemies who will sink to any depths to stop him.’ If you have a silver dagger, turn to 50. If not, read on. Syleron continues ‘Now don’t you have something for me?’ You pull out the box and offer it to the man who takes it with a smile. You wonder why he has become so friendly since your last meeting in the Valentis Bane inn. He opens the box, pulls out a beautiful bejewelled silver dagger, and offers it to you! ‘What?’ You ask, bemused. This is yours! ‘No.’ counters Syleron. ‘You must take it. This letter will explain.’ Syleron gives you the silver dagger. As you touch it, you feel the tingle of powerful magic. Add the silver dagger to your adventure sheet. It will add 1 to your attack strength in all combats. It also has other powers, which you will discover later. Syleron then pulls out a piece of parchment from the box. Turn to 50.

17 You dash along the filthy streets heading for Lobster Wharf. Despite being heavily armoured, the guards manage to keep up and are close behind you. You manage to reach the wharfs of the docks, which are a hive of activity. Sailors are loading a large ship with crates. Then strong hands grab you. One covers your mouth to prevent you from making any noise. You struggle as you feel yourself being dragged into a small shack at the wharf. Turn to 23.

18 You barb strikes you in the chest. The pain is agonising as the vicious spike digs into your flesh. Lose 4 stamina points and reduce your attack strength by 1 in this upcoming combat. The cat man meows in glee and leaps towards you, bearing its claws and teeth. You must fight for your life!

GREEN CAT MAN SKILL 8 STAMINA 10


19 Eventually, you are standing in front of Nicodemus’s door. The ‘KEEP OUT’ sign glows with an eerie red glow. You ignore it push the door. It is locked. You use the secret knock, Nicodemus taught you. No answer. You try again. Still no answer. In frustration, you bang as loudly as you can on the door. Eventually, you hear some grumbling and heavy footfalls and the door flies open. ‘What is it?’ Asks Nicodemus, angrily. Before you can get a word out, he continues. ‘You haven’t done it yet, have you?’ ‘But…’ ‘Stop disturbing me every time you suffer some setback. I don’t have time for this.’ ‘I…’ ‘I don’t have time to hold your hand and listen to your whimpering any more! Get out there and deliver the box!’ Before you can reply, he slams the door and leaves you standing there, puzzled and dejected. Lose 1 luck point. You grumpily climb the stairs again. If you wish to head to the market square, turn to 9. If you wish to search Syleron’s boat, turn to 29. If you wish to investigate the Dragon’s Tooth inn, turn to 39.

20 You breathe a sigh of relief and turn into Clog Street. Glatanka has set now, leaving the street being dimly lit by a few candles from inside some houses in the street. You stand in the street for a few minutes, planning your next move. Where has the man gone? Who did he think you were? Why is he avoiding you? Your reverie is disturbed as you notice that someone is standing near you and staring. You look at him. He is not a beggar, but he is dressed in a leather jerkin. His face is not human, but has feline features. Green hair sprouts from this mans head and hands. You then notice that this strange green man is holding a bow. Without a word, he raises it and points it at you. If you wish to cast the warding spell, turn to 5. If not, turn to 28.

21 As you enter the tent, you are greeted by a plump woman dressed in yellow and sitting at a table. A crystal ball stands on the table. She tells you that a glimpse of the future will cost you 2 gold pieces. If you wish to pay her 2 gold pieces for a glimpse of the future, turn to 13. If not, you leave the tent. Turn to 45.

22 Before either of you can say anything, however, there is a smash as the cat-man with green hair crashes through the window. He strikes Syleron in the face with a clawed hand. Syleron falls to the floor in a heap. In the cat man’s other hand is a small crossbow, which he points at you. A vicious barb is at the end of the bolt. If you know the ward spell, turn to 46. If not, turn to 18.

23

A door slams and the hands let go of you. There are two burley men standing in front of you. One puts his finger to his lips signalling that you should be silent. The other one peaks through the window. After a few tense minutes, he turns around. ‘The guards have gone.’ He says. The other one starts to talk. ‘I’m Gladris and this is my brother Hadris. We have a friend in common – Nicodemus. We act as his eyes and ears and tonight, he asked us to dedicate those eyes and ears to you. Which is fortunate for you, my friend. What happened back there?’ You tell the story of your encounters at the Valentis Bane Inn. Gladris and Hadris listen with concern. Hadris pipes up. ‘We do not know who this green cat fellow is, but the man at the bar was Syleron. He keeps a low profile, but we know two places where he could be found. Syleron came into Blacksand in a small barge a fortnight ago. The barge is called ‘The Gandalf.’ It is moored on Herring Wharf. He has also been staying at the Dragon’s Tooth inn in the Noose. Good luck, my friend.’ The brothers offer you two gifts. One is a pouch containing 5 gold pieces (add 5 gold pieces to your adventure sheet). Another is a jar of salve, which they say you should rub onto your wounds (restore 4 stamina points). After another cautious check to make sure the guards have gone, the brothers let you out of their hut. Turn to 12.

24

You leave the bar and climb the stairs. You search the top floor for room 23 and eventually find it. You mutter the words to the open spell (lose 1 stamina point) and the door swings open. The room is a mess. Clothes and papers litter the floor. On piece of paper shows a map of Port Blacksand. You notice a cross on a house in Clock Street. You leave the tavern. If you wish to head to Clock Street straight away, turn to 44. You could also report your mission to Nicodemus (turn to 19). Otherwise, you could investigate the market. Turn to 9.

25

You run for the door, trying to doge the missiles and the drunken brawlers. You are near the front door, but a pirate stands in your way. If you cast the illusion spell, turn to 40. Otherwise, you will have to fight him. Turn to 7.

26

You pay 1 gold piece (deduct it from your adventure sheet). The smiling man shows you the ace and puts it into his pack of twenty two cards. You watch carefully as the smiling man shuffles the deck, periodically showing the ace to you and his mystified audience. After a few seconds of shuffling, cutting and riffling, he deals the cards on the table and asks you to pick the ace. If you wish, you can cast the illusion spell (turn to 31). Otherwise, test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 36. If not, turn to 41.

27

You mutter the words to the spell (lose 1 stamina point). As you finish, you hear a click and the drawer opens before you. Inside the drawer are 3 gold pieces (add 3 gold pieces to your adventure sheet) and a bottle labelled ‘potion of giant strength’. You may drink this potion at any time except on a paragraph with combat. This potion restores 4 stamina points and will increase your attack strength by 1 in your next combat. You consider your next action. You may go to Clock Street now to find Syleron (turn to 44), report to Nicodemus (turn to19) or see if the market has anything useful (turn to 9).

28

Test your luck. If you are lucky, the arrow narrowly misses. If you are unlucky, the arrow strikes you in the chest (lose 4 stamina points) before either of you can do anything, you hear a shout. ‘City watch! Halt!’ Half a dozen armoured guards are running down Clog Street towards you, waving their spears. The cat-man nimbly climbs up the wall of a house by digging his claws in the wooden walls. You have to run for your life, so you sprint towards the docks. Turn to 17.

29

Herring Wharf is packed with boats, large and small, moored to the jetties. The Wharf is quiet at the moment. The sailors and fishermen have all gone home. The snow and the nautical wind is biting cold and you wrap you cloak around you for warmth as you march up and down the Wharf, looking for the Gandalf. Eventually, you find the barge. No lights are on. Before you can jump onto the deck, you hear the harsh bark of a watchdog. You spin around to see a huge hound, the size of a wolf, running towards you, teeth bared. If you wish to cast the fear spell, turn to 8. Otherwise, you must fight it. Turn to 43.

30

As you fall to the floor, you whisper the spell (lose 1 stamina point). Your hood fell off as you fell and as you pick yourself up, the thug gasps in fear as he looks at your forehead. He sees a red star tattooed there, the mark of the Red Star Brotherhood, a large gang of vicious cut-throats. Fearing retribution, he turns to flee you and runs straight into a huge bald tattooed pirate, who throws him to the floor. The entire inn erupts into a huge riot with fists, feet and furniture flying everywhere. You need to get out of here quick! Will you try to fight your way out of the front door (turn to 25)? Or try to escape through the back door (turn to 3)?

31

You focus on your spell (lose 1 stamina point) and pick a random card, revealing the picture of the ace that your illusion has created. The man is flabbergasted, but can do nothing but give you your prize (add 5 gold pieces to your adventure sheet) or be found out as a cheater. You take your money and walk on, feeling smug. Turn to 2.

32

You jump aboard the barge and head towards the door. It is easy to break the flimsy lock on the door and to descend inside. It is pitch black inside the barge. If you have lantern, turn to 6. If not, turn to 48.

33

You quickly snatch up the pirate’s cutlass (Add the cutlass to your equipment list. You may use it as a weapon) and rush out of the inn, leaving the chaos far behind you. Turn to 20.

34

You leave the tavern and walk around the back. You notice an open window on the top floor. You swing your rope and fling the grapple at the open window. The grapple digs into the window and you climb the rope. You jump inside the room. When you are inside, you notice a book on the desk with the word Syleron on it. You realise that you have found room 23. The room is a mess. Clothes and papers litter the floor. On piece of paper shows a map of Port Blacksand. You notice a cross on a house in Clock Street. You leave the tavern. If you wish to head to Clock Street straight away, turn to 44. You could also report your mission to Nicodemus (turn to 19). Otherwise, you could investigate the market. Turn to 9.

35

You cast the spell and point at the door (lose 1 stamina point). You hear a click and the door swings open. You run into a narrow alley. Turn to 20.

36

You grab the man’s wrist and pull the ace from the fold in his tunic. The peasants boo and hiss at him as his face drops. ‘Fine! He says. You beat me! Here is your money.’ He hands you 5 gold pieces (add 5 gold pieces to your adventure sheet) and packs up his stall to get away from the hostile crowd. You move on. Turn to 2.

37

You turn to face the thug bare handed. He wields a knife, but he is very drunk. Hopefully, you will be able to overcome him. If you cast the fire bolt spell before this combat, turn to 49. Otherwise, you must fight for your life.

DRUNKEN THUG SKILL 4 STAMINA 5


38

Add the items you have bought to your equipment list. If you bought the salve, you may use it on any paragraph except one with a combat. It restores 4 stamina points. The small stone figurine is a lucky charm. You may use it on any paragraph except one with a combat on to restore 1 luck point. The dagger may be used as a weapon. The rope and grapple can be used to scale walls and the lantern can be used to light your way. Turn to 4.

39

The Dragon’s Tooth Tavern is packed with peasants, merchants and adventurers. You approach the bar and talk to the landlord, Halim Thrumbar. If you wish, you may buy a hot meat stew and a flagon of ale for 3 gold pieces. If you do, gain 2 stamina points. You ask Halim if he has anyone called Syleron staying at the inn. ‘Sure I do, room 23.’ He says. ‘But ‘e ain’t in his room now.’ You ask if you can investigate his room, but Halim is not having any of it. If you wish, you can cast the fear spell (turn to 41), or you can use the open spell to get into Syleron’s room (turn to 42) or, if you have a rope and grapple, you can try to break into his room from the outside (turn to 43). If you cannot do any of these things, you must leave, empty handed (lose 1 luck point). You decide where else you should go. You could browse the market stalls (turn to 9), descend the stairs to the Singing Bridge and report your adventures to Nicodemus (turn to 19) or head out to Herring Wharf to search Syleron’s boat (turn to 29).

40

You cast the spell (Lose 1 stamina point) immediately, a trollish voice from outside shouts ‘City Watch! You’re all under arrest!’ Immediately the rioters all run out of the front door. You are left standing alone amongst the wreckage of the inn. There are a few bodies lying amongst the debris. Just another normal evening in Port Blacksand. Before you leave, you search make a quick search of the junk. You find a dagger (add the dagger to your equipment list. It can be used as a weapon) and a small pouch containing 3 gold pieces (Add 3 gold pieces to your adventure sheet). You hastily leave the inn before the watch really arrives. Turn to 20.

41

You look under the table, but do not find anything. The man laughs a high pitched, mocking laugh as the crowd jeers you. You leave in haste. Turn to 2.

42

You run into the door. Test your skill. If you are successful, you smash the door open, run into a narrow alley. Turn to 20. If you fail, you bruise yourself (lose 1 stamina point) and cannot open the door by force. You could use the open spell if you know it (turn to 35) or go back over the bar and try to exit the inn through the front door (turn to 25)

43

The watchdog is a large black, vicious beast. You must kill it.

WATCHDOG SKILL 7 STAMINA 6


44

Clock Street is on the Southern side of Port Blacksand, near the Market Square. You find the large house where Syleron should be and walk through the large open door. You find yourself in a large room with broken furniture. Standing in the centre of the room is the man you saw at the Valentis Bane inn, Syleron. He looks at you and smiles. How many places from Herring Wharf, The Dragon Tooth Inn, The market and Nicodemus’s hut have you visited? If you have visited one, turn to 14. If you have visited more than one, turn to 22.

45

The next stall you see has a card sharp offering a prize of 5 gold pieces to anyone who can find the ace in the pack. He charges 1 gold piece. Your magical training screams at you that he is a fraud. If you wish to pit your sorcerous instincts against his trickery, turn to 26. If you wish to continue, turn to 2.

46

You raise your hand and invoke the spell (lose 1 stamina point) just as the cat-man looses the bolt at you. It hangs in mid air for a second before falling to the ground. The cat man yowls in frustration and leaps towards you, bearing its claws and teeth. You must fight for your life!

GREEN CAT MAN SKILL 8 STAMINA 10


47

The first thing you experience as you walk towards the door is the smell. Rotting fish mixed with ale assaults your nostrils. As you walk through a cacophony of screaming, arguing and yelling assaults you. The small rickety inn is packed to the rafters with pirates, thieves and other ne’er do wells. You see two yobs having an arm wrestling competition at one table. One yob rips the arm off the other to the gleeful cheers of the onlookers. Flagons and plates fly across the room as you push your self towards the bar. A parrot flies into your face, squawking hysterically and you bat it away. Finally, you force your way to the bar where you see a sullen man cleaning a flagon. He is smartly dressed in a green tunic and has short dark hair. He has a look a melancholy and thoughtfulness in stark contrast to the violent, mindless glee of the scurvy patrons. You walk up to the bar and call out to him. The man takes one look at you, drops the flagon in panic and runs through the back door before you can even say a word. You hastily turn to follow him and knock over a flagon of watery bilge that passes for ale in this place. It splashes all over a thug standing next to you. He glares at you ‘You spilt me drink, you turd!’ He yells and punches you in the face, sending you flying. Lose 1 stamina point. ‘Come on then!’ Yells the thug. The sounds of revelry has subsided as the scum stare at the impromptu entertainment. How will you deal with this thug? If you wish to cast the fear spell, turn to 15. If you wish to cast the illusion spell, turn to 30. Otherwise, you will have to fight him. Turn to 37.

48

You feel around, hoping to find a clue to Syleron’s location. Your hands close around what feels like a book. As you touch it, you feel a sharp pain in your hand (lose 1 stamina point). You shake your hand and hear a startled squeak. You have been bitten by a rat! Disgusted, you leave the barge and read the journal. It appears that Syleron owns a large house in Clock Street. You may go to Clock Street now to find Syleron (turn to 44), report to Nicodemus (turn to 19) or see if the market has anything useful (turn to 29).

49

A lance of fire flies from your hands (lose 1 stamina point) and strikes the thug in the chest, sending him flying backwards. The patrons in the inn are stunned to silence and then there is a cry of ‘Sorcery!’ before the entire inn erupts into a huge riot. Some are trying to flee you while others are just attacking the person nearest to you. Fists, feet and furniture flying everywhere. You need to get out of here quick! Will you try to fight your way out of the front door (turn to 25)? Or try to escape through the back door (turn to 3)?

50 You read the parchment. It is a letter from Nicodemus! It reads: My dear apprentice, I hope one day you will forgive me for my deception, but I had to make sure you were ready. You see, the hero’s journey involves many tribulations and sacrifices. If you are reading this however, you are worthy to begin yours. The aim of this mission was not to start Syleron on his hero’s journey but for you to begin yours. Syleron is a good friend of mine and agreed to be part of my little ruse. He is on his own journey; one that does not involve the dagger you hold. It is a powerful weapon, forged by the elves, against demons who seek to destroy this world. Since the moment I met you, I knew that you were the person who would wield this dagger against the Night Demon Shakor. Yes! One day, you will save Allansia against a Demon Prince. That is a long time coming though. However, even the longest journey starts with a small first step and you have made yours tonight. Now I have some bad news. You cannot return to my hut. In fact, you must leave Port Blacksand tonight and head towards the Moonstone Hills by foot. This is how your journey must go. Do not fear that you know very little magic. Ultimately, what will make you a hero will be your actions. And those on a hero’s journey are always given the means to complete it. Syleron will escort you to the gate and deal with the unsavoury sorts that guard it. We will meet again, but not any time soon. Good luck! Nicodemus You look up from the letter. Syleron is smiling. ‘Well done!’ He says. ‘You have a great burden to bear, but I am sure you will be up to the task. I can offer a little assistance to get you started.’ He disappears into the back room for a few seconds and comes back, holding a change of clothes and a large leather backpack filled with dried meat, vittles and a waterskin. He also gives you a pouch full of gold pieces and several jars of healing salve. ‘These will aid you in your trek.’ He says. ‘Now let us get you out of this hell-hole.’ Syleron escorts you to the Main Gate and, after a heated discussion with the black clad guard, tells you that you are free to go. You leave it in high spirits, ready to face the trials that will make you the hero who saves Allansia.

Notes The title is a play on words based on the fact that it was a Fighting Fantasy Christmas Competition entry (presence and presents? Get it?) The spells were a way of getting more options into the book. The stamina loss kind of added more tension with the choice because if your stamina is low, would you cast a spell or try to conserve stamina? However, I realize that you need to be careful with books where you choose skills or spells to start with as there is a danger of making the choice of skills or spells the only choice in the book and the rest of your path depends on your choice. Ideally, there should be several successful paths to such a book, based on different skill or spell choices. I don’t think that the path depends on your spell choices. I like to think that the spells only make situations a bit easier rather than open up new ones so that in the end it is down to your decisions during the game rather than the single decision you make at the beginning. I wrote this book before I decided to write the 25 paragraph books and before I did I was less ‘efficient’ with paragraphs. Every small decision needed you to turn to another paragraph. I feel that my 400 paragraph adventure was not very full of different encounters as some are. If I looked through this book now, I would probably find several superfluous paragraphs which I could tack on the end of another paragraph and then include more places to explore. I imagine that there is a balance between having a paragraph for each small decision and having a paragraph where you have to make lots of decisions and adjustments to your adventure sheet where each paragraph becomes an exercise in accounting. I have not gone to the too many decisions extreme yet, but I would like to because then I would know how far I can go. Maybe the survivor book is an example?

Tomb of the Ancients

Introduction

You are a young noble from Salamonis forced into a life a travel and adventure. You might be able to find a powerful relic of your ancestors, but you will have to overcome many tribulations in order to do so. First you must determine your strengths and weakenesses.


Roll one die and divide the result by 2, rounding fractions up. Add 4 to this number and enter this to the skill box in your adventure sheet. Roll one die. Add 6 to this number and enter this to the stamina box in your adventure sheet. Roll one die. Add 4 to this number and enter this to the luck box in your adventure sheet.

Equipment

You will start this adventure with a bare minimum of equipment, but you may acquire other items on your travels. You have a bag of gold pieces and a map of the Flatlands, but you are going to buy the correct equipment to adventure in Allansia. You have no weapon, so it is important to find one. If you ever fight an opponent unarmed, you must deduct 2 from your attack strength. At the beginning of your adventure, you have no provisions, so you should find some quickly. Your backpack can hold a maximum of four meals. Eating provisions does not restore stamina, but it will prevent stamina being lost at certain points.

BACKGROUND

Your mother is sobbing. Again. Today is the day you have decided to leave home. The last five years of your life have been terrible. You were once part of a well respected noble house of Salamonis, the house of Holas. Your abode in the city used to be a warm welcoming place, bustling with servants and guests. That was before your father decided to seek the tomb of your ancestors. Now it is cold and empty. Your father rarely appears from the cellar and when he does, he just shouts at you and your mother. It is rumoured that every Royal house of Salamonis has a silver medallion going back to the days of the city’s founding. These medallions hold the spirits of the royal families so the living head of the family can draw upon the wisdom of the ancestors. Five years ago, your father, the great and noble Sir Galros Holas decided to find your family’s medallion. Your father was a hero to the city. He was a great and generous leader and had earned many medals in battle. You used to go hunting and jousting with him. So when he went on this expedition, many soldiers volunteered to join him. He took half a dozen men with him and a court sorcerer, known as Zaphos. Zaphos had used scrying on the area around Salamonis and in one of his visions, he discovered the location of the tomb. With much cheering and optimism, the party went to find the house of your ancestors. Two weeks past and your father did not return. Your mother started to worry. After a month, a sense of despair had fallen upon the house. Your mother had given up hope. But then one day, he returned. Your father, cut and bruised, staggered through the gates of Salamonis. He was barely alive. His expedition had been attacked by a tribe of orcs. He had slain many orcs, but many more came. The rest of his companions were killed. After this, your father told you never to speak of the medallion again. But this was not the end of it. The old hero of Salamonis started to become withdrawn. He never went hunting or jousting and just spent all his time in the cellar. He became cold towards your mother and barely spoke to you. He started striking servants and screaming at them for the tiniest mistakes. After time, no one was left to care for your house. Your mother had to slave all day to cook the meals and clean the place. You were learning soldiery at the Salamonis academy. Your father didn’t care. He only commented on how worthless you were. So after five years, you tell your parents that you are leaving to be an adventurer and have a better life. Your mother is distraught, but your father barely bats an eyelid. ‘Good riddance!’ is all he can say while reading a huge tome. You then tell him that you are going to seek the medallion of his ancestors. At the mention of it, he becomes livid ‘Listen you worm! If you go looking for that, you’d better never come back, because I swear I will kill you!’ You feel terrible at these words, but you are determined to restore things as they used to be. You grab a bag of gold pieces you have been saving and a map of the Flatlands and leave the house hoping to make the world better.

1 You feel angry and rejected, but you are still determined to show your true worth. You stride down to the city centre to equip yourself for your journey. The first shop you enter is the weaponsmiths where you buy and fine sword. You then buy a suit of leather armour from the tanner. From several other shops you buy warm clothing, a cloak, a backpack, a waterskin and some strong leather walking boots. The crypt of your ancestors is underground, so you also buy a lantern to light your way. You are now ready for adventuring and still have a little money left for other supplies. Add the sword, leather armour, lantern, backpack and waterskin to your equipment list. Make a note that you have 10 gold pieces left. You spend hours poring over other goods that you think could come in useful on your journey. Eventually, you narrow your choices down to the following items. You may only buy one of each item, except for provisions. You may buy a maximum of 4 provisions.

Provisions 1gp per meal Healing herbs 5gp Skin of lantern oil 1gp Rope 5gp

You may use the healing herbs at any time except for a paragraph where there is a combat. They will restore 4 stamina points. Once you have finished in the shops, you head towards the city gate. You finally get there. Taking one look back at your beloved city, you steel yourself and set out to the Flatlands. Turn to 25.

2

The sun beats down upon you as you trek across the plains. Eventually, it is covered up by dark grey clouds. By the time you espy the stone circle, a light drizzle is falling and a breeze is blowing. You can see the holy sight about a mile away now. The stones seem unremarkable. There are seven large rocks arranged into a circle. However, far more disturbing is a black cloaked figure standing in the centre of the circle. When you get to the circle, you see that this figure is covered head to toe in black robes. The face is covered by a large hood. As you approach the figure, it does not speak or move. What will you do? If you greet the figure, turn to 15. If you draw your sword and attack the figure, turn to 36.

3

A huge pile of bones stands before you. It is as tall as you are. All of the bones have been picked clean. You feel a chill run up your spine. Then the pile starts to move. A skull pops its head out from the side of the pile and turns to look at you with glowing red eyes. Two skeletal arms start to stick out from the pile and grab some grass to pull out the rest of the skeleton. Eventually, a fully formed human skeleton is standing before

you, piercing your soul with its red eyes and mocking you with its fleshless grin. If you attack it, turn to 26. If you flee, turn to 48. If you wait for the skeleton to do something, turn to 19.

4

With unnatural speed, the witch grabs your wrist and holds it over a bowl. Slowly, she draws the blade across your wrist. As you watch your blood drip into the bowl, you feel a sense of weakness as the grasp of the witch seems to get stronger. She starts to smile. You are almost unconscious when she lets your arm go. ‘Thankyou, my friend.’ She purrs. You feel cold and drained. Lose 2 stamina points and 1 luck point. However, the witch is true to her word. ‘The place you seek is north east of here.’ When you are given the option of choosing a location to explore, you may turn to paragraph 23 to explore the crypt of your ancestors. If you leave, turn to 48. If you ask the witch why she wants the blood, turn to 16.

5

You spend half an hour going deeper into the cave. You are beginning to think that there is nothing here that will help you in your quest, but then you turn a corner and come to a magnificent sight. You are in a small cavern where all the walls are covered in paintings. There are depictions of wars, priests, festivals and rulers. After a few more minutes of studying the paintings, you find a script, written in ancient Allansian. Through your studies as a noble, you are able to decipher it. The script talks of a crypt for all the noble sons of Salamonis only a few miles from your current location. Above the script is a map which you memorise. When you are given the option of choosing a location to explore, you may turn to paragraph 23 to explore the crypt of your ancestors. There is a small exit to this cavern, leading deeper into the cave. If you go deeper into the cave, turn to 49. If you leave the cave, turn to 33.

6

You begin your tale. At first you find it hard to talk to this still, silent creature but whenever you fall silent, it starts to nod. Taking this silent encouragement you tell it everything about your father’s journey, about your banishment and about how you wish to return glory to your house. When you have finished, the figure talks in a low rasping voice. ‘You are of true blood. The place you seek is north west of here. You may find what you are looking for there, but you must be prepared to make an offering.’ When you are given the option of choosing a location to explore, you may turn to paragraph 23 to explore the crypt of your ancestors. The figure extends a hand. If you place some gold in his hand, deduct the number of gold pieces you wish to offer from your adventure sheet and turn to 21. If not, the cloak collapses, leaving nothing else behind. You ponder the nature of your mysterious encounter as you head northwest as the spirit told you. Sukh is starting up his chorus of gales. You make camp for the night. Turn to 33.

7

Deduct 1 gold piece from your adventure sheet. The innkeeper continues the conversation. ‘Yer I remember that party. The leader was tall and regal like. Not like the types we usually get round these parts. There was another one too. Gave me the shivers. ‘e was dressed in a black robe and had an intense stare, like. Glad I saw the back o’ that one. Kept on talking about a blood offering. Apparently ye ‘ave to prove ye are a noble by offering your blood. ‘e put my other customers off their dinner that night.’ This is also important information. If ever you are asked to make an offering at an altar, you may offer some of your blood by subtracting 15 from the paragraph you are on and turning to that new paragraph. You thank the innkeeper for the information. Turn to 18.

8

As you light the lantern, you find yourself looking at a blank expressionless face. Flies crawl out of the eye sockets. The undead figure reaches for you slowly. You step back and draw your sword to fight the ZOMBIE.

ZOMBIE SKILL 6 STAMINA 6

If you win, turn to 43 9

After a couple of hours of walking, you come to the Flying horse, large inn on the edge of the trade route. You enter the bar. It is empty save the rotund, jolly innkeeper. ‘Afternoon, squire!’ he shouts. ‘Ye be needin’ a room? Or a good drink?’ If you have 1gp, you can buy some ale for the innkeeper and ask him about the area. Turn to 40. If you have no money, the innkeeper is not interested. You leave to 48.

10

You tie the rope around the headstone and slowly climb down into the crypt. You are now surrounded by darkness. If you have a lantern, turn to 8. If not, turn to 27.

11

You awake with the dawn and decide what you will do today. Will you explore the cave (turn to 30?), head towards the stone circle (turn to 2?) or hunt for more food (turn to 17)

12

As the sword slashes your arm, blood flies across the cavern. Some drops hit the altar. As they do, a strange glow appears in the wall by one of the stone slabs. A secret door grinds open. Return to 34 to fight the skeleton, but if you win, turn to 42 rather than 45.

