That would be cool.
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29 Your stroll through the Market Square has taken time, and the hour is getting late when you arrive at the blacksmith's. Hammering away noisily by an open fire is a large bare-chested man, whose bulging muscles are stained with soot. The building you are in is a stable much like yours only smaller and serving a different purpose. You cough to get his attention explaining that you require a batch of horseshoes for the stableman. He ignores you until his work is complete and you wait there impatiently. At last he finishes making a breastplate and sets it aside to cool. He comes round to you. "Horseshoes again, eh?" he says in a nonchalant way. "Av" plenty o" them but a big order came in this mornin so the price is up. Cost ya 10 Gold now." If you can afford the asking price, turn to 33. If not, turn to 39. |
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33 The blacksmith drops the coins into his grubby apron that, at one stage may have been white. He tells you that he will bring them over tonight to avoid getting mugged in the street. Thanking him you head back south. Turn to 42. 42 In the Garden quarter of the city, your friend, the eccentric Zuvember, resides not far from where you are. If you think you have time to pay him a visit, turn to 48. If you"d rather carry on south, turn to 15. 48 As you make your way to his home, you notice that several buildings have developed strange crimson flowers, creeping along the walls like ivy. A new species for the Public Gardens, you think to yourself. Zuvember's store-turned laboratory is similarly affected. You knock on his door and wait tentatively, half expecting it to come flying off its hinges after another failed experiment! There is no reply. You shout for him, but he doesn't seem to be at home. Not wanting to waste any more time you walk away, hoping to see him later. Note down the word "SPIDER" on your Adventure Sheet and turn to 15. *records spider* 15 You pass a number of rather sorrowful looking houses and back across Singing Bridge. A group of wretched urchins scurry into your path, almost causing you to trip over and you shout a few unfriendly words at them as they disappear round a corner. The traders at the market have more or less cleared their stalls and are packing up for the day. A commotion from an alley to your left rouses your curiosity and you investigate. The alley is littered with piles of mud-soaked garbage and broken timbers, but that is hardly the worst thing you see. About ten feet away, a man lies face down in a murky puddle - his clothes slashed and bloody. The murderer stands only a few steps from him and is about to run an old woman through with a long knife"¦when suddenly, he sees you! Will you turn and run (turn to 11), or rush to the woman's aid (turn to 49)? 49 You draw your sword and prepare for battle as the man throws the woman to a side, turning his attention to you. His eyes exude an insane bloodlust that makes you tremble, and his tattooed arms bulge with muscles. He moves purposefully towards you, licking his lips in anticipation of another kill! Remember to reduce your Skill by 2 for this battle because you are only armed with a rusty shortsword. TATTOOED KILLER SKILL 12 STAMINA 15 If your Stamina is reduced to 4 or less, turn to 20. If you win, turn to 34. *we lost (less 4 hp)(we did not heal from last battle) * 20 Your assailant's blows and cuts rain down on you and you are hard pressed to defend yourself. This appears to be a fight you cannot win and you pray that death is quick and painless. But the blow that would no doubt seal your doom is never dealt, for the knife connects with the blade of a shining broadsword. Before either of you can even register whom the new combatant is, the blade flashes twice more and it is over. The quiet ringing of the sword can be heard in the cold silence, broken suddenly by a squelching splash and a thud - the tattooed killer's head landing in a mud pool some metres away, and the headless body falls. Turn to 36 36 You collapse against a grimy wall, utterly spent. You are only aware of your wounds being tended to when a bandage is pulled tight over a nasty cut: the sting jolting you back into the real world. A potion is poured down your throat. It is a restorative and already you feel your strength returning. Restore 8 points of Stamina. Your saviour is an armoured knight dressed in full plate and armed with an enchanted sword - the image of a hero you have always dreamed to be. You thank him for saving your life and commend him on his supreme fighting skills. Never have you witnessed such expertise in swordplay. He merely nods in response and, seeing as you are now in no mortal danger, walks away. Looking around you notice that the woman you saved is nowhere to be seen. All that remains with you in the alley are two dead bodies and a lot of garbage. Will you: Try to learn more about your saviour? Turn to 21. Search the bodies? Turn to 28. Flee in case the City Guards try to frame you for murder? Turn to 23. *we had decided already on talking* 21 "Wait!" you manage to shout before he disappears from view. Catching up to him, you introduce yourself then politely ask his name. "Monro," is all he replies in an accented voice muffled by his helmet. Will you: Ask how he wishes to be rewarded for saving you? Turn to 40. Or, ask what a gallant knight like he is doing walking the squalid streets of Blacksand? Turn to 45. |
