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KNIGHTSOF DOOM Fo. yearsthe brave Knishtr Templa.of th€ Demonkeepand lhe Citadel hdve kept the p;dce in Auddleston€,protechn; rl from the constdt ravasesof Ors ed BeastM€n. But now d mcimt evil has reawak;€d in the land. Th€ ,orce!€r Belqdorh ha' retumedfiom lhe dead lo Fdam lus throne at Caeiskaat.Hir aim ls simple:he will seltle for nothinc lessthan total domiruon of Ruddleione Hi. fdnatial Knishts;f Doom wlll €^sue that hi, evil planrdo not fdil One her;i. tnicht - YOU - mu\l sneal ihrcush a l&d Dldqed inlo war. peneiraterhe ,eemn8 dFn,y line, ;d ovqc;e de dddlixt foJ of them a rwo dice, a pmol ad m drser ar€ all you need to mbark on thF awesome adventue, which comes complete with its oM elaborate ombat s'stm ad a score sheet to record your pro8ress. Unc(Mtable ddgs lie ahead and your suc$ is anylhine bul certain.lts up to YOU to de
FighhngFantasyGmebooks r THEWARLOCKOI fIRETOP MOLINTAIN 2 THI CITADELOF Cti,AOs ] THE FORIsT OI DOOM 4 STARS|IPTRAVELLER r dry OF THIE\'ES DUNCEON 6 DEATHTRA? 7 lSl-AND OF THE UZARD KINC . C{VERNSOF fiE SNOW I\TICH il TAIISMANOF DEATH 4 TEMTLEOF TERROR It THERINCSOI KETHER WITH rEAR 1/ APPOINTMENT 19 DEMONSOF THE DllP ro SWORDOF THE SAMLjRAI :r TRIALOI CHAMPIONS :: ROBOTCOMMANDO trj MASKs OF MAYHEM 2a CRIATLRE Or H-AVOC NICH]MARE 25 BENEATH CASTLE :6 CR1?I OF THE SORCERER

io CHASMSOF MALICE rr BATIEBLADEWARRIOR OF THEABYSS 32 SLAVFS

Steve Jackson and lan Livingstone

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14 SruALEROF SOULS jr DAGGERSOF DARXMSS r3 VAULTOI THEVAMPIRE 4r MASTEROF CHAO5 4: BIACK VEIN PROPHECY !i KEEPOI THE LICH LORD ,14 LEGENDo! rlE sHADow 4j SPECIR-{ STALKEIS 46.TOWIR OF DESTRUCTION 47 THE CRIMSONTIDI 43 MooNRUNNER 49 SIEGEOF SARDATH 50 RETURNTO FIRETOP MOUNTAIN t1 ISLAND OF THE IJNDEAD OI ZACOR 14 LEGEND

JonathanGreen IllustraLetlby TonyHowgh

rB PHANTOMSOF fEAR Stcvelacllo.t SORCERYI 1 THE SHAMUTANTI HILLS r KII,\R6 CIYPORT OF TRAPS ] THESEVENSIRPEN1S 4 THECROWNOr KNCS FIGHTINC FANTA-SY The Inhoductorv Role PlavinB Cme THE NDDUNG REAWR lou TlTillmg Adventues rFF rR-oirroarrH wAxs chros nlade. A0ansB DEMONSTEALER ChaddaD,ikmmeRetams SLLADOWMASTER Chadda Ddsan€ and Death TI€ Advd@d fightinA Fant'sr SJBtd OLTTOtTH€ PIT F,ShtsgFdt:\Y Mon+fls TITAN Tle F,shti@ Imta5v Wo' d DlrN. oNLm: A;-n.r@j._ oa b'r" rao ld orFole p a ns C.n^ BLACKSANDI MoE Advm.ed FiBhting Fmtaev

PUFFINBOOKS

Iighting Fanlasy Cnebooks 1 THT WARLOC( OF FMETOP MOUNTA]N : THE CITADELOT CH,{OS J IHE FORESTOF DOOM + STAFSTIIPTRAVELLER CITY OF THIEITs O ' DEATHTRA?DUNCEON 7 ISLANDOF THELIZARD(INC A SCORPION SWAMP 9. CAVERNSOF THE SNOW WlTCH ]O HOUSEOI HELL 11 TAIISMAN OF DE TH 14 TEMPLEOF TERROR 1' THE RINCSOF KETHER APPOINTI,ENT WITH F EA R '7 REBELPLANET 13 19 DEMONSOF THEDEEP 2O S!\'OID O} THE SAMTIMI 21 TRIAL OF CHAMPIONS I ROBOTCOMMANDO 2] MASI$ OI \4AYHTM 24,CREATURE OFTIAVOC 2' BTNE{TH NIC}IN\,AIT CASTLE 16, CRYPTOF THE SORCI]RER !7 STARSTRJDER 23 PHANTOMSOF FF?1R

29. MIDMCHT ROCUE ,o cllAsMs oF MALicE WARRIOR 31 BATTLEBLADE rA SLA!'E OF THE ABYSS tr s(Y LORD t4 STEALEROF SOULS ]' DAGGERSOF DARKNESS J6, ARMJFJOF DEATH

Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone

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MASTEROF CHAOS BLACKVEIN PROPHEC/ KEEPOf THE LICH LORD LEGENDOF THE S}IADOW

4' SPECTR.A!STALKERS 46- TOWTR OF DESTIUCTION r' THECRIMSONTID! 46 MOONRUNNER 49 SIEGEOF SAXDATH RETURN TO fIRETOP 'O MOUNIAIN ISIAND Of IHE IJNDEAO 'r SPELLBREAKER " LEGENDOF ZACOR '4

JonathanGreen tuusrrBtea oV ionv Hough

St.vc Jac*lont SORCERYI 1 THE SIIAMUTANn HILLJ z KHARE- CITYPORTOI TMPS J THESEVENSERPENTS , THECROWNOf KJNGS FIGHTTNCFANTASY The Inkodlcrory Rolept ynlll cde THERIDDLINC REAWR Tqn Thrihg Adknhc THCTRoLLTOOIH wARs chlc lrNlhs AlLtia DEMONSTEALER Ch.ddaDa*rune Rltms SHADoWMASTER- ch.lda Dar!.ranerd D.ath Th. Advrn.ert Flghtine lhtnsy Srrt€n OUT OF THE PIT . FUIIiNPFdirgv MOIIEG nTAN Th€Fishhc-Fdl; wdld DIJNGEOMIR - An l.trcduction to theWorld oi Role-playmsCmes BIICKS,AND| More Advm.pd FiahrinaF,nrey

PUFFINBOOKS

CO NT E NT S PUF F ]N BOOKS Pubhhcd by the Pe.8uh Croup Ir e d d P f l e r ' S o o L r d - wr Ah \L ' e lo ' d o n ^ 3 ,' . llaLilB^ N L s A k . e a U s,A 1 i 5 P d .o - S c. N"s \o ,1 \' s' o \ o " 1 s ' u B o o c A ' h J" t J P q n au sw.o o V,lo r " ' PenAuin Books Cmada Lrd, rc Al.om Avenuq Tonntq Onlad., Cin:d3 M4v rr2 Penguin Book5 (NZ) Ltd, rs2 19o Wamu Road, Au.kland r., N€w Zealant Pensuin sook Ltd, Reaiskrcd olices

