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301 You dismount and pass the reins of your horse to a nearby villager to hold before charging in the front door of the burning house. The inside is like a nightmare. Smoke is in your eyes and flames leap up at you. All around you hear the groaning of timbers as the fire ravages the house's infrastructure. You hear a baby crying from the back room and stagger through the intense heat towards it. Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 165. If you are Unlucky, turn to 206. *rolled 5 luck is 7 got lucky* 165 Although you can barely see in the smoke infested house, you can just about hear the baby's frantic cries over the roaring flames. Finally, you find the baby, scoop her up in your arms and leap through a nearby window to the safety of outside. You pass the baby to her mother who gratefully presses ten gold pieces into your hand. Gain 1 Luck point. You then retrieve your horse and head in the direction of the raucous laughter. Turn to 218. 218 You guide your horse towards the sound of the laughter and are disgusted by what you see. Two soldiers are standing in the village square killing any villagers who go near them as they flee from their burning houses. The two soldiers are in bouts of laughter at their sadistic little game. You cannot stand by and let this cruel sport happen. You charge at the cowardly soldiers. FIRST SOLDIER Skill:9 Stamina:6 SECOND SOLDIER Skill:8 Stamina:9 Fight them one at a time. Since you are on horseback, you may add one to your Attack Strength for this combat only. If you reduce the second soldier's Stamina to 3 or less without killing him, you can choose to spare him by turning to 188. If you want to fight on and win, or if you kill him before his Stamina falls to 3 or below, turn to 331. |
At this point maybe he'll have something good to say so lets talk with him.
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188 You hold the point of your sword to the man's throat. "Wait general!" he cries. "I served you loyally for several months." 'Speak dog, if you want to live," you command. "What are Saul's plans? How does he intend to take Ximoran?" The terrified soldier replies that he does not know the entire plan, but Saul intends to send some birdmen he has allied with to attack the archers on the city's battlements. Record the codeword 'aerial'. Satisfied with this information, you smash your fist into the man's skull, rendering him unconscious. You will leave it up to the villagers to punish him and you very much doubt they will show any mercy. Turn to 331. 331 Soon the villagers' bucket chain brings the fire under control. Not long after, the fire is out, but the majority of the village is a smoking ruin. The villagers thank you for aiding them, but they have nothing to give you in way of thanks. You are just about to leave when the village headman stops you. "My thanks for your help, friend," he says. "A group of soldiers came to the village and demanded we give them food and supplies. When we said we had none to spare, they set fire to a house and rode away - all except those two sadists you dealt with." You reply that these men are planning to take Ximoran and you intend to stop them. The headman nods. "I expected as much," he says. "So I wrote this letter for you," he says, passing you a scroll. "It is a letter of recommendation. Fergam Moonshy of the Council of Seven in Ximoran is an old friend of mine. Show him this letter and the council will trust you." You thank the headman before leaving the village and continuing to ride south-west towards Ximoran. Turn to 250. 250 In the late evening, you round a hill to your right and come in sight of your destination: Ximoran! The great walled city, capital of the Ximoran Protectorate which replaced the Kingdom of Klarash after the fall of the monarchy. The wise Council of Seven is said to rule this city fairly if strictly, but that rule could soon be coming to an end: Between the city and yourself is the camp of Saul's army. Hundreds of pitched tents and wagons hold weapons to kill and men eager to do so. Ximoran will need to put up a spirited defence indeed to save itself. Two options present themselves to you if you are going to defeat Saul. You could try to sneak into the camp and battle him there, but that would be very risky. Or you could try to enter the city and offer your aid in its defence and therefore give yourself an opportunity to engage Saul when he tries to take the city. If you want to try sneaking into the camp, either to kill Saul or to spy on the enemy army, turn to 131. If you would rather skirt the camp and ride for the city before you are spotted, turn to 199. |
Hikes his skirt and dashes around.