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40 The knight fixes a cold stare at you through his visor then pays no more attention to you, walking off briskly without another word. You have offended him. Turn to 23. 23 Have you been to the tailor's yet? If you haven't, you go there now. Turn to 43. Otherwise, you return to the stables. Turn to 9. *rewind and we take the other route.* 45 Monro explains that he has journeyed from afar to fulfil two missions. The first concerns a wizard that he has recently tracked down to this city of thieves. "Venare was once a lawful wizard, until his brilliance in alchemy turned to insanity. Experimentation with simple herbs and chemicals became an obsession when venom was introduced into the equation. Now he constantly brews poisonous fluids, testing the effects on innocent people in an attempt to reach a higher level of the chemical's potency. Venare also has a habit of casually throwing aside failed experiments. Should any happen to reach a water system, the results on Blacksand's inhabitants could be disastrous. I have already heard rumours that the sewers are crawling with foul mutants and folks are starting to vanish. The City Guard have been informed of this growing danger, but they would not trust the words of a foreigner and I have no evidence. Nonetheless, I must locate and thwart the wizard's plans if it means turning the city inside out. Justice will be served." It seems the safety of the entire city is at risk. Monro describes the wizard as a man of medium height with silver-grey hair and wearing sorcerous robes of a dark green dye. Then he asks if you have seen such a person or know of his activities. This is a chance for you to repay the knight for saving your life if you can be of assistance. But how much help can a stable lad be? If you have the words "SERPENT" and "SPIDER" on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 25. If you have just one of the words, turn to 13. If you have none of the words or would rather not get involved, you can only wish the knight good luck and bid him farewell. Turn to 23. *We have the passwords* 25 You relate your findings with that of the knight's and manage to uncover the essential clues to the wizard's whereabouts. "Splendid!" he rejoices. "This means Venare had time to find and set up a laboratory in a suitable area for his experiments. Those crimson flowers around the lab must be the results of his meddling. Sniff enough of their aroma and you won't see the light of the next day, I"ll wager. No wonder people are disappearing. If Venare has indeed taken control of the alchemist's laboratory, there is a possibility that your friend, Zuvember, could be among the dead. Let us waste no more time. The wizard has powerful magic at his disposal. If you don't want to get further involved, I suggest you leave now." Will you back out (turn to 23), or strengthen your resolve and go with the knight (turn to 44)? |
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44 "You"re a brave one aren't you"¦or foolish," he chuckles. "Here, you will need this." The knight gives you a spare sword. "A strong heart deserves a strong weapon." Add the sword to your possessions. (You may now fight at your normal Skill level.) You lead the way, taking the most direct route. Evening comes. The streets are emptying and the last of the shops close, leaving only the faint glows of their windows to illuminate the gloomy pathways. Creatures domestic and wild sing incomprehensible songs; glass shatters, bolts creak, screams of another burglary rending the stillness of the air; the sound of running feet on the aged wooden planks of Singing Bridge, continuing to the alchemical lab - your own footsteps. You have arrived. The windows of the building are secure, the doors bolted and the edges of the roof lined with rows of vicious looking spikes - Zuvember never wanted visitors getting in the way of his work. It makes perfect sense that Venare selected this place as a safe haven to conduct his own experiments, and there is certainly no shortage of chemicals inside. Monro fishes a vial from his belt and empties the contents on to the iron bars that obstruct the front window. The liquid is like none that you have ever seen, for it is working corrosively on the bars, dissolving them into nothingness. Monro calls it Metal Rot. Smashing an entry through the glass, he cautions you to be alert before climbing nimbly inside. You quickly follow. The interior is an absolute clutter of unmarked potion bottles, scrolls, battered materials and various objects you cannot name. The filthy streets outside look relatively tidy in comparison. But you have no time to be concerned about house cleaning; you have a more important task at hand. At the back of the room is a door you know leads to the experimental chamber. Monro goes first, treading lightly over parchments and broken glass. However, Venare found a new use for all the rubbish strewn about. As the knight steps forward, you hear a click and shout a warning. But it is too late; the trap is sprung. A massive iron mace, hidden behind a panel in the ceiling, swings down thunderously like a pendulum. It smashes into the knight, who is thrown forcefully against a shelf like a rag doll. He collapses inert. Fearing the worst, you rush over to see what condition he is in. Even through his visor, you can tell he is still alive, though badly injured and unconscious. Then you hear footsteps, many sets of them coming from beyond the door. Do you possess either a vial of Sparkweed Pollen or a Healing Potion? If you do and wish to use it on the knight, turn to 26. Otherwise, turn to 37. *Hikes up his Kilt as the ca ca deepens* 37 You draw your sword, nervously awaiting your foes. What crashes through, however, is not what you expected. Your startled eyes meet with those of ravening GHOULS! Although you fight for all your worth, the undead attack in frenzied states and do not flinch from your blows. Eventually you are beaten down. Instead of eating you, the Ghouls carry both you and the knight to the experimental chamber, where the latest deadly poison is ready to be tested on a "volunteer". You appear to be next in line. Your adventure ends here. |
ok then we have the healing potion 8 gp less (8 gp in possesion)We eat those to restore health.