Hamondswo*h

MiJdGs€& Insland

Introduction 7 AdventureSheet

Fnsl Publhhed 4e4 ! . r c p p r . ^ p v . e f l i n \ . L o ' d d In L vin b r r " Tcrtoplnsht I onrlhanCFcn rma lll.\ ri., .ropJ isfr , Tor Ho' e5 99a Map coppsht O lonathan Gften, 19e,1 All righE i*erved The noml risht oi the authd h* been a$e*ed Filnsd by Datir Int.mtional Lmlerl BuSay, s"ffolk Pukd n Ingland bt ClaysLtd, Sf lvespl. Filmsetln r:/1J pt MonophotoPalatno Ex.ept n the United stale of Aneri.a thn book is sold sub,ed lo the ondjtion that lt sh:ll not, by way oI hade or othemi3e, be lent, r o o \e s" od \.do 'pnor e ' tu n .. Pd..vs !n h o u.ther lr tPP' b l.\e thm thal in consentm any fom .l bindins \i r ! r . l , . p b l h t e d , n - h llo u r 1 1 ' , to n d ' o a " ' .Id r ,.'dr'orbrs r p o "d o ' r le \L o q q fr r p 1 E Pd

Background Knightsof Doom 27

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I NT RO DUCT I O N

It has tal<enseveralyearsfor you to becomea member of the holy order of LheTemplar Kni8hh of Telak the Swordbearer,in the northem kingdom oI Ruddlestone. After your initial training as a Wanior-Priest at the Citadel,you servedin the DemonkeepOutpost on the border with warlike Brice. There you rose swiftly through the ranks, undertaling many hazardousmissions into enemy tenilory and becoming renor,r'ned not only for your fighting prowessbuL also for your masteryof the arcanesecreLs taught by yor-r order, achieved through long hours of study In lime, you were invited to retum to the Citadelto continueyour training and studiesin order to becomeone of the elite TemplarKnights.Thereyou swore the Oath of the Templars:to strive to wipe out Evil and Chaos wherever lhey may be found and always to uphold the honourof your order Sincethat time, you have facedmany foes and completedmany dangerousquesLsto LhebenefiLof your country, overcomingseeminglyimpossibleodds by usrngyour heightenedwarriols skillsand your mystic priestly powers.You have becomeone o{ the mcst trustedand respecledof your ordea having recently retumedfrom leadinga force againsta horde of Orcs and BeastMen whom you succeeded in driving back inLothe mourtains.

Before embarking on your latest advmture, you must fust discover your onm strengthsand weaknesses. You use drce to det€rmin€your inrtial scores.On pages 2o-2r there rs an AduentuteSheefwhi'ch you may use to recordthe detailsof your adventure.On iL you will ffnd boxes for recording the scoresof your attributesYou areadvisedeitherto recordyour scores in pencilor to makephotocopies Sheet on lheAdoenture of the sheetfor usein futureadventures. Skill, Stirmina and Luck Roll one dice.Add 6 to lhe numberrolled,then enter this toLalin th€ sKrLLboxon lhe AdoentureSheet. Roll two dic€-Add rz to the numberrolled,thenenLer this total in the sr^MNAbox Roll one dice.Add 6 to the nlrmberrolled,then enter [his total in the LUCKbox. For reasonsthat will be explainedbelow, yorrr scores will change constantly during the adventure. You must keep an accuraterecord of these scores,and for lhis reasonyou areadvisedto wrile smallin the boxes or !o keep an eraserhandy. But never rub out your Initiql scoresAJthoughyou may be awardedadditional sKr!!, srAMrNA and Lucx points, thefu totals may never exceedtheir lflifi;"/ scores,except on those very lellsyou so rareoccasions when the text specifically Your srrlr reflectsyour expe*ise in combat,your dexterity and agility. Your STAMINAscoteis a meas ure of how healthy and physically fit you are- Your

LUcr score indicates how lucky you are. In all these cases,the higher the score,the betteC Battles During yow advmture you will often encounterhostrle creatues which will attack you, and you yourself may chooseto draw your weaponagainstan enemy you chanceacross.In some situationsyou may be given specialoptionsallowingyou to dealwith the encounter in an unusualmarmer,but in most casesyou will have to resolve battlesas describedbelow. Enter your opponent'ssKrLLand srAMrNAscoresin the first ernpty Encounter Box on your Adoenlure Sreel You shodd also make a note of any special abilities or inshuctions that are unique to that paftic1llar opponent.Thenfollow this sequence: r Roll both dice for your opponent,Add its sKrLL scoreto the totalrolled,to find its Attack Strength. z. Roll both dice for yor:rself, then add your cr.nrent sxrr-r,scoreto find your AttackStr€ngth. 3- If your Aitack Str€ngthis higher than your opponent's,you havewoundediL: proceedto step 4. If your opponent's Attack Skength is higher than yous, it has wounded you proce€d to step 5. lf both AtbackShengthtotalsare the sarne,you nave avoidedor parriedeachother'sblows: start a new Attacl Ror:ndfrom step r, above. 4- You lEve wounded your opponent, so subkact 2

points from iLs srAMtNAscore.You may use LucK here to do additionaldamage(seebelow).Proceed to step6 5. Your opponent has wounded you, so subtract z points from your sTAMINAscore.You may use LUcx to reducethe lossof srAMlNA(seebelow). 6. Beginlhe next AtLackRound,startingagainat sL? score 1 This sequence continu€suntil the STAMINA of eitheryou or your opponentreacheszero,which meansdeath.If your opponentdies,you arefree Lo continue with your adventure.If you die, your adventureendsand you must begin all over again by creatinga new character. Fighting More Than One Opponent In some situations you may ffnd you'self facing more you thanone personor creaturein combat-SomeLimes times as a single aL olher will heat them opponent, you will be ableto fight eachin tum, and then again, at other timesyou will have to fight them all at the sametimelI[ they are treatedas a singleopponenl,the combat$ resolvednormally.When you are nstructed to 6ght your opponentsone at a time, Lhecombatis again resolvednormally - except that, once you defeat an enemy, the next steps forward to ffght you! When you find yourself under attack from more than one opponent at the sametime, eachadversarywill make a separaleatta& on you in the courseof eachAttack Round,but you canchoosewhich one to fight Attack your chosenlarget as in a normalbaLtle.Againstany

additionalopponentsyou lhrow for AtLackStrengths in Lheusualway. If your Attack Shengthis greater ihan your opponent's,in this instanceyou will noL inflict any damage;yor: can regard it as having parried an incoming blow lf your Attack Strengt+ris lower than your adversary's,however, you will be wounded in the usual way. Of course,you will have to settle the outcomeagainsbeadr additionaladversaryseparately.

Luck Ai various times during your adventure,either in battle or when you find yourselfin anothersituahon in which you couldbe eiiherLuckyor Unlucky(detaiJs of lhese are given in the relevant paragraphs),you may use rucr to make the outcomemore favourable to you. But beware!Using LUc( is a risky business and, if you are Unlucky, fhe resultscould be disastrousThe procedure for Teslingyaw Laclcworks as follows: roll two dice If the number rolled is less than or equal to your current LUc( score,you will have been Lucky and the ouLcomewill go in your favour. If the numberrolled js higher than your cunenf LUCK score,you will have been Unlucky and will be penalized. Each time you Test youl Luck, you must subtracf 1 point hom your current LUCKscore Thus you will soonrealizethat,the more you rely on your LUCK,lhe morerisky thisprocedurebecomes. 11

L)sihgLuckin Bdtfles From time to time you will be told to Testyow Luck, and you will thm leam the consequencesof being Lucky or Unlucky. However, in batlles you always have the ophon of using your LucK eilher to inflict more seriousdamageon an opponentyou have just wounded or to minimize the effects of a wound you hav€just received.

More About Your Attributes skitl Your SKILLscore will not changemuch during the courseof your advenhue.Occasionallya paragraph may give instructionsto increaseor deqeaseyour sKrLL score, but it may not exceed its lnitial vaJue unlessyou arespecifically instructedto the contrary.

