War of Deities - Turn To
by hosted
Skill, stamina and luck
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
(fightingfantasy.org editors note: this is clearly erroneous - 2 stamina should be subtracted from *your* stamina)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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. You
can only eat provisions when you have a chance to rest and you are not
engaged in any strenuous activity. This means that you may only eat a
meal when you are instructed to in the text. You may only eat one meal
at a time. Each meal restores 4 stamina points. When you eat a meal,
add 4 points to your stamina score and deduct 1 point from your
provisions. A separate provisions remaining box is included on the
adventure sheet for recording details of your provisions. Remember that
you have a long way to go, so use your provisions wisely! 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.
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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 water skin
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.
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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.
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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 Blacksand ‘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.
WAR OF DEITIES
part one
A FIGHTING FANTASY GAMEBOOK
by
STUART LLOYD
FIGHTING THE ANCIENT GODS
Slaying
vile monsters single-handedly, obtaining hordes of treasure and being
famous across 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 survivor 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.
Generate Character and begin your adventure!
Read the Rules (there are some minor differences to the standard FF ruleset in the equipment rules - fightingfantasy.org editor)
Read the Implementation Notes (and cheating)
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
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
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
The corridor bends northwards. Eventually, you come to a wooden door. You open it. Turn to 278
The corridor ends in a wooden door. You listen at the door, but you can hear nothing. You open it. Turn to 165
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
The golem is cracked and ancient. With your chosen weapon, you should have no trouble defeating it.
ANCIENT STONE GOLEM SKILL 5 STAMINA 10
If you win, turn to 140
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?)
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
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).
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 ?)
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.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 301.
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.
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.
The zombies lumber after you, but you easily outrun the clumsy undead creatures. Turn to 151.
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
If you win, turn to 212.
If you have a silver ring and a vial of holy water, turn to 400. If not, turn to 331.
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.
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.
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.
You soon come to a door in the north wall. If you open it, turn to 277. If you ignore it, turn to 4.
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.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 236.
You advance on the crystal warrior. If you have a mace, turn to 121. If you have a sword, turn to 194.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 41.
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.
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.
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?)
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)
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.
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.
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?
You move on quickly before the spectre comes back. Turn to 184.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 254.
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.
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.
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
If you escape, turn to 251. If you win, turn to 51.
You have now inspected everything in the lab. Turn to 113.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 371.
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.
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.
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.
The west corridor ends in a wooden door. You hear nothing when you listen at the door, so you open it. Turn to 168.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?)
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.
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.
There is a swirling sound. If you add the firefox eye, turn to 193. If you add the powdered diamond, turn to 161.
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?)
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.
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.
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
If you escape, turn to 17. If you win, turn to 235.
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.
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.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 85.
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.
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.
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
through 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.
Norag runs away. ‘Get down the tunnel!’
Shouts the dwarf with the eye patch. ‘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.
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.
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?)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
One of the gorgon’s flailing blows strikes your mirror! It flies out of your hand and smashes on the ground. Turn to 42.
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.
You have to fight the crystal warrior. If you have a mace, turn to 29. If you have a sword, turn to 112.
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
COLOSSUS SKILL 8 STAMINA 12
If you win, turn to 371.
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 Dwarfish 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 automatically 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you have a vial of holy water and a lump of quartz, turn to 72. If not, turn to 331.
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. Inside 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.
You bolt out of the room and lock the door behind you. The ghost does not follow. Turn to 142.
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 118. If you add the 1000 fathom water, turn to 69. If you add the powdered diamond, turn to 172.
‘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.
You curse. Your sword will not be
very effective against the crystal warrior. 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.
CRYSTAL WARRIOR SKILL 8 STAMINA 10
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. Turn to 41.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Your blunt weapon is able to damage the already badly damaged crystal warrior.
CRYSTAL WARRIOR SKILL 6 STAMINA 4
If you win, turn to 41.
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
If you win, turn to 87.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?)
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.
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.
You don’t find anything at all, so you leave the room by the north door. Turn to 123.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 76. If you lose, turn to 9.
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.
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.
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?)
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.
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.
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 Dwarfish 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 automatically 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.
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.
‘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 Dwarfish
runes ‘This is a stone of Dwarfish 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 Dwarfish 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.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 244.
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.
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)
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.
You walk up the corridor which turns in a northwest direction. Eventually, you come to a huge hall. Turn to 183.
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
If you win, turn to 305.
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.
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
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.
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)
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.
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
If you escape, turn to 17. If you win, turn to 235.
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
If you win, turn to 55.
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.
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.
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
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.
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?)
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.
You open the door slightly, so you won’t trigger the trap and then squeeze through. Turn to 183.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
‘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
If you win, turn to 377. If you lose, turn to 386.
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.
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.
You look all over the place for hidden doors, traps and treasure but find nothing. You leave the shrine. Turn to 152.
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.