13

You walk for an hour until you come across a rotting, stinking shack which must be the witches hut. The ground around it is like ash. Not a single living plant grows within the vicinity of the hut. As you approach the door, it flies open. You see the witch. She is a beautiful woman in her early twenties. She wears a black silk dress. Her black hair goes down to her waist. She look at you with her piercing red eyes. ‘Come in.’ She says in an alluring voice. The inside of the witch’s hut is packed with various magical arcane – skulls, jars containing organs, Y shaped sticks, gems. A large table is in the centre of the room where the witch motions you to sit at. ‘I know why you’re here. I know what you seek. I can tell what you need to know and more. But I demand a price in blood.’ She picks up a jeweled dagger. ‘Do you agree?’ If you agree to this, turn to 4. If not, you flee from the hut and put as many miles between you and the witch as you can. Turn to 48.

14

Before you stands your father! He is not corporeal though, but a spirit. ‘Greetings, my flesh and blood. You are truly one of our house to have found the amulet of our ancestors. I must tell you the truth. The day I sought the amulet was the day I died. We left an inn on the trade route and arrived here. I offered my blood and watched the door open, but before I could grasp the amulet, Zaphos, my trusted advisor, stabbed me in the back. He tried to take the treasures for himself, but our ancestors stopped him. He slew my guards and, using my blood, cast an illusion spell upon himself so that he would always take my form. He returned to the house pretending that all had been slain but me. He has been using his wealth and power to advance his art and in doing so, he hs almost bought ruin on our house. Take the amulet, return to Salamonis and slay him.’ Your blood boils at the decade of deception that Zaphos has inflicted upon you and you storm out of the cavern wearing the amulet and intent on revenge. Turn to 47.

15

‘Greetings, friend!’ you say in the jolliest voice you can muster for this creepy humanoid. The cloaked figure does not respond or move a muscle. You start to feel cold. If you attack the figure, turn to 36. If you tell it your story, turn to 6.

16

‘Aren’t you curious.’ Smiles the witch. It makes you shiver. ‘I will tell you my secret if you offer me just a little more blood.’ If you can stand to put yourself through the ritual again, turn to 29. If you wish to flee this place, turn to 48.

17

You spend your day making traps for animals and foraging for fruits and other plants which may aid you. Roll one die and divide the result by 2, rounding fractions up. This

is how many meals of provisions you find. Remember, you may only carry a maximum of 4 meals. Roll 1 die a second time. If you roll a 6, you find some healing herbs. You may use these herbs at any time except on paragraphs where there is a combat. When you do, restore 4 stamina points. Glatanka is getting low in the sky as Sukh, the god of winds is starting a chorus of gales so you decide to make camp for the night. Turn to 33.

18

The door flies open. Standing there is a soldier of Salamonis, wearing the coat of arms of your family. He looks at you with complete surprise and then draws his sword. ‘Meet your end, outcast!’ he screams. You barely have time to defend yourself.

SOLDIER SKILL 7 STAMINA 5


19

The skeleton’s mouth opens and it speaks ‘You are afoolish young noble to have come to seek the resting place of my kind! We do not give up our secrets easily, but my mistress Yarasha will tell you of the crypt of Salamonis! Her abode is west of here. Heed my words to find what you seek!’ The skeleton collapses. You are unnerved from what you have heard. Is this witch who dabbles with the magic of the dead to be trusted? If you wish to seek her out, turn to 13. If you make camp for the night, turn to 48.

20

Climbing up the rope, you easily exit the crypt. Determined, you begin your journey back to Salamonis. Turn to 41.

21

You place your offering in the creature’s palm. Deduct the gold pieces you have given away from your adventure sheet. ‘Thankyou.’ Rasps the figure. ‘But the offering you must make is one of blood. For only those who can prove their noble blood can be blessed in the crypt of the anscestors’ If ever you are asked to make an offering at an altar, you may offer some of your blood by subtracting 15 from the paragraph you are on and turning to that new paragraph. The cloak collapses, leaving nothing else behind. You ponder the nature of your mysterious encounter as you head northwest as the spirit told you. Sukh is starting up his chorus of gales. You make camp for the night. Turn to 33.

22

You land on a hard stone floor. Lose 1 stamina point. You are surrounded by darkness. If you have a lantern, turn to 8. If not, turn to 27.

23 In high spirits, you walk in the direction of your ancestors’ tomb. The sky is blue and the sun is high in the sky as you continue your journey. Eventually, you come to a simple headstone, showing the entrance to the crypt of the nobles of Salamonis. You start to scour the area, looking for the entrance. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 31. If you are unlucky, turn to 38

24

Eventually, you return to your home city. You stride through the streets until you reach your large noble house. You bang on the door. Your mother opens it. Tears fill her eyes as she sees you. She embraces you and welcomes you in. Then you hear the harsh voice of your father. ‘Is that my worthless son? Give me a sword so I will strike him down!’ He comes to the door, his face contorted with rage, but when he sees the amulet around your neck, the look on his face changes to fear. There is a flash of light and the spirit of your father appears. He touches Zaphos and the illusion vanishes. Your mother, seeing the court magician launches at him in anger, but he shoves her aside. She falls, banging her head and does not get up. ‘I am not finished yet, you impudent whelp!’ screams Zaphos. He grabs a staff and spits some arcane words. The staff starts to glow. He then points it towards you…turn to 35.

25

You trek along the Flatlands for many hours, enjoying the sunshine, the birdsong and the splendid panorama. It feels as if you are free for the first time. You start to feel fatigue when Glatanka is low in the sky and decide to stop and set up camp. You must eat a meal or lose 2 stamina points. As you watch the sunset, you look at the old map that Henrich gave you and begin to make plans. There appears to be two locations of interest to you. One is a cave a few miles west of where you are. Another is a small stone circle, east of your location. You think about the monsters and treasures that these places may hold as you drift off to sleep. Turn to 11.

26

You draw your sword and strike the skeleton before it can act. In response, it screams and attacks you by striking you with its bony fists. Since you are using an edged weapon against the skeleton, whenever you win an attack round, the damage you deal the skeleton is reduced by 1.

SKELETON SKILL 6 STAMINA 4

If you win, you flee this place. Turn to 48.

27

You cannot go further without a source of light. You turn to pull yourself out of the hole. As you climb upwards, a strong, cold hand grabs your ankle. You struggle against your unseen assailant, but it drags you into the darkness and pounds your head until you struggle no more. Your adventure ends here.

28

You prick your finger on the tip of your sword and let the drop of blood fall upon the altar. As it does, a glow appears in the wall and a secret door grinds open. Turn to 42.

29

Once again the witch grasps your wrist and draws the blade across it. She does not take as much blood this time, but you feel a bit weaker. Lose 1 stamina point. Once again, she smiles. ‘Blood is life.’ She begins. ‘It is the vessel for the nature of its owner. For example, your blood is noble and so very valuable to me. It will be valuable to you too, if you get to the crypt of your ancestors for it is said that only those of noble blood may enter. They must prove this by making an offering of their blood.’ This is valuable information. If ever you are asked to make an offering at an altar, you may offer some of your blood by subtracting 15 from the paragraph you are on and turning to that new paragraph. You flee the unnerving house. Turn to 48.

30

A light drizzle falls and a gentle wind blows as you walk across the plains. The sky is grey and brings a sense of gloom to the day. It is past noon when you arrive at the small mouth of a cave, cut into a small hillock. The mouth of the cave is dark, so you light your lantern and enter. The walls of the cave are damp and covered in a green slime. You hear tinkle of hundreds of drops of water dripping from the stalactites in the ceiling. As you go down the cave, there is less green slime at the walls, making it easier for you to notice the patterns in the rock. Your reverie is disturbed by a high pitched squeak from above, followed by another squeak. Soon there is a cacophony of high pitched squeaks coming from above. Looking up, you notice a flock of BATS on the ceiling. With furious flapping of their leathery wings, some bats are starting to fly towards the exit of the cave. Some bats fly into you and get tangled in your cloak. If you draw your sword and attack the bats, turn to 44. If you run on down the cave, turn to 5.

31

As you kneel down besides the stone, you put your hand on the ground. However, it goes through the grass. Pulling the grass up, you see a simple hole going underground. If you have a rope, you can tie it around the headstone and lower yourself into the hole (turn to 10.) If you do not, you will have to jump. Turn to 22.

32

You try to haul yourself up out of the crypt. Test your skill. If you are successful, you climb out of the hole. Turn to 41. If you fail, you fall and hit the stone floor. Lose 1 stamina point and repeat the process.

33

The wind has picked up now and howls across the plains. You spend an uncomfortable night, wrapped in your cloak, getting whatever sleep you can get. By sunrise, the weather has calmed down and the sight of blue sky with only small wispy clouds floating above you fills you with renewed hope. Before you begin your journeys again, you realize that you are famished. You must eat a meal or lose 2 stamina points. You look at your map for a new location to explore. You notice that you are near a trade route and on that route is an inn. If you head towards the inn to look for rumours, turn to 9. If you spend the day hunting, turn to 39.

34

Cross the chosen item off your equipment list. Nothing happens. You turn away and then notice that one of the skeletons is rising up off the stone slab. It holds an ancient sword and strides towards you. Whenever you win a combat round, reduce the damage dealt by 1. If you are unarmed, reduce your attack strength by 2. The first time you are wounded, test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 12. If you are unlucky, fight to the death.

ANCIENT SKELETON SKILL 6 STAMINA 5


35

…But nothing happens. Your father’s spirit touches the staff and dispels the sorcerer’s magic. Screaming in rage, he charges towards you. You meet him with your sword.

ZAPHOS SKILL 5 STAMINA 8


36

The figure does not move an inch as you draw your sword. As you plunge your weapon into the robed creature’s chest, the robe collapses, leaving nothing else behind. There is no body. Not a drop of blood. You feel a chill going up your spine. Lose 1 luck point. Wanting to put as much distance between you and the stone circle, you stride away from the place until sunset. Turn to 33.

37

Before the body of the evil wizard has hit the floor, you run over to your mother. She wakes up feeling a little confused, but she is fine. Your father’s spirit looks on smiling before he vanishes. With the dark influence of Zaphos removed, you begin to restore your house to its former glory. You earn much respect as an officer of the army and earn a knighthood for your service. Money starts to flow into your house and you hire a new set of servants. In time, you will have a child of your own to continue to bloodline. You can hold your head up high as a great and wise noble of Salamonis.

38

As you walk towards the stone, your foot hits thin air and you fall into a dark hole. You barely have time to think before you hit the hard stone floor. Lose 2 stamina points. Dazed and bruised, you pick yourself up to find yourself surrounded by darkness. If you have a lantern, turn to 8. If not, turn to 27.

39 You spend your day making traps for animals and foraging for fruits and other plants which may aid you. Roll one die and divide the result by 2, rounding fractions up. This is how many meals of provisions you find. Remember, you may only carry a maximum of 4 meals. Roll 1 die a second time. If you roll a 6, you find some healing herbs. You may use these herbs at any time except on paragraphs where there is a combat. When you do, restore 4 stamina points. Dusk is approaching across the plains so you are looking for a sheltered place to sleep. However, what you find makes your blood run cold. Turn to 3.

40

Deduct 1 gold piece from your adventure sheet. The innkeeper pours a pint of frothing ale. ‘So what’s yer business then?’ he asks. You tell him that you are an adventurer and you are searching for a crypt of the nobles of Salamonis. ‘Oh yea. I be an adventurer once. Almost died at an orc’s hand and went into retirement. I remember another one who looked for that crypt what ye be talking about. Came ‘ere 10 years ago.’ Your heart leaps as you realize that the innkeeper is talking about your father. ‘Yea, they said they were going north. The entrance is by a ‘eadstone.’ You thank the innkeeper for this information. When you are given the option of choosing a location to explore, you may turn to paragraph 23 to explore the crypt of your ancestors. If you have another gold piece, you may buy some more ale and continue the conversation. If you do that, turn to 7. If you leave, turn to 18.

41

You push yourself harder and harder, determined to get back to Salamonis and wreak revenge on the treacherous mage. You even push yourself through the night, your body yearning for rest and food. You must eat a meal or lose 2 stamina points. Turn to 24.

42

You enter the chamber of your ancestors. Ancient weapons and shields adorn the walls. A chest, brimming with gold and jewels lies open in the centre of the room. Books line a stone shelf. But the object that catches your eye is a simple silver medallion. On it is the symbol of your house. When you reach forward to touch it, you feel overwhelmed with energy and see a flash of light. Restore your stamina and luck to its initial level. Turn to 14.

43

You step over the undead creature and start your journey down the cold tunnel. After walking for half an hour through the winding tunnels, deeper into the earth, you finally walk into a huge cavern. Stone slabs are around the outside of the cavern. On each one rests a skeleton, holding a sword. In the centre of the cavern is a rectangular stone block. On top of it is a gold statue of King Salamon I, the founder of Salamonis. You have entered the hall of your ancestors, but you do not know where the treasures of your ancestors are. Your attention turns to the altar. On it is the inscription ‘Make a sacrifice you prove your worth.’ Choose an item that you wish to place on the altar and turn to 34.

44

You swing your sword at a bat and chop it in half as it flies towards you. The entire flock starts to panic and with a deafening high pitched battle cry, they fly towards you, each bat bearing its fangs. Fight the flock as one creature. When you have reduced its stamina to 0, you have not killed all the bats, but the surviving bats fly away.

FLOCK OF BATS SKILL 5 STAMINA 5 If you win, you continue down the tunnel. Turn to 5.

45

The other skeletons are also rising up off their slabs. You sprint to the exit. You beat the undead kings to the hole and climb out into the daylight. The skeletons do not pursue you to the surface. You contemplate your failure before you turn away completely from your old life as a noble of Salamonis. You begin the journey to Silverton to get a job guarding a caravan. Your life as an adventurer has begun.

46

‘What ye be doin, bringing trouble ‘ere?’ yells the innkeeper. ‘Get outta my inn!’ you run before any other soldiers appear. It seems that your father has put a price on your head. You try not to think about how your family has turned its back on you and instead trek through the flatlands. Turn to 48.

47

You return to the entrance. If you lowered yourself down on a rope, turn to 20. If not, turn to 32.

48

You climb a tree and spend the night in the branches. Rain falls heavily that night, and by the time dawn comes, you are cold, wet, stiff and hungry. You must eat a meal or lose 2 stamina points. You think about your future. If you know of the location of the crypt, turn to the paragraph you need to. If you do not know the location of the crypt, turn to 50.

49

You spend another few minutes walking down a tunnel, covered in paintings. Eventually, you come to a dead end where the picture shows something which stops you dead. Your great grandfather’s face looks back at you. You know this since it is exactly the same as the portrait from home. He is in a huge cavern, kneeling in front of an altar, surrounded by smiling ghosts. In his right hand is a jeweled dagger. He is using it to cut his wrist. Blood is dripping from his wrist onto the altar. The inscription beneath the picture reads ‘The spirits of Salamonis will only grant the wishes of those of noble blood.’ This is an important clue for your quest. If ever you are asked to make an offering at an altar, you may offer some of your blood by subtracting 15 from the paragraph you are on and turning to that new paragraph. You start to make your way back to the exit. On your way back, your lantern starts to grow dimmer. Just as you leave the cave, it goes out. If you have some spare oil, you can refill your lantern. Otherwise it is now useless. If you have a skin of lantern oil, cross the oil from your equipment list. Otherwise, cross the lantern off your equipment list. Turn to 33.

50

You do not know where your ancestors are resting, but you do know that you cannot survive forever wandering the Flatlands. You decide to head to Silverton to get a job guarding a caravan. Maybe from there, you can adventure in Port Blacksand. You pick yourself up, turn your back on your old life and think about the potential of your new one. Notes I think of this book as unspectacular. It is quite episodic and you don’t know exactly how to win at the beginning. I suppose that is not necessarily a bad thing. Creature of Havoc and Black Vein Prophecy do that and they are two of my favorites, but they had mysteries to solve as well. In this book, you just wander around the countryside until you find some clue by mistake. There are probably redundant paragraphs in this book too. I need to practice making efficient 50 paragraph books.

The Triad of Skulls

Introduction

You are a famous bounty hunter who has just completed your most dangerous mission yet. To capture three deadly criminals known as the Trio of Skulls alive. You are travelling across the ocean, back to Allansia to collect your huge bounty, but you are about to realise that it’s not going to be plain sailing all the way…


Roll one die and divide the result by 2, rounding fractions up. Add 9 to this number and

enter this to the skill box in your adventure sheet. Roll two dice. Add 12 to this number and enter this to the stamina box in your adventure sheet. Roll one die. Add 6 to this number and enter this to the luck box in your adventure sheet.

Your skill score represents your prowess in combat. The higher your skill, the more formidable you will be in combat. Your stamina score represents your strength and your durability. The higher your stamina score, the longer you will be able to survive. Your luck score represents how lucky a person you are.

Testing your skill, stamina and luck

If you are ever called upon to test your stamina, roll one die 4 times. If the number rolled is less than or equal to your current stamina score, you have succeeded. If it is higher, then you have failed.

Two weapon combat

You are a mighty warrior and have seen many battles. Throughout your years of combat, you have learnt to use two weapons. Your adventure sheet has a box for wielding weapon you wield in your main hand and a weapon you wield in your off hand. If you ever find two weapons, you can wield both of them in combat so you can have the benefit of two attacks. If you fight multiple opponents, you can use each attack on separate opponents. However, if you do, you must reduce your attack strength by 1 when calculating your attack strength for both of these attacks.

Equipment

You will start this adventure with no equipment, but you may acquire other items on your travels. Since you have no backpack or any other means of storage, you may only carry a maximum of four items of equipment. The items you are carrying in your hands do not count towards these items.

Background

‘You have faced worse than this.’ You mutter to yourself as the wind howls around you and the rain pelts you in the face. A flash of lightning briefly lights up the frantic crew of the Barbaran desperately trying to keep the ship steady in the storm. It goes dark. Then thunder crashes right over your heads. ‘Damn the Gods!’ Shouds Captain Maktas over the storm. ‘Get that sail down! Helmsman, hard port!’ As you wrestle frantically with the mainsail, you briefly reflect on the misfortune that led you to get caught in the ocean in one of the worst storms you have seen. You crossed this ocean once, on the way to Khul but the seas were calm and you were leader of a band of bounty hunters, full of enthusiasm and ready for adventure. Three months later, you are trying to return to Port Blacksand, your companions all dead and nothing to show for it but three dangerous criminals. ‘Oi! Stop messing with that sail and check on the prisoners! The last thing I want is three maniacs running around during a storm!’ Barks the captain to you. You hastily drop the mainsail and head down below deck, relieved to be out of the storm. You think of your three prisoners, each of them mad, vicious, sadistic bastards. The Triad of Skulls as they were called caused havoc in Port Blacksand for months. The thieves’s guild at first tried to recruit them, but when their messenger’s head was found on the doorstep of the guild building, they decided to enlist the help of their close allies, the assassins’ guild. Even that didn’t work, with seven good assassins killed before they could carry out their deeds. So the Thieves’ guild had to find someone else. They ordered Lord Azzzur to put out a 5000 gold piece reward for each member of this gang. Eventually, with so many attacks and close calls, the Triad of Skulls decided to leave Blacksand and sail to Khul. However, they finally met their match. Although all of your companions died in the attempt to capture them, you finally have them in chains. As you enter the cell, they look at you. There is Pyrro, a mad dwarf with a fixation on firepowder. He blew open Port Blacksands prison and released all the prisoners. He also sank a merchant’s ship when the merchant refused to pay him 10,000 gold pieces. Then there is Uria, a necromancer. Her skin is pale and her eyes hard and cold. She raised the dead of Port Blacksand and had them attack any who roamed the streets at night. Finally there is Gunther, a huge barbarian who slaughtered dozens of solders and townsfolk to steal their money. They stare back at you with contempt. You turn to leave them, when an explosion rocks the ship. You hear the captain bellow for pitch to fill the leak when a heavy blow lands on your head. ‘Aye Gunther, those chains Were weak!’ laughts Pyrro. ‘Yes! While the crew is trying to stop their ship from sinking, we will escape!’ You hear Uria mutter some incantation and waver her arms and then your vision fades as you fall unconscious. You climb back into consciousness. The captain is slapping you. ‘Damn you! The ship’s doomed! We have to abandon it! Those criminals of yours have escaped on a giant sea serpent to Fire Island! We must go!’ You curse and stumble up the stairs to the deck. As you get on there, the ship lurches to the right and you are flung into the sea. You are hit hard by the cold water as land. You struggle to get to the surface. As you get there, you are flung this way and that by the waves. In the distance, you can see Fire Island, so you try feebly to get there. You start to panic and swim desperately for the shore. You don’t remember much after that. You remember the feel of the sand on the beach. You remember many painted faces and feeling many hands drag you along the ground. Then all goes black…

1

You are lying in a cage, dazed and bleeding. Lose 3 stamina points. Until you find a weapon, subtract 2 from your attack strength in combat. You try to break the wicker bars, but in your weakened state, you cannot manage it. As the light of the dawn shines into the clearing, you are able to examine your surroundings. The area you are in contains many primitive mud huts. Around the edge of the clearing stand sharpened sticks. Impaled on each stick is a human skull. However, you notice that there is one sharpened stick that does not have a head on it. Headhunters start to emerge from their huts dressed in their primitive clothing and covered in paint. Some of them start to pile up wood for a large fire. The children of the tribe start to dance around your cage and jeer at you. Eventually, the fire is lit and a headhunter approaches your cage with a vicious grin on his face. As his hand reaches for the door, the look of glee turns to one of pain and confusion. The headhunter keels over and you notice a dart sticking out from his neck. A cry of alarm goes up as darts and arrows fly out of the jungle. Headhunters grab their weapons as goblins emerge from the undergrowth, stabbing at the headhunters with daggers. Chaos erupts as a battle ensues for the village. Everyone has forgotten you, so you attempt your escape. The headhunter lying on the floor near your cage is holding a weapon that you can reach. You grab it with the plan of using it to break the bars of your cage. Roll 1 die. If you roll a 1-2, turn to 78. If you roll a 3-4, turn to 40. If you roll a 5-6, turn to 22.

2

The spear strikes Pyrro in the chest, sending him reeling back. Before he can throw a package of firepowder at you, you charge at him in order to end his life once and for all. Pyrro throws his firepowder at you. You cannot use the spear in this combat. If Pyrro wins an attack round, roll 1 die and subtract the result from your stamina.

PYRRO SKILL11 STAMINA 10 If you win, turn to 34

3

You put the powder on your face. Nothing happens, so you decide to leave it on and leave the cave. Write in your notes box that you are wearing red powder. Turn to 49.

4

The door opens easily and you walk down a corridor. Ignoring the empty cell in front of you, you turn right and enter a store room. Shelves line the walls, but they are all empty. In the centre of the room lies a pile of rusty weapons. If you wish to search through them, turn to 36. If you wish to carry on, turn to 56.

5

As your are running, something pierces your side and sends you tumbling. Lose 3 stamina points. You get up and pull out the spear, its point dripping with your blood. Turn to 15.

6

The charm of a necromancer is definitely not good luck for you! As you place the skull around your neck, you feel deathly cold. You start to hear moaning and weeping. The voices of the dead! You pull of the skull and crush it. Lose 2 luck points. If you drink the potion, turn to 62. If you search the area, turn to 32. If you leave the area and head for the fort, turn to 58.

7

As the razorjaws’ green bodies slide down the slope, you notice two small eggs near the pool that you immediately recognize. These are yokka eggs and are used as weapons by humans. This is because the yokka bird is basically a ball of flame. If you smash these eggs against an opponent, the yokka bird will fly for freedom and burn your opponent. Add 2 yokka eggs to your equipment list. At the beginning of a combat, you may throw a yokka egg at an opponent. If you do, roll one die and subtract the results from your opponent’s stamina. You climb back down to the path. Turn to 24.

8

As you step on the bridge, you set off a package of firepowder. You are badly burnt. Roll 1 die and subtract the result from your stamina. You press on. Turn to 50

. 9

As you stumble towards the appiration, you start to see what this person looks like. You are standing in front of an old man wearing a large feathered head dress and carrying a staff. He is floating above the surface of the swamp. You reach out to touch him, but your hand passes through him. ‘Heed my words!’ says the figure. ‘The villains you seek are alive on this island and seek to spread their terror here. I will help you defeat them. Find a seagull’s feather and tie it in your hair as a sign of peace.’ The figure starts to fade away, but as it does, you hear the words ‘Beware the hydra…’Turn to 75

10

You give the shaman your item (cross this item from your equipment list) and the shaman takes a seagull feather from his hair and offers it to you. You tie it into your hair. Add the seagull’s feather to your equipment list. The shaman is now willing to talk to you. Turn to 39.

11

The powder was actually created by a wizard to protect him from mental attacks such as these. Gain 1 luck point. Uria appears out of thin air. She has no weapon, but instead she chants and her hands become surrounded by a dark, life draining aura. You must fight her.

URIA SKILL 7 STAMINA 8 If you win, you are glad that another one of the fugitives is finally dead. Just one more to go! You make a mental note to collect the head later so you can get the 500 gold piece reward. In the mean time, you can search the body (turn to74), search the area (turn to 32) or leave (turn to 58)

12

The river carries you swiftly to the west. You us a stick to punt your way down the centre of the river and make sure you do not crash against any rocks. You see a man in ragged clothes jumping around on the north bank. If punt over to the north bank, turn to 20. If you decide to carry on up the river, turn to 28.

13

The shaman tells you to lift a nearby boulder. Test your stamina. If you are successful, you lift the boulder. Turn to 42. If you fail, you cannot lift the boulder. Turn to 31.

14

You head downstairs and come to a large room full of cages. All of them are open now. You notice a few dead animals in some of them. Then you hear a growl. A BLACK LION is less than ten metres away. It was eating what looks like a goblin, but now its eyes are fixed on you. If you have an ebony charm, turn to 69. If you do not, turn to 46.

15

You pick up the spear and decide to keep it as another weapon. Add the spear to your equipment list. However, before you can run on, the spear’s previous owner is upon you. It is a battle mad headhunter, covered in blue paint. He screams and charges at you with a stone club. You must fight.

HEADHUNTER SKILL 8 STAMINA 8 If you win, turn to 70.

16

After another hour of walking south, you find yourself on a precarious path. To your left, the mountain slopes upwards quite sharply. To your right, there is a sheer drop of several hundred metres. You tread on a lump of something. As you lift your foot to inspect it, you hear an explosion from above. Rocks cut you and hit you as they fall on top of you. Roll 1 die and subtract the result from your stamina. You then see Pyrro, the mad dwarf standing ten metres from you. ‘Ahh, matey!’ he growls. ‘Survived the storm too did ye? I’ll make ye wish ye ‘and’t!’ He is holding a package of fire powder which he prepares to light. If you have a spear and wish to throw it at him, turn to 2. If you wish to throw a yokka egg at him, turn to 44. If you charge at the mad dwarf turn to 54.

17

The lion senses that Gunther is your enemy and pounces on him! Gunther gives a roar of surprise and kicks the lion away, but not before the lion slashes his face with its paws. The Lion pounces again and sinks its teeth into Gunther’s side. Gunther, with a grunt of pain, brings his axe down on the lion’s neck, decapitating it, but this buys you time for your charge. You strike Gunther and send him reeling back. The barbarian stares at you, enraged. He Leaps towards you swinging his battle axe with full force. If you are wielding a firesword, turn to 63. If you are carrying a shield in your off hand, turn to 79. If you are unarmed, turn to 80. Otherwise, turn to 60.

18

It takes hours to push through the bushes. You get cut on thorns and trip over a tree root. By the time you reach the end of the jungle, you are exhausted. Lose 1 stamina point and reduce your attack strength by 1 in your next combat. Turn to 59.

19

The barbarian brings his axe down on your firesword with all his strength, but the enchanted blade holds. A deafening clang rings out and you are send reeling back. Lose 1 stamina point. However, Gunther fares worse as his axe breaks under the force of the blow! He curses and draws a shortsword from his belt. This is a fight to the finish.