II you havejust woundedan opponent,you r ay Test your Luck,as describedabove.If you are Lucky,you have inflicted a s€vere wound, deduct 2 extra points from yow opponmfs sraMrNA score. If you are Unlucky, however, your blow only sdatcies your opponent,you may deducl only r point from your opponent'ssrAMrN^ (so that, insteadof inflictingthe usual: points of damage you now ffict only r).

At varioustimes during your adventure,you will be told to Testvout Skil!. The procedurefor doing this is exactly the same as for Testingyour lt,t./c. Roll two dice. If the number rolled is less than or equal to your crment SKILLscore,you have succeeded in your Lest and the result will go in your favour.If Lhenumber rolled is higher than your cunent EKILLscore,you have falled the test and will have to suffer the consequences.However, unlike lcifirg your Luck, yan do not have to subtractl point from your srrrr each tnte you Testyour Skill.

Whmever you yourselfare woundedin combat you may Testvour Luckto try to minimizethe wound. lf you areLucky,your opponent'sblow only grazesyou, deductjust 1 point from your own sraMtNA.II you are Unlu&y, youl wound is a se.iour one and you must deduct1 ,rtr4 srAMrNApoint (i.e.deducta tolal of 3 pointsfrom your srAMrNA). you must subtract1 point ftom your LUCK Remember: scorceachEme you Testyow Lu.k.

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Your srAMrNA scorewill changea lot during yow adventure,IL will drop as a result of wounds gained through combat or by falling foul of traps and pitfalls, and it wlll alsodrop afteryou performany particularly arduoustask [f your srevru score ever falls Lozero, you have beenkilled and should stop reading the book immedia tely,Braveadventurers who wishto pursuetheir queslmustrollup a newcharacterand sfartalloveragain. You can restorelost sr^MrNA by eating meals or Provisions.You start the gamewithout any Provisions,

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but durJngyour advenLure you will be able to obtain mealsYou mustkeepkack on yoor Adoenture Sheet ol how many meals'worth of Provisionsyou have left. Eachfime you eaLa meal,you may restoreup to 4 Porntsof srAMrNA,but at fhe sametime you musl rememberto deduclr mealfrom your stocko{ Provisions-You may pause[o eat Provlsionsat any Lrmq exceptwhenyou areengagedin a baLtle.

battle. Wiih youJ superiorexperiencein the a of wartdre.a lorcetedby you is all but unbeatable_ Ride You are an experl hoaseman, able to remain in the saddleand guide your steedin even the most adverse conditions. lhis sUl mean.fhat tou arealsolilely to beablelo ndeothermounts. evenudikelydndunfamil_

lar ones.

Luck Addrtionsto your LUCKscoremay be awardedin the adventurewhen you have been particularlylucky or have createdyour own luck by some action Details are given, wherc appropriate,rn the relevanLpart of the book. Rememberthat,as with sKrLLand srAMrNA, your LUcKscoremay neverexceedits ,?ilial value

Target This skill allowsyou Lo useweaponsthat are thrown or fired Guch as bows. rpearsand fhrowingknivesr wrth greateraccuracythaflnormal.

Special Skills As part of your trainingasa TemplarKnight,you have acquiredcertainSpecialSkills appropriateto both a wamor and a priest,and thesehaveprovedinvaluable on many a perilousadventure.Choose/or.rrSpecial Skillsfiom the list below and malcea note of Lhemin the SpecialSkills box on your AdpenfureSheet.Yol trrrsfhaveat leastoneWanior Skiliand onePriestSkill. tNarrior Skills

Tracking As Iong as there is a trail to follow, you can brack humanoidor.beastanywhere.your success in tracking dependson the natureof the traii and how otd it is. Weapon

sPear priesLSkills

Battle Tactics As well as beinga hiSfJy skilledwarrior yourself,you are also used to conunandingdozensof soldiersin

Arcane Lore Having spentmany hoursporing over ancrenftomes, vou are more knowledgeabre than mo5l concemin6

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and you the hislory and legends of RuddlesLone, understandmany of Lhe secrel symbols and other myslerieso{ your order.

Honour As a Knight of Telak you are bound by HoNouR. Your HoNouR is a measureof your unselfishness, your senseof duty and allegianceLo the path of Goodness At the slart of your adventure your HoNouR scoreis 6 (you do not need to roll dice to discoverthis).You may increaseyour HoNouR score by undertakingheroicdeedsand destroyingespecially evrl opponentsHowever,you can alsolose noroun pointsby actingin an evil or selfishway that is more benefitinSto your enemies,or by breakingthe Oath of the Templars.Keep track of your HoNouR in the appropriafebox on your AdoentureSheeLand do aII you cannot to dishonouryourselfor your order

BanishSpirit By brandishingholy syrnbolsandusingcertainesoteric you areableto freeone ghosLlyundeadspiril phrases, at a time its earthly constraints {rom Commune

from higherplanes Holy Strike You are able to hiL evil creaturessuchas undeadand Demonswith a blast of holy power that will draln theirevil energiesYor.rmay makeonly one stiike at a trme.

Time As you pursueyour quest,iLis importanLthat you keep trackof the passage o{ time.RegularlyLhroughoulthe adventure,whenever a day draws to an end, you will be instructedlo add r day to fhe Time ElapsedThis shouldbe done in the Time Elapsedbox which you wtll hnd,on your AtuentureSheet. Equipment You start your adventurewrth the possessions and uniform you would expectof a Knight of Telak:you are dressedin a fine chainmailcoal and a white tunic with the designof a goldensword embrordered on it, and you carry a magic sword,a weaponmadeof the 77

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fineststeeland castwith a mysticalencJuntment. This weapondoesnot Bive you any bonusto your Altack Strength but it will harm the undead and Demons because of its holy nature- You travel through the kingdomof Ruddlesloneon your steedFiremane, a dark roan with a blazing red mane. As yet you do not have a backpackor any Provisionsor Gold Pieces. You should record your magic sword in the Weapon Lwx on your AiloentureSrrsf everything else goes in the Equiprnentbox. During Lhe adventureyou may only ever carry and use one weaponat a time However, for as long as you have your horse Firemane with you, you rnay also carry anotherweaponon his saddle.lf you do this, make a note of it in the Eqrupmentbox. If you losea weaponand Firemaneis slill carrying the other, then you may use this one However you may do this only if Firemaneis with you aLthe Lime.For example,if you lose your sword in a dungeoq until you get ouf of that dungeon(or you find anotherweapon there)you must carry on weaponless.While you are fighting without a weapoq you must reduceyour Attack Stren8thby z points.If you everwant to changea weaponduringcombaland are in a position to do this, you must fo eil one AttackRoundandsufferthe consequences Also, whenever you acquirea weapon (or armour)you should record on the AdoenfureShectany bonusesthat go with it andwhetheror not it is magical