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?)
You open the door slightly, so you won’t trigger the trap and then squeeze through. Turn to 308.
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 wizard. ‘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
monsters. 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...
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?)
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?)
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
morning star 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
You sneak towards the pile of coins. Test your luck. If you are lucky, turn to 340. If you are unlucky ,turn to 223.
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.
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.
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.
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.
CRYSTAL WARRIOR SKILL 6 STAMINA 4
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. Turn to 41.
The zombies are closing in on you. If you have any vials of holy water, turn to 158. If not, turn to 391.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
You come to a wooden door. Will you open it (turn to 66) or turn around and go north (turn to 320)
You fight the spectre. If you have a vial of holy water, turn to 80. If not, turn to 196.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 85.
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.
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.
COLOSSUS SKILL 6 STAMINA 2
If you win, turn to 371.
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.
You may either head east (turn to 388.) Or north (turn to 183)
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.
COLOSSUS SKILL 10 STAMINA 13
If you win, turn to 371.
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.
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.
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.
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)
If you have a mirror, turn to 64. If not, turn to 330.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 87.
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.
OGRE SKILL 7 STAMINA 9
If you win, turn to 86.
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?)
‘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.
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.
The corridor you are in turns northwards. You follow it until you come to a huge hall. Turn to 183.
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.
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.
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..
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.
There is a swirling sound. If you add the firefox eye, turn to 50. If you add the powdered diamond, turn to 221.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 85.
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 Dwarfish 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 353.
‘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.
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.
MUMMY SKILL 8 STAMINA 4
If you win, turn to 261.
You leave the room through the north door. Turn to 288.
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.
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.
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.
Dented and battered, the animated armor falls to the floor with a crash. You open the door. Turn to 311.
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.
The colossus advances towards you. If you have any vials of acid, turn to 269. If not, turn to 349.
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.
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.
COLOSSUS SKILL 9 STAMINA 8
If you win, turn to 371.
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.
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.
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?)
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Will you now inspect the font (turn to 173?) or leave (turn to 113?)
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.
If you haven’t already done so, you may search the store room (turn to 65) or you can leave (turn to 79)
You now have a clear path to the metal door animated armor is guarding. You dash towards it. Turn to 311
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!
AZAMOTH SKILL 6 STAMINA 10
If you win, turn to 301.
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.
‘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)
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)
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.
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.
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.
You slam the door behind you, leaving the glass blower to its work. Turn to 4.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 118. If you add the 1000 fathom water, turn to 69. If you add the powdered diamond, turn to 172.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
After walking north for a few minutes, you come to a metal door. turn to 134.
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
If you win, turn to 327
You are back in the training room. If you search it, turn to 52. If you leave through the north door, turn to 162.
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
If you win, turn to 225. If you lose, turn to 274.
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.
Will you now inspect the apparatus (turn to 84) or leave (turn to 113)
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
If you win, turn to 329.
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 covered 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 Stonebridge, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?)
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.
Why thank you! 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.
The corridor you are in turns northwards. You follow it until you come to a huge hall. Turn to 183.
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)
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?)
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.
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.
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.
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.
MUMMY SKILL 8 STAMINA 4
If you win, turn to 253.
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.
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).
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.
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.
‘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
If you win, turn to 137. If you lose, turn to 304.
The corridor ends in a T junction. Will you turn east (turn to 88) or west (turn to 374)
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.
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.
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.
The liquid is a potion of skill. Restore your skill to its initial level. Gain 1 luck point. Turn to 250.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
If you win, turn to 103.
The sage shakes his head. He is unable to help you. You leave. Turn to 382.
You return to the T junction and head west. Turn to 216.
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.
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.
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.
If you have a silver ring and a lump of quartz, turn to 120. If not, turn to 331.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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
If you win, turn to 103.
‘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.)
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
COLOSSUS SKILL 11 STAMINA 18
If you win, turn to 371.
You thank the dwarf for his help and leave. Turn to 382.
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.
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.
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.
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.
AZAMOTH SKILL 6 STAMINA 10
If you win, turn to 301.
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.
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.
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.
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.
AZAMOTH SKILL 6 STAMINA 10
If you win, turn to 301.
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.
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.
The corridor ends in a wooden door. You can’t hear anything from behind it. You open it. Turn to 397.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
COLOSSUS SKILL 8 STAMINA 3
If you win, turn to 371.
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
If you win, turn to 254.
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.
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.
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 261.
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.
The corridor ends with a stone door. You shove it open. Turn to 150.
As you drink the water, you notice
your wounds closing up. Restore your stamina to its initial level. You
fill your water skin 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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)
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.
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.
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
If you escape, turn to 17. If you win, turn to 235.
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
If you win, turn to 236.
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.
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.
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.
The corridor ends in a T junction. Will you head east (turn to 362?) or west (turn to 30 )
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.
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.
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?)
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.