GUNTHER SKILL 12 STAMINA 20 If you win, turn to 23.

20

As your raft touches the bank, the man turns to face you. He screams with a mixture of excitement and fear as he draws a knife and charges at you. If your opponent wins an attack round, you only lose 1 stamina point from the knife.

DELERIOUS PRISONER SKILL 6 STAMINA 5 If you win, turn to 73.

21

You raise your weapon to block the blow. The axe slices straight through it, breaking it! Cross the weapon in your main hand from your adventure sheet. If you have another weapon on your equipment list, you may replace it. With an evil grin, the barbarian approaches. Whenever you lose a combat round, lose 3 stamina points.


22

You grab the club that the head hunter was holding (add the club to your equipment list) and use it to smash through the wicker bars of your cage. You jump out and run for freedom, but you find your way blocked. Roll one die to find out who you will fight:

1-2 HOBGOBLIN SKILL 6 STAMINA 7 3-4 HEADHUNTER SKILL 7 STAMINA 6 5-6 OGRE SKILL 8 STAMINA 10


23

The barbarian finally falls to the ground, dead. Exhausted, you drop to the ground yourself, breathing heavily. You are tired, but elated. You have killed the three most dangerous criminals in Allansia and now you can collect the reward for their demise. You are brought to your feet by the sound of inhuman voices. You look out of the window to see at least twenty orcs, goblins and lizard men returning to the fort. You curse. How are you going to get out of this one? Then you notice the orc’s head on a pole. Of course! Gunther used that as a sign of his power. If you show them his head, they will see you as even more powerful than him. You have nothing to lose, so you try it. You march down to the courtyard with Gunthers head in your hand. As the band sees what you are carrying, they recoil in fear and awe. You are their new master. You order your new servants to build you a boat and to collect enough food for journey back to Allansia. With the boat full of food and the heads of Gunther and Uria in a large backpack, you set sail for Oyster Bay, happy that you have completed your quest.

24

Eventually, your path leads you to a strange sight. On the side of the path, you see a circle of polished stones. There are several items inside the circle. You can see an iron bar, a belt buckle and a pewter mug amongst other things. If you put an item in circle, turn to 43. If you take an item from the circle, turn to 71.

25

The images fly through your mind and leave you shaken and scared. Uria appears out of thin air. She does not carry a weapon, but she chants and her hands become surrounded by an aura of life draining energy. Subtract 4 from your attack strength for this combat.

URIA SKILL 7 STAMINA 8 If you win, you are glad that another one of the fugitives is finally dead. Just one more to go! You make a mental note to collect the head later so you can get the 5000 gold piece reward. In the mean time, you can search the body (turn to74), search the area (turn to 32) or leave (turn to 58)

26

As luck would have it after five minutes of searching, you see a pig less than 20 metres away from you. If you have a spear, you can throw it at the pig. If you do, test your skill. If you are successful, turn to 55. If not, turn to 65. If you do not have a spear, you try to sneak up on the pig, but it spots you and runs off. Turn to 65.

27

About a hundred metres away, you see a stone bridge over the river, several hundred metres below. If you decide to search the area, turn to 66. If you press on, turn to 8.

28

Eventually, you notice a well worn path on the north bank. Hoping to find civilization and food, you punt your raft to the shore and start toy walk along the path. After a few minutes of walking, you notice a dead seagull lying on the side of the path. If you wish, you may take a feather from the seagull. If you do, write in the notes box that you are wearing a seagull’s feather. Turn to 68.

29

The doors open easily. You turn left and head down a corridor. You come to an open door on your right. Inside the room, amongst the smashed up furniture, is a goblin corpse. If you wish to enter the room and search it, turn to 38. Otherwise, turn to 56.

30

You leap over the corpse of your opponent and make a break for the jungle. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 47. If you are unlucky, turn to 5.

31

You have failed the tests, but the shaman offers you fruit and meat. Gain 4 stamina points. You then continue your journey. Turn to 16.

32

You start to look through the bones that litter the area. Underneath what looks like the skeleton of a huge dinosaur, you see a glint. You pull a metal object from under the skeleton and find out that it is a shield. You may equip the shield in your off-hand in combat. If an opponent’s attack strength is higher than yours by 1 then you have blocked the blow with the shield, so count it as if you had rolled equal attack strengths. If you search Uria’s body, turn to 74. If you leave the area, turn to 58.

33

As you approach the cave, the smell of rotting meat and animal hits you. You hear a low growl. Two JACKALS run out of the cave, howling and barking. They lunge at you, eager to sink their teeth into your flesh. Fight them both at the same time.

FIRST JACKAL SKILL 7 STAMINA 5 SECOND JACKAL SKILL 7 STAMINA 5

If either of the jackals are still alive after 5 combat rounds, turn to 53. If you win before the 5 combat rounds are over, turn to 57.

34

You last blow causes Pyrro to drop to the ground, dead. Before you can move, the package of fire powder he lit explodes and ignites the other packages causing a massive blast that sends you flying. Lose 2 stamina points. Turn to 27.

35

After half an hour of marching around the swamp, you eventually come to a small grassy mound, covered in bones. You search through the grisly remains and eventually find a copper bracelet on the wrist of a human looking skeleton. You may take it. If you do, add the copper bracelet to your equipment list. Standing on the mound makes you more determined to find some more solid ground and so you set off north. Turn to 51.

36

You start to remove weapons from the pile to inspect them, but carefully as you do not want to cut yourself. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 48. If you are unlucky, turn to 77.

37

As you are searching for wood, you come face to face with a huge OGRE. It roars and raises its club. You must fight it.

OGRE SKILL 8 STAMINA 9 If you win, you return to collecting wood. Turn to 12.

38

You cautiously enter the room. You poke the goblin corpse, but it is definitely dead. You start to move some of the furniture to see if you can find anything. You pick up a table and see that underneath it is a two handed sword which you may take. You may wield the two handed sword in combat. It will require both hands, but it deals 3 points of damage in combat. You leave the room and head down the corridor. Turn to 56.

39

Before you can speak, the shaman tells you of your journey so far. He also tells you that the three fugitives are alive and taking refuge in the Lizard King’s old fort, south of here. ‘I will help you.’ Says the shaman ‘but you must show that your worth first.’ The shaman picks up two bones and tells you to hold one in each hand. As you do, an intense pain grips you. You feel like you are being torn apart, but you grit your teeth and bear the pain. Eventually, the shaman takes the bones from you. ‘Very good. I will give you one more test before I give you my help.’ Which test will you take: Skill? 61 Stamina? 13 Luck? 76

40

You grab the axe that the head hunter was holding (add the axe to your equipment list) and use it to smash through the wicker bars of your cage. You jump out and run for freedom, but you find your way blocked. Roll one die to find out who you will fight:



41 The shaman throws down his staff which transforms into a snake. Before you can get near the shaman, the snake bites your ankle. The snake’s deadly poison courses through your veins. Within seconds your heart stops. Your adventure ends here.

42

The shaman offers you an ebony figurine of a lion. He tells you that nature will guide you against the fugitives. He also tells you that the Lizard King used to use illusions to hide things of value and that not everything is as it seems. You enjoy a large meal of fruit and meat. Gain 4 stamina points and 1 luck point. Turn to 16.

43

Cross the item from your equipment list. As the item enters the circle, you see several stones light up. The lights form a line which you follow. After about an hour of walking, you come to a cave entrance where a man wearing a feathered head dress and a loincloth is standing. He carries a staff. If you have a seagull feather in your hair, turn to 39. If you are not wearing a feather in your hair, turn to 67.

44

The egg hits the dwarf and cracks open. The yokka bird flies around Pyrro, scorching him and setting his clothes alight. It then flies off in the direction of the volcano. Pyrro panics as the flames reach his packages of firepowder, but before he can extinguish them, they catch alight. A massive explosion sends you flying backwards. Lose 2 stamina points. When you pick yourself up, you realize that Pyrro has been scattered over Fire Island. You are a little disappointed – with his head in pieces you cannot prove his death and so you cannot collect the bounty for his head. However, you are glad to be rid of him. Turn to 27.

45

As you climb the hill, the smell of sulphur is almost unbearable. You feel the air getting hotter. Then as you reach the top of the slope, you stop as you come to the shore of a pool of stinking, bubbling mud. A bubble explodes and a glob of hot mud strikes you on the arm. It sears your skin. Lose 1 stamina point You look on in wonder at the glowing hot muddy pool. Deciding that there’s nothing to gain here, you turn around to leave. When you do, you find yourself staring at the eyeless head of two RAZORJAWs. One is a huge adult whereas the other one is a child. As one, the monsters open their mouths to show their many sharp teeth. You must fight them both at once as sulphur and boiling mud fall around you. At the beginning of each combat round, roll a die. On the roll of a 1-2, you have been hit by some boiling mud and must subtract 1 stamina point. The razorjaws are immune to the intense heat. Fight all the razorjaws at the same time.

ADULT RAZORJAW SKILL 10 STAMINA 12 YOUNG RAZORJAW SKILL 6 STAMINA 5


46

The lion looks at the mangled goblin corpse and then at you. It decides that by far, you will make the tastier meal and leaps to attack you.

BLACK LION SKILL 11 STAMINA 11 If you win, you leave this place and head upstairs. Turn to 72

47

A spear flies past your head as you run. Behind you, you hear a loud curse. If you stop to pick up the spear, turn to 15. If you run on, turn to 70.

48

You pick up a rusty knife with the intention of throwing it away, but as soon as you touch it, you see that you are holding a completely different weapon. You are holding a magnificent scimitar with a flaming blade. You can feel its power in your hands. This firesword must have had an illusion on it to make it look like a rusty knife. If you wield the firesword in combat, add 2 to your attack strength. Glad of your possession, you leave. Turn to 56.

49

The sun is high in the sky now. You come to a stream where you stop to rest. You notice that there are some edible berries on a nearby bush, so you feast on the fruit and drink some refreshing water. Gain 2 stamina points. As you climb up the hill, you

notice the faint whiff of sulphur in the air and notice that there is a path off to your right where the smell of sulphur is strongest. If you head this way, turn to 45. If you carry on through the hills, turn to 24.

50

Heading south, you come to the site of a battlefield. Skeletons of all kinds of races litter the ground. You see the remains of orcs, goblins, humans and lizard men. However, there is not a single item amongst them. The whole area has been looted. You come to the skeleton of what looks like a giant. Then you see that the huge skull only has a large socket in it. As you approach the skeleton, it seems to reassemble itself and then stands up on its own. You are facing a SKELETAL CYCLOPS. It charges at you. You must defend yourself. Any damage dealt to the skeletal Cyclops by a weapon other than a club is reduced by 1 point.

SKELETAL CYCLOPS SKILL 8 STAMINA 7 If you win, turn to 64.

51

To your relief the ground eventually becomes more solid underfoot and soon you are climbing a small wooded hill. The sun is starting to get lower in the sky. As it does, your stomach rumbles. If you search for food, turn to 26. If you do not, turn to 65.

52

He Leaps towards you swinging his battle axe with full force. If you are wielding a firesword, turn to 19. If you are carrying a shield in your off hand, turn to 81. If you are unarmed, turn to 80. Otherwise, turn to 21.

53 Your heart sinks as the howls of the jackals are answered by another howl. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a large jackal charging at you. The pack leader joins the fray.

FIRST JACKAL SKILL 7 STAMINA current SECOND JACKAL SKILL 7 STAMINA current

PACK LEADER SKILL 8 STAMINA 7 If you win, turn to 57.

54

You charge at Pyrro who fights you by throwing his packages of firepowder at you. If Pyrro wins a combat round, roll 1 die and subtract the result from your stamina.

PYRRO SKILL 11 STAMINA 13 If you win, turn to 34.

55

You build a fire and enjoy a lovely roast pig. The meat tastes better than any meat you have tasted. You wolf down the meal. Gain 3 stamina points. Eventually, you press on. Turn to 65.

56

At the end of this corridor, you come to two sets of stairs. If you go downstairs, turn to 14. If you go upstairs, turn to 72.

57

Now your assailants are dead, you search the gloomy cave. You find a human skeleton clutching a club. You may take the club. If you take the club, add it to your equipment list. You also find a small bowl at the back of the cave. This bowl contains some strange red powder. If you put this powder on your face, turn to 3. If you leave it alone and leave the cave, turn to 49.

58

It is late afternoon when you come to the Lizard King’s fort. Gunther must be here. The doors of the fort have been left wide open. You poke your head through them. Only two ogres remain in the courtyard and they are arguing over a gambling game they are playing. You also notice a large orc head on a spike has been erected. It was probably the leader of the tribe before Gunther killed him. You guess that the band that attacked the headhunter’s village was the majority of the army and that they haven’t returned yet. Safe in that knowledge, you decide that the best way to deal with the ogres is to just kill them as quickly as possible. You charge at them. The ogres grab their clubs and prepare for battle. As you meet them, a small arrow flies past your heads. Some goblins have come out of a set of double doors and are using arrows and slings to attack you. At the beginning of each attack round, roll one die. On the roll of a 1-2, you are hit by a stone or small arrow and must lose 1 stamina point. On the roll of a 3-4, the first ogre is hit by a missile and must lose 1 stamina point. On the roll of a 5-6, the second ogre is hit by a missile and must lose 1 stamina point. When one of the ogres has been killed, you will be hit by a missile on the roll of a 1-3 and the ogre will be hit on the roll of a 4-6.

FIRST OGRE SKILL 8 STAMINA 10 SECOND OGRE SKILL 9 STAMINA 9

If you win, the goblins freeze in terror as you approach them. You easily cut them down as they are puny and put up little resistance. You may take a shortsword from the goblins if you wish. Add the shortsword to your adventure sheet. The courtyard has two doors. You may take the left one (turn to 4.) Or the double doors straight on (turn to 29.)

59

Eventually, your slog through the undergrowth gradually turns into a slog through a marsh. As you get there, you trip over a root and fall into a pool of disgusting water. After an hour of walking through the mud and slapping mosqitoes off your face, you are brought to a halt by the sight of a figure hovering over the swamp. It seems to beckon you. If you approach the figure, turn to 9. If you do not, turn to 75.

60

You raise your weapon to block the blow. The axe slices straight through it, breaking it! Cross the weapon in your main hand from your adventure sheet. If you have another weapon on your equipment list, you may replace it. With an evil grin, the barbarian approaches. Whenever you lose a combat round, lose 3 stamina points.


61

The shaman places an orange on a rock and hands you a knife. He tells you to throw the knife at the orange and hit it. Test your skill. If you are successful, you hit the orange. Turn to 42. If you are unsuccessful, you miss. Turn to 31.

62

The liquid is a potion of healing. Restore your stamina to its initial level. If you put the skull charm around your neck, turn to 6. If you leave them both and search the area, turn to 32. If you leave the area and head for the fort, turn to 58.

63

The barbarian brings his axe down on your firesword with all his strength, but the enchanted blade holds. A deafening clang rings out and you are send reeling back. Lose 1 stamina point. However, Gunther fares worse as his axe breaks under the force of the blow! He curses and draws a shortsword from his belt. This is a fight to the finish.


64

Your last blow shatters one of the cyclops’ legs and it crashes to the ground. You know that Uria must be nearby as the necromancer must love this macabre collection of bodies. Before you can search the area, your mind is assailed by terrifying images. If your face has red powder on it, turn to 11. If not, turn to 25.

65

Night has come, so you climb a tree and try to sleep. You get a few hours of rest. Gain 1 stamina point. While you are awake, you hear howls and roars of animals, but thankfully, the night passes uneventfully. You climb down the tree as the sun rises. After walking for several hours, you come to a wide, fast moving river. There is no way to cross it, so you decide to collect wood to build a raft in order to continue down to river. Come to river. If you have an axe, you chop down a couple of small trees and quickly get the wood you need. Turn to 12. If you do not have an axe, Test your luck. If you are lucky, you manage to find enough wood to build your raft. Turn to 12. If you are unlucky, turn to 37.

66

Looking under the bridge, you see Pyrro’s final trap – a package of firepowder. You may take it with you and use it before a combat. Add the firepowder to your equipment list. If you throw it at an enemy before combat, roll one die and subtract it from that enemy’s stamina. Turn to 50.

67

The shaman angrily shakes his staff at you and demands that you leave. ‘Why do you not have a seagull’s feather?’ He shouts. If you give him an item to try to placate him, turn to 10. If you attack him, turn to 41. If you leave him, turn to 16.

68

You enjoy a pleasurable stroll through the gentle hills of the island. It is now noon and the sun beats down on your skin. You notice that there is a cave entrance. Enter cave 33. Not enter 49.

69

You feel a warm glow as the lion approaches you. It licks your hand and then looks up at you as if waiting for a command. Glad that you have this ally, you leave the cellar with the lion in tow and head upstairs. Turn to 72.

70

For an hour, you run through the undergrowth. It’s hard going, but you do not stop until the sounds of the battle have faded. You then start to slow down and force your way north through the jungle. You think about your plans. South is too dangerous, so you decide to head north until you find the coast. The undergrowth gets heavier and it gets harder to force your way through it. If you have a machete, you hack your way through the jungle. Turn to 59. If not, turn to 18.

71

As your hand reaches out to take the iron bar, a great pain shoots through it. Lose 1 stamina point. If instead, you put an item into the circle, turn to 43. If you leave the area and head south, turn to 16.

72

You climb the stairs to what used to be the Lizard King’s throne room. However, Gunther is here. He is wearing nothing but a loincloth. He is performing a kata with a huge battle axe. Sweat drips of his huge muscular body. He stops halfway through a swing and turns to face you. ‘Ha! Survived the shipwreck too? And the island? Lucky, aren’t we? Well, my friend, it looks like your luck has run out!’ If you have a black lion with you, turn to 17. If not, turn to 52.

73

You wonder at what this man was doing here and why he was mad. He has no possessions other than ragged clothes and the knife. You may take this weapon. If you do, add the knife to your equipment list. If you use the knife as one of two weapons in combat, you do not have to reduce your attack strength by 1 as it is a light weapon. However, the knife will only deal 1 point of damage on a successful hit. Turn to 28.

74

The pockets of Uria’s robes contain a small vial of green liquid. A small skull on a chain hangs around her neck. If you drink the liquid, turn to 62. If you put the skull charm around your neck, turn to 6. If you search the area, turn to 32. If you leave the area and head for the fort, turn to 58.

75

Before you can make another move, two giant serpentine heads emerge from the marsh. You watch as the heads of the HYDRA stare down at you ready to devour you. Before combat, you may throw a spear at one of the hydra’s heads. If you do, test your skill. If you are successful, you deal 3 damage to the hydra’s head. If you throw the spear, you cannot use it in combat, but you can retrieve it after combat. Fight the two heads together.

FIRST HYDRA HEAD SKILL 9 STAMINA 5 SECOND HYDRA HEAD SKILL 9 STAMINA 5

If you win, you can search for the hydra’s lair (turn to 35) or try to get out of this damp hell hole (turn to 51).

76

The shaman puts a small pebble under a cup. He then produces two more cups and starts to move them around on the ground. He then tells you to pick one. Test your luck. If you are lucky, you pick the cup with the pebble under it. Turn to 42. If you are unlucky, you pick the wrong cup. Turn to 31.

77

As you try to pull an axe out of the pile, a sword blade falls on you hand and cuts it. Lose 1 stamina point. Disgusted, you leave. Turn to 56.

78

You grab the machete that the head hunter was holding (add the machete to your equipment list) and use it to smash through the wicker bars of your cage. You jump out and run for freedom, but you find your way blocked. Roll one die to find out who you will fight:



79

The barbarian brings his axe down on your shield. A massive clang sounds through the room and the force of the blow sends you reeling back. Lose 1 stamina point. Gunther faces you with his giant axe. If Gunther wins an attack round, you lose 3 stamina points.

GUNTHER SKILL 12 STAMINA 10

If you win, turn to 23. 80

Gunther swings his axe with full force. With nothing to block it, it strikes you in the neck, slicing your head clean from your shoulders. Your adventure ends here.

81

The barbarian brings his axe down on your shield. A massive clang sounds through the room and the force of the blow sends you reeling back. Lose 1 stamina point. Gunther faces you with his giant axe. If Gunther wins an attack round, you lose 3 stamina points.

GUNTHER SKILL 12 STAMINA 20


Adventure Sheet

InItIal skIll = Current skill =

InItIal stamIna = Current stamina =

InItIal luck = Current luCk =

Equipment list 1. 2. 3. 4.

Notes

Weapons Main hand weapon Off hand weapOn

Notes: The idea for this book was based on a cross between the films Commando and Predator – A badass warrior hunts down bad guys one by one in a jungle. This book was probably the most educational for me because it was the first book I got feedback from strangers from. This was written for the 2008 Windhammer competition. I was completely in love with this, so much so that I did not check it properly, so the version I submitted allowed you to have a skill between 10 and 15. It was not surprising when some of the feedback included ‘Too easy.’ I was brought down to earth with a crash when I realized that this is not a good book. It is very linear (one of the things I hate about gamebooks), shallow (you just have to kill 3 people you should have killed in the first place. That’s the story) and not very descriptive. It was a combination of this and my 2009 entry, City of the Dead, which was not a Fighting Fantasy book but suffered the same problems which started me off trying to write lots of short books to improve my skills. To get philosophical for a bit, I have come to realize that all apparent setbacks and failures are just fuel to feed the desire to succeed. In the end, even suffering has its value.

Simonius’s challenge

Introduction

You are an adventurer who has bitten off more than you can chew and gotten yourself in a mage contest! Since you know nothing about casting spells, you head off to a cave rumoured to hold many magical items.



Equipment

You start this adventure with quite a lot of equipment as you have just come back from a successful mission. You are armed with a sword and have a dagger hidden in your boot in case you lose your main weapon. You are dressed in warm, hard wearing travelling clothes with a woolen cloak. For protection, you have leather armour and you carry a shield which you can use with skill in battle so that you can reduce each opponent’s attack strength by 1 in combat. You also have a backpack which contains a lantern, a tinderbox, a waterskin and 5 meals worth of provisions. You have 137 gold pieces remaining from your last mission’s reward.

Provisions

You may only rest and eat provisions when you are instructed to in the text. Eating a meal restores 4 stamina points.

Vials and potions

Potions can be drunk on any paragraph that does not contain a combat. If you drink a potion, remember to add a vial to your equipment list. You may find something else to fill it up with later.

Combat

Combat is as normal fighting fantasy books. Before the combat starts, you may perform only one special attack such as fire a bow at an opponent.

Background

‘Barkeep! Another round for my friends!’ You shout with gusto across the tavern. You are blind drunk. The innkeeper rolls his eyes and fills up another dozen tankards of ale. Your ‘friends’ are just the patronisers of the inn who just happen to have been ‘graced’ by your presence. At first they found you amusing, but now they are getting irritated by your rowdy behavior. You are only being tolerated because you are flush with money at the moment. One of the patronisers, Simonius, is talking about taking a test where he will get to the next level of sorcery. ‘Pah!’ you scoff ‘I am the greatest sorcerer in all of Allansia!’ The sorcerer humours you. ‘Oh really. Well how about a little contest then. Let’s see who can do the most spectacular illusion.’ He mumbles a few words and then performs a series of tricks. He produces a miniature rainbow across the table, makes the tankards dance to music from a ghostly source and finishes off by having doves fly out of his robes and then disappear in a shower of lights and colours. Your crowd gasp in awe and wonder. ‘That’s rubbish!’ You shout. ‘I’m gonna…I’m gonna blot out the sun!’ The whole tavern roars with laughter, but you ignore them as you walk outside. Chukling, your crowd follows you. You begin a tirade at the sun, high in the sky, telling it to go away. At first, everyone laughs, but then they stop. A black disk appears and starts to creep across the sun, slowly obscuring it. Everyone falls silent as a shadow falls across where you are standing. Even you are surprised the effect you have wrought. Within two minutes, the disk has completely coverered the sun, leaving only a bright corona surrounding it. The disk then moves on and lets the sun continue its business. ‘It’s just an eclipse!’ Says Simonius, but the ignorant peasants believe you to be an agent of the Gods and shout him down. They want a proper contest. ‘Very well. I will give you a week to prepare for our duel.’ Says the humbled mage, peeved at your magnificent stroke of luck. ‘Yeah, you better be ready.’ You shout, not caring that you are now facing a sorcerer in a magical duel. You don’t remember much else of that day. You wake up the next morning with a stinking hangover and walk downstairs. Baldus, the innkeeper chuckles upon seeing you. ‘Oh look, it’s the most powerful sorcerer in Allansia!’ The innkeeper tells you the story of your exploits from last night. ‘Listen.’ He says ‘I’ve got people betting on Simonius to beat this mage at his own game. He convinced everyone that you were a drunken idiot. You know about as much about magic as a rock, so go to a cave a day’s journey from here in the mountains which is rumoured to have many magical items. If you collect a few of them, you can pass yourself off as a wizard

and if you win, I’ll keep all the money that the villagers bet on Simonius. I’ll give you half if you win – fifty gold pieces. Not bad, huh?’ After you have recovered from your hangover, you get the directions to the cave and head to the market to prepare for your journey.

NOW TURN OVER

1

You browse the shops in Zengis. There are several places selling you equipment and hardware that adventurers sometimes find handy as well as shops run by alchemists and sorcerers who sell more exotic goods. These are the following things that you can buy. Unless stated, you may only buy one of each item. Shovel 5gp Healing herbs 3gp each (5 available) Pick 8gp Bow + 6 arrows 15gp Steel mirror 2gp Rope 5gp Bag of chalk 1gp Meals 1gp each (available) Mace 25gp Hammer + spikes 6gp Silver arrow 10gp Glass vial 1gp each (5 available) Silver dagger 25gp Breastplate 35gp Potion of Healing 40gp Lucky Charm 40gp Glowstone 35gp Potion of Strength 25gp Antipoison 15gp Ring of shielding 40gp Quarterstaff 3gp Vial of acid 15gp The healing herbs can be eaten instead of a meal. They will restore 6 stamina points instead of 4. Glass vials can be used to hold liquids you may come across. The breastplate may reduce damage done against you in combat. Whenever you are hit, roll a die. If you roll a 1-3, reduce the damage done against you by 1. The potion of healing, when drunk, will restore your stamina to its initial level. The lucky charm reduces all test for luck rolls by 1. The glowstone is a glowing white gem that casts the same light as a lantern. It does not need fuel and stays lit, which may be an advantage. The potion of strength, when drunk, will restore 4 stamina points and increase the damage you deal in your next combat by 1. The antipoison will cure all stamina loss from poison. The ring of shielding will negate the first hit you take in a combat. You can throw the vial of acid at one opponent before a combat. It will cause 1-6 stamina points of damage. If you have a bow and arrows, you may fire an arrow at an opponent before combat. If you test your skill successfully, you will cause 2 stamina points of damage. When you have finished your purchases, you start your journey. It is hard going through the mountains and you have to make many climbs over many hours of travel. Lose 6

stamina points. If you have a bag of chalk, you may use it to chalk your hands and make your climb easier. Cross the chalk off your adventure sheet and lose 4 stamina points instead. If you have hammer and spikes, you may use them to make your climb easier. Lose 2 stamina points instead. Eventually, you get to the cave and steel yourself before you enter. You may eat a meal here. Turn to 30.

2

You feel poison burning through your veins. If you have antipoison, you may drink it now and you will suffer no more ill effects. If you do not, you writhe in agony for several minutes before the pain dies down. Lose 1 skill point and 4 stamina points. You search the cavern. Turn to 17.

3

The smell gets stronger but nothing else untoward happens as you explore the cavern. Until, of course you see some smoke drifting up from a crack in the floor and then coalescing into the shape of a humanoid. If you have a staff of storms, you may summon up its power to create a strong gust of wind that will tear the smoke monster apart. If you don’t have it, you must fight it.

SMOKE MONSTER SKILL 8 STAMINA 12

If you win, you search the cavern to find a polished silver helmet and several silver bracelets, rings and necklaces. If you wish to wear the silver helmet, add it to your equipment list. Add 4 silver bracelets worth 25gp, 5 silver rings worth 15gp and 2 silver necklaces worth 30gp to your equipment list. Add the codeword monster to your adventure sheet. You leave and try to find a way out of this maze. Turn to 37.