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BACKGROUND The kingdom is sick and I am mortally ill.' Gaspsof dismay come from the crowd, the leadersoi all the major religiousand secularordersof Ruddlestoneare assembled here rn the hall that is bedeckedwith the barnersof thoseorders You are standingin front of the king's ornately carvedoak throne You are suddenly awarehow weak and tired King Rannorlooks. Having regainedhis breath, the king speaksagain, 'My physicianstell me that I am sufferingftom no ordinary illness,and thaf there is only one cure.The land and the king are one and,becaus€thereis chaos in the land, I am dying- If the kingdom rs to su.vive, then the sourceof Lhisdisruptionmusl be destroyed, for without a trueking the landitselfwill dre. '14hatis bhesourceof thischaos?' you ask Aranandus, the court wizard and adviser to the king, answersyour question.'Severalweeksago, during a Lerriblestorm over the BanaraskHills, a gateway opened between our world and the Sprrit Planes, centredr.rponthe ruins of the fortressof Caer SkaalMy fellow sorcerersand I detecLedthe disturbarceit was causingon the magicalether,and for kilomet.es aroundpeoplesawa great,swirlingvortex Formamidst theboihngslorm-clouds. Eye-witness accounlssaythaL while the portal remainedopen, Lerriblescreaming spirits could be seen flying acrossthe nighL sky 22

throughoutthe land.lt was a truly leniiying spectacle to behold. However,before the vortex closedagarn, somethingelsewasdeLected escaping from the Ethereal Plane- somethingof fhe utmost evrl ihat exuded comrphon RecenLlyreportshave been coming fiom the southconceminga bandof dark warriorswho are terrorizingihe countrysideand carryingbannersthat bear the motif of a metal gauntlet holding a black sword.'You gazeat the old wizardin horror 'Yes,'he saysgravely,'the armsof the ChaosKnightsof Caer Skaal.' Every Templar knows about that feribLe period in Ruddlestone's history. One hundred years ago, the krngand headof your orderat that time,ChivalrasIX, had a brother, Belgaroth,who was also one of the Knightsof Telak But Belgarothwas consumedwith lealousyfor his brotherand desiredto be king himself Although Chivalraswas in kuth a wortny monarcn, Belgarothconsideredhim a weak lcng and thoughf ihat Ruddlestone shouldbe ruled with an iron fist. As the yearspassed,Belgarothspentmore and more time awayfrom the Citadelat his own castleon the edgeof the Banarask Hills. During that time, he becamecorruptedby his own hatredandlealousy,so that eventually he rejectedTelak and tumed to worshipprngthe Dark Cods of Chaos,that they might grant him the power to destroy Chivalras.As part of hrs serviceto his darkmasters,Belgarothfoundedan orderof Chaos Knightsto leadhis hordesof evil agarnstthe Citadel However, Chrvalras'sspies uncovered Belgaoth's plans,and so the CrusadeagainstChaosbegan.The

'Yes,my Lege.'you reply.'lFmy kingdomis rn danger then I must do a[ I can to slop fhese Knights of Chaos' wereleft to the inhabitantsof thosewild lands 'BelgaroLh must have retr_rmed from the Landsof the Deadandresunectedhisdarkorder,'Arananctus continues 'His servant\strjve ior diiruption and confusion .o that Chaosmay hghten its gnp upor oru woflo. There is talk of witchcraflin the noah; lhe dead are rislng from fheir graves,and there have been many dark portenls seen acrossthe land There are even

You bow to King Rarnor and hun lo leave the

soundsas if it was insrdethe hall, but you can see nofhing.Then rt stopsand,at Lhesamemoment,the lernperature in thehalldrops.As you watch,a phosphorescentgrcen glow beginsto appearIn fronl o[ yor.r. Sornethingis materialirin8in the audiencechamber. Somethingnot of thisworld . . Tum to paragraphr.

chosen to be that knrght, for you are one of the Sreatestof ail the Knights of Telak. your courage, your prowessin battle, and your commandof the mystic powers taught by your order are known of throughoutthe kingdom.You will accepfthe quest 24

The phosphorescencerapidly rncreusesin size,making a recogrizableshape.Directlyin fronl of you a ghostly armoured knight forms, surroundedby an eerie green glow and mounled on a phantom steed Inside lhe helmetthe knight'sfaceis Lhatof a fleshlessskull,its empty eye socketsstaring down at you. The ghost poinfs at you with ils sword;its jaw drops open and the dead knight lets out a ghastly moan: 'Beware, mortals-Bewarel'Beforeyou canreact,the horserears up on its hind legs and tries to crushyou beneathits hoofs Testyour Lutk. If you are Lucky, tum to 97. If you are Unlucky, turn Lo145.

If you have takenmore than six days to get bhisfar, fum to 159. If you have taken six days or less, fum l o 3j E -

5 As lhe man flees,he drops severalspikedmetal balls in Firemane'spath. Fremane shies and rears up to avoid ga-llopinginto fhe deadlycalfhrops.lf you have the Ridr SpecialSkill, tum to r55. If you do not, Iesf your Skill, It you ate successful,turn to 156, if you fail, rum ro 17o.

Evmtudly your opponent falls. You have not even reachedthe door when the pressureof lhe sLeam inside the boiler becomestoo great and the iron chamber exolodes - with cataclvsmiceffect The

t-5 Juggernautis blown apat by the blast, as are you. Your adventureendshere 5 The people of Assart bolt their doors and banicade themselves insidetheir homesas you sel of{ aloneon Firemane, going west towardsMyrton. Dusk is falling as you reachthe derelictruinslying undera thick pall of mist. The air is heavy with the smellof deathand you can hear the tolling of a bell. Suddenlya great crowd appearsout of the mist, blocking the way to Myrton- The undead villagers stumble towards yorr moaningand waving farm tools threateninglyin your direction.You have no choice buL to charge these undeadranks in an attempf to break through their lines Roll two dice io seehow many of the undead skike you. lf you havethe Holy SlrikeSpecialSkillyou may reducethis numberby :, and you canalsodo this if you havea lanceFor every strikeyou sustain,lose2 STAMINA poinLsIf you surviverunning this gauntlet, the undead ignore you and instead make for Assart, leavingyou to go aftertheNecromancer. Tum to ja.

The speJl'locked door opensand you gazeinto what was obviouslyoncea wizard'slaboratory-You are at the top of a starrcase thal winds round the wall of the circularchamberto floor level. The room is fulI of Lablesand benchesladenwith bizarrepiecesof equip, ment and scientificapparatusAround the top of the crrcularwall have been painted pictures of strange myLhologicalcreatures,and the domed ceiling is a

, deepblue,insetwith sparklinggemsto form a map of the heavens Slumpedover a book on a desk is a skeleton,wearinga blue robe embroid€redwith stars and moons.As you descendthe staircase, the skeleton remamsmotionlessso you decideto takea closerlook at the book. The skeletonis that of Savant,a good wizard in the serviceof Belgarothbefore the Dread Lord wascomrptedby his own Jealousyfo the service of Chaos When his masier tumed from the path of Soodnessand truth, Savant hid hrmself away and beganwork on findinga way to sLopBelgarothWhat he discoveredlies here before you. However, iL is written in a strangemagicalshort-handIf you have theArcaneLoreSpetaI Skll, tum to 70 If you haven't, yo.u TestVourLuct. If you are Lucky,tum to 70; 'J.ust rf you areUnlucky,turn Loa89

7 Alreadyyou krow that thevillageof Assartis doomed. With the N€comancerstill alive,his army of undead wlllconlinu€ to grow unlil it is unstoppableYou have noLeven lef! the graveyardwhen you are surrounded by a horde of Zombrelike creatures.You cut dolvn many of the evil undead,but rn the end you are overwhelmedand,oncedead,you are reLumedto the sePulchre to meetyour n€w master.