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199 You take a deep breath to steady yourself and then urge your horse to race past the army camp. There are cries of alarm as you race past the tents and several arrows are fired at you: roll one die and deduct the result from your Stamina score. If you are still alive, you ride your horse out into the open, but you hear sounds of pursuit behind you. You turn your head to see three riders charging towards you. You shout encouragement to your horse, but their mounts are fresher than yours and they begin to close the gap. If you have a sword, turn to 369. If not, turn to 100. *This does not sound like skirting to me that sounds like charging through! If we hit issue we will come back to here.* *rolled4* 369 One rider spurts ahead of the other two and draws level with you. He raises his sword and moves in close to attack you. You draw your own sword and try to defend yourself while your horse still thunders towards the gates of Ximoran. RIDER Skill:9 Stamina:10 If you are still alive after three attack rounds, turn to 241. |
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241 Suddenly an arrow whistles through the air straight into your opponent's neck. He topples backwards out of his saddle. Another arrow flies into one of your pursuers' horses which tumbles to the ground, crushing its rider. The third pursuer decides you are not worth the danger and rides back to the camp. The arrows came from the city walls and as you look up, you see several archers have their bows trained on you. They do not fire however - they have observed you fighting your pursuers and therefore know you to be no friend to the army. A small door in the main gate is opened for you. You dismount and lead your horse through it. Turn to 357. 357 You step through the door to find yourself confronted by several men-at-arms with their swords held to your throat! One takes your horse's reins and pulls it away from you, while another closes and bolts the door you came through. Finally, the sergeant-at-arms, a man with a thin nose and a haughty expression, asks you your business here. If you have a letter of recommendation for Fergam Moonshy, turn to 6. If not, turn to 40 6 The sergeant-at-arms looks at the scroll you produce critically. He then frowns, furls it up and hands it back to you. "I guess you had best be brought before the council then," he grumbles. "But we're impounding your horse for use by the Ximoran cavalry in the forthcoming battle. Once the emergency is over, it shall be returned to you, providing you both survive of course." You have little say in the matter. The sergeant picks two soldiers who lead you to the great palace of the Council of Seven. After waiting an interminably long time, you are escorted into the council chamber. Turn to 308. 308 You enter a large, lavishly decorated room. Soldiers in plate armour line the walls and a massive window gazes out on the majestic city. Between you and the window is a semi-circular table and seated around this table are the Council of Seven - the seven most powerful people in the country. You know them from reputation and can now put names to the faces. Sitting leftmost is Kolgor Maxos; a man dressed in azure robes, with a long white beard and holding an oaken staff. He is the chief wizard of the city and one of the most powerful enchanters in these lands. Next to him is a fat middle-aged man with a grumpy expression: Bloffor Tarnos, chief tax collector of Ximoran. On his left is the slender form of Jalia Nillaire, high priestess of the city. Due to the religious nature of Ximoran, Jalia is usually the most highly respected member of the council, but in the current state of emergency, the man sitting to her left has eclipsed her influence: General Askalo Belgar, in charge of the city's defence and leader of its armies. He is clad from head to toe in chainmail and he strokes his blond beard thoughtfully as he glares at you with piercingly blue eyes. Next to him is Howe Glockheed, a strong dwarf with a bright red beard. As head of the conduct of trade for the city, he is an integral part of the council. On his left is a tall, thin man with a shock of ginger hair: Fergam Moonshy, in charge of city maintenance. Lastly is a small, jolly looking woman wearing a beret: Felicia Drinlass. As head of the city's art patronage, she has little knowledge of warfare. All seven regard you silently for a moment before Fergam Moonshy asks you in a reedy voice what news you bring them. What codewords do you have? If you have: 'aerial' turn to 392. 'coward' turn to 132. 'ambush' turn to 107. None of the above turn to 51. *we have aerial and ambush* 392 You tell the council that Saul has arranged for birdmen to attack those stationed on the battlements. "Maybe we should increase the amount of archers on the battlements?" suggests Jalia in a calm and collected voice. "Agreed," says Askalo gruffly. Erase the codeword 'aerial' and record the codeword 'arrow' on your adventure sheet. "What else do you know, barbarian?" barks Bloffor. If you have the codeword 'coward', turn to 132. If not, but you have the codeword 'ambush', turn to 107. If you have neither, turn to 56. 107 You reveal to the council that after the city fights off the first wave, a band of orcs will attack them immediately. "The orcs must have hidden in the nearby woods overnight," says Askalo, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "But we shall be ready for them." Erase the codeword 'ambush' from your adventure sheet and replace it with the codeword 'ready'. "Do you have other news for us, young warrior?" asks the wizard Kolgor. If you have the codeword 'aerial', turn to 392. If not, but you have the codeword 'coward', turn to 132. If you have neither, turn to 56. *we have used them all.* 56 You reply you have no further information for them. Jalia Nillaire flicks back her long blonde hair away from her green eyes and smiles at you. "Your advice may turn the tide of this battle," she says. "Indeed," agrees Askalo enthusiastically. 'What position are you best suited to?" If you have a longbow, Askalo suggests that you fight amongst the archers on the battlements. If you wish to fight as an archer, Askalo tells you to report to the Lion Squadron tomorrow morning (record the codeword 'shoot'). If you do not have a bow or do not wish to fight as an archer, the alternative is to fight in the infantry: Askalo tells you to report to the Unicorn Squadron tomorrow (record the codeword 'sword'). Once you have decided, you are dismissed from the council chamber. Turn to 192. |
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192 You head into the city centre. It is now well into the evening, but the streets are still crowded with panicking people preparing for war. A few market stalls are still set up, offering last minute supplies at extortionate prices. A sign outside a low stone building boasts that Imvesso, the greatest hypnotist in Khul, is performing for one night only (probably because by tomorrow there might not be any people left to see the show). In the corner of the city square, several blacksmiths are hammering away on suits of armour. Will you: Go to a market stall? Turn to 311. Go watch the hypnotist's show? Turn to 321. Pay a visit to the blacksmiths? Turn to 249. Find a place to rest for the night? Turn to 153. |