4

You walk for what seems to be forever. Lose 1 stamina point. You may eat a meal. You then come to a cavern which is filled with sarcophagi. You are in a huge crypt. If you have the word open on your adventure sheet, turn to 46. Otherwise, if you wish to leave this place and go elsewhere, turn to 46. If you wish to explore the crypt, you walk amongst the sarcophagi and start to hear voices in your head. If you have an amulet of clear sight, turn to 32. If not, turn to 28.

5

Searching through the chunks if ice, you see a gold glint. You see that the ice demon’s head has a gold ring with a sapphire embedded in it lodged right in the middle of the block of ice where its brain would be. You smash it open to get the ring. You have seen a similar ring before from a jeweler in Port Blacksand. It is a ring of ice. When you rub

the sapphire, you can produce a blast of ice with it. Add the ring of ice to your adventure sheet. You do not want to tarry here in the freezing cold. There is an exit to the north. You take it. Turn to 20.

6

You hold the crystal and command the rock to shape itself into a path to the cave exit. A slope forms allowing you to walk downwards and then the stone forms a bridge over the river. You cross it and get to the other side. Turn to 26.

7

You walk along the corridor. As you do, you hear the banging of metal on metal. You walk on to find yourself in a cavern where a smithy seems to be set up. A doughty dwarf is hammering out a sword blade with a large hammer. A smithy’s paraphernalia surround him. There are shelves with many items of metal and armour on them. The dwarf greets you and explains that he is from a kingdom from deeper in the mountain but he works here as there is a lot of magical energy at this point. You ask him if he has any items for sale and he says yes, but only for the worthy. If you want to buy items from the dwarf, you must hammer out the sword at the anvil and endure the intense heat of the forge. If you do not wish to do this, you may head north. Turn to 23. If you wish to take the challenge, you take the hammer and start to hammer the blade. The heat is intense and the hammer is heavy. You start to get exhausted. Roll four dice. If the result is equal to or less than your stamina, turn to 36. If the result is higher, you get exhausted and pass out from the heat. Lose 2 stamina points. You wake up to see the dwarf with a disappointed look on his face. You head north. Turn to 23.

8

You dive into the water and try to swim, but the current is too strong and you are swept under water. You are bashed by rocks and against the bank for about half minute, but it seems like an age. You then reach the top and gasp for air before realizing that you are heading for a waterfall. You are flung over a cliff and fall into a shallow pool. You hit the rock bottom. It is agaony. You manage to swim to the bank and pull yourself to the shore. You stagger for a bit before collapsing, in agony. Lose 1 skill point and 6 stamina points. You check your backpack to find that anything fragile has broken and that all your food is ruined. Cross all potions, vials and provisions from your adventure sheet. Your lantern, luckily is still ok and you do your best to dry it. You manage to light it to see that there is an exit to the cavern. You are about to go when you step on a strange white rock. It sticks out amongst the normal, grey rocks. You pick it up to see that it is on a gold chain. There are symbols on the rock. Your experienced eye tells you that the symbols are runes of clear seeing. This amulet will help you see through illusions and allow you to see invisible things. Add the amulet of clear sight to your adventure sheet. You scramble up a sloping tunnel until eventually you come to a cavern with exits to the north and south. Looking through the south exit, you see that you are on the other side of the river. Turn to 26.

9

You have no time to react as magical bars shoot up from the ground and surround you. You are trapped. Simonius walks up to the bars. If you have half a steel disk, turn to 14. If not, turn to 22.

10

Most would consider you foolhardy, but you get the last laugh as the hissing of the snakes comes from a nest of snakes on the floor. They are still dangerous, though, so you draw your sword and prepare for combat.

SNAKES SKILL 9 STAMINA 13

If you win, if you lost any stamina in this combat at all, turn to 2. If you did not, you search the cavern. Turn to 17.

11

As you move on, the smell gets stronger and then the flame in your lantern flares up. Then the whole cavern explodes.

12

You trudge through the passageways for what seems like forever. You are tired. Lose 1 stamina point. You may eat a meal. If you have the codeword extinguish on your adventure sheet, turn to 37. If not, read on. You eventually come to a cavern which seems lit up by a bright light and enter it. There is a figure in the middle who seems on fire. You are intrigued and look closer. You then see, too late that the edge of the cavern is marked out by a chalk circle and that the figure who is on fire is a FIRE DEMON, which has probably been trapped here. It looks at you and raises its sword and flaming whip. Unless you have a dragon shield, roll 1 die at the beginning of each combat round. If you roll a 1-2, the demon hits you with its whip and you lose 1 stamina point. You may eat a meal. Also, unless you have a dragon shield, the demon’s flaming sword deals 3 stamina points of damage on a successful hit. If you have a dragon shield, it deals the normal 2 stamina points of damage.

FIRE DEMON SKILL 10 STAMINA 10

If you win, you do not touch the demon’s crown, knowing that only a fool would do so. However, there is a pile of treasure here. You take several gold pieces, gems and a ring with an eye engraved in it. Add 87 gold pieces to your adventure sheet. Add 3 gems

worth 40 gold pieces to your adventure sheet. Add the eye ring to your adventure sheet. You leave the cavern. Turn to 37.

13

You are in a large cavern. You can see a cave in the north wall, but you have to climb down a small cliff and cross a rushing underground river. If you have a crystal of earth command and wish to use it, turn to 6. Otherwise, you have to climb down the cliff, turn to 48.

14

Simonius is just about to speak when he sees the steel half disk. ‘That was my masters! Did you get it from the caves.’ You confirm that you did. With a snap of his fingers, Simonius makes the bars vanish. Do you have the whole amulet? If you have two half disks, turn to 35. If you only have one piece, turn to 21.

15

You spend half an hour digging through the sand and rocks. It is hard going. Lose 2 stamina points. However, after half an hour, you see something glinting in the light. You pull it out to find a rough, uncut crystal the size of your fist. It has a dim glow of its own, so it must be magical. You have heard tales of such large crystals allowing their owners to command and move earth. Add the crystal of earth command to your adventure sheet. You think about where you can go next. If you go west, turn to 7. If you go east, turn to 45.

16

As you carry the key closer to the lock, it grows in size until it fits in the lock. You turn it and the door opens. You are free from the cave! Gain 1 luck point. You head back to Zengis. It is easier to get back as you know the way. When you get back to Zengis, you spend time recovering. You may go to the healer. For 20 gold pieces, you may restore your stamina to its initial level. For 20 gold pieces, you may return your skill to its initial level. Eventually, you wake up on the day of the magical duel. You meet Simonius in the square, surrounded by his supporters. Brantus is there with a big bag of gold. Simonius begins by chanting. Not knowing what he is doing, you have to wait. He finishes. Then nothing happens. You look at Simonius who is smiling. Then a bolt of fire explodes near you. You look up to see that the sorcerer has summoned a WYVERN to combat you. How will you fight it? If you wish to use a ring of ice, turn to 38. If you wish to use the staff of storms, turn to 27. Otherwise you must fight it. The Wyvern lands near you and unleashes another bolt of fire from its maw. If you have a dragon shield, it blocks the fire bolt. Otherwise, test your luck. If you are lucky, you dodge the bolt. If you are unlucky, it hits you. Lose 4 stamina points.

WYVERN SKILL 10 STAMINA 11


17

The cavern is safe now that you have vanquished the snakes. You rest here. You eat a meal. You search through the cavern. There is an exit to the north. There is nothing of value, but there is a boulder which seems to be blocking a cave entrance. If you wish to explore this cave, you may break the boulder with a pick (turn to 39), break it with a crystal of earth command (turn to 31). If you cannot do either of these things, you leave and head north where you hear the sound of rushing water. Turn to 13.

18

The feeling of terror subsides and then you hear the voices in your head. ‘We are here to help you.’ Once of the spirits points to a small rock which you pull away from the wall. You find a small steel disk with a chain on it. There are runes on the disk. The spirit motions you to take it so you do so. Add the steel disk to your adventure sheet. Note the codeword open on your adventure sheet. You see that the spirits are smiling and fade away. You leave the crypt. Turn to 46.

19

You walk for what seems like an age. Lose 1 stamina point. You may eat a meal. If you have the codeword Slain in your notes, turn to 41. You see a well lit cavern ahead. There seems to a figure inside the cavern. Then you hear a raging bellow. Will you enter the cavern? If not, turn to 41. If you do, you enter you see what is causing the cacophony. A huge MINOTAUR stands before you, mighty club in hand. It snorts, then charges. You must fight it. The minotaur is a mighty beast. Each blow it deals to you in combat will deal 3 stamina points of damage rather than 2.

MINOTAUR SKILL 9 STAMINA 9

If you win, you may take the minotaur’s treasure. It has a pile of gold and a silver key engraved with runes. Add 163 gold pieces and the runed key to your adventure sheet. Add the codeword slain to your adventure sheet. You try to get out of this maze. Turn to 41.

20

You head north through some twisty corridors until you come to a large cavern. In the centre of the cavern is a throne. Upon the throne sits a skeleton in ragged robes. It is holding a staff with a crystal on the top of it. Do you want to risk taking the staff? If you do so, turn to 42. If you do not want to risk it, you leave through a northern exit and walk down a tunnel until where you hear the sound of rushing water until you come to another large cavern. Turn to 13.

21

‘This was my master’s amulet.’ Says Simonius ‘He went missing three years ago. He must have been lost in the caves. Will you accompany me to find the other half? We’ll pay 200 gold in advance, plus 300 gold for this piece plus 500 gold for the other half.’ How can you refuse such an offer? This amulet is obviously important to the sorcerer’s guild since you have the money within the hour and you are immediately preparing for a return journey to the caves. This is only the beginning…

22

‘Give up now?’ Simonius gloats. You admit that you are just a warrior with a few magical items and that he wins the sorcerer’s duel. Simonius’s friends cheer as he snaps his fingers and the bars vanish.

23

You head north, away from the forge. You go along several twisty, turning passageways. You are about to turn a corner when you hear the sound of several snakes, hissing. Is there a gorgen in the cave? If you wish to enter the cavern looking into a mirror (only if you have one), turn to 49. If you wish to enter the cavern with your eyes closed, turn to 29. If you wish to enter the cavern normally, turn to 10.

24

You walk for what seems like forever. Lose 1 stamina point. You may eat a meal. You come to a cavern that stinks of death. There is a big pile of bones in the centre of the cavern. If you have the codeword heavy on your adventure sheet, turn to 40. If you do not, you enter the cavern and as you do, the bones start to reassemble to make a GIANT SKELETON. You face it. If you do not have a mace, reduce all damage dealt against the skeleton by 1.

GIANT SKELETON SKILL 8 STAMINA 10

If you win, write the codeword heavy on your adventure sheet. There is no loot in this room. Turn to 40.

25

You cannot avoid the ball of ice. The cold is agonizing. Lose 6 stamina points. Turn to 9.

26

The cavern you are in is bare. There is an exit to the north. Upon quick exploration, you realize that the passageway branches off several times and becomes very maze-like. You will have to enter this confusing maze in the hope of getting out of this cave. Turn to 46.

27

You wave the staff at the wyvern. A wind picks up and sends the wyvern flying. It crash lands into a nearby cottage with a scream. You grin at Simonius. Turn to 47.

28

The voices are too much for you and you flee the crypt in terror. Unless you have a silver helmet, lose 1 skill point and 1 luck point. You go somewhere else in the maze. Turn to 46.

29

You advance forward, swinging your sword. However, it does not connect with anything. You then step on something wiggly and open your eyes to see that you are standing on nest of snakes! They bite you. Lose 4 stamina points. You have to fight them.

SNAKES SKILL 9 STAMINA 13 If you win, turn to 2.

30

You enter the cave with your light source. You are in a large cavern with exits to the east and west. Before you can take in any more, however, you hear a rumbling sound from behind you. A large, heavy, metal door slides across the entrance to the cave. You are trapped. The cavern is empty apart from a pile of rubble and sand in a hole in the centre of the cavern. If you wish to take a rest, you may eat a meal here. If you have a shovel, you can dig through the pile of sand and rock if you wish. Turn to 15. If you wish to go west, turn to 7. If you wish to go east, turn to 45.

31

You hold the crystal and command the boulder to move. It rolls aside. You go down a short cave to find a small compass lying on the ground at a dead end. When you pick it up, it points towards where the exit is. You realize that the compass is enchanted and points towards what you ask for. Add the enchanted compass to your adventure sheet. Make a note that whenever you see the phrase ‘You wander around the passageways, looking for some way out’ you may turn to 24. You leave the cave and head north, where you hear the sound of rushing water. Turn to 13.

32

Figures start to swim before your vision. You see spirits before your eyes. They float towards you. If you have a silver helmet, turn to 18. If not, the spirits advance on you and a feeling of terror overtakes you. You must either fight or flee. You may only fight them if you have a silver dagger. If you do not, you must flee. Turn to 28 If you have a silver dagger, you may attack the spirits with a bow and silver arrow if you have one.

SPIRITS SKILL 8 STAMINA 12

If you win, you look through the sarcophagi. Note the codeword open on your adventure sheet. You find lots of gold pieces and a black shroud covered in golden runes. Add 110 gold pieces and a runed shroud to your adventure sheet. Turn to 46.

33

You point the jewel at the river and rub it. A blast of ice shoots out of the ring and hits the river. The surface of it freezes enough to form a bridge of ice. You carefully cross the bridge. Turn to 26.

34

You walk for what seems like an age. Lose 1 stamina point. You may eat a meal. You come to a cavern where there is a strange smell. It may be natural gas, but you are not sure. If you have the codeword monster on your adventure sheet, turn to 37. If you wish to carry on through the cavern with a glowstone for light, turn to 3. If you wish to carry on, but you do not have a glowstone, turn to 11. If you do not wish to enter the cavern, you look for somewhere else to go. Turn to 37.

35

Simonius takes both pieces and puts them together. There is a glow and you feel it. ‘This was my master’s amulet’ he explains ‘He went missing three years ago. Thankyou for finding this. It means so much to me and my brotherhood.’ It is true. Within the hour, you are a thousand gold pieces richer. You become an honoury member of Zengis’s sorcerer’s guild as well as a paid relic hunter for them. Your adventures with your new companion, Simonius take you many places and get you many rewards. This is only just the beginning…

36

The dwarf is impressed with your strength and offers to sell several of his wares, all of the highest quality.

Magical throwing dagger 40gp Gauntlet of Lightning 80gp Dragon shield 60gp

The magical throwing dagger can be used before combat. If you throw it at an opponent, it will automatically hit and deal 6 stamina points of damage. It will then disappear so it can only be used once. The gauntlet of lightning sends an electrical bold of energy down your weapon the first time you hit an opponent in combat. The first time you hit an opponent in combat, it will deal an extra 4 stamina points of damage. This will only happen once per combat. The dragon shield will protect as a normal shield (it will reduce all your opponents’ attack strengths by 1) but it also absorbs fire directed against you. If you take it, you must leave your shield behind. When you have finished your dealings with him, you head north. Turn to 23.

37

You wander around the passageways, looking for some way out. Where will you end up?

If you roll a 1-3, turn to 19 If you roll a 4-6, turn to 44

38

The wyvern lands near you and opens its maw to unleash its bolt of fire. Just as it does, you rub the ring and let loose a bolt of ice into its mouth. A layer of ice forms around the wyvern’s head. It shakes its head and breaks the ice. It attacks you with its teeth and claws.

WYVERN SKILL 9 STAMINA 9


You bring the pick down on the boulder several times. It is hard going (lose 2 stamina points), but soon the boulder is in pieces. You go down a short cave to find a small compass lying on the ground at a dead end. When you pick it up, it points towards where the exit is. You realize that the compass is enchanted and points towards what you ask for. Add the enchanted compass to your adventure sheet. You leave the cave and head north, where you hear the sound of rushing water. Turn to 13.

40

You head through a tunnel from the cavern and come to a dead end. There is a big steel door in the way with a key hole in the door. If you have a runed key, turn to 16. If not, you despair as you realize that you have to head back into the maze. Turn to 46.

41

You wander around the passageways, looking for some way out


42

You slowly approach the skeleton, mindful of traps. You gingerly touch the staff, half expecting the skeleton to spring to life, but it does not. You manage to prise the staff from the skeleton’s fingers and examine it. You are able to read its runes. They tell you that it is a staff of storm summoning. Add the staff of storm summoning to your adventure sheet. Glad that there were no unpleasant surprises, you prepare to head north until you hear a high pitched squeak. Two HARPIES descend from the ceiling and attack you. Fight them at the same time.

FIRST HARPIE SKILL 9 STAMINA 6 SECOND HARPIE SKILL 8 STAMINA 8

If you win, you leave the cavern and head north. Turn to 13.

43

The ball of ice vanishes just before it hits you. Turn to 9.

44

You walk for what seems like forever. Lose 1 stamina point. You may eat a meal. You then come to a large cavern which appears empty. If you have the codeword fish in your notes, turn to 41. If you do not, if you do not want to explore the tunnel, you find somewhere else to go. Turn to 41. If you do wish to explore, you poke around in the cave and find some valuable gems lying around. You then feel a strange force upon you. You then see a metallic figure standing before you. All of your metal items start to pull towards it and then fly towards the MAGNETIC GOLEM. If you have an enchanted compass, the magnetic field of the compass negates the magnetic field of the golem. If you do not, all the items made of iron and steel that you own fly towards the golem. You lose the following items. Sword, any daggers, arrows, breastplate, cuirass, shield, gauntlet, hammer and spikes, mirror, pick, shovel. If you flee this room, you will not get your items back. Put an astericks by them to show note that if you do kill the golem, you will get them back. If you fight it, you must reduce your attack strength by 2 if you have no weapon. If you use acid against the golem, it will dissolve the metal away. It will do

1 stamina point of damage at the beginning of each attack round in addition to the initial damage.

MAGNETIC GOLEM SKILL 7 STAMINA 12

If you win, you may get your items back. In addition, you may take 9 jewels worth 30 gold pieces each. You may also take a what looks like half a small steel disk. There is one small chain hanging off it and the edge looks jagged as if it was ripped apart. Add the half steel disk to your adventure sheet. Add the codeword fish to your adventure sheet. You leave the cavern to find the way out of this maze. Turn to 41.

45

As you walk down the tunnel, you notice that it is getting colder. You come into a cavern where the walls are covered in ice. In the centre, there is a big block of ice. However, as you enter, it starts to move and unfolds itself to become an ICE DEMON. You have to fight it. At the beginning of each attack round, lose 1 stamina point through intense cold. This damage cannot be reduced by armour or a ring of shielding.

ICE DEMON SKILL 9 STAMINA 11


You wander around the passageways, looking for some way out. Roll 1 die.


47

The sorcerer is far from finished. He clicks his fingers and a ball of ice appears in mid air. It flies towards you. If you have an amulet of clear sight or an eye ring, turn to 43. If not, turn to 25.

48

You have to climb down the cliff. If you have a rope, you tie it around a rock and climb down it without a problem. However, you lose the rope (cross the rope from your adventure sheet). If you have a hammer and spikes, you climb down without a problem. If you have a bag of chalk, you can chalk your hands and it will let you climb down ok (cross the chalk from your adventure sheet). Otherwise, roll four dice. If the number is equal or less than your stamina, you get to the bottom fine. Otherwise, you fall. Lose 3 stamina points. You then think about getting across the river. If you have a ring of ice, turn to 33. Otherwise, you must swim. Turn to 8.

49

Looking through the mirror, you jump into the cave. You see nothing, even though you can hear the snakes. Then you point the mirror down to see a group of snakes slithering towards you. Test your luck. If you are lucky, you drop the mirror. It smashes to the floor (cross the mirror from your adventure sheet), spin around with your sword drawn, ready for combat. If you are unlucky, the snakes bite you before you can react (lose 2 stamina points). You drop the mirror and then prepare for combat (cross the mirror from your adventure sheet). You have to fight the snakes.

SNAKES SKILL 9 STAMINA 13

If you win and you lost any stamina from this combat at all (including if you bitten because you were unlucky), turn to 2. If you were not bitten, you search the cavern. Turn to 17.

50

‘This has been a lesson in humility for both of use.’ Admits Simonius. His friends are collecting their winnings from Brantus. ‘How about I buy you a drink.’ You can tell me about the caves you explored. They sound very interesting. ‘Sounds great.’ You say. ‘But I’m on the fruit juice.’ Simonius grins. You head to the inn to swap stories with your new friends.

Notes

I use the word ‘powerup’ in these notes. What I mean by the use of this word is an item that restores skill, stamina or luck or increases your attack strength or improves your chances in combat. It is an item that has some numerical effect on the game as opposed to an item that you only use when prompted in the text.

I was looking back through all of my books and there are almost no magical items. Inventory lists are small and that is how I like it. I want the books to be more about story. However, am I missing something good that item hunts have? This is why I wrote this book. The snake thing because you probably thought it was a gorgon. Lots of magic items – more like a dungeon crawl. Do dungeon crawls and item based adventures just go well together? Item based adventures need stronger opponents too because you soon have a collection of ‘powerups’. I know I put them there and I don’t have to but the point of this book is to have lots of items and this is the result. I could have taken out the combat items (‘powerups’) but then the only items left are the situational ones and then it becomes a bit like Eye of the Dragon or Return to Firetop Mountain where it doesn’t really matter what the item is. It could be a completely mundane item. At least the item hunt in Crypt of the Sorcerer required magical artefacts and there is some logic to why you need them (Razaak is a powerful sorcerer. He can cast lightning bolts, fireballs and swarms of magical insects and you need protection from them). Who would have known that the path to victory in Return to Firetop Mountain requires a small wooden brick and a mushroom? You need a small wooden brick and a mushroom (amongst many other arbitrary things) or you won’t be able to kill a powerful and evil sorcerer who has a powerful army and rules over a dungeon within a mountain. At least if the items are mundane, you won’t be disappointed if they have no use. I’m more disappointed when a cool sounding magical item only turns up once in a whole book, or is useless or it is not mentioned at all (such as the rings of ice and invisibility from City of Thieves). Combat heavy and powerup heavy books are hard to balance. If you put too many powerups in, you make it too easy. Too few and it is too hard. There is more margin of error because a low skill character has different needs to a low luck character so you need to give people more options. However, it there is a way to get the most possible items, then to book would be super easy. However, maybe that could be a challenge for the book. I decided to do a good ending and a better ending. You may not know that there is a better ending at all unless you decide to experiment and do stuff which (I like to think) is not stuff you would normally do in an adventure. However, does that make it a bit arbitrary and reward bad play?

I like having to shop for items but there are certain items that you can never know if they will be useful or how they will be useful without metagaming. For example, I’m sure that a lot of people will think that there will be a gorgon or a basilisk in the book if there is a mirror available. Return to Firetop Mountain on paragraph 116 has this problem. You have to pick the correct 5 items and it will be hard to pick the correct ones without knowing what’s ahead of you. You may also look at the fact that there is a silver dagger on offer and think that there will be a vampire or that because there is a mirror, there will be a gorgon (in this case there is a gorgon). To what extent should adventurers be able to read? I would imagine , a battle hardened warrior in a medieval setting would have little opportunity or need to read, but all adventurers in fighting fantasy are literate. Some of them should be, for example the wizard in Citidel of Chaos, but what about the loner who likes to live outdoors in Forest of Doom? The only gamebook I have read with non literate characters was the HeroQuest gamebook ‘The Fellowship of Four’ where you could play the barbarian, dwarf, elf and wizard simultaneously. Only the wizard was literate. Paragraph 48 – is climbing a question of technique (test against skill) or endurance (test against stamina)? If you lose skill through injury, why doesn’t a healing potion cure skill loss? Why do you need a potion of skill? I suppose it is hard to make the gamebook that realistic. This is probably my least realistic gamebook. Is this what happens when you make the items central to the book? Or is this just my idea of what an item based book should be like? I’ve decided that codewords should not give a clue to the circumstances in which you get them because then it may give a clue as to what’s coming up ahead or what you should do.

War of Deities Part 1

Fighting the ancient gods Slaying vile monsters single handedly, obtaining hordes of treasure and being famous acrosss Allansia. You have dreamed of all of these things as you trudge wearily from one place to another. You have become a seasoned fighter and surviver over the years you have travelled the land looking for a worthy or well paying cause. However, despite having a strong sword arm and being hardy enough to live outdoors for months on end, none of your challenges have provided you with the glory and the riches that you thought adventuring would. You usually get a ‘Well done, you will be welcome in our home at any time.’ If you were lucky, you’d get enough money to let you have a week living in civilisation, but no piles of treasure or mighty foe for you. However, after a decade of adventuring, you are set on a path which plunges into a vicious battle that the ancient Gods bring to Titan. Of course, it starts like another ordinary day... But before you journey begins, you must determine your own strengths and weaknesses.


Roll one die. Add 6 to this number and enter this to the skill box in your adventure sheet. Roll two dice. Add 12 to this number and enter this to the stamina box in your adventure sheet. Roll one die. Add 6 to this number and enter this to the luck box in your adventure sheet.

Special combat

Some combats may be fought without using skill. Instead of using skill to determine attack strength, you may use stamina or luck to determine your attack strength. You may also fight combats where you do not lose stamina. Instead, you will be told what conditions you need to meet to win this combat.

Equipment

You will start this adventure with a bare minimum of equipment, but you may acquire other items on your travels. You are armed with a sword and are dressed in warm clothing for outdoor survival. You wear no armour, as you dislike its restrictiveness. You have a backpack to hold provisions and any items you come across. However, at the beginning of your quest, it is empty as you have no provisions. You do have a waterskin to hold water for long journeys. You have a purse which contains 10 gold pieces. You also have a purse which contains several copper pieces of very little value. You will not need to keep track of the number of copper pieces you have.

Provisions You do not start with any provisions so you should find some as soon as possible. Your backpack can hold a maximum of four meals. You may only eat meals when you are instructed to do so in the text.

Using potions and vials You may come across empty vials or vials containing potions during your adventure. When you drink a potion from your equipment list, make sure to add the empty vial to your equipment list. You may drink one potion (and only one) when you may eat a meal. You may do this in addition to eating a meal. Sometimes you may have to throw vials containing liquids at opponents. In this case, you also lose the vial as well as the liquid. Empty vials will be useful in your adventure to collect any useful liquids you come across.

Background

The six legged abomination that was once a dog squirms in your grasp and tries to escape. However, you have it in a tight hold. ‘Throw it in the cellar!’ Yells Dietrich Zuvembar, Blacksand’s most insane alchemist. The creature yelps as you hurl its slimy body into the darkness. Dietrich slams the trapdoor shut and quickly locks it. He whirls around, and directs a look of intense rage at you. ‘I told you not to take anything out of there except for the two headed snake! He screams at you ‘But no! You couldn’t even do that! This is coming out of your pay!’ You groan inwardly. You have long since given up trying to tell the crazy wizard that his dog – insect cross, or Insog as he likes to call it, had sprouted giant fly’s wings and flown out of the cellar, only to hide them away as it ran riot in the mage’s lab and ate all of the basilisk eyeballs. This is because, after three weeks of guarding the mad alchemist’s house, such events have become commonplace. It has been your hell. You are guarding one of the most unpredictable houses in the most dangerous city in Allansia, but at the time you had no choice. It all began a month ago, when you were exploring an ancient tomb in the Pagan plains with another adventurer who called himself Thraccus. He had an intense and forceful approach which helped him negotiate his way past a group of centaurs who were ready to run you both through with their spears. Looking back on it now, you realise just how manipulative he was. He managed to strike a deal whereby the centaurs would let you pass if either you or Thraccus would beat one of their kind in single combat. Thraccus immediately volunteered you. You managed to win after being heavily wounded, but instead of helping or even thanking you, he just asked you to carry his pack. And then there was the loot. After overcoming the traps and dangers of the tomb, you finally found your reward. A large red gem. The both of you staggered into the daylight, exhausted and wounded; you collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. When you awoke, you found

no sign of the gem or Thraccus. The cur! You saved his life twice in there. You even carried his pack for him, only for him to steal the treasure you should have shared. Although you were close to death, determination and lust for revenge pushed you on to follow his trail and get your revenge. You pursued him to a small hamlet on the edge of the Pagan plains. You went to the only inn in the village and made a few enquiries about your quarry. ‘Ar, we saw ‘im.’ said one farmer. ‘Made off with Barab’s ‘orse! Headed to Balcksand ‘e did. Seems the place for ‘im.’ A few days later, you found yourself in Port Blacksand. The trail had gone cold and you were penniless after the guard at the gate had extorted from you the entrance tax, ‘hair tax’ and ‘breathing tax.’ And so, with less money than a bald zombie, you decided to find a job. In the Dragon’s Tooth Inn, you found a scrap of paper pinned to the wall:

Warrior needed to protect wizardly apparatus. Must like animals and explosions. Apply to Dietrich Zuvembar, Garden Street.