E{o I Between the kees at lhe edge of the clearing,the groundis thick with bra(ie . TesLVourLuck.Il yon arc Lucky,turn to :9r. I{ you areUnlucky,tum to 2r5

The Paladin'sLanceis the very weapon that pierced the heartof the Hell Dragonforty yearsago.It will be an invaluable weapon if you ever have to take part in a joust, however,it cannotbe used in hand to-hand combal.If you are ever given the option of usinSbhe Lance,Teslyour 5kill, addrng z to fhe number rolled if you do not have the LanceWeaporSpecialSkill. If you are successful, your opponentloses2 srAMrNApoinLs. (Recordthe Lancein the Weaponbox on yout AdoenIwe Sheel.)Re|urr. to 356

11

Gripping the Elf-Spear6rmly in your hand,you (eel its power flowing into your arm, strengtheningyour musclesFlingingyour arm forward,you hurl Aelfgar throughthe air, aimingit straightat Belgaroth'schest. Testyour Skill,subtracting2 from lhe dice roll if you have the TBryel Special Skill If you succeed,h.rrn to 4oo. Jf you fail,tum to r44. a2

Having removedthe Banshee's tooth, do you want to make your way back Lo the crone'scave so Lhatshe can concoctyour poLion(tum to 2q) or will you go (Lurnto 2o2I elsewhere

your weapon,ready to fight Quickly you unsheaLhe the hellspawn.Being a denizenof LheEtemalPit, the DemonicSlayercanbe harmedonly by magicalweapons-If you do not have one, you will meel the same fate as thaLof Herluinunder the creature'sonslaught. Your adversary's clawsare so sharpthal they will cut through armourand flesh aljke,so any bonusesyou may haveagainstdamagewill haveno effectl 10

The Giant roarsin fury at you for having avoidedhis hazards.Bellowing,rt swingsits club at you Drawing your own w€apon,you engagein srnglecombat

HILL GIANT

SKI LL 9

If you deleatthe brute,tum to ryj-

DEMONIC SLAYER

sKrLL10

If you destroythe horror tum to rzE.

STAM IN A 8

Ltt

At the top of Lhest€psyou enLera long anLechamber, a[ the end of which is a set of double doors madeIiom a dark wood, inscribedwith mysticalrunes.Howevet at thismoment,th€ spectreof a womanis materializing in Lhe room Her raggedrobes and hair streamout behindher as she flies towardsyou acrossrne room, her clawlike hands nised, screamint insanely, Upon her headis a cown of Dragon'steeth and the manic look in her eyes tells you that the ghosl has been driven completelymad. The spectreis in fact fhat of Belgaroth's ffend-like queen, Morgwtm of the Dark Tower. A servantof Shekla,goddessof witchcraft,it was shewho, during the siegeof CaerSkaal,conjured terriblecreatureshom the Spirit World fo assaillhe crusaders'camp at night and deprive the warriors of precioussleep.Upon hearingthe newsof her husbands deathon the field of battle,Morgwyn took her own life, throwing herself from the highest lunet oi the fortress. If you have the BanishSpiit SpecialSkill and want to use it to dispel the specke, Lum ro 2o4. Otherwiseyou will have to figh[ Belgaroth'squeeq fum to 29 a5 The owl zuddenly larmchesitself from its perch and startsto buffetyou with its wings,forcingyou towards the door. Wheneveryou strikeout at the bird, it flres up fo the ceiling, out of your reach.You try to carry on you. investigation of Herluin's cell, but fhe owl beginsscre€ching and continuesto hamperany move you make.You decidethat you have aLeadywasted

a6-a,

enough time here anyway, so you hastily leave the celland the wood Tum to 49. a6 You notice Lhal,aboveeacharchway,a rune has been carvedinto the stone.Fromhoursspentstudyingsuch secretsymbols,you can reco8nizeall of them.Above the southemarchwayrs the Runeof the Swordbearel over the northem archway is the Rune of Enkala goddessof peace;and LhesLoneabove fhe westem archwaybearsthe Runeof DeaLh.Whichway will you 8o? South? West? North?

Tum to j5a Turn to j9a Tum to ao9

Il is early aftemoon when you ride back into lhe courtyardoI CleeveManor Lord Varenhurriesout to meetyou, and whenyou showhim the boals tuskshe is overjoyed.'At last my peoplewill be able to live without fearagarn.The GreatBoarof Leinis no more.' (Add 1 to your HoNouRscore-)Lord Vareninvitesyou to spendanothernightat themanor but you feelthat,if you leavenow you shouldbe ableto reachHavalokby nightfall However,Vareninsistson offeringyou some servicein returnfor l
What he knowsaboutthe Elf-Spear Tum Lo 206 Aelfgar? 18

Thesemanlike crealuresare Wodewose,primalsPirits of the forestitself,andfrom iL they draw lheir strenglh. They will not be easy to defeaL,for you must fight themtogether S K IIL

first WODEWOSE SecondWODEWOSE

9 9

7 8

If you win, the bodiesof the Wodewosedry up and turn brown. Bewilderedby your encounterwith Lhese strangecreatures,you continueon your way Tum to j6a19

As you and Torrin waiLin tensesilenc€,you canhear the sounds of growling and sniffing coming from outsidelhe forge.The Dwarf bolls and bars Lhedoor Lhenbegrnsto securethe wlndow-shuttersT?sfyor Lrlc If you areLucky,tum to 3ro. If you areUnlucky, rurn ro 375 Beforeyou evenmanageto draw your weapon,a dark bolt of energy flies from the warlord's hands and strikesyou full in lhe chest.It feelsjust as if you have been hrt with a Giant's club- You are thrown back acrossthe room and slaminto the wall;lose5 sr-lvtre points.If you arestill alive turn to 162,

25

You can see that parts of the surrounding fields are blackenedand blighted. As you ride info Ennox, a group of villagerstums to look at you with hoslile expressions on lheir faces'So,a Templat'one of them says,'What 'ave we done to deservethe atfentionsof [he likesof you?As i{ thingsweren'tbad enoughwith the blight. We don't need your sort snoopingaround 'ere' The mar's fellowsmutter Lherragreement. Some thing telis you thal your presenceisn't weicomehere. You have no quarel wifh lhesepeople,so will you ride on throughand leavethem in peace(turn to j32), or will you stop and arguein defenceof your order (tum to a5oP

Fortunalelyyour helmetabsorbsmost of fhe force of the blow (lose 1 srAMrNApoint) The crate that hits you fallsharmlesslyto the floor, and you tum around as a figuredropsfrom an openinSin Lheceiling.It is a man d.essedin the garb of a laboruerand wearing a dyed greenhood that covershis facecompletelywith just Lwo eye-holescut in it In one hand th€ man is holding a chain,with a spikedball on one end of it Wlth a shouthe atla&s you. HOODED ATTACKER

sKrLL 8

srAMrNA8

Every time yow opponentwins an Attack Round,roll one dice. On a rcI| of t-4, the spikedball does the usual z STAMTNA points of damage.However, on a roll of 5-6, the weaponhits you extra hard,causing3 points of damageto your srAMrNA.If you reducethe mans STAMINA to 2 Pojntsor less,you caneitherLry

to questionhim as to why he aftackedyou (tum to 255)or finishhim off (tum to 354). 26

You step through the door into a scene of utter devasLation. The Lowerstorey of fhe cell is a single room, ftrmishedwith bookcases, a large desk and a high-backedchair.However,severaloithe bookcases havebeenpulledover,spillingtheircontentsof scrolls, ancienttomesand strangeartefactsacrossLheroom. Bottleslie smashed on the floor theirpreciouscontenls soaling into the packedearth.Lying in the middJeof the debris is Herluin the Sage,his body scoredby deepgashesthat look as though they were madeby the claws of somehuge creatureAs you survey rne wreckage,there is the soundof beatingwings, and a tawny owl alightson its perchnearthe deskaad gazes al you with large, blinkng eyes. If you have the CornmuneSpecialSkill, turn to 99 If you do noL, Test yow Luck.If you ale Lucky, turn fo 99. If you are Unlucky,tum to 166.