We give mr knight the potion and continue on.
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26 Hastily, you remove the knight's helmet. For the first time, you look upon the face of your saviour and see something you did not expect. Monro is actually a young woman! She has long dark hair, fair skin and a face showing signs of hard adventuring, even though she could hardly be much older than you are. Pleasantly surprised, you rest her in a more comfortable position to apply the curative. The footsteps get increasingly louder and more numerous. You draw your sword, hoping for the remedy to work faster all the while. A waft of fetid stench hits you as the door crashes down. Your startled eyes meet with those of ravening GHOULS! Then suddenly, Monro sits bolt upright, gasping as if woken from a nightmare (but now, more likely into one). She looks at you for an instant as she gathers her thoughts, before noticing the approaching threat. Ever courageous in the face of danger, the knight springs to her feet and leaps into the fray, fighting more ferociously than the frenzied Ghouls. You charge forwards to her aid, engaging two of the undead in combat. GHOUL SKILL 8 STAMINA 7 GHOUL SKILL 7 STAMINA 6 The Ghouls you are fighting have yet to reach a lethal stage in their development and do not possess the paralysing ability typical of their kind. If you win, turn to 3. |
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3 Monro despatches the last of her adversaries with a swipe of her magic sword. Silence descends. You rest for several moments to catch your breath when suddenly you feel a cold blade against your neck. "Why did you remove my helmet?" the knight demands in a stern voice. Quickly, you explain how the situation was and how you didn't really have a choice in the matter. Plus, you didn't think it would be offensive to remove a person's headgear. She understands but tells you that no one was supposed to know of her real identity. "In my land, it is seen as a great offence to have a female knight and would result in the loss of morale and strength of my people." "It sounds like your people need a change of old traditions," you say, "They have to know that a woman can be as strong as any man. That is what will raise their morale. They have to believe in what you believe." The blade is pushed further against your throat. "And what is it you think I believe?" "That anyone with a strong heart and a good soul has the right to defend the people against the world's evils. It is a person's courage and achievements that proclaim the heroic status, not their gender or appearance." "Indeed. Nevertheless, the few that have known my identity have died by my hand. All of them, scoundrels." "All of them?" you ask nervously, uncertain whether or not you really want to know the answer. "All save for those whom I trust: my family, my company of knights, and now, you." "You trust me?" "If I didn't, you"d be dead already." "That's good to know. May I say, you do have really nice hair; looks better down." Monro's face breaks into a friendly smile as she moves her sword away, allowing you to breathe again. "Come, my friend. Let us discuss identities later. We have a job to do," she says, patting you on the shoulder. "Indeed," you reply, bemused. Monro ties her hair back and dons her helmet, giving you a reassuring wink before flicking down the visor. Weapons at the ready, you enter the experimental chamber. Turn to 32. 32 You come into a large room lit by hanging lanterns. The fetid stench is so pungent in here you almost retch. But worst of all, you are horrified to see roughly a dozen rotting corpses suspended on lengths of chain that dangle from the high ceiling. Near the back of the chamber stands the green robed wizard, Venare, engrossed in his sinister experiments. A complex apparatus of transparent tubes, funnels and spheres is set up on a table in front of him, while his surround is a jumble of open barrels and shelves crammed with glass bottles - all containing herbs and chemicals for testing. His head turns slightly at your intrusion. "Monro. We meet again. Have you changed your mind and come as a volunteer for my research this time?" the wizard mocks. "Put an end to this, Sylas, you have gone too far," the knight orders, "Your poisons were bad enough and now you"re meddling with the dead. If any of your concoctions reach a water system, it would result in the death of hundreds of innocent lives." "There are no innocents in Blacksand, Monro. You of all people should know that. And water systems; is that really the extent of your research? The speed at which the water flows in this miserable city is far too slow for my liking. So I designed a poison that can spread via a more effective traveller: Air. Very soon, it will be ready, and thousands will know of my brilliance!" "You"re insane, Sylas," the knight spits. "It is only a thin line that separates insanity and genius; I"ll take the latter," he states, mixing another venomous brew. "I don't think you heard me earlier, wizard. I said, put an end to this." "Not a chance," he replies, spinning round with staff in hand. "Then die!" "Same answer." As you and the knight rush forwards, the wizard pulls a lever beside the table that activates an electrical current, shocking the hanging corpses into life! Howling madly, the animated Ghouls break free of their chains, landing on their feet with a disgusting slap. They move menacingly towards you, an insatiable hunger burning in their eyes. What's more, Venare has just completed a spell and something large is materialising in front of you. Will you meet the undead in combat (turn to 41), or face the wizard's conjuration (turn to 14)? |