You arrived the Zuvembar’s house to find it ablaze. People were running around in a panic as a horde of chickens flapped and squawked their way out of the house. One of them ran towards you and then exploded with a surprised squawk. You quickly took control of the situation, drew your sword and confronted these exploding chickens. You cut this way and that; feathers flew all over the place and the garden district became drowned in the sound of squawking and bangs. Eventually, with all the chickens either slain by your hand or immolated by exploding, the people of Blacksand managed to regain enough composure to storm into Zuvembar’s house and loot it. They took most of the money. They would have taken more, but they all fled in horror when Zuvembar’s water elemental drowned three people before putting out the fire. Your first job the next day was to help clean up the lab and throw the bodies into the Catfish River. Fortunately, the disposal of the bodies didn’t take long as a couple of members of the assassins’ guild who had already thrown their quota into the river kindly offered to help you dispose of yours. Three weeks later, you are being berated for releasing a dog-insect hybrid into the house. You are fuming already, as your only job should be to guard a magical artefact that the Wizard’s guild needs for some ritual. It’s a silver orb called the orb of Thenetos and it rests in an iron chest in Zuvembar’s kitchen. However, you have barely had time to keep an eye on it with all the chaos that occurs in the house. Dietrich is lecturing you on the cost and rarity of alchemic components for the sixth time today, so you are almost pleased when the wall behind you explodes and you are both sent flying.

Turn to 1.

1

You get up, choking and bruised. Lose 3 stamina points. You immediately run to the kitchen to protect to orb. Through the dust and smoke, you see a cloaked figure reach into Zuvembar’s iron chest. You draw your sword. The THIEF whirls around, dagger in hand, ready to face you. Fight the thief for 1 combat round only.

THIEF SKILL 7 STAMINA 12

After 1 combat round, turn to 101.

2

You quickly grab the skeleton’s wrist, pull the ring off its finger and quickly look around, sword at the ready. The other skeletons remain completely still. Add the silver ring to your equipment list. Feeling smug, you head for the north door. Turn to 293.

3

You shove the lid of the sarcophagus until it falls on the floor with a loud thud. Inside the sarcophagus, you see a mummified corpse holding an ancient mace. You reach into the sarcophagus to get the mace, but as you grasp it, you feel the mummy’s grip tighten around it. You jump back and draw your sword. Slowly, the mummy sits up in its sarcophagus, climbs out and advances towards you, raising the mace. You must fight. If you fight the mummy with your sword turn to 170. If you fight it with your torch, turn to 314.

4

The corridor bends northwards. Eventually, you come to a wooden door. You open it. Turn to 278.

5

The corridor ends in a wooden door. You listen at the door, but you can hear nothing. You open it. Turn to 165.

6

There are two exits to the room. If you leave through the plain wooden door in the west wall, turn to 205. If you leave through the well worn stone door in the north wall, turn to 90.

7

The golem is cracked and ancient. With your chosen weapon, you should have no trouble defeating it.

ANCIENT STONE GOLEM SKILL 5 STAMINA 10


8

Empty eye sockets watch you as you inspect each body at a distance. In the light of your torch, you notice that one skeleton has a silver ring on one bony finger. Will you snatch it off the finger (turn to 2?), carefully pull it off the finger (turn to 22?) or leave the room (turn to 129?)

9

Ujbat manages to get you into a choke hold and combat is done. ‘Well fought, both of you!’ says Durfak. ‘How about double or quits? If you have another 10 gold pieces, you can fight again. I’ll add another magic item to the wager.’ If you agree, turn to 143. If you leave, deduct 10 gold pieces from your adventure sheet and turn to 44.

10

As you snatch the pouch, you hear a click and two arrows shoot out of the wall at you. Lose 4 stamina points. You look inside the pouch and find that there is a small blue gem in there. Add the blue gem to your adventure sheet. You rest here for a bit. You may eat a meal here. If you haven’t already done so, you may now search the room (turn to 215) or leave (turn to 192).

11

There is a beautiful fountain in this room. Crystal clear water flows out of it. You could drink from the fountain (turn to 375?) or leave (turn to 179?)

12

Sifting through the weapons, you cut your hand on a dagger blade. Lose 1 stamina point. However, you find a whetstone, a stone used to sharpen blunt bladed weapons. Add the whetstone to your equipment list. You leave the room. Turn to 292.

13

Bohak gets you in a headlock. ‘Well, young ‘un, looks like you need to beef up! If you’re in Stonebridge anytime, come and see me and I’ll give you some hints.’ You hand over your money. Deduct 20 gold pieces from your adventure sheet. You leave the room and head west. Turn to 44.

14

You face the wizard. He will be harder to hit with his force field, but he is not a trained warrior like you, which may give you the edge. However, his staff has a powerful enchantment on it which drains your life. Azamoth’s shield means that you must reduce your attack strength by 3 for this combat. When Azamoth hits you, you lose an additional 1 stamina point and 1 skill point!

AZAMOTH SKILL 6 STAMINA 10


15

You dive out of the way of the bolt of fire and it explodes against the wall behind you. You draw your sword and the wizard starts to chant again. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 26. If you are unlucky, turn to 392.

16

You draw your weapon and swing it at the ghost, but it passes straight through it! The ghost points at you and a book flies off the shelf and hits you. Lose 1 stamina point. Unable to defeat the ghost, you run. Turn to 109.

17

The zombies lumber after you, but you easily outrun the clumsy undead creatures. Turn to 151.

18

As you approach the tree, two WILD DOGS come out from behind it, growling and frothing at the mouth. Fight them together.

First WILD DOG SKILL 4 STAMINA 4 Second WILD DOG SKILL 4 STAMINA 4


19

If you have a silver ring and a vial of holy water, turn to 400. If not, turn to 331.

20

Once again, the dwarf deals you your hand. Fight this like a combat, except use your current luck score instead of skill score. You lose no stamina in this combat. The winner is the person who has won two consecutive combat rounds.

TOJO THE DWARF LUCK 7

If you win, turn to 146. If you lose, turn to 346.

21

You draw your sword. The dwarf panics for a second, but then reaches into his pocket and throws dust in your face. You are paralyzed. The dwarf runs out of the room. Eventually, you regain control of your limbs again, but you feel very stiff. Lose 1 skill point. You leave the room and walk north. Turn to 320.

22

You kneel down by the hand with the ring and gently loosen it from the skeleton’s bony finger. Eventually, without any movement from the corpses, you manage to get the ring off the skeleton’s finger. Add the silver ring to your equipment list. Feeling smug, you head for the north door. Turn to 293.

23

You soon come to a door in the north wall. If you open it, turn to 277. If you ignore it, turn to 4.

24

Your last blow shatters the fragile glass statue. It breaks into several pieces which fall to and smash all over the floor. There are shards of glass all over the place which crunch as you walk over them. Turn to 4.

25

The door does not budge. If you charge it down, turn to 276. If you leave the door and go north down the corridor, turn to 280.

26

You feel a strange sensation, but you shrug it off. You laugh at the wizard as you advance on him. He faces you with a dagger.

WIZARD SKILL 5 STAMINA 8


27

You advance on the crystal warrior. If you have a mace, turn to 121. If you have a sword, turn to 194.

28

You kneel down and call out to any god that may be listening. For a moment, you get an image of a beautiful woman in robes and carrying some scales. She is smiling at you. When you come out of your prayer, you see three vials on the altar. They contain a colourless, sweet smelling liquid. You recognise the liquid as holy water. Add 3 vials of holy water to your adventure sheet. Any time you could eat a meal, you may drink a vial of holy water. If you do, gain 2 stamina points and 1 luck point. You may also eat a meal at the same reference. Happy, you leave the room and follow the corridor north. Turn to 152.

29

Your blunt weapon will be able to damage the crystal warrior normally. You are glad that the warrior is already damaged, so it is a lot weaker that normal.

CRYSTAL WARRIOR SKILL 8 STAMINA 10


30

The corridor walls gradually become less like the damp, rough walls of a cave and more like the artificial walls of a dungeon as you walk along your path. Eventually, you arrive at a wooden door in the south wall where you can hear the sounds of fighting. If you enter the room, turn to 257. If you ignore the room, turn to 44.

31

You poke around the walls and floor of the cavern, looking for a secret exit. You see a lever in one wall, which you pull, but nothing happens. You then notice a smell of burning. You turn round and see that Azamoth’s body is burning furiously. The fire spreads to a nearby lab bench and the potion vials explode sending glass flying all over the place. You are cut by several shards. Lose 2 stamina points. The heat is increasing and the lab is being filled with smoke, making you cough as you frantically search for an exit. If you know the sense enchantment spell, turn to 370. If not, turn to 230.

32

After your exertions, you sit down and rest. You may eat a meal here. As you are resting, you take in your surroundings. Pickaxes, crates and other tools indicate that the dwarves were miners. As well as the equipment, you also notice that there is a tunnel heading north. Will you search the room? (Turn to 364?) or leave and head north (turn to 396?)

33

You enter the room and stop in horror. The room is richly decorated and very tasteful, but there is a horrible ugly creature sitting on a cushion and making a horrible noise. You reach for your sword, but then realise that this monstrosity is actually a female dwarf. She is combing her facial hair but then stops when she notices you. ‘Oh hello!’ she says. ‘Why aren’t you a pretty little thing. Why don’t you come and sit here by me?’ She flutters her eyelids at you. Will you join her (turn to 111), attack her (turn to 398) or slam the door and flee northwards (turn to 83)

34

There are two doors in this room. One goes east and the other heads west. If you go east, turn to 361. If you go west, turn to 53.

35

As the spectre gets closer, an aura of white light surrounds you. The spectre tries to break through it. You can feel it pushing against the aura, but eventually, screaming in pain and frustration, it retreats back into the wall. Turn to 184.

36

Ee up, we’ve a tall un! Second this week!’ shouts the gruff innkeeper as you walk through the door into the loud, smoky room. The patrons of the inn roar with laughter. The dwarves are all completely drunk and so very boisterous. You order a flagon of skullbuster, pay with some copper coins and sit with a group of Dwarf miners who are singing the fifty seventh verse of some Dwarfish ballad. They are very loud and out of tune, but enjoying it nonetheless. A few hours and several flagons of skullbuster later, you are heartily joining in, but since you don’t know any of the words, you just shout complete nonsense. It is dusk now and you are all drunk. The flagons of all your drinking companions are empty. Will you spend 1 gold piece to buy another round 342? Or will you just buy for yourself 145?

37

You move on quickly before the spectre comes back. Turn to 184.

38

The crowd of dwarves boo and hiss as you refuse this contest. They push and shove you out of the inn and into the street. Lose 1 luck point. You pick yourself up and, leaving the sounds of jollity behind you, find another inn to spend the night. Turn to 211.

39

You open the chest and put your hand in. You can’t feel any piles of coins or gems, but you hand does touch something. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 133. If you are unlucky, turn to 266.

40

You gulp down a mouthful of liquid and nothing happens. At first you think it’s water, but then a pain builds up in your chest and travels down to your stomach. What you drank was acid! You quickly get your water skin and gulp down your water, but some damage has been done. Lose 3 stamina points. There is still some acid left. If you have any vials, you may fill them up with acid. Mark on your adventure sheet that your vials contain acid. You scratch a sign on your vials to remind you what they contain. You leave the font. Turn to 47.

41

With your last blow, the crystal warrior breaks into several pieces of crystal. After your battle, you rest here. You may eat a meal here. There is nothing in the room, so you leave. Turn to 394.

42

The gorgon’s eyes flick open! In the middle of combat, you don’t have a chance to look away and look straight into them. The gorgon puts her new statue outside with the rest of her collection. Your adventure ends here.

43

You utter the words and make the gestures. As the energy passes through you, you feel a sharp pain. Lose 2 stamina points. There is a crunching sound and the animated armor stops its tracks. Your heart sinks, however, as a few seconds later, it starts making its way towards you again. Its movements are slower, but you must still fight it. You may escape after 2 combat rounds. If you do, turn to 271.

ANIMATED ARMOUR SKILL 7 STAMINA 6


44

The corridor turns north. Eventually, you come to a door in the west wall. It is made of wood and you can hear some awful singing coming from the other side. If you enter the room, turn to 33. If you carry on north, turn to 83.

45

You manage to dodge the colossus’s wild blows. It is damaged, but it isn’t finished yet. If you have any vials of acid, turn to 318. If not, turn to 94.

46

As you carry on down the corridor, the smell of orc gets stronger and you can hear the sounds of a battle. You come into a cavern where you can see a dwarf being set upon by two large orcs. One of the orcs spots you and charges in your direction, growling. If you run, turn to 251.

ORC CHAMPION SKILL 9 STAMINA 7


47

You have now inspected everything in the lab. Turn to 113.

48

You search through the room, but you don’t find any items here that would be better than your current weapon. You do find a vial containing a purple liquid, however. If you drink the purple liquid, turn to 324. If not, turn to 250.

49

The vial smashes against the colossus’s chest and bubbles against the metal. Holes open up in the monster’s chest and the acid dissolves the statue’s mechanisms. The colossus stops and then jerks back to life. Delete the acid and the vial from your equipment list. It is still going, though and it is very powerful. When you are hit by the colossus, lose 3 stamina points instead of 2.

COLOSSUS SKILL 7 STAMINA 7


50

There is a churning sound and a green liquid oozes out of the tap into the flagon. You swallow it. It tastes salty and oily, but you force it down. You wait for a few minutes, but there is no effect. A bit disappointed, you leave the device. Turn to 113.

51

As you finish off your opponent, the dwarf also deals the death blow to his. ‘Well met adventurer! I am Agem, dwarf warrior.’ Agem is here to slay an orc chieftain who is organising raids against Stonebridge. You tell him your tale. ‘The wizard Azamoth’s chamber is west of here. He has an exit out of these caves. He also has a guard to his lab. It’s a huge bronze statue; killed few of my men a few weeks ago. Now no one will go there. Here, drink this. It will help.’ He takes a vial of black liquid out of his pocket. You swallow it and feel a burst of energy. Gain 4 stamina points and add 1 to your attack strength in your next combat only. ‘Good luck!’ And with that, he runs north, screaming for orc blood. Turn to 332.

52

Looking at the dummies, you find that one of them is wearing a bronze helmet of ancient design. Add ancient helm to your equipment list. You inspect the dummies and quite

satisfied that they won’t spring to life, you sit down and have a rest. You may eat a meal. Once you have finished, you leave the training room and head north. Turn to 162.

53

The west corridor ends in a wooden door. You hear nothing when you listen at the door, so you open it. Turn to 168.

54

You cast the spell and point your index finger at the colossus. As the magical energy flows through you, you feel a sharp pain. Lose 2 stamina points. There is a crunch and a grinding of gears. The colossus stops in its tracks, but then starts thrashing around and swinging wildly. You desperately try to dodge its flailing fists and feet. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 45. If not, turn to 203.

55

You begin the laborious task of opening all the cages. As you open a cage, its inhabitants fly out and head towards the south door. After an hour, there is not a single bird in the room, and you feel a lot better for your good deed. Gain 1 luck point. You leave the room. Turn to 6.

56

Greedily, you run towards the chest, but as soon as you touch it, the entire room is plunged into a magical darkness. If you are using a sunrod, turn to 363. If not, turn to 136.

57

In front of you, the figure of a man fades into vision. You are looking at a GHOST. If you attack it, turn to 98. If you see what it does, turn to 218. If you run, turn to 109.

58

The sage then looks at items that he could enchant. If you have any of the following items, turn to the relevant paragraph. A lump of quartz? Turn to 19 A silver ring? Turn to 107 A vial of holy water? Turn to 336 None of these? Turn to 331

59

You dip your finger into the liquid. At first, nothing happens and you assume that the liquid is water. However, after a minute, the tip of your finger turns red. The liquid must be acid as it burned through your skin. If you have any glass vials, you may fill them up with acid. Mark on your adventure sheet that your vials contain acid. You leave the font. Turn to 47.

60

You head north, mulling over your situation. You are trapped in a dungeon, ruled by a mad wizard, who will probably be very angry because he hasn’t received his orb. The dwarves in Stonebridge told you that this dungeon extends for many miles in all directions. The three mad dwarf miners also must have left from a place other than the cave entrance you came in, since they blocked off the tunnel behind them. So there is hope. You just need to get through the guardians and traps. Maybe the wizard doesn’t even live in this part of the dungeon and it is abandoned. However, it is a scant hope and it is dashed when you hear groans and the shuffle of several feet. Turn to 312.

61

Despite your frantic searching, you do not find any exit. You run back to the way you came in, but find that it has been sealed off. You choke to death in the wizard’s chambers.

62

You take the torch out of your pack and light it with the dying flame of your first torch. As the flame grows larger, the light grows brighter again. Cross the torch off your equipment list. Turn to 130.

63

You are in a room where there is a bed in one corner, and a pile of soft cushions in another. There is also a door in the north wall. Standing, with her back to you is a woman, dressed in luxurious clothing, but instead of hair, here head is covered with a mass of snakes! You close your eyes, as you realise that this woman is a GORGON. You hear her turn around and advance towards you. turn to 214.

64

You take the mirror out of your pack and point it in the gorgon’s direction. She screams. You open your eyes and notice that she has closed her eyes before being turned to stone. If you fight the gorgon, turn to 343. If you head for the north door, turn to 259.

65

You look through the many objects in the room. There is plenty of preserved meat and fruit here as well as bread and cheese. You may stuff yourself here. Gain 4 stamina points. You may also add the following items to your adventure sheet:

4 Provisions (you can carry a maximum of 4 provisions) Torch

Empty vial

If you haven’t already done so, you can open the west door, turn to 252. If you leave, turn to 79.

66

You open the door to find a dwarf in silk robes sitting in the centre of the room. He is shuffling a deck of cards and laying them out in front of him. ‘Ah!’ He says. ‘An adventurer! My name is Tojo. Care to try your luck at cards?’ The dwarf seems unarmed and unarmored. Will you join him at cards (turn to 102?), ask him why he is here (turn to 213?), attack him (turn to 21?)

67

You head right. As quietly as you can, you walk along the path, keeping your eye out for movement. You catch something move up ahead of you. You break into a run, only to be pushed to one side by a small screaming creature. You have just been ambushed by a GOBLIN and he wants all your money.

GOBLIN SKILL 5 STAMINA 5

If you win, go to 347.

68

The painting is of an old man in red robes summoning a spirit in some kind of ritual. Underneath the painting , there is an inscription: Azamoth, master illusionist. This is the wizard who must be after the orb. You are half expecting the painting to come to life, but it does nothing. You also take it down in the hope of finding a safe behind it, but there is nothing but blank rock. You leave the office. Turn to 294.

69

There is a swirling sound. If you add the firefox eye, turn to 193. If you add the powdered diamond, turn to 161.

70

As you snatch the pouch, you hear a click and two arrows shoot out of the wall at you. Lose 4 stamina points. You look inside the pouch and find that there is a small blue gem in there. Add the blue gem to your adventure sheet. You rest here for a bit. You may eat a meal here. Will you now search the room if you haven’t already done so (turn to 224?) or leave (turn to 210?)

71

The statue is of a noble wielding a stone sword. It is badly cracked and weathered. Cautiously, always keeping an eye on the sword, you inspect the statue. You look at the plinth it is on. There is an inscription there, but it is so worn that you can’t read it. If you push the statue off the plinth, turn to 237. If you just want to leave, turn to 191.

72

The sage gets excited. He may be able to enchant the ring, but this will cost you 50 gold pieces. If you want him to do this, turn to 376. If you don’t, turn to 331.

73

Cross the holy water and 1 vial off your equipment list. You throw the vial at the closest zombie. It shatters against its head. The zombie stops and begins clawing at its face as it dissolves. Eventually, the zombie is just a smoking pile of flesh. You draw your sword and fight the other two zombies. You may fight them one at a time. You may escape after you have killed one zombie.

FIRST ZOMBIE SKILL 5 STAMINA 7 SECOND ZOMBIE SKILL 6 STAMINA 6


74

Durfak looks you up and down, seeing which of his apprentices would be a suitable match for you. If your current stamina is 12 or less, turn to 174. If your current stamina is 13-16, turn to 319. If your current stamina is 17 or more, turn to 138.

75

You look all over the place for hidden doors, traps and treasure but find nothing. If you pray at the altar, turn to 28. If you leave, turn to 152.

76

You manage to get Ujbat into a ground lock and the match is over. ‘Well done!’ congratulates Durfak. ‘Here, take this iron cube. If you throw it at a magic-user, it will destroy their defenses.’ Add the magic cube to your adventure sheet. The dwarves get back to their wrestling while you leave the room and head east. Turn to 44.

77

You stop later at an apple tree and pick one for eating. As you do, you hear a grunt. You draw your sword and turn around, just in time to face the BOAR that is charging at you.

BOAR SKILL 6 STAMINA 5


78

You utter the words of the spell and make the gestures needed. As the energy flows through you, you feel a sharp pain. Lose 2 stamina points. There is a great cracking sound and the crystal warrior is sent reeling back, clutching its chest. Sure enough, several huge cracks have appeared across its chest. The crystal warrior has not been killed yet, but it is incapacitated for the moment. If you run for the north door, turn to 394. If you attack the crystal warrior, turn to 27.

79

You carry on down the passageway, only to find your path blocked by a portcullis. In the wall to your right, you see two levers. You get a sense of deja vu about this situation. Which level will you pull? If you pull the left lever, turn to 281. If you pull the right lever, turn to 393.

80

You draw your weapon to face the spectre. The spectre is fast and hits you with its cold ghostly hands. You feel your life drain away. However, your weapon passes straight throught it. Thinking quickly, you pull the vial of holy water from your pocket, uncork it and pour the water over the spectre. Delete the holy water from your adventure sheet. However, you still have the empty vial. As you do this, the spectre strikes you again. However, when the drops fall on the spectre, it screams in agony and flees back through the wall. You feel cold and tired. Lose 4 stamina points and 1 skill point. Turn to 37.

81

Norag runs away. ‘Get down the tunnel!’ Shouts the dwarf with the eypatch. ‘OK, Grumbush!’ says Norag. Grumbush draws an axe and charges at you, intent of holding you off. Fight until you reduce Grumbush’s stamina to 6 or less.

GRUMBUSH SKILL 7 STAMINA 7

When you reduce Grumbush’s stamina to 6 or less, turn to 352.

82

As you pull an axe handle out of the pile, you dislodge a sword blade which falls on your arm. Lose 2 stamina points. If you continue to search through the pile, turn to 166. If you leave, turn to 292.

83

The corridor comes to a dead end. You search the dead end until you find a loose floor tile. You stand on it and a door swings open in the north wall. As you walk through it, it swings shut. You may head north (turn to 183?) or head east (turn to 219?)

84

The table contains all kinds of ingredients, apparatus and glassware. On particular piece of apparatus consists of a box with a funnel on the top and a tap on the side with a flagon underneath it. You assume that you add ingredients to the device to create magical potions. If you try this, turn to 100. If you leave the lab alone, turn to 113.

85

You spend the next two days travelling along the Pagan plains, resting in trees and eating fruit and rabbits you catch. You don’t meet another soul on the journey. Eventually, you arrive at the town of Ruddlestone and head for the Drunken Pagan inn for a comfortable night’s sleep. Turn to 220.

86

Having slain the ogre, you rest for a bit. You may eat a meal here. You search through the piles of furs and debris on the floor and find 30 gold pieces. Add 30 gold pieces to your adventure sheet. You leave the room through the west door. Turn to 366.

87

Having slain the chest’s guardian, you inspect the chest’s contents. Apart from the bones of previous meals, you also find a pouch containing 25 gold pieces and a silver key. Add 25 gold pieces and the silver key to your adventure sheet. If you come to a paragraph that begins ‘You are standing in front of a sturdy wooden door...’, add 50 to the number on that paragraph and turn to that number to use the key. After you rest for a while (you may eat a meal), you open the east door. Turn to 160.

88

Soon, you come to a wooden door in the west wall. There are no sounds coming from within the room on the other side. If you open the door, turn to 316. If you continue north up the corridor, turn to 152.

89

The sage tells you that this scroll will magically translate magical script, the language of wizards. He offers to buy it from you for 15 gold pieces. If you sell it to him, cross the scroll off your equipment list and add 15 gold to your adventure sheet. Turn to 387.

90

You walk north along the damp rough walled corridor until you come to a T junction. If you head west, turn to 328. If you go east, turn to 23.

91

One of the gorgon’s flailing blows strikes your mirror! It flies out of your hand and smashes on the ground. Turn to 42.

92

You put the coins on the plate and then snatch the pouch. There is a click and you are struck by an arrow. Lose 2 stamina points. You look inside the pouch and find that there is a small blue gem in there. Add the blue gem to your adventure sheet. You rest here for a bit. You may eat a meal here. Eventually, you leave the room. Turn to 192.

93

You have to fight the crystal warrior. If you have a mace, turn to 29. If you have a sword, turn to 112.

94

You draw your weapon and face the damaged colossus. Its giant bronze fists are very powerful. When you are hit by the colossus, lose 3 stamina points instead of 2



95

You manage to get Ignus into a headlock. ‘Well done!’ says Durfak. Here are your prizes. He hands you an iron cube and a small pebble inscribed with Dwarvish runes. ‘The cube is enchanted. When you throw it a magic user, you will destroy their defenses. The stone is a stone of luck. You may use it once to call upon Throff’s favour.’ Add the magic cube and stone of luck to your adventure sheet. You may use the stone of luck whenever you test your luck. If you do, you will be automaticall lucky and you will not have to deduct a luck point. Then delete it from your equipment list. You leave the room. turn to 44.

96

You examine the inscriptions on the walls, poke the bricks and look for anything that would be unusual. In the north west corner of the room, you notice something strange about a picture of the Sun. You notice that in the centre of the Sun is a small hole, big enough for an arrow. It seems that if you open the north door, something would shoot out of the hole and hit you. You lie on the floor by the north door and kick it open. You hear a ping and a dart strikes the east wall. Feeling smug, you leave the room safely. Turn to 381.

97

The font contains a colourless liquid. If you drink it, turn to 198. If you test it with your finger, turn to 243. If you leave the font alone, turn to 297.

98

After only a few metres, the rough walls of the cave gradually become smoother and more artificial. The corridor bends north where you can make out a wooden door at the end of it. Sword in hand, you open it, prepared to face the dangers of the dungeon. Turn to 147.

99

You are standing in front of a sturdy wooden door. You try it, but it is locked. You don’t fancy your chances at breaking it down, so you try another door. If you try the second eastern door, turn to 182. If you try the western door, turn to 11. If you try the north door, turn to 262.

100

There are three ingredients in the bottles; firefox eye, 1000 fathom water and powdered diamond. If you add the firefox eye to the device first, turn to 315. If you add the 1000 fathom water, turn to 232. If you add the powdered diamond, turn to 283.

101

The thief turns around and runs out of the back door into the alleyway. You can just make out his dark form jump over the gate into the public gardens. You are not far behind. You leap over the gates after him.. You are standing on the garden’s gravelly path. In front of you is a hedge. You can no longer make out the thief in the dark. If you follow the path left, turn to 200. If you follow it right, turn to 67.

102

‘Excellent, excellent!’ The dwarf is getting excited. ‘You will wager 10 gold pieces. I will not wager gold, but instead I have a magical item I found in these caves. It will be a lot more valuable to you than gold.’ Do you have 10 gold pieces either in money or other valuable items? If you do, turn to 295. If not, you may decline and leave (turn to 320) or attack him (turn to 21)

103

The gorgon falls to the floor, dead. You still don’t look at her face as you dash to the north door. Turn to 259.