24

2a-23 2T

There are no traps hidden by Lheunnaturaldarlcress but, as you slep thro'rgh it, the marrow-freezingcold drainsyour shength (lose 2 sr^MrNA pornts)unless you are carrying a shield bearing a crescenlmoon whichprojectsa glowing white barrierroundyou You soonemergefrornthechillingdarkness andfindyourself in a chamberfacedwith slabsof sLone. ln it standthree largestonecoffins.Lying on top o{ thecenfralsarcophagus rs an ancienlsword inscibed with interweavin8 pattems.Do you want to risk takingit (tum to 2]a); or willyou leavethe deadin peaceand quit this hmulus, passingthroughlhe pool of darkness oncemore,for the loss of z further srAMrNApoints and 1 sKILLpoint urlessyou havethe moon shield(tum to tr6! The force of the bLowsendsyou reeling,and you fall to the floor The mercenaries cheerand as you dimb the stepsout oI the pit, Stronnexplainsthat he could neverlet hjs men be led into battleby anyonebuLthe best of warriors.Nothing you can do will persuade Stronnto changehis mind,so you decidenot to waste Guild Tum to 314. any moretime at the Mercenaries' For muchof Lheday you ride west and souththrough the Banarask Hills without seeinganothersoul in the desolatetenain.It is late aftemoonwhen you cometo the bottom of a sheer-sidedincline. As you start to climb the path to the top, a huge silhouetteappearson the horizon.Standingat lhe top of the inclineis an

ugly brute, aL leasLsix mekes ball.The Hrll Giant is coveredin hair and is dressedin tatLy animal furs, while in its massivehandsit holds a small tree as a club.Next to it is a pile of hee trur*s. On seeingyou the Ciant gives the pile a mighty kick, sendinSthe treeirunks rolling down the valley, direcLlytowards you The sidesof the path are too sleepand Lhereis no time for you to get out of lhe way of the speeding logs, so you prepareto jump them wrth your mount. Testyour Skill four times, subhacting z from the dice roll if you have the Rile SpecialSkrll.If you succeed on everyroJl,tum Loro. If you fail at all, tum bo88, 24 As the last Hellhounddies,dawn breakson another cold Close day; but at least you have survivedthe ni8hl to see rt (add r day to the Time Elapsed) The memory of that terrible night will remainwith you for a long time Lookingacoss at the old Dwarf, you see Lhathe is bleedingfrom many savagewounds, buL at leasbis still alive, too. You realze that you havebeenfighting alongsidea true veteran.Regain1 LUCKpoinL for surviving the demonicpack'sattack. Having rested and tmded your wounds, you lead liremanefrom the stableand continueon your quest, but not beforeTorrin gives you sufffcienL Provisions for 3 meals and his best wishes for the journey ahead. As Torln saidyou would, by mid-momingyou reach the lonely village of Ennox-A numberof farms and other buildings huddle together round lhe village square,in the middle of which standsa stone cross

27-24

Passingthrough anotheropening,you enter a small cave-There in fiont of you is the CockatriceThe

hasno qualmsabout taking you onl If you haveread abouf this mons[erin a bestiaryor have the Arcane lore SpecialSkill.tum to 9o Otherwiseyou will have to fighi the creafure.

COCKATRICE

SKILL 7

STAM IN A 7

If fhe Cockatncewrns an AtLackRound, as well as peckingyou and causing2 srAMrNApointso[ damage, the creaLurehas porsonousbreath which may weJl pamlysepart of your body, and this could be fatal' Rollone diceto determinewhaLthe eflectrs 1-2

Effect Nothng happens

3 4 5 6

Lose 1 5KILLpoint Lose2 sKrLLpoints Lost j sKrLLpoints DeaLh

Dice Roll

If you manageto kill the Cockatriceand you havethe word 'Enorc'witten on yow AdoetlturcSheet,fum to 22a;if you haven't,tum to 168. 2E Brandishingthe talisman,it is your hope that the creaturewill be repelled by iL. Rather than being

344

t9

repelled,howevet the manifestationseemsto be at hactedto the amulet Suchtalismansare wom by the Darkthom'sservantsand cannotbe usedto harm the evil elemental spirit fhey worship- Black stems burst through the 6oor, wrapping fhemselvesrouno your armsand legs.Thereis nothing you cando as,held in the Darkthom's grasp,you are lorn limb from limb by theroots.

29 If you are not ffghting with a magicalweapon,if will be impossibleLodefeatthe spectreand Morgwyn will drain the life-force from yor-t body. If you do have a magicalweapon,you may fight on as normal.For Lhe hrsl two Attack Rounds,Morgwln will useher biack arts againstyou. l{ she wins the fust Attack Round, she will strike you with a bolt of black lightning, causingyou to lose4 srewrr,{ points.If shehas the higher Attack Strengthin the secondAtta& Round, sheconjuresphantasmal fiendsto rend your fleshwith

viciousLeethand daws (lose6 srAMrNApoints).After that, she will fight on with her clawedhands,If you have Lhe Holy SLrikeSpecial Skill you may use this againstthe spectre,causingher to lose 2 STAMTNA pointsand I sKrrl point.

MORCWYN

sK tLLg

If you win, the apparibionof the fiendlike sorceress vanisheswjth a screamin a swirl of vapour. If the spechehit you at leaslonce,roll one dice Unlessyou roll a 6, you will haveto deductr point from your srr rr due to Morgwyn's Lfe drainingLouch.Tum to 29o 3o SpurringFiremaneonwardsthrough the brackenand undergrowfh,you crossa sheam and lose the kack you were following. Undetened, you presson, hoping to pick it up again soon. However, the fu*her you proceed through the forest the denser the irees become,the canopyo{ branchesaboveyou letting in less lighL so lhal an unnaturalgJoompervadesthe woods.Betweenthe treesyou suddenlycatchsighl of somethingglnting in a ray of sunlight.RememberinS lhat time is pressing,do you wanL to invesLiSate the source of this glinting (tum [o a12) or wil] you continu€on your way through the foresl (lum 6 ifin 3a An ururaLuraL stillnesshangs over My on and the whole villageseemsto be deserted.\A4ratcould have happenedhere all those years ago?Much of it is in

55-31

ruins, with only a few stone buildingsstill standing, envelopedin Fog Theseincludethe Elderc'MeetinS House Lo the north-east,the village lock-up to the souLheast and a tall bell-tower,which has remained totally intact, to the north The tolling comesliom Lhe bell-tower and a doud of bats is flitting about iLs eavesYou canalsoseean abandoned graveyardlying to the west,on the far side of the village.l\here will you begin your searchfor the Necrornancer? The meeting house? The lock-up? The bell-tower? The graveyard?

Tum Lo 2a5 Tum lo 44 Tum to 195 Tum to j8a

J2

Weme tells you that the Griffin Shield used to be granted to kniShts for acts of extremeloyalty and bravery l\henever you are carrying lhe shreld in battle,you may reducean enemy'sAttack Strenglhby 1 point RefumLoj56

53 You awakenwith a starbjust as the fust rays o{ dawn are peneLratinglhe depths of the forest. Restorez sTAMINApoints and add r day to the Time Elapsed. But what of your adversary?Was your battle with the loight all a dream? Looking arormd, you notice a shield lying againsta tree: on iL is the image of a flame If you want lo take this shield,in battle you may reduce any oppon€nt'sAtta& Strength by 1 point. ryou may carry only one shieldat a time) You have successftrllybesbedthe Champion of the Shrine in combat and have eamed the righf to finish your loumey. As you ride on, the ground graduallyrises and eventuallyyou leavethe foresl.You find yourself at the edge of a chasmwhich stretchesas far as the eye cjm see to the east and west- It is loo wide even for Firellune to leap across- but there is no need for that,sincea narow stonebridSespansthe gorge.On the end-pillarsoI the bridgeis engravedthe badgeo[ the Temp)ars: a cruciformswordinsidea ring inscribed with the Oath Mist rises from the depths of the chasm so that you cannot see the bottom There is only one way to go and you guide Firemaneon to the bridge.Do you sufferfrom the Fearof Heights?If you do, turn to 169. Ifyou don t, Lumto 24!i. 51 'Of courser' exdaims Pyritees in sudden realization. The watery eiementis the missingingredient.Now I need only combinethese compoundsand distrl the solutionthey produce It shouldn'ttale longer than a weekor two. Thankyou, my friend How can I repay

j5

35 you?'You decrdeyou have noLhingto lose in tellinB the alchemistaboutyour questand,as you relateyour missionto him, P!.riLees becomesserious.When you mentionbheElf-Spear, Aelfgar,his facelights up with 'l excitement know somethingof that fabledweapon,' he says 'l heardit in a song once,the "Balladof Sir Rhyaddanthe Crusader"Now how did it go? 'Still riding throughthe forestold, ElvenSpearthereto behold Valiantagainstthe foe, Everonwardthroughthe land, NeverfearingDeath'scoldhand' Also, if you bought any potions from him, Pyritees givesyou backthe gold you paid for them.Thanking Pyriteesfor his clue to the whereaboutsof Aelfgat yoLrleavehis laboratory.Now will you try to recrurt a small army (tum to a59) or leave Havalok (tum to 314)7