104

The dwarf eagerly picks up every item and inspects it with his monocle. The dwarf will buy the following items from you:

Ancient helm 15 gold pieces Ancient mace 50 gold pieces

Blue gem 20 gold pieces Silver key 25 gold pieces

The dwarf is especially excited about the silver key as he recognizes that it provides access to a library next door. Once you have finished dealing with the dwarf, he looks for items he can identify. Turn to 387.

105

Exploring the ruins of the tower, you find a trapdoor. Opening it, you find it leads to a cellar. It is quite damp, but uninhabited. You may eat a meal here. You close the trapdoor and spend the night safely hidden from the dangers of the Pagan Plains. Turn to 188.

106

You begin the laborious task of opening all the cages. As you open a cage, its inhabitants fly out and head towards the south door. After an hour, there is not a single bird in the room, and you feel a lot better for your good deed. Gain 1 luck point. You leave the room. Turn to 6.

107

If you have a vial of holy water and a lump of quartz, turn to 72. If not, turn to 331.

108

You poke around the lab, looking for any gems or gold pieces. You notice an alchemal bench with many jars and vials containing glowing liquids. You find, in another corner of the cavern a large pit filled with body parts, all neatly arranged in piles. You turn away in disgust and then notice a large coffer against the north wall. You run over to it and open it eagerly. Insside the coffer is full of gold pieces. with gems and jewelry scattered on top of the pile. Greedily, you try to take some, but a force field prevents your hand from touching the treasure. You curse. You need the treasure. It will make everything right. Nothing else is important now. A little voice in your head tells you to stop thinking about it, but you are captivated by the horde. Test your skill. If you are successful, you manage to resist its lure and concentrate on getting out of here. Turn to 31. If you fail, you are obsessed with getting the gold and jewels at all costs. Turn to 379.

109

You bolt out of the room and lock the door behind you. The ghost does not follow. Turn to 142.

110


111

‘So what are you doing here gorgeous?’ asks the dwarf as you sit down. She puts her arm around you. You tell her that you are looking for treasure. ‘Oh an adventurer! I bet you see a lot of pretty maidens, but I bet I’m the prettiest one you’ve seen.’ If you say that she is, turn to 307. If you say that she isn’t, turn to 282.

112

You curse. Your sword will not be very effective against the crystal warror. It is weak, so you can harm it with your blade. However, the crystal warrior is still hard to damage. Reduce your attack strength by 2 in this combat because your weapon is less effective.


If you win, you realise that your sword has become notched and blunted from striking the crystal. Unless you have a whetstone to sharpen your blade, you must reduce your attack strength by 1 when you use this weapon in combat. If your weapon is already blunted, you do not reduce your attack strength again. Tturn to 41.

113

As you walk north along the corridor, you notice that the walls become rougher. It seems like, you are approaching a natural cave. You start to see a light up ahead and hear angry, shouting voices. You enter a large cavern, just in time to be blown of your feet. Lose 3 stamina points. You manage to pick yourself up and finally look at your surroundings. There are three dwarves in armor, shouting at each other. ‘I told you to use HALF the firepowder!’ Shouts the oldest dwarf with an eye patch. ‘Sorry boss.’ says the largest one. He seems a bit slow. ‘Hey boys, we have an intruder!’ the third dwarf, wearing a silk cap points at you. ‘Get ‘im, Thurg!’ Thurg, the largest dwarf, picks up a pickaxe and lumbers towards you. Fight until you reduce his stamina to 6 or less.

THURG SKILL 5 STAMINA 12

When you reduce Thurg’s stamina to 6 or less, turn to 284.

114

The door is unlocked. This room seems to be an office. There is a chair and desk in the room. There is also a painting of an old man on the north wall. There is no other exit. If you look in the desk, turn to 359. If you look at the painting, turn to 81. If you leave the room and head through the north door of the training room, turn to 162.

115

The next day, you wake up and make your way east. According to the map, you should be near Stonebridge now. Sure enough, you reach the gates of the town as the sun is high in the sky. Two dwarf guards who have beards that seem longer than they are tall let you into the town. You head for the Fangthane inn. Turn to 36.

116

It is late afternoon when you hear a rustling and a growling coming from a tuft of long grass. You stop walking and draw your sword. As soon as you do, a WILD DOG jumps out of the grass and goes for your throat.

WILD DOG SKILL 4 STAMINA 4 If you win, turn to 85.

117

You open the door and find yourself in a storeroom. There are shelves on the north and south walls with several items on them. There are kegs near the door which smell like a mixture of vinegar and mould. They must contain orc ale. There is also a door in the west room. If you search the room, turn to 65. If you open the west door, turn to 252. If you leave the room, turn to 79.

118

The machine whirls and clicks. If you add the 1000 fathom water to the device, turn to 193. If you add the powdered diamond, turn to 306.

119

You begin the laborious task of opening all the cages. As you open a cage, its inhabitants fly out and head towards the south door. After an hour, there is not a single bird in the room, and you feel a lot better for your good deed. Gain 1 luck point. If you now search the room, turn to 365. If you leave, turn to 6.

120


121

Your blunt weapon is able to damage the already badly damaged crystal warrior.



122

You manage to jump backwards and avoid the beast’s claws. The chest trap beast jumps out of the box and charges at you, growling.

CHEST TRAP BEAST SKILL 5 STAMINA 6


123

You walk north up the corridor until you come to a wooden door in the east wall. You listen at the door, but you can’t hear anything. If you open the door, turn to 335. If you continue north, turn to 292.

124

The door is unlocked. This room appears to be an office. There is a chair and desk in the room. There is also a painting of an old man on the north wall. There is no other exit. If you look in the desk, turn to 229. If you look at the painting, turn to 233. If you return to the training room, turn to 294.

125

As you put the coin in the slot, you hear a rolling sound and then a click. A silver key drops out of the hole. You pick it up and put it in your backpack. Add the silver key to your equipment list. If you come to a paragraph that begins ‘You are standing in front of a sturdy wooden door...’, add 50 to the number on that paragraph and turn to that number to use the key. You leave the room. Turn to 270.

126

The golem is very old and well worn. However, your sword is not as effective against it that a blunt weapon would be. Reduce your attack strength by 2 for this combat.

ANCIENT STONE GOLEM SKILL 5 STAMINA 10

If you win, you realise that your sword has become notched and blunted from striking the hard stone. Unless you have a whetstone to sharpen your blade, you must reduce your attack strength by 1 when you use this weapon in combat. Turn to 140.

127

If you try the first eastern door, turn to 99. If you try the western door, turn to 11. If you try the north door, turn to 262.

128

The room you are in has a stone sarcophagus standing up against the west wall. The walls are covered in many paintings and pictures showing scenes of battle and chaos. There is also a stone door in the north wall. Will you open the sarcophagus (turn to 3?), search the room (turn to 267?) or leave through the north door (turn to 378?)

129

You head north down the corridor. You come to an iron bound wooden door in the west wall. You listen at it, but you hear nothing. If you open the door, turn to 25. If you carry on down the corridor, turn to 280.

130

There is a pit at the end of the corridor. There is a 5 metre drop. At the bottom of the pit, you can make out the shape of a body in a black cloak. It’s the thief from Blacksand! He seems to have been killed by falling in the pit. You need to get down there to get the orb, but how? If you use a rope, turn to 255. If not, you have to jump in the pit. Turn to 385.

131

You don’t find anything at all, so you leave the room by the north door. Turn to 123.

132

This spell is the bane of all finely constructed artifacts, originally created by an orc shaman. When you cast this spell on a complicated mechanism such as a trap or a golem, the spell crushes it and destroys it. Since you are not trained in the magical arts, using this spell will cause you pain. You will lose 2 stamina points every time you cast this spell. Having performed its function, your scroll crumbles to dust. Cross the scroll off your adventure sheet. You leave. Turn to 34.

133

You fingers touch something sharp. Gingerly, you try to make out the shape of the object. You realise that it is a mantrap. Glad that you didn’t set it off, you head for the north door. Turn to 395.

134

You push open the metal door and walk into a room that appears to be an alchemist’s lab. However, you don’t have much time to take in the details, however, as a FIRE IMP flies in your face clawing at you and breathing fire.

FIRE IMP SKILL 9 STAMINA 4

If you defeat it, turn to 300.

135

For a moment, you feel the rush of air as you start to fall and then it stops. You are floating. A few seconds later, you land gently on the floor. Looking inside your backpack, you notice that the large feather has fallen to pieces, its magic finally spent. Cross the large feather off your adventure sheet. You investigate the thief’s body. Turn to 291.

136

Your light cannot pierce this darkness. If you open the chest and feel around, turn to 39. If you try to leave, turn to 199.

137

You manage to get Ignus into a headlock and the match is over. ‘Well done!’ congratulates Durfak. ‘Here, take this iron cube. If you throw it at a magic-user, it will destroy their defenses.’ Add the magic cube to your adventure sheet. The dwarves get back to their wrestling while you leave the room and head east. Turn to 44.

138

Durfak is impressed by your stature. ‘Better give you Ujbat, ‘ere.’ A stocky dwarf steps forward. You must wrestle with Ujbat. Fight this combat using your stamina instead of skill. Neither of you lose stamina is this combat. The winner is the first person to win two consecutive combat rounds.

UJBAT STAMINA 14


139

You take the sunrod out of your pack and strike the gold tip against the wall. Immediately, it starts to let off a bright light. Cross the sunrod off your equipment list. Turn to 130.

140

With your last blow, the golem falls to pieces. The corridor the golem was guarding comes to a dead end. You search the area and find a button on the wall. When you push it, a secret door opens. Turn to 208.

141

You place the coins on the plate, then snatch the pouch. Nothing happens. gain 1 luck point. You look inside the pouch and find that there is a blue gem. Add the blue gem to your adventure sheet. You rest here for a bit. You may eat a meal here. Will you now search the room if you haven’t already done so (turn to 224?) or leave (turn to 210?)

142

If you try the second eastern door, turn to 182. If you try the western door, turn to 11. If you try the north door, turn to 262.

143

Once again, you and Ujbat face each other. Neither of you lose stamina is this combat. The winner is the first person to win two consecutive combat rounds.

UJBAT STAMINA 14 If you win, turn to 242. If you lose, turn to 154.

144

You manage to get Bohak into a groundlock. ‘Well done!’ says Durfak. Here are your prizes. He hands you an iron cube and a small pebble inscribed with Dwarvish runes. ‘The cube is enchanted. When you throw it a magic user, you will destroy their defenses. The stone is a stone of luck. You may use it once to call upon Throff’s favour.’ Add the magic cube and stone of luck to your adventure sheet. You may use the stone of luck whenever you test your luck. If you do, you will be automaticall lucky and you will not have to deduct a luck point. Then delete it from your equipment list. You leave the room. turn to 44.

145

You go to the bar, get a flagon of skullbuster and head back to your table. The dwarves, without their ale are going from happy to grumpy now. One dwarf suddenly gets into a rage, stands up and flings the table over. In no time at all, you are in the middle of a huge dwarfish melee. A drunk dwarf comes charging at you. Fight the dwarf for 2 combat rounds. Since you are both completely inebriated, neither of you have any skill penalty.

DRUNK DWARF SKILL 8 STAMINA 14

After two rounds of combat, turn to 389.

146

‘Well played!’ says the dwarf. He hands you a small iron cube etched with runes. ‘This cube, when thrown at a magic user, will dispel all of his or her magical defenses. I’m sure one such as you will find it useful.’ Add the magic cube to your equipment list. He also gives you a small pebble covered in Dwarvish runes ‘This is a stone of Dwarvish rage’ explains Tojo ‘You may use it once to increase your prowess in battle. However, you will be so enraged and focused on your enemy, you will not be able to flee. These stones have saved me more than once.’. Add the Stone of Dwarvish Rage to your equipment list. You may use it once before a combat. If you do, increase your attack strength by 1 for that combat. You will not be able to use the escape option if you do. After the combat, delete it from your equipment list. ‘I’m heading back to Stonebridge now! Well met!’ You both head out of the room. When you come to the junction, the dwarf turns west while you head north. Turn to 320.

147

A cacophony of chirping and squealing hits you as you enter the room. The room is full of caged birds. There are dozens of cages on the floor, on tables, on crates and hanging from the ceiling. Each cage contains a different bird and is labeled with places from all over the world from Analand to the Isles of the Dawn. The mad wizard must be a collector. As well as the birds, there are doors in the north wall and the west wall of the room. If you free the birds, turn to 119. If you search the room, turn to 234. If you want to leave the room and its feathered inhabitants, turn to 6.

148

The dwarf panics, picks up a mirror and smashes it on the ground. Black smoke starts to float up from the shards which coalesce into a large black HELLHOUND. Breathing fire, it leaps towards you. At the beginning of each combat round, lose 1 stamina point from the burning of the hellhound’s breath.

HELLHOUND SKILL 7 STAMINA 6


149

You take out the silver key and slip it in the lock. It turns and opens the door. You put the key back into your pack and walk through the door. You step into what is a great library. There are bookshelves stretching out for many metres. If you search the room, turn to 383. If you leave the room, turn to 142.

150

You are in a room where rubble covers the floor. There is also a cracked and damaged statue standing in the middle of the room and a door in the north wall. You focus on the statue. This situation screams to you that the statue is a golem. However, it doesn’t move. Will you investigate the statue (turn to 71) or leave through the north door (turn to 191)

151

The corridor ends with a wooden door. On the other side, you hear some chanting. The chanting stops and then you hear a curse. You open the door. Turn to 317.

152

You walk up the corridor which turns in a northwest direction. Eventually, you come to a huge hall. Turn to 183.

153

You pick up the large feather and put it in your backpack. Add the large feather to your equipment list. As you do, you hear a loud angry squawk. Two NIGHTHAWKS who were perching near the ceiling swoop down and start to peck at you. You must fight them together.

FIRST NIGHTHAWK SKILL 4 STAMINA 5 SECOND NIGHTHAWK SKILL 4 STAMINA 5


154

Ignus gets you in a headlock again. ‘Well, young ‘un, looks like you need to beef up! If you’re in Stonebridge anytime, come and see me and I’ll give you some tips.’ You hand over your money. Deduct 20 gold pieces from your adventure sheet. You leave the room and head north. Turn to 44.

155

You walk east for another two days without any hostile encounters. On the second day, you trap a boar and roast it over a large fire. You eat heartily that night. Gain 4 stamina points. The next day is also quiet. By sunset, you come to the ruins of a tower. If you stay at the tower for the night, turn to 105 If you decide to carry on and find a more suitable place to sleep, turn to 303

156

The painting is of an old man in red robes summoning a spirit in some kind of ritual. Underneath the painting , there is an inscription: Dalros, master illusionist. This is the wizard who must be after the orb. You are half expecting the painting to come to life, but it does nothing. You also take it down in the hope of finding a safe behind it, but there is nothing but blank rock. You leave the office and head north. Turn to 162.

157

Wary of traps, you scrutinise the pouch and the floor around it before you touch it. Sure enough, you notice that the tile that it is on is slightly raised. You may snatch the pouch (turn to 70), take it, but replace it with 5 gold pieces (turn to 265), 10 gold pieces (turn to 141) or 15 gold pieces (turn to 310)

158

You take the vials out of your backpack. If you use 1 vial, turn to 73. If you use 2 vials, turn to 159. If you use 3 vials, turn to 263.

159

Cross the holy water and the 2 vials off your equipment list. You throw the vials against the first and second zombies. The vials smash and the holy water splashes all over them. It starts to dissolve their flesh. They claw at their bodies, but it only dissolves their hands as well. Soon, there is nothing left of the zombies but smoking piles of flesh. You face the last zombie.

ZOMBIE SKILL 6 STAMINA 6


160

You hear heavy grunting noises as you open the door. The room you see is a torture chamber. Skeletons hang from manacles on the east wall. There is a rack in the centre of the room and there is an iron maiden in the south wall. Two ORCS are trying to move the iron maiden towards the south west corner. As you open the door, they look in your direction, stop their furniture rearrangement and attack you. You fight them one at a time.

FIRST ORC SKILL 6 STAMINA 5 SECOND ORC SKILL 6 STAMINA 5


161

There is a crunching sound and a white liquid flows out of the tap into the flagon. You swallow it. It tastes salty, but you force it down anyway. Almost immediately, you feel a warm glow and a rush of energy. Gain 6 stamina points and 1 luck point. Feeling happy, you leave the device alone. Turn to 268.

162

You follow the corridor north which turns east. Eventually, you come to a large door, where you can hear some almighty snoring. Turn to 339.

163

The weather is fine today. In a better mood than you have been in for a long time, you walk east and make good time. However, the Pagan plains is a dangerous place and you are vigilant for ambushes and attacks. Roll 1 die If you roll a 1, turn to 116. If you roll a 2, turn to 204. If you roll a 3, turn to 77. If you roll a 4, turn to 321. If you roll a 5, turn to 241. If you roll a 6, turn to 246

164

Once again, you and Ignus square off. Neither of you lose stamina is this combat. The winner is the first person to win two consecutive combat rounds.

IGNUS STAMINA 11 If you win, turn to 95. If you lose, turn to 326.

165

The smell of decaying meat hits you as you enter the room. This seems to be a prison or torture chamber as the walls of the room are lined with skeletons and rotting corpses. At first inspection, there doesn’t seem to be any other exit from the room apart from the door you entered. However upon closer inspection, however, you find that there is a door in the north wall which was partially obscured by a recently fresh body. You gingerly push it over with the point of your sword, always aware that magic and dead bodies normally leads to animated skeletons and zombies. Will you quickly leave the room (turn to 129?) Or will you cautiously search the room (turn to 8?)

166

You find a short silver rod with a gold tip. You have no idea what it does, but it looks valuable, so you put it in your pack. Add the silver rod to your equipment list. If you search through the pile for anything else, turn to 12. If you leave the room. Turn to 292.

167

You open the door slightly, so you won’t trigger the trap and then squeeze through. Turn to 183.

168

The room you are in is bare apart from a chest against the west wall and a wooden door in the north wall. If you open the chest, turn to 56. If you leave, turn to 197.

169

The dwarves cheer at the prospect of a bit of competition. You and Thraccus are sat at opposite ends of a table with several flagons of skullbuster on it. The crowd gathers round in eager anticipation. ‘’Ere’s the rules!’ states the landlord, wiping the ale off his tunic with his beard. ‘You each take turns to down a flagon until one of you barfs. Then you get into sudden death. That doesn’t mean we kill yaw!’ The crowd roars with laughter. ‘Sudden death means that in order to win, you need to down a flagon of ale without puking when your opponent has. In order to be a clear winner, you have to do this twice in a row. And in order to make it fair, mister Jarrol needs to catch up with our friend here!’ You laugh hysterically as two dwarves pin ‘Thraccus’, now known as Jarrol to his chair while another one forces skullbuster down his throat. Then the competition begins. You take turns at downing flagons of the strong Dwarfish ale. After half and hour and fifteen flagons later, the room is spinning and you can’t sit up straight. Thraccus downs his flagon, but then he throws it up all over the carpet. The crowd cheers. You are now into sudden death. Fight this out as a normal combat, but you do not wound each other (i.e. neither of you will lose stamina points). Instead, the winner is the person who wins two consecutive combat rounds, indicating that they have downed two flagons without throwing up while the other person has puked all over the place. Finally, if your current stamina is 17 or more, you may add 1 to your attack strength. If it is 21 or more, you may add 2 to your attack strength. Your larger body can cope with more alcohol.

THRACCUS SKILL 8

If you are the first one to win two consecutive attack rounds, turn to 273. If Thraccus is the first one to win two consecutive attack rounds, turn to 228.

170

You draw your sword and parry the mummy’s first blow. It is quite slow but relentless. This is a fight to the finish.

MUMMY SKILL 8 STAMINA 8

If you win, you set the mummy’s body alight to prevent it coming back to unlife. Turn to 253 .

171

You turn around to see the glass statue move. It appears that instead of being the glassblower’s masterpiece, it actually is the glass blower. Without saying a word it charges at you to pummel you with its glass fists. The GLASS STATUE is strong, but fragile.

GLASS STATUE SKILL 8 STAMINA 3

If you run, the glass statue will not pursue you. If you escape, turn to 279. If you win, turn to 24.

172

There is a bong as you add the powder to the machine. If you add the firefox eye, turn to 306. If you add the 1000 fathom water, turn to 161.

173

The font contains a colourless liquid. If you drink it, turn to 40. If you test it with your finger, turn to 59. If you leave the font alone, turn to 47.

174

‘You look terrible. Having a hard time in the dungeon, eh?’ says Durfak. ‘You can fight Bohak, here. Fight the combat normal, but use stamina instead of skill. Neither of you lose stamina is this combat. The winner is the first person to win two consecutive combat rounds.

BOHAK STAMINA 8


175

You look up and to your dismay, you see Thraccus with a huge grin on his face. He is standing in the corridor you have just come down from. In one hand, he is holding the silver orb you need. ‘Well, chump, looks like you lose again. Enjoy the dungeon. I hear Azamoth, the wizard enjoys company!’ and with that, he turns around and ambles down the corridor, laughing. Turn to 60.

176

You wipe the blood from your sword, perch on the rack and have a rest. You may eat a meal here. If you inspect the implements of torture, turn to 56. There is a door in the north wall. If you leave, turn to 59.

177

You look all over the place for hidden doors, traps and treasure but find nothing. You leave the shrine. Turn to 152.

178

You place the coins on the plate, then snatch the pouch. Nothing happens. gain 1 luck point. You look inside the pouch and find that there is a blue gem inside. Add the blue gem to your adventure sheet. You rest here for a bit. You may eat a meal here. Eventually, you leave the room. Turn to 192.

179

Will you now try the first east door (turn to 99?), the second east door (turn to 182?) or the north door (turn to 262?)

180

You open the door slightly, so you won’t trigger the trap and then squeeze through. Turn to 308.

181

The journey is uneventful and you get to Stonebridge in good time. You walk through the streets and eventually come to the town square, where quite a crowd of Dwarves are gathered. They are shouting and arguing with each other loudly. One of them looks at you, then tugs another dwarf’s sleeve. He turns around and looks at you. ‘Here he is!’ He shouts. The entire crowd stops its debate and turns to face you. You start to feel very uncomfortable. Then you hear the voice of an old man. ‘Yes, yes. Come on then, let me through! Oh, in the name of Hamaskis, let’s see the one whose been disturbing my peaceful life this time!’ An old man in white robes forces his way through the crowd. When he gets closer, you notice that it is Yaztromo, the wizrd. ‘You’ve been causing a hell of a disturbance, young adventurer! You probably didn’t know that. You young ones never do. All you care about is charging about and slaying monnsters. Humph! I think we need a long chat!’ You wonder what all the fuss is about, and then a large shadow passes over the square. As one, you all look up and see five Wyverns circling around the square, each one been ridden by a black cloaked figure. And they are all looking at you. To be continued...

182

You open the door to find a cluttered office. The floor is littered with piles of books, scrolls and strange contraptions. At the end of the room, there is an old dwarf wearing red robes and a monocle inspecting a crystal ball. Will you talk to the dwarf (turn to 344?), attack the dwarf (turn to 148?) or leave the room (turn to 382?)

183

You are in a huge hall with many pillars supporting the ceiling going far above you. On the pillars are pictures depicting mages battling demons. Fire is raining from the sky and large fissures are swallowing whole armies. You look at these wondrous scenes. You may eat a meal here. You think about leaving. There are four doors here. In the north wall, there is a large set of double doors. The west wall has one door which you can hear the sound of water. There are two wooden doors in the east wall. Which door will you try? The west door (turn to 11?) The first east door (turn to 99?) The second east door (turn to 182?) The double north doors (turn to 262?)

184

The corridor turns northwest and eventually ends in a metal door with a suit of plate armor standing by it. As you touch the door, the armor springs to life, swinging a Morningstar as it advances towards you. It is an ANIMATED ARMOUR. If you know the smash spell and wish to use it, turn to 43. Otherwise, turn to 369.

185

Your eyes meet and the inn is silent. The dwarves can all sense the intense rivalry between you. ‘We meet again, thief.’ says Thraccus. ‘What? You stole from me, you cur!’ you scream. You go to draw your sword, but two dwarfs hold your arms. ‘That’s not ‘ow us dwarves settle things ‘ere.’ Says the landlord. ‘If you two ‘ave a grievance, you can settle it the Fangthane inn way – with a drinking contest!’ If you agree to this, turn to 169. If you refuse, turn to 38.

186

Thinking quickly, you take the lump of quartz out of your backpack and offer it to the crystal warrior. Eagerly, it snatches the quartz with its left hand and tries to affix the quartz to its right arm. Taking advantage of this, you run for the north door. Turn to 394.

187

Durfak asks for you to wager 10 gold pieces. In return, he will wager a magical item. If you have 10 gold pieces to wager, turn to 74. If not, you must decline and leave 44.

188

The next day, you wake up and make your way east. According to the map, you should be near Stonebridge now. Sure enough, you reach the gates of the town as the sun is high in the sky. Two dwarf guards who have beards that seem longer than they are tall let you into the town. You head for the Fangthane inn. Turn to 115.

189

The chest is unlocked. The reason that the room its in is unguarded is because the guard lives in the chest. As you lift the lid, a CHEST TRAP BEAST slashes at you with its claws. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 122. If you are unlucky, turn to 222.

190

You sneak towards the pile of coins. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 340. If you are unlucky ,turn to 223.

191

As you touch the north door, a large stone hand crashes through the wood and connects with your face. You are sent flying. Lose 2 stamina points. A STONE GOLEM beats the door to dust and advances towards you. You must fight it! If you are using a mace, turn to 7. If you are using a sword, turn to 126.

192

As you open the door, you hear a click and an arrow hits you. Lose 2 stamina points. You leave the room. Turn to 227.

193

There is a churning sound and a green liquid oozes out of the tap into the flagon. You swallow it. It tastes salty and oily, but you force it down. You wait for a few minutes, but there is no effect. A bit disappointed, you leave the device. Turn to 268.

194

You will have to fight the crystal warrior with your sword. It is weak, so you can harm it with your blade. However, the crystal warrior is still hard to damage. Reduce your attack strength by 2 in this combat.


If you win, you realise that your sword has become notched and blunted from striking the crystal. Unless you have a whetstone to sharpen your blade, you must reduce your attack strength by 1 when you use this weapon in combat. If your weapon is already blunted, you do not reduce your attack strength again. Tturn to 41.

195

The zombies are closing in on you. If you have any vials of holy water, turn to 158. If not, turn to 391.

196

You draw your weapon and strike at the spectre. However, to your dismay it passes straight through it. You try to run, but the spectre pursues you relentlessly. The spectre strikes you with its incorporeal fists, laughing manically, as its blows drain your life away. Your adventure ends here.

197

You are now out of the room and are in a corridor heading north. Eventually, you come to a wooden door where you can hear the sound of snakes coming from the room. You draw your sword and open the door. Turn to 63.

198

You gulp down a mouthful of liquid and nothing happens. At first you think it’s water, but then a pain builds up in your chest and travels down to your stomach. What you drank was acid! You quickly get your water skin and gulp down your water, but some damage has been done. Lose 3 stamina points. There is still some acid left. If you have any vials, you may fill them up with acid. Mark on your adventure sheet that your vials contain acid. You leave the font. Turn to 297.

199

A bolt of lightning shoots from the wizard’s hand and strikes you in the chest, flinging you against the stone wall. Lose 6 stamina points. You hear the wizard laughing, cruelly. Turn to 309.

200

As you go down the path, you start to hear a rustling sound. You head in the direction of the noise which brings you to the centre of the gardens. Certain you know where the sound is now, you leap on the bush in triumph, only to have the bush throw you back! The sound was caused by one of Lord Azzur’s LEAF BEASTS, animated plants who guard his most prized flowers and keep the beggar population down. You’ve just made this one angry.

LEAF BEAST SKILL 6 STAMINA 3

If you win, go to 347. 201

You come to a wooden door. Will you open it (turn to 66) or turn around and go north (turn to 320)

202

You fight the spectre. If you have a vial of holy water, turn to 80. If not, turn to 196.

203

The colossus’s giant bronze fist smashes into you and you are sent flying against the wall. Lose 3 stamina points. The colossus is damaged, but it isn’t finished yet. If you have any vials of acid, turn to 318. If not, turn to 94.

204

You are walking through some long grass when you hear a high pitched scream. A goblin runs out of a nearby copse at you, waving a dagger. You draw your sword and fight.

GOBLIN SKILL 5 STAMINA 5


205

This corridor seems to be completely artificial. After a few metres, you come to a wooden door in the south wall. You listen at it and hear high pitched excited voices. If you open it, turn to 247. If you carry on down the corridor, turn to 5.

206

The vials smash against the colossus’s chest and head and bubbles against the metal. Holes open up in the monster’s chest and the acid dissolves the statue’s mechanisms. The colossus stops and then jerks back to life. Delete the acid and the 2 vials from your equipment list. The colossus is still working, though and it is very powerful. When you are hit by the colossus, lose 3 stamina points instead of 2.



207

You follow a twisty corridor for about half an hour until you come to a cave with two exits. Above the west exit, you notice that magical script is written above the door. The east exit smells very strongly of orc. If you go west, turn to 216. If you go east, turn to 46.

208

You may either head east (turn to 388.) Or north (turn to 183)

209

The vial smashes against the colossus’s chest and bubbles against the metal. Holes open up in the monster’s chest and the acid dissolves the statue’s mechanisms. The colossus stops and then jerks back to life. Delete the acid and 1 vial from your equipment list. It is still going, though and it is very powerful. When you are hit by the colossus, lose 3 stamina points instead of 2.



210

As you open the door, you hear a click and an arrow hits you. Lose 2 stamina points. You leave the room. Turn to 308.

211

In the morning, you take breakfast and prepare to head to the Moonstone Hills where the dungeon is located. Gain 4 stamina points. As you leave Stonebridge, you may purchase provisions for 1 gold piece per meal. You can carry a maximum of 4 meals. You leave the east gate and start climbing a small hill. Turn to 357.

212

You climb up the tree and settle down for the night. You may eat a meal here. You spend the night sleeping soundly. Turn to 188.

213

There are many weird and wonderful items in this dungeon.’ explains the dwarf. ‘Selling them subsidises my gambling hall business. How’s about that game?’ Will you accept (turn to 102), decline and leave (turn to 320) or attack him (turn to 21)

214

If you have a mirror, turn to 64. If not, turn to 330.

215

You notice that there are several small holes in the north wall. It seems that there are arrow traps for the east door and the pouch too. You are forewarned. When you leave this room by the west door, subtract 25 from the paragraph you are on and turn to that new paragraph. Will you now investigate the pouch (turn to 341) or leave (turn to 192)

216

After walking west for a few minutes, the corridor opens up into a cavern. There is another exit to the west, but guarding it is a giant bronze creature, standing three metres tall. This is a COLOSSUS and it strides towards you as soon as you enter. If you know the smash spell and wish to use it, turn to 54. If not, turn to 256.

217

You feel the rush of air against your face. For a moment, you feel exhilarated. And then the stone floor hits you like a huge hammer. Lose 4 stamina points. You pick yourself up and investigate the thief’s body. Turn to 291.

218

The ghost seems to be talking to you, but you can’t hear a word it is saying. It then points to a shelf nearby and vanishes. You search the area the ghost pointed at and eventually find a scroll, written in your language. You don’t understand any of the words, though. Add the scroll to your equipment list. Turn to 142.

219

The corridor ends in an iron door. As you open it, you hear a whiz and then a ping. When you enter the room, you notice that an arrow had hit the iron door. The trap was designed to stop people leaving, but not entering. The room is bare apart from a pouch in the centre of the room. There is also another metal door in the west wall. Will you search the room (turn to 224?), investigate the pouch (turn to 157) or leave through the west door (turn to 210).

220

The next morning, you feed on eggs and bread for breakfast and wash it down with some ale. Gain 4 stamina points. You pay for the night and food with some copper coins and then head out to the centre of the town. It is market day today and peasants and merchants are haggling, trading and talking at stores selling all kinds of wares. Turn to 325.

221

There is a crunching sound and a white liquid flows out of the tap into the flagon. You swallow it. It tastes salty, but you force it down anyway. Almost immediately, you feel a warm glow and a rush of energy. Gain 6 stamina points and 1 luck point. Feeling happy, you leave the device alone. Turn to 113.

222

You try to jump back, but the chest trap beast’s claws cut into you, causing serious wounds. Lose 4 stamina points. Having had its taste of blood, the chest trap beast jumps out of the box intent on finishing you off.

CHEST TRAP BEAST SKILL 5 STAMINA 6


223

You keep an eye on the ogre as you sneak across the room. Unfortunately, while you are watching him, you kick over a pile of plates. The smash pierces the snoring and you draw your sword as the ogre’s eyes flick open. You jump across the room in an attempt to slay it before it stands up. Your bring your sword down towards the ogre, aiming for its neck, but before you can behead it, it catches your blade in its hand. The ogre roars in pain as you manage to pull the sword out from its huge meaty fist. You have wounded the ogre, but it is far from finished.



224

You notice that there are several small holes in the north wall. It seems that there are arrow traps for the west door and the pouch too. You are forewarned. When you leave this room by the west door, subtract 30 from the paragraph you are on and turn to that new paragraph. Will you now investigate the pouch if you haven’t already done so (turn to 157?) or leave (turn to 210?)

225

‘Well played!’ says the dwarf. He hands you a small iron cube etched with runes. ‘This cube, when thrown at a magic user, will dispel all of his or her magical defenses. I’m sure one such as you will find it useful.’ Add the magic cube to your equipment list. ‘I’m heading back to Stonebridge now! Well met!’ You both head out of the room. When you come to the junction, the dwarf turns west while you head north. Turn to 320.

226

You shove the lid of the sarcophagus until it falls on the floor with a loud thud. Inside the sarcophagus, you see a mummified corpse holding an ancient mace. You reach into the sarcophagus to get the mace, but as you grasp it, you feel the mummy’s grip tighten around it. You jump back and draw your sword. Slowly, the mummy sits up in its sarcophagus, climbs out and advances towards you, raising the mace. You must fight. If you fight the mummy with your sword turn to 170. If you fight it with your torch, turn to 314.

227

The corridor you are in turns northwards. You follow it until you come to a huge hall. Turn to 183.

228

You can no longer hold it in. The contents of your stomach shoot out of your mouth in a fine jet which hits Thraccus in the face. The last thing you remember is the crowd cheering and slapping Thraccus on the back as you pass out on the table. Turn to 260.

229

You open the drawers and search through the papers. Inside the drawers, you find 25 gold pieces and a silver key. Add 25 gold pieces and the silver key to your adventure sheet. If you come to a paragraph that begins ‘You are standing in front of a sturdy wooden door...’, add 50 to the number on that paragraph and turn to that number to use the key. You stow the items in your backpack. If you inspect the painting, turn to 68. If you leave the office, turn to 294.

230

The smoke is thicker now and you are starting to choke. Lose 2 stamina points. Frantically, you run around the cavern, push every button and pull every lever you can find. Test your luck. If you are lucky, you pull a lever that works. Turn to 299. If you are unlucky, turn to 61..

231

You feel hairs bristle against your face and smell rotten meat as your lips touch with the ugly dwarf’s. She puts her arms around you and holds you near her. You manage to pull yourself away eventually. ‘Oh, how wonderful! Well, I suppose you must go, but take this gift to remember me by.’ She hands you an ornate silver hand mirror. Add the silver mirror to your equipment list. You leave the room, head a little way north and then wretch. You drink some water to get rid of the taste, but it has little effect. You head north, hoping to find something easier to face, such as a dragon. Turn to 83.

232

There is a swirling sound. If you add the firefox eye, turn to 50. If you add the powdered diamond, turn to 221.

233

The painting is of an old man in purple robes summoning a spirit in some kind of ritual. Underneath the painting , there is an inscription: Azamoth, master illusionist. This is the wizard who must be after the orb. You are half expecting the painting to come to life, but it does nothing. You also take it down in the hope of finding a safe behind it, but there is nothing but blank rock. If you search the desk, turn to 354. If you leave the office, turn to 294.

234

You look around the room, sifting through the feathers on the door and inspecting the contents of the crates. The crates are full of seeds and there is a small font in the corner containing some water. You also find a table with no cages on it. Instead, lying on it is a large feather about half a metre long. If you take the feather, turn to 153. If you free the birds, turn to 119. If you leave, turn to 6.

235

Having slain the zombies, you rest here. You may eat a meal here. You search the room, but find nothing. Eventually, you leave the room through the north door. Turn to 151.

236

With the wizard dead, you search his study. There are a number of letters from Azamoth giving instructions on how to make potions and do certain rituals. This wizard must have been his apprentice. You find a larder full of delicious food. You eat a meal here and stuff your backpack. Gain 4 stamina points and increase the number of provisions you have to 4. You also find the wizard’s spell book, but it is written in some strange script. If you have a scroll that deciphers magical script, turn to 356. If not, you leave. Turn to 34.

237

You go round the back of the statue and give it a hard shove. You push until it topples off the plinth, hits the ground and smashes into several pieces. Satisfied that this statue won’t be troubling you, you leave through the north door. Turn to 191.

238

This spell will be good when you are trying to detect and identify magical items. When you cast this spell on a particular area, any items that are enchanted will glow with an aura. The spell also describes the different colours that the auras could be and what that means. Since you are not trained in the magical arts, channeling the energies needed for magic will cause you pain. You lose 2 stamina points every time you use this spell. Having performed its function, the scroll crumbles to dust. Cross the scroll off your adventure sheet. You leave. Turn to 34.

239

You utter the words of the spell and point your index finger at the spectre. You feel a sharp pain as the energy flows through you. Lose 2 stamina points. A bolt of white light shoots from you hand and hits the spectre. It screams in agony and retreats back into the wall. Turn to 184.

240

You wake up in the corridor. You have a thumping headache. You sit up and notice that your trousers have been pulled down, but none of your possessions have been stolen. You don’t remember anything that happened, but it probably wasn’t good. Lose 1 luck point. You try the door again, but it is securely locked, so you pull up your trousers and head north. Turn to 83.

241

As you are sitting by a large tree, you hear a buzzing sound overhead. You jump up and draw your sword as a GIANT WASP flies down to attack you.

GIANT WASP SKILL 7 STAMINA 3


242

You manage to get Ujbat into a wristlock. ‘Well done!’ says Durfak. Here are your prizes. He hands you an iron cube and a small pebble inscribed with Dwarvish runes. ‘The cube is enchanted. When you throw it a magic user, you will destroy their defenses. The stone is a stone of luck. You may use it once to call upon Throff’s favour.’ Add the magic cube and stone of luck to your adventure sheet. You may use the stone of luck whenever you test your luck. If you do, you will be automaticall lucky and you will not have to deduct a luck point. Then delete it from your equipment list. You leave the room. turn to 44.

243

You dip your finger into the liquid. At first, nothing happens and you assume that the liquid is water. However, after a minute, the tip of your finger turns red. The liquid must be acid as it burned through your skin. If you have any glass vials, you may fill them up with acid and scratch a sign on the vials so you know what they are. Mark on your adventure sheet that your vials contain acid. You leave the font. Turn to 297.

244

The dwarf points a wand at you and you find yourself paralysed. While you can’t move, he takes all of your gold. Delete all your gold pieces. He then drags you out of the room and closes the door. You hear several clicks and thunks as the dwarf uses several locks and bolts to make sure that he won’t see you again. Turn to 382.

245

You come to a dead end. Trapped between a portcullis and a wall you panic. Eventually, you calm down and think about your situation. You search the blank wall, poke bricks to see it they’re loose and stamp on the floor, hoping to find a pressure plate. Eventually, you find a brick you can push. As you push it, a door opens in the dead end. You walk through the door and head north until you come to a metal door. You open it. Turn to 134.

246

You enjoy a pleasant walk across the Pagan Plains, enjoying the weather and the sounds of the countryside. You stop at an apple tree and feast on the fruit for dinner. Eventually, as the sun sets, you set up camp in a small copse. Turn to 85.

247

The door opens easily into a small unkempt room. In the centre of the room is a table with a small pile of gold coins on it and some dice. Seated around the table are three small green skinned warty creatures, arguing loudly. Upon your entry, however, the three GOBLINS stop their arguing, draw short swords and advance towards you. Standing in the doorway, you can fight them one at a time.

First GOBLIN SKILL 5 STAMINA 4 Second GOBLIN SKILL 5 STAMINA 4 Third GOBLIN SKILL 5 STAMINA 4


248

‘Ah, this is an enchanted roc’s feather. If you ever fall a long distance, it will slow your rate of descent. Very useful! The sage offers to buy you the feather for 15 gold pieces. If you sell it to him, cross the feather off your equipment list and add 15 gold to your adventure sheet. Turn to 387.

249

Thinking quickly, you thrust your torch into the mummy, setting its chest alight. You are fighting with an improvised weapon which is harder to hit the mummy with, indicated by the mummy’s skill. Reduce your attack strength by 1 for this combat. However, whenever you hit the mummy, you deal 4 stamina points of damage.



250

You leave the room through the north door. Turn to 288.

251

The orc does not follow you out of the cave. Lose 1 luck point for your cowardly act. you leave the orcish caverns. Turn to 332.

252

The room you are in is small and is bare except for a large stone block which is standing against the west wall. You inspect it to find a hole in the centre of the block and a carved hand that sticks out of the side. There is a slot in the palm of the stone hand. If you put a gold piece in the slot, turn to 125. If you leave the room, turn to 270.

253

The mummy has been destroyed and you can take its runic mace. You don’t know if its enchanted or not, but blunt weapons are useful against some creatures. Add the ancient mace to your equipment list. You leave the room. Turn to 381.

254

Dented and battered, the animated armor falls to the floor with a crash. You open the door. Turn to 311.

255

You look up and to your dismay, you see Thraccus with a huge grin on his face. He is standing in the corridor you have just climbed down from. In one hand, he is holding the silver orb you need. In the other hand, he is holding your rope! ‘Well, chump, looks like you lose again. Enjoy the dungeon. I hear Azamoth, the wizard enjoys company!’ and with that, he turns around and ambles down the corridor, laughing. Cross the rope off your equipment list. Turn to 60.

256

The colossus advances towards you. If you have any vials of acid, turn to 269. If not, turn to 349.

257

You open the door to find three dwarves in the room. Two of them are locked in unarmed combat, while the third one is shouting instructions at them. When he sees you, he stops. ‘Greetings adventurer. I am Durfak, sergeant at the Stonebridge garrison. I’ve bought some recruits down here to practice on a few orcs. Fancy a wrestling match with one of my apprentices? We could set a wager on it!’ If you agree to wrestling match, turn to 187. If you decline and leave, turn to 44.

258

The vials smash against the colossus’s chest and head and bubbles against the metal. Holes open up in the monster’s chest and the acid dissolves the statue’s mechanisms. The colossus stops and then jerks back to life. Delete the acid and the 2 vials from your equipment list. The colossus is still working, though and it is very powerful. When you are hit by the colossus, lose 3 stamina points instead of 2.



259

The door opens up into a corridor heading northwest. As you walk along it, you notice statues against the walls, obviously the gorgon’s last victims. Turn to 184.

260

Yu wake up in a bed. You have a thumping headache. A few minutes later the landlord comes into your room. ‘At last! ‘E’s awake! Thought you were dead for a minute there!’ He finds this hilarious. ‘The two of you put on the best show we’ve seen for ages! It’s the least I can do to give you a free bed for the night. You’ll be welcome ‘ere anytime, tall un!’ You thank him, but you cannot stay another night, as it is already late afternoon. Before you head off, though the landlord gives you dried meat and a bag of Vittles as his appreciation for the entertainment you provided. You now have 4 meals of provisions. Turn to 357.

261

The mummy has been destroyed and you can take its runic mace. You don’t know if its enchanted or not, but blunt weapons are useful against some creatures. Add the ancient mace to your equipment list. Will you now search the room (turn to 96?) or leave (turn to 378?)

262

You shove the doors open and walk down the north corridor. You notice the light from your torch is getting dimmer as it burns down. If you have another torch, turn to 62. If you have a sunrod, turn to 139. If you have none of these items, turn to 313.

263

Cross the holy water and the 3 vials off your equipment list. You throw a vial against each zombie. The vials break against their bodies and the blessed liquid goes all over them. The zombies start to dissolve. They claw at themselves, but that only dissolves their hands. Eventually, all that is left of the zombies is a pile of smoking flesh. Turn to 235.

264

A bolt of lightning shoots from the wizards hand and connects with the shield, leaving you unharmed. You notice that the lightning etching has vanished. The shield will not protect you against any more lightning, but it still may be useful. ‘Very good.’ says the wizard. ‘Now what about this?’ Turn to 309.

265

You put the coins on the plate and then snatch the pouch. There is a click and you are struck by an arrow. Lose 2 stamina points. You look inside the pouch and find that there is a small blue gem in there. Add the blue gem to your adventure sheet. You rest here for a bit. You may eat a meal here. Will you now search the room if you haven’t already done so (turn to 224?) or leave (turn to 210?

266

You hand touches something metal and then there is a snap as the mantrap in the chest closes around your forearm. It’s absolute agony. Lose 3 stamina points and 1 skill point. Eventually, you manage to prise it open and try to leave the room via the north door. Turn to 395.

267

You examine the inscriptions on the walls, poke the bricks and look for anything that would be unusual. In the north west corner of the room, you notice something strange about a picture of the Sun. You notice that the centre of the Sun is a hole. It seems that if you open the north door, something would shoot out of the hole and hit you. You lie on the floor by the north door and kick it open. You hear a ping and a dart strikes the east wall. If you leave the room, turn to 381. If you open the sarcophagus, turn to 226.

268

Will you now inspect the font (turn to 173?) or leave (turn to 113?)

269

The acid will be able to dissolve the metal. If you throw one vial, turn to 209. If you throw 2 vials, turn to 258. If you throw 3 vials, turn to 368.

270

If you haven’t already done so, you may search the store room (turn to 65) or you can leave (turn to 79)

271

You now have a clear path to the metal door animated armor is guarding. You dash towards it. Turn to 311.

272

You take the cube out of your pocket and throw it at Azamoth. There is a bright flash. The cube is destroyed (delete the cube from your equipment list), but you have destroyed the force field. Azamoth faces you. His staff has a powerful enchantment on it which drains your life. When Azamoth hits you, you lose an additional 1 stamina point and 1 skill point!



273

Thraccus can no longer hold on. You are elated as the contents of his stomach shoot out his mouth in a fine jet and spray the dwarves. The last thing you remember is the crowd cheering and slapping you on the back as you pass out on the table. Gain 1 luck point. Turn to 260.

274

‘Bad luck!’ says the dwarf as he lays his winning card down. ‘Tell you what. For such a worthy opponent, I’ll double or nothing. I also have a magical item I can wager. Will you play again? If you do, you need another 10 gold pieces. Or you could just hand over 10 gold pieces and leave. Will you play again (turn to 20) or give him your money (deduct 10 gold pieces from your adventure sheet and turn to 320)

275

You manage to make it to the other side of the room. Fortunately, the west wall door is unlocked. You are just about to sneak through it when you notice the glint of gold a couple of metres away from you. Will you leave the room (turn to 366) or try to steal the gold (turn to 190)

276

You run at the door and crash into it, but it still does not budge. Lose 1 stamina point. Dejected, you head north up the corridor. Turn to 280.

277

The room you are in is equipped for making glass. There is a bellows and hearth in one corner, as well as other blowing equipment. There are also several lumps of glass on the floor and a glass statue standing in the centre of the room, which must be the glassblower’s masterpiece. If you search the room, turn to 296. If you leave, turn to 4.

278

The room you are in is for warriors to practice in. There is a square in the middle for dueling and in each of the corners, there are several dummies for practicing. There are also some archery targets. There are doors in the north wall and east wall. If you search the room, turn to 399. If you go through the east door, turn to 78. If you go through the north door, turn to 86.

279

You slam the door behind you, leaving the glass blower to its work. Turn to 4.

280

Further up the corridor, you come to a wooden door in the wall. You listen at it, but you can hear nothing. If you open the door, turn to 117. If not, turn to 79.

281

You are surprised to see the portcullis rise up through the ceiling. You walk down the corridor and eventually come to a bend which goes east. You hear a clang as the portcullis crash down behind you. There is no other way to go but east. Turn to 245.

282

For a moment, she looks angry, but then a wicked smile spreads across her face. Before you can move, she flings some dust in your face and you pass out. Turn to 240.

283

There is a bong as you add the powder to the machine. If you add the firefox eye, turn to 367. If you add the 1000 fathom water, turn to 221.

284

Badly wounded, Thurg falls back. ‘Get over here and help me set this up!’ orders the dwarf with the eye patch. ‘Norag, finish him off!’ The dwarf with the silk cap draws a shortsword and makes his way towards you. Fight until you reduce Norag’s stamina to 6 or less.

NORAG SKILL 6 STAMINA 9

When you reduce Norag’s stamina to 6 or less, turn to 81.

285


286

You idiot! You bumbling idiot!’ Screams Zuvembar when he sees you. ‘My house is ruined! And I didn’t even do it! The orb is gone too! This is going to get me expelled again! If it wasn’t for this helpful young man, you might have ruined everything. You look on in surprise and horror as a large man with dark hair, armour and a sword steps out of the shadows. Thraccus! Not only is he taking your treasure, he’s stealing your jobs! ‘Slova here has promised that he’ll bring the orb back to me.’ “Thraccus” is obviously not a good enough name for Blacksand. ‘He’s also told me about your exploits. If I’d known you’d stolen from Slova here, I wouldn’t have employed you.’ You are incredulous. ‘He stole from me!’ you scream. ‘Yes, yes, whatever.’ snaps Zuvembar. ‘If either of you get me the orb, I’ll give you lots of money. This ritual is important. I managed to cast a spell to spy on this thief. He is heading to a dungeon near Stonebridge where he will deliver the orb to a mad wizard. I need the orb now!’ ‘Right away chief!’ Thraccus or Slova or whatever his name is says. ‘I’ll just get on my horse and get it back in now time!’ And so, with a smug look in your direction, he strides out of the house. ‘Well what are you waiting for? I’ve made two maps, just in case you can actually do something useful for once!’ You take his map and storm out of the house intent on heading to the Stonebridge. Getting the orb back would be nice, but killing Thraccus or Slova or whoever he is will bring you a lot more joy. Turn to 384.

287

The sage explains that this is a sunrod. If you strike the gold tip against a hard surface, it will light up and last for several hours. He offers to buy it from you for 15 gold pieces. If you sell it to him, cross the sunrod off your equipment list and add 15 gold to your adventure sheet. Turn to 387.

288

You follow a twisty corridor for about half an hour until you come to a cave with two exits. Above the west exit, you notice that magical script is written above the door. The east exit smells very strongly of orc. If you go west, turn to 216. If you go east, turn to 46.

289

The cavern you are in is enormous. It is also brightly lit, although you cannot see the light source. Looking around, you can see bookshelves, alchemist’s equipment and sigils of summoning. Standing a few metres from the door is an old man in a luxurious red robe. ‘I have been expecting you, adventurer. I see you do not have my orb. Someone else took it, didn’t they and they’re not going to give it to me. I’ll take it out of your blood!’ and with that he points his hand at you. The air between you starts to crackle with electricity. If you have a silver shield, turn to 264. If not, turn to 199.

290

You look at the skeletons, open the iron maiden and look under the rack. You don’t find anything out of the ordinary. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 322. If you are unlucky, turn to 131.

291

Eagerly, you search through every pocket and fold in the thief’s body, but the orb isn’t there! Your heart sinks as you hear a cruel, familiar laugh. Turn to 175.

292

After walking north for a few minutes, you come to a metal door. turn to 134.

293

Smack! Something wet and slimy hits you in the face and you can’t see a thing. You drop your sword and torch in surprise. A DARK DELVER has fallen off the ceiling and wrapped its tentacles around your face. It is now Gnawing on your nose. Lose 2 stamina points. You frantically try to wrench it off your face. Since you are blind and your opponent is holding on tightly, reduce your attack strength by 2 for this combat.

DARK DELVER SKILL 7 STAMINA 1


294

You are back in the training room. If you search it, turn to 52. If you leave through the north door, turn to 162.

295

Right! We will play Lugash, a Dwarven game.’ He spends some time explaining the rules and you play an example game. When he sees you have an understanding of the rules, he deals you a hand. Fight this like a combat, except use your current luck score instead of skill score. Neither of you lose stamina in this combat. The winner is the person who has won two consecutive combat rounds.

TOJO THE DWARF LUCK 7


296

You poke around the equipment for a bit, but don’t find anything useful apart from 2 empty glass vials. Add 2 glass vials to your equipment list. As you are putting them in your pack, you hear a creaking sound behind you. Turn to 171.

297

Will you now inspect the apparatus (turn to 84) or leave (turn to 113)

298

You draw your weapon and fight the wraith. As you do, the wizard starts chanting. He is casting another spell.

WRAITH SKILL 8 STAMINA 8


299 You pull the lever and a crack of light appears in the west wall. The crack increases until the door is open. You sprint out of the cavern and down a dimly lit tunnel, illuminated by some phosphorescent moss. Eventually, the tunnel comes to a dead end. The wall is cevered in roots, so you start to pull them off. Eventually, you get to a stone door, which you open to find yourself outside on a small hill. The sun rising in the east. You climb the hill and get to the top when the sun is higher in the sky. You feel its welcome warmth on your skin as you survey your surroundings. Not far in the west, you see plumes of smoke rising lazily over a town. That must be Sonebridge, so with renewed enthusiasm for the comforts of civilisation, you head west. You feel a sense of achievement for escaping from the dungeon and ridding the world of the mad wizard. The Gods smile upon you. Restore your skill, stamina and luck to their initial levels. Turn to 181.

300

After your battle, you rest. You may eat a meal. You are in a lab with an exit to the north. In one corner, you see a font. There is also several items of alchemic equipment in the room. If you inspect the font, turn to 97. If you tinker with the equipment, turn to 110. If you are mistrustful of this crazy alchemy and the lab, turn to 113.

301

Azamoth’s body lies at your feet. All is quiet, so you rest for a while, glad that your ordeal is over. You may eat a meal here. After your breather, you turn your attention to his cavernous lab. A powerful wizard such as he would have many treasures, but you are cautious as he probably has powerful traps on them. If you search the cavern for Azamoth’s treasure horde, turn to 108. If you look for the exit, turn to 31.

302

Once again, you and Bohak square off. Neither of you lose stamina is this combat. The winner is the first person to win two consecutive combat rounds.

BOHAK STAMINA 8 If you win, turn to 144. If you lose, turn to 13.

303

You walk on for another half hour until you come to a tree you decide to sleep in. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 212. If you are unlucky, turn to 18.

304

Ignus manages to get you into a choke hold and combat is done. ‘Well fought, both of you!’ says Durfak. ‘How about double or quits? If you have another 10 gold pieces, you can fight again. I’ll add another magic item to the wager.’ If you agree, turn to 164. If you leave, deduct 10 gold pieces from your adventure sheet and turn to 52.

305

Two piles of feathers are what remain of the nighthawks. Will you now free the birds (turn to 55?) or leave the room (turn to 6?)

306

There is a chug chug chug sound and a sparkling yellow liquid flows out of the tap into the flagon. You swallow it. It tastes of vinegar, but you force it down anyway. Almost as you finished swallowing it, a sharp pain in your stomach makes you double up. You writhe in agony for several minutes before it finally dies down. Lose 3 stamina points. You throw the machine to the floor in anger. Turn to 268.

307

Why thankyou! Now how’s about a kiss?’ The dwarf puckers her lips and you get a whiff of raw meat from her breath. If you kiss her, turn to 231. If not, turn to 282.

308

The corridor you are in turns northwards. You follow it until you come to a huge hall. Turn to 183.