Suddenly,Lord Varen'ssoldierstum on your other soldiers,siding with fhe BeastMen- lf they are the

only warrjon of which your atmy is composed, yor.l soon fall, greatly outnumbered.Howevec it you have other allies,you defend yourself against the traitorous soldiers,engaging one in combat

S O L DI E R

sKlrL7

STAM ]N A 7

If lhe battle lasLsfor more than four Atiack Rounds, turn to 2o7 If you win in four Attack Rounosor ress,

j6

You both peerinto the pool while lhe MisLress passes her handsba&wards and forwards over its surface Suddenlythe water grows cJoudyand the MisLress says,'Reveal!'An imagebeginsto form in the pool. lt seemsto be the ruins of a castlebut, as quickJyas il appeared, the imagestartsto fade.'Reveal,'the woman saysagain,bul now all you can makeout in the waier rs a swirlingmisL Then you seeit At first it is only a speckmoving amongthe drifting clouds,but as it gets neareryou seethat the thing has a ghoulishfac€with monstrousfeahues,trailing tendrilso[ mist. Too late you realizethat the mistshave startedto pour from the pool into the room, as they sunound you, they chill you with their numbing cold. Wrth a hellish scream,the spectralcreatureburstsinto the chamber throughthe scryingpool. 'lt is a Wyrd,' the Mistress cfies,'anethercalinhabitantof the Spi t Plane.Deslroy rt, qui&lyl' If you have the Banr'slSprrifSpecialSkll you can malcethe necessarysigns and retum the Wyrd to ifs supematural home(turn to r54) If you do not have this SpecialSkrll,you must prepareto ff8ht

10 There is a fanfareon a trumDetand the Lord of Cleeve Manor entersthe hall, followed by noblesand landed gentry and lheir many retainers, all read {or the feasL. Lord Taris Varen is an imposingfigure.He is a tall, handsomeman,pasthis fortieth year,dark-hairedand with a well-trimmedbeard.He extendshis hand in greeting.'l am glad that you could take the Limeto visit us here.I know that your questmustb€ pressing-' Thank you for the generousoffer of your hospitality,' you reply, 't'ut I understand Lhat there is anoLher reasonfor my beinghere.' 'Ah, yes. The boar,'Lord Varen says,almostcasually. 'But that will haveto wait unlil the morrow Tonisht, re feastl He clapshis handsand the assembled guists take their piaces a[ the long trestle tables, whrle the minsLrels slrikeup again.You are seatedat the end of the high table,being one of bheguestsof honour,and seltle down Loenioy lhe meallaid out before you The evening passesswiftly and pleasurablywith Lord Varen'sfool, Nuncle,entertainingthe gueslswith his jokes,tumblingandjug8lins with lightedtorches. Suddenly the door of the great hall swrngsopen and a wolflike shadowfalls acrossthe rush-coveredfloor Standingin the doorway is a figure holding a staff and wearing a wolf-skin as a doak. Lord Varen rises to his feet. Awenydion of Bqm Du,'he says 'It must be a yearsinceyou visitedus here,soothsayer' Aye lor4 it is,' the gaunt old man replies.Now thaf Lheworld grows cold I seekonly food and shelter at

3'

5a-39

the spirit-form.If you have the Holy sflik? SpecialSkill and use rt against the Wyrd, you may reduce its sraMrNAby 2 pointsandits srrrr by l point.Forthe duration of this battle you must reduce your own Attack Strengthby r poinl due to the chillingebhereal vaPows.

WYRD

sKrLr9

ST A M I N A 6

If you win, lum lo 164.

You manage to follow the tracks left by the Wolf RiderssoutheastwardsLhroughlhe forest.you soss strcamsand jump bouldenin your puisuit of the Orcs - until at lasL you find them. Mounted on their snarlinglupine steeds,the Orcs, adomed with their

Skill you musl reduce yoUI Atlack Strength by r point If you def€atall threeopponents,hrm to 156 5A The man droppingout of the hee jusl missesyou and landson the road nexLto FiremaneTwo more figures emergefrom Lhecopsein front of you, waving uglylookrngcudgelsYour first assailantpulls a long loife from his tunic, and the three murderersrun at you. You must fight lhem all at the samehme,but for the dorationoF th$ battle you may increaseyour Attack you arestrllon horseba&Skengthby r pornt because

FirstMURDERER Second MURDERER ThirdMURDERER

S K ILL

STAM IN A

7 6 7

6 I 7

As soon as you have dispatchedLwo of your opponents,tum immediatelyto 29j one dice and divide the resuitby 2 (roundingfiactions dom). This rs the numberof anows that hiiyou (lose 2 sraMrNA points for eachhit). Beforethey have a chanceto fire again,you chargeLheOrcs Fight each Wolf-Riderin fum.

FirstORC WOLF-RIDER secondoRC WOLF,RIDER Third ORC WOLF-RIDER

SKI LL

STAMINA

7

6

6 7

6 5

During this battle,if you do not have the RideSpecial

59 The commolion causedby your fightinS alerts the olher BeasLMen to your presencein th€ir camp.You are overwhelmedby sheerforce of numbers Your adventureendshere

42-43

When he has finished, he begins to go among the guestS,tellingthemtheir futuresfor a few Gold pieces. Soon he reachesyou. 'Noble knight,' he asks,,might Awenydion tell you your lutrlre for just three G;ld Preces?ard gives you d tooihlessgrin. Wi)l you give the old soothsayer3 Cold Piecesto have your fu-tur. revealedLo you (crossthem off yow Aduenture Sheel and tum to :58) or if you considerhim a fraud and don'Lwant to wasteyour money,will you ignorehim (tum to c5, 4a As you pull the bottle containinSthe potion from your pack,a huge tendrilled,handJikegrowth grabs you and begins[o squeeze[he life out of you (lose4

Srasp weaken and you manage to skuggle [ree, wilh lhe monsterputting up no resistance. A foul shriek risesfrom the cieature'smouth and,as you waLch,the roots thaLcompriseits body shriveland breakapart.In mornenLs,all that remainsof the manifesfationis a decayingmasso[ plant trssue.The Witherwell musf have reachedfhe Darkthom's root slrucfure under the

ground(regain1 LUCKpoint).Hearinga terriblecrack ing sound, you are roused from your stupor and, lookingup, you seethat the roots coveringthe ceiling and walls are also dying now that the power of the Darkthomhas gone Buf the rools are lhe only thing that is keepingthe femplefrom collapsinglBlocksof masonrystart fo fall round about you, and the members of the sect run, screaming,for the exit As the others flee,you see Bryar, the Arch-Cleric,escaping througha secretdoor at the backof lhe platform.You cannotlet him get away to contrnuehis evil schemesRoll one drce If you roll r 4, turn to ry7; if you rcll 5 or 6, tum to 287 42 The guardiandead,you concenLrate on how you will open the Sreafblack gmnite door. The door has no lock or handle and you cafftoL see any means o[ opening it. Above the lintel is an inscriplionwhlch you canjust makeoui in ihe lantern-li8hl: Beyon.lthis portal lieslhe bodyof ffu loul Necronagewho braughldeaLhand sorrou lo Mwton. Lel floLany spedk hisnanehst hs atrocities beremembered. Ifyou knowhow lo passbeyondthedoorof skulls,do il now.lf you do not, thereis no way you couldpossibly breakdown the imrnensestonedoor, so you have no in farlure. Tum to 7 choicebut to leavethesepulchre 43 The Assassin's Daggerstreal(stowardsyou, int€nt on your destructionHowever as you wrll soondiscover,

4

45-41

the Imife-wieldingspechalhand is no ordinaryopponent.As it has no body of any sort, lhe hand carmot be destroyedin combat,only fendedoff. If you win an Attack Rormd€ainst the spirit,you will not do it any damagebuf merely keep it at bay. Whrle you are doing this,the Assassin's Daggerwill ky to stabyou to death!