309

You run at the wizard, but he gestures and a WRAITH comes up through the floor. Will you fight it (turn to 298), cast the holy bolt spell if you can (turn to 323) or ignore it and head for the wizard before he can cast another spell (turn to 360)

310

You place the coins on the plate, then snatch the pouch. Nothing happens. gain 1 luck point. You look inside the pouch and find that there is a blue gem. Add the blue gem to your adventure sheet. You rest here for a bit. You may eat a meal here. Will you now search the room if you haven’t already done so (turn to 224?) or leave (turn to 210?)

311

You shove the metal door open and find yourself in an armory. There are several weapon racks with all kinds of weapons and armor propped up against them. After your exertions in the dungeon, you use this moment to rest. You may eat a meal here. If you know the sense enchantment spell and wish to use it, turn to 333. If not, turn to 48.

312

The corridor opens up into a large room. In your light, you notice three humans in ragged clothing shuffling slowly towards you. As the get closer to you, you realise that they are ZOMBIES. They stand between you and the exit which is to the north. If you have a ring of repel undead, turn to 345. If you don’t, turn to 195.

313

Your torch burns out and you are plunged into darkness. You turn around, but then someone shoves you hard. You topple down into a pit. As you hit the floor, there is a large crack as several of your bones break. The last thing you remember before you lose consciousness is a cruel familiar laughter that can only belong to Thraccus. Your adventure ends here.

314

Thinking quickly, you thrust your torch into the mummy, setting its chest alight. You are fighting with an improvised weapon which is harder to hit the mummy with, indicated by the mummy’s skill. Reduce your attack strength by 1 for this combat. However, whenever you hit the mummy, you deal 4 stamina points of damage.



315

The machine whirls and clicks. If you add the 1000 fathom water to the device, turn to 50. If you add the powdered diamond, turn to 367.

316

The door is bare apart from a small altar against the east wall. Will you search this room (turn to 75?), pray at the altar (turn to 337?) or leave the room (turn to 152).

317

You are in what seems to be a study. There is a desk and a bookcase in the room. There is a magic symbol inscribed in the centre of the room. In the centre of it, you see a young man in robes, looking very angry. He looks at you and makes a gesture with his hand. A bolt of fire flies from his hand towards you. Test your skill. If you succeed, turn to 15. If you fail, turn to 373.

318

The acid will be able to dissolve the metal. If you throw one vial, turn to 49. If you throw 2 vials, turn to 206. If you throw 3 vials, turn to 351.

319

‘You’re looking a bit lean.’ observes Durfak. ‘You can fight Ignus, here. Fight the combat as normal, but use stamina instead of skill. Neither of you lose stamina is this combat. The winner is the first person to win two consecutive combat rounds.

IGNUS STAMINA 11


320

The corridor ends in a T junction. Will you turn east (turn to 88) or west (turn to 374)

321

Later that afternoon, as you are walking along a pathway, you see a humanoid creature coming towards you from the other direction. You stop and draw your sword. As the creature approaches, you see that it is an ORC. It draws an axe and runs at you, screaming something in its guttural language.

ORC SKILL 6 STAMINA 5 If you win, turn to 85.

322

Curious about why the orcs were moving the iron maiden, you inspect the wall behind it. You find a brick in the wall with a strange symbol on it. After testing it, you find that the brick is loose. You remove it to find a pouch containing 25 gold pieces. Add 25 gold pieces to your adventure sheet. You leave the room. Turn to 123.

323

You cast the spell and point your finger at the wraith. You feel a sharp pain as the energy passes through you. Lose 2 stamina points. Nothing happens! The wizard laughs again. If you fight the wraith, turn to 298. If you rush towards Azamoth, turn to 360.

324

The liquid is a potion of skill. Restore your skill to its initial level. Gain 1 luck point. Turn to 250.

325

You browse the market stalls and you find several items which could be useful to you for dungeon exploration. You know you will need a light source, so you buy a torch. Deduct 1 gold piece and add the torch to your equipment list. You also find several other items which could be useful to you. Apart from provisions, you may only buy one of each item. You may carry up to 4 provisions.

Provisions 1 gold piece per meal (maximum of 4) Length of rope 5 gold pieces Bag of caltrops 3 gold pieces Empty glass vial 1 gold pieces

Caltrops are metal balls with spikes on them. When you put them on the floor, the spikes stick up so that creatures that walk over them damage their feet. When you have finished, you head for the town gate, intent on getting to this dungeon. Turn to 155.

326

Ignus gets you in a headlock again. ‘Well, young ‘un, looks like you need to beef up! If you’re in Stonebridge anytime, come and see me and I’ll give you some hints.’ You hand over your money. Deduct 20 gold pieces from your adventure sheet. You leave the room and head north. Turn to 44.

327

You pull the Delver off your face, pick up your sword and slice it in half. Its body seems similar to some kind of octopus. Glad that you can breathe again, you pick up your torch and head for the north door. Turn to 129.

328

The corridor ends in a stone door, etched with runes. If you open the door, turn to 128. If you turn back and head east, turn to 23.

329

Before you land the killing blow on the wraith, it vanishes. It was an illusion! Azamoth finishes his spell and his staff is bathed in a dark aura. You swing your weapon at him, but it bounces off an invisible force field! you have an iron cube, turn to 272. If not, turn to 14.

330

The gorgon advances towards you. You must fight her with your eyes closed. Since you are blind, reduce your attack strength by 2 for this combat.

GORGON SKILL 7 STAMINA 9


331

The sage shakes his head. He is unable to help you. You leave. Turn to 382.

332

You return to the T junction and head west. Turn to 216.

333

You utter the words to the spell. You feel pain as the mystic energy flows through you. Lose 2 stamina points. Immediately, a glow appears around two items. There is a silver shield here which has a defensive aura around it. You notice a lightning bolt etched on the back of the shield. You also notice a bottle containing a purple liquid which has a restorative aura. You drink the liquid and find that it is a potion of skill. Restore your skill to its initial level. You also take the enchanted silver shield. Add the silver shield to your adventure sheet. Gain 2 luck points. You leave the room through the north door. Turn to 207.

334

Azamoth faces you with his staff. You swing your weapon at him, but it bounces of an invisible force field! If you have an iron cube, turn to 354. If not, turn to 358.

335

You poke through the broken bows and rusty axes, hoping to find something useful. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 166. If you are unlucky, turn to 82.

336

If you have a silver ring and a lump of quartz, turn to 120. If not, turn to 331.

337

You kneel down and call out to any god that may be listening. For a moment, you get an image of a beautiful woman in robes and carrying some scales. She is smiling at you. When you come out of your prayer, you see three vials on the altar. They contain a colourless, sweet smelling liquid. You recognise the liquid as holy water. Add 3 vials of holy water to your adventure sheet. Any time you could eat a meal, you may drink a vial of holy water. If you do gain 2 stamina points and 1 luck point. You may also eat a meal at the same reference. If you now search the room, turn to 177. If you leave the room, turn to 152.

338

You make it to the edge of the tunnel, when the packet of firepowder explodes right next to you. Lose 3 stamina points. When the smoke and dust has cleared, you notice that the west tunnel is completely sealed off. Turn to 32.

339

You quietly open the door, hoping not to disturb the snoring creature, which turns out to be a large ogre lying on the north site of the room. The ogre’s possessions are strewn all over the floor. Plates, bones flagons and smelly clothes lie all over the place. There is a door in the west wall. You try to sneak past the ogre. Test your luck. If you are lucky turn to 275. If you are unlucky, turn to 223.

340

The ogre continues to snore as you put the gold pieces in your pouch. You count thirty. Add 30 gold pieces to your adventure sheet. You sneak out through the west door. Turn to 366.

341

Wary of traps, you scrutinise the pouch and the floor around it before you touch it. Sure enough, you notice that the tile that it is on is slightly raised. You may snatch the pouch (turn to 10), take it, but replace it with 5 gold pieces (turn to 92), 10 gold pieces (turn to 178) or 15 gold pieces (turn to 390)

342

You order a dozen flagons of skullbuster from the landlord, who is happy that you are giving him so much business this evening. You pick up the first four flagons and turn around, but then drop them as you notice the other ‘tall un’ enter the inn. It is Thraccus. Turn to 185.

343

You land a blow on the Gorgon who, using her ears, turns to face you. Reduce the gorgon’s attack strength by 2 for this combat. If the gorgon ever rolls a 12 for her attack strength, turn immediately to 91.

GORGON SKILL 7 STAMINA 7


344

‘Greetings adventurer! I am Grimbo, the sage. Aren’t dungeons just full of interesting artifacts?’ You chat with the sage for a while. He can offer you two services. First, he can identify any items you have. Secondly, if you have the right collection of artefacts he may be able to construct a magical item. Both of these will be done for a price. If you wish to take him up on his offer, you empty out your backpack on his desk (turn to 104) or leave (turn to 382.)

345

As the zombies close in on you, a white aura forms around you. The zombies advance no further. Taking advantage of the situation, you dash for the north door. Turn to 17.

346

‘Bad luck, bad luck!’ commiserates your opponent. He takes your gold. Deduct 20 gold pieces from your adventure sheet. ‘I’m heading back to Stonebridge now!’ You both walk up the tunnel until you come to the junction where the dwarf turns east and you carry on north. Turn to 320.

347

As you defeat your opponent, you see that dark shape again, moving slowly away. You sprint towards it. Immediately, it also starts running and leaps over the gate out of the northern exit. You follow and see the thief heading towards the gate at Blacksand, flanked by two huge trolls. The thief runs out of Blacksand through the gate. You follow in hot pursuit, only to run into a huge stinking pile of troll. ‘OI! Watch where yer goin!’ shouts the ugly beast. ‘I could ‘ave you thrown in the dungeons fur that!’ You demand to be let out of Blacksand. ‘’Ere, don’t go round talking like that. You ain’t Lord Azzur you know. You can’t leave today. There’s a limit you see, and that man was the last person allowed to leave this gate today. Get lost, you stinkin’ fleabag!’ A group of six city guards have just joined the two trolls. It would be suicide to fight and you aren’t going to bribe your way out, so, dejected, you head back to Zevumbar’s house. Turn to 286.

348

This spell was first developed by the priests of Salamonis. You assume that the wizard had this spell just in case the zombies went out of control. When you target this spell on an undead creature, it will disrupt the dark energies that were channeled to create it, causing it massive damage. Since you are not trained to use magic, casting this spell will cause you pain. You lose 2 stamina points every time you use this spell. Having performed its function, the scroll crumbles to dust. Cross the scroll off your adventure sheet. You leave. Turn to 34.

349

This will be a difficult fight. The colossus is huge and very strong. When you are hit by the colossus, lose 3 stamina points instead of 2.



350

You thank the dwarf for his help and leave. Turn to 382.

351

The damage you have inflicted is too much. The acid dissolves large holes in the colossus’s chest and wrecks the mechanisms inside. Delete the acid and the 3 vials from your equipment list. Turn to 371.

352

Grumbush, following the other dwarves, flees down a west tunnel. You see a package by the entrance and can smell smoke. If you follow the dwarves, turn to 338. If you stay here, turn to 32.

353

You wipe your sword, step over the bodies and search the room. There are sacks of seed and a barrel of water in the corner. The goblins’ job must have been to look after the birds. There is nothing else of interest apart from the gold. You count 25 gold pieces. Add 25 gold pieces to your adventure sheet. You leave the room and continue down the corridor. Turn to 5.

354

You take the cube out of your pocket and throw it at Azamoth. There is a bright flash. The cube is destroyed (delete the cube from your equipment list), but you have destroyed the force field. Azamoth faces you, looking more than a little nervous.



355

In the morning, you take breakfast and prepare to head to the Moonstone Hills where the dungeon is located. Gain 4 stamina points. As you leave Stonebridge, you may purchase provisions for 1 gold piece per meal. You can carry a maximum of 4 meals. You leave the east gate and start climbing a small hill. Turn to 260.

356

Using your scroll, you are able to read the spells that the wizard has. You are able to find three simple spells, one of which you will be able to learn in a short amount of time. Which one will you learn? Smash? Turn to 132. Sense enchantment? Turn to 238. Holy bolt? Turn to 348.

357

You climb a small hill and get a view of the surrounding area. To the east, you see the Moonstone Hills stretch out for several miles. You also see your destination. It only takes a couple of hours of walking through a valley before you reach the dungeon. The entrance to the dungeon is a simple looking cave entrance on the side of a hill. You light your torch and enter. Cross the torch off your adventure sheet. Turn to 147.

358

You face the wizard. He will be harder to hit with his force field, but he is not a trained warrior like you, which may give you the edge. Reduce your attack strength by 3 for this combat.



359

You open the drawers and search through the papers. Inside the drawers, you find 25 gold pieces and a silver key. Add 25 gold pieces and the silver key to your adventure sheet. If you come to a paragraph that begins ‘You are standing in front of a sturdy wooden door...’, add 50 to the number on that paragraph and turn to that number to use the key. You stow the items in your backpack. If you inspect the painting, turn to 156. If you leave the office and head north, turn to 162.

360

As you run through the wraith, it vanishes! It must have been an illusion. with your weapon drawn, you face the wizard. Turn to 334.

361

The corridor ends in a wooden door. You can’t hear anything from behind it. You open it. Turn to 397.

362

The corridor is starting to look more artificial again. It ends in a north-south T junction. If you head north, turn to 320. If you head south, turn to 201.

363

The magical darkness does not affect the light from the enchanted sunrod. The light pierces the magical darkness, so you can see normally. You notice that spikes are now sticking up through the floor which would have badly hurt anyone who would walk across the room You open the chest to find that there is nothing in there but a mantrap. Thankful that you were not duped by the twisted traps of the room, you head for the north door, avoiding the spikes. Turn to 197.

364

You open the crates, sift through the rubble on the floor and look at the picks and shovels. In one crate, you find a lump of quartz as big as your fist. You can also take a torch from a pile of torches you find in another crate. Add the torch and the quartz to your equipment list. Gain 1 luck point. You leave the room via the north corridor. Turn to 396.

365

You look around the room, sifting through the feathers on the door and inspecting the contents of the crates. The crates are full of seeds and there is a small font in the corner containing some water. You also find a table with no cages on it. Instead, lying on it is a large feather about half a metre long. You may take this feather. If you take this feather, add the large feather to your equipment list. You now decide to leave. Turn to 6.

366

The corridor comes to a dead end, but a quick search reveals a lever. You pull it and a secret door swings open. You head north along the corridor until you reach a metal door. Turn to 134.

367

There is a chug chug chug sound and a sparkling yellow liquid flows out of the tap into the flagon. You swallow it. It tastes of vinegar, but you force it down anyway. Almost as you finished swallowing it, a sharp pain in your stomach makes you double up. You writhe in agony for several minutes before it finally dies down. Lose 3 stamina points. You throw the machine to the floor. Turn to 113.

368

The vials smash against the colossus’s chest and head and bubbles against the metal. Holes open up in the monster’s chest and the acid dissolves the statue’s mechanisms. The colossus stops and then jerks back to life. It advances towards you slowly and swings its fists in a more clumsy fashion. Delete the acid and the 3 vials from your equipment list. The colossus is still working, though and it is very powerful. When you are hit by the colossus, lose 3 stamina points instead of 2.



369

You draw your weapon, intent on smashing this animated armor. You may escape after 2 combat rounds. If you do, turn to 271.

ANIMATED ARMOUR SKILL 8 STAMINA 10


370

Somehow, you know that the spell will help you escape. Despite the increasing thickness of the smoke, you calmly speak the words to the spell. As the mystical energy flows through you, you feel a sharp pain. Lose 2 stamina points. However, an outline of a door in the wall starts to glow green. You run over it and push it. Nothing happens. Trying to fight down the panic, you look around for some kind of mechanism. Aha! You notice a green glow to your right through the smoke. You sprint towards it. Turn to 299.

371

The colossus falls to the floor with a thundering crash. Gain 2 luck points for defeating such a mighty opponent. You rest in this cavern You may eat a meal here. There is nothing in this cavern, but there is a door to the west. You guess that it must lead to Azamoth’s room. Only a powerful wizard would have such a guardian as the colossus. With your weapon drawn, to enter the room. Turn to 289.

372

You draw your sword and parry the mummy’s first blow. It is quite slow but relentless. This is a fight to the finish.


If you win, you set the mummy’s body alight to prevent it coming back to unlife. Turn to 261.

373

The bolt strikes you in the chest and sends you flying backwards. Lose 4 stamina points. As you stagger to your feet and draw your sword, the wizard starts to chant again. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 26. If you are unlucky, turn to 392.

374

The corridor ends with a stone door. You shove it open. Turn to 150.

375

As you drink the water, you notice your wounds closing up. Restore your stamina to its initial level. You fill your waterskin with the water and taste some, hoping it will have the same effect, but it does nothing. The water must only stay magical in the fountain. Feeling much better, you leave the room. Turn to 179.

376

The dwarf goes into a back room for half an hour. You hear chanting and at one point, you see a flash. Eventually, he comes out, looking drained. ‘Well, here you are. I freed the energy of the quartz and channeled it through the holy water. The ring will repel undead creatures. Cross the quartz, the holy water and the silver ring from your adventure sheet. You still have the empty vial. Add the ring of repel undead to your equipment list. Turn to 350.

377

You manage to get Bohak into a headlock and the match is over. ‘Well done!’ congratulates Durfak. ‘Here, take this iron cube. If you throw it at a magic-user, it will destroy their defenses.’ Add the magic cube to your adventure sheet. The dwarves get back to their wrestling while you leave the room and head east. Turn to 44.

378

As you push against the north door, you hear a ping and then feel a sharp pain in your arm. You have been struck by a dart. Lose 2 stamina points. Cursing, you leave the room. Turn to 381.

379

You have to get the treasure! You draw your weapon and try to smash the force field, but it just bounces off. You try to break the coffer, but it is too strong. You catch a whiff of smoke. Turning around, you see that Azamoth’s body is on fire and the flames are spreading everywhere. However, you don’t care about that. Ignoring the heat and the black smoke, you frantically run around the cavern, looking for a key, but you do not find one. As you do, the smoke grows thicker and you start to choke even more. As you run out of air and fall to the ground, your last thought is only on the treasure. Your adventure ends here.

380

After traveling north, you come to a stone door in a wall. You open it to find yourself in a small room. Turn to 49.

381

The room you are in is bear apart from a small chest in the north west corner. There is also a wooden door in the east wall. You may eat a meal here. If you open the chest, turn to 189. If you open the door, turn to 160.

382

If you try the first eastern door, turn to 99. If you try the western door, turn to 11. If you try the north door, turn to 262.

383

You amble between the bookshelves. You take a book down and read it. It is written in what appears to be magical script, the language of wizards and other magic users. You take down another one. This seems to be written in a language you have never seen before. You are thinking of giving up and leaving when you feel the temperature drop. You start to shiver. Turn to 57.

384

You leave the mad alchemist’s house and walk through the twisty streets of Blacksand. As it is night, you stay away from the dark alleys. You manage to get out of the East gate. You walk for a couple of hours across the highway before building a fire and curling up in front of it for a good night’s sleep. In the morning, after a good night’s sleep , you breakfast on berries and rabbit and head off to Stonebridge to find Thraccus. Turn to 163.

385

With a deep breath, you brace yourself as you jump into the pit. If you have a large feather, turn to 135. If you do not, turn to 217.

386

Bohak manages to get you into a choke hold and combat is done. ‘Well fought, both of you!’ says Durfak. ‘How’s about double or quits? If you have another 10 gold pieces, you can fight again. I’ll add another magic item to the wager.’ If you agree, turn to 302. If you leave, deduct 10 gold pieces from your adventure sheet and turn to 44.

387

The sage sorts through your objects to identify. If you have any of the following items, you need to pay 5 gold pieces to have each one identified. If you have the money and the item, deduct 5 gold pieces from your adventure sheet and turn to the relevant number to find out what it does. Once you have had them all identified, turn to 58. A silver rod with a gold tip? Turn to 287 A large feather? Turn to 248 A scroll? Turn to 89 None of these? Turn to 58

388

The corridor ends in an iron door. As you open it, you hear a whiz and then a ping. When you enter the room, you notice that an arrow had hit the iron door. The trap was designed to stop people leaving, but not entering. The room is bare apart from a pouch in the centre of the room. There is also another metal door in the west wall. Will you search the room (turn to 215?), investigate the pouch (turn to 341) or leave through the east door (turn to 192)

389

The melee is becoming even more frenzied, but then a voice rings out over the battle. ‘The drinks are on me!’ All the dwarves immediately stop fighting and cheer the other ‘tall un’ that must have just walked through the door. But you are not cheering. In fact, you are getting even angrier. The human who has just entered is Thraccus. Turn to 185.

390

You place the coins on the plate, then snatch the pouch. Nothing happens. gain 1 luck point. You look inside the pouch and find that there is a blue gem. Add the blue gem to your adventure sheet. You rest here for a bit. You may eat a meal here. Eventually, you leave the room. Turn to 192.

391

Sword drawn, you retreat back into the south doorway to face the zombies. You may fight them one at a time. You may escape after you have killed one zombie.

FIRST ZOMBIE SKILL 5 STAMINA 6 SECOND ZOMBIE SKILL 5 STAMINA 7 THIRD ZOMBIE SKILL 6 STAMINA 6


392

You a feel a strange sensation. The wizard is making some strange gestures which look funny. You giggle. Then you laugh. Soon, you are doubled up from laughing hysterically. The wizard advances towards you with his dagger. Although you are at a disadvantage in this combat, you cannot help but laugh. Reduce your attack strength by 4 for this combat.

WIZARD SKILL 5 STAMINA 8


393

The lever is actually a dummy. It is nothing but a sword blade coated in wax and you have now cut your hand. Fortunately, you never use your sword hand when you pull strange levers, not like some adventurers you’ve heard of who use their hands at random. Lose 1 skill point and 1 stamina point. You hear the laugh of a warlock in the distance as you curse the levers. You pull the other one. Turn to 281.

394

You leave through the north door and head north down a corridor. After a few minutes of walking, you feel a gust of wind and the temperature drops. A SPECTRE rises out of the floor and advances towards you. If you have a ring of repel undead, turn to 35. If you know the holy bolt spell and wish to use it, turn to 239. Otherwise, turn to 202.

395

As soon as you put your foot forward, you yelp in pain as you step on a spike. Lose 3 stamina points. You feel around and notice that there are spikes sticking up all over the place. Carefully, you crawl towards the door. Turn to 197.

396

The corridor ends in a T junction. Will you head east (turn to 362?) or west (turn to 30 )

397

The room is bare apart from a large crystal statue standing by a door in the north wall. It is a CRYSTAL WARRIOR. It advances towards you, holding out its left hand. You notice that its right hand has been smashed off. If you have a lump of quartz, turn to 186. If you know the smash spell and wish to use it, turn to 78. If not, turn to 93.

398

The dwarf looks terrified as you approach her with your sword drawn. She picks a vial up from the floor, uncorks it and then throws some dust in your face. Turn to 240.

399

Looking at the dummies, you find that one of them is wearing a bronze helmet of ancient design. Add ancient helm to your equipment list. You inspect the dummies and quite satisfied that they won’t spring to life, you sit down and have a rest. You may eat a meal. Once you have finished, you may leave through the east door (turn to 114) or the north door (turn to 162?)

400


SKILL Initial skill =

STAMINA Initial stamina =

LUCK Initial luck =

ADVENTURE SHEET

PROVISIONS REMAINING

EQUIPMENT LIST

POTIONS

SPELLS

NOTES GOLD PIECES

ENCOUNTER BOXES

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

SKILL = STAMINA =

Notes

This was my first 400 paragraph Fighting Fantasy book and it is a standard dungeon crawl with a random sorcerer at the end because I wanted to make it simple for myself. The only ‘complication’ I added was to make it a race with Thraccus. This was going to be the first of four books in the War of Deities series. I am not going to reveal the plot here, but after thinking about it, this book is redundant. The second book would have taken place in the Sewers of Blacksand, but then I thought that I could just set this book in the sewers of Blacksand with a few tweaks and make it a 3 book series. So this book is a prototype. This book could probably have been fited into 300 paragraphs rather than 400. However, there is an advantage with this because the reader does not get as much information that doesn’t apply to them and so it does not let on that there are extra parts to the book. I think this is why gamebooks make you turn to another paragraph if you wish to use an item so you do not know which items would be relevant. Otherwise, you will spend the replay hunting for a particular item. On the flipside, you could always cheat and look at those paragraphs anyway, so maybe there is no point in spreading the decisions over many paragraphs unless you are using a program where you can’t see all the paragraphs. So if you are not limited by paragraphs you can separate out the information so that people do not read too much. However, you don’t want too many or people will get bored by making them turn to lots of different paragraphs and not giving them much to do. On a quick side note, Tojo the Dwarf is based on some graffiti on a canal bridge near Dudley England, which I would see whenever I got the train to Birmingham. I thought it was a funny name. Here is a website that talks about it - http://www.bcn-society.co.uk/bp165_tojo.php. The adventurer can learn magic with this. Is this realistic? First of all, can all hardened warriors read? If so, where did they learn? And can you learn simple spells from a book. I would say not at all, but it sometimes restricts the game, so I had three very simple spells that cause the adventurer two stamina points of damage because he or she is not able to cast them very well. A trained sorcerer would not take damage. I imagine that Yaztromo, in order to raise a few gold, might write a ‘Magic for Adventurers’ book with a few simple spells that adventurers usually need such as light, detect magic, fire etc. Maybe I’ll write it. I got the idea of the roc’s feather from Talisman of Death although I was never sure if you floated downwards because the feather was magical or if it was so big that you could use it as a parachute. I liked the three mad pyromaniac dwarves in this. I think I like pyromaniac dwarves in general (see Pyrro from Triad of Skulls)

Overall conclusion Writing these micro adventures has taught me a lot. Amongst other things, I now have more practice at flavor and descriptions, I can fit more game play into a short space and I also know I need to put a lot more effort into proof reading. When I started doing this, I had written a simple dungeon crawl that was 400 paragraphs long, a 564 paragraph book that was too complex and long for someone at my skill level and so it had several mistakes and a few short books, two of which I had entered for the Windhammer competition. However, I feel that the Windhammer books were too simple in terms of story and too focused on rules. On the time of writing this, I have just finished my entry to the 2010 Windhammer competition which focuses more on story and has a simple rule system. That has also been an education in writing gamebooks. It is 100 paragraphs but it took a lot of revisions. My method is by getting the book finished as soon as possible and then editing it. It took me a while to get the book up to standard. I have written a couple of 50 paragraph books and they were not over challenging so I think that I should write some more 100 paragraph books to stretch myself. Eventually, I would like to make quite a complex multi layered 400 paragraph book, but I’ll have to build up slowly. I had some other ideas for books that I haven’t followed through yet for two main reasons. Some of the books’ stories would not be good for a short game book. 50 or 25 paragraphs would not do the storyline justice. I’m not going to reveal what the storylines are though. When I’m capable of doing a good 400 paragraph book, I’ll do them. The other main reason is time. I told people in the Yahoo group about this project months ago and then I didn’t do it. I had more ideas as I did it and tried to follow them through, but I realized that if I did, it would be endless. I’ve heard it said many times that as a writer, one of the main challenges is to just finish something. Otherwise you will be doing it forever. I will do more short books – maybe 100 paragraph ones. One I want to do is a book where you collect an obscene amount of magic items. There are very few in all of my books as I think I was put off by long equipment lists in some books. However, I do not want to close of avenues for games. I’m sure a lot of people like collecting magical items as it’s another reward. If that’s your main aim, then I apologise – you weren’t very satisfied with my ten books. One day, I would like to resume the project I was working on. This would be the Shadowcaster trilogy. I will rewrite the first book and complete the other two books. I’d like to thank all the people who have offered me support and feedback and those people who have gamebook websites for me to publicise my work. Keep it up. I need to stop falling back on certain plot devices such as being shipwrecked and the person sending you on the mission being betrayed by someone close to you.

For your information, I will give you the chronological order of the books. They go in this order: War of Deities Part 1 Triad of Skulls Tomb of the Ancients Scourge of Silverton Bakland Battlegrounds Left for Dead Forest of Chaos Survivor’s Struggle Presence of a Hero In the Name of Love If you have any feedback for me, you can email me at [email protected]. All feedback is welcome.

ten short fighting fantasy books and one long one

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