ASSASSIN'S DAGGER

SKI LL 10

You are not going to be able Lo overcome this opponent through combat,so you will have to try somethingels€.I{ you wn two consecutiveAttack Roundsor olherwise,after four ALtackRounds,you will have worked yourselfinLoa posilion from which you can try to escapefrom the spectralassassinWill you run jnto the copseto hjde from it (tum to 575)or will you leap on to Frremane'sback and flee on (tum lo zt)? horseback 44 The door to the srnallstonelock,uphangshalf off its hinges Descending a shortflight of steps,you seethal the damp circular cell at the bottom is empty, with rusted manacleshanging,unused,on the wall. However,you do nol noticethe rotLenhapdoorat the foot of the steps TesL yourLuck.If you are Lucky,you pull yourselfbackjust in time as the wood givesway under your weight. If you are UnJucky,you fall into a lower dungeonwhose floor rs severalmetres lower down (lose3 srAMrNApoints for falling),then you have Lo struggleoul again.FindinSnothing use6dhere,you leavethe lock-up;retumto 3r andchooseagain.

45 You arewithin sighl of lhe SouthGatewhen you find the way bemporarily blockedby a procession of derics passingalong the sLreet The priests are wearing long greenrobesand are chanfingin a low monotone.As you survey the scme before you, you overh&r a 'The Clericsof Lein are merchanltalkingto a servanL: a charitablepriesthoodwho do much [o help the poor and needy of this town, but they are also a very seqetive group. Only the initiated may enter therr temple' If you have either or both of the words 'Rellim'and 'Nroht'wriften o yo:u AdoenLwe Sheet, tum to 77.If you haven'1,tum to 219. 45 Apart fiom his ratherunusualweaporl the clericpossesses nothing elseof interestexcepta talisman,made in the shapeof interty/inedmelal bramblescastfrom somealloy, tied lo a pieceof vine As you hold the talismanin your hand, you notice the surrounding plantsbeginningto move in its direction You wave Lhecharmat them and they becomesLillagain You deducethat the talismannust be one of plant control. If you decideto takeit, add the Cleric'sTalismanto yow Adaehlurc Sheel. Still harbouring suspicions abouLthe clericand his actions,you reh.rmto Fircmane andleavethe Forestof Lein.Tum to ry 1' You hurry along the tunnel and, reachinganolher wooden door fling it open and run through.You are standinginside a vast, pillared chamberA flight of

49

4a stepsIeadsup the srdeof one wall to an iron-bound door. The room is full of macabreLortureinstrumenLs. In the middle of lhe room is a rack, an iron maiden stands against one wall and small con-ffning cages hang fiom chainsin the ceiling; and there are various braziers, bmnding irons and other devices used to inllicl pain lying abouL the place, all thick with dust and cobwebs.Severalskelelonsare still hanging from the lichen-coveredwalls by chainsand manacles,and a numberof grilled doors lead away from here to cells and deeperdungeons.However, you are convinced Lhatwhat you seekliesbeyondLhatdoor at the top of Lhe steps On one side of the tofture chamber is a large charrwiLh metal claspsattachedto ils armsand legs Your head is suddenlyfilled with whispering voicesseductivelytelling you to sit dorm and resl for a while. You are sure that the voicesmeanno good, but their suggesLionsoundsso temphng Tesfyorr 5/ril1,adding -zto the dice roll i( youhave the Commune SpecialSkill. I{ you succeed,turn Lo z4o. If you {ail, rum ro 155 4A You follow the road souLhout of Lhe ancientand mysteriousforestand entera regionof openheathland. In the distancehes the mmacing dark line of the Chaos-riddenBanaraskHills From a point several kilometressouLhof you this side of the hills, a thick plumeof smokeis dsing,like a di y smudSe,into the sky The road seemsto be leadingyou strarghtto it Comingto the top of a rise,at lastyou canseewhat is causingthe smoke The walled town of Carasslies

aheadof you and parts of it are on fire; it is being besiegedby a force oF darkclad warriors (;urying black banners.The warriors' activitiesaPP€arLo be cenkedrounda grim stoneLoweron Lhesouthemslde of the town. Even at this distanceyou can hear the clamour of battle as lhe Lownspeopledefend their

that lhey are from the ranks of Belgaroth'sfanalical Chaos Warriors. When lhe wind changesdirecbion rromenlarily, the smell of slaughLerand camage is carriedto your nostrils.lncensed,you kick your heels into your steed'ssidesand chargeto the aid of Carass. while The gatein hont of you hasbeenleft unguarded along lhe their forces the town militia concentrate southem walls to stop the Chaos horde breaking through.However,one of the enemy,an ugly Troll, hasseizedthe opportunityand is enteringthe town at Lhis undefendedspot. Hearing your approach,the Trollhefls its pole-arminto Position,readyfor combat You atLackimmediately. T RO L L

sKrrl 9

STAM IN A 9

If you defeatthis membero{ Belgarolh'sforce, tlm to 9E. 49 Iiremane carries you souLhwardsacross many kilometresof bleakmoorlandin the direcLiono{ Havalok Afler you have been travellng for severalhours, you

52

50-5a

you conllnueal your presentspeed li you are happy to meel this rider. lum ho r47. ll however.you want to spur Fircmaneinto a gallop lo avoid the stranger, turn Lo19a. 5o

ba5ea batlerinS-ram, fashioned likea:piked iron Fist. swingsrhythmically inandoutofanopening.demoLshln8 anoLher 5eclionoFwdll by it,i conslantbombdrdmenl.Underlhe Demoni headis a hugeshieldwrth the mohf of a skul]over a blacktower:the crestof Caer Skaal.Fromrnsrdethe fuggemautyou canhearterrible roars,groansard crealang_ Maybe the thing is driven by Demons.PuLtingasldesuchfears,you look for a way into lhis impregnablemoving fortress.A laddea fixed to the undercarriage near the backwheels,leads up to a hapdoor in the tower'sbase you decideto makethis your target.TesL yourLuck.Ifyou are Lucky, tum to zzo. lf you areUnlucky,tum to 146 Make a note of the word 'Enorc on yoor Adoenlure Sleet.You tell the hag abouLyour encounrerwiLh the

Llch. 'Good,' she says,'then you can collect the first ingredient,but you must do it nora, by moonlight' Retumingto the scaffol4 you gef the grisly job over and done with as quickly as possibleForbunatelylhe Lich remainsdead while you car.y ouLthe task. At dawn (add 1 day fo the Time Elapsed)you leave the caveand,following the crone'sdrections,set off in searchof a CockaLnce that hasbeentenorizingthe local arearecently.At the end of a sleeprocky gorge you find the entrancefo the network of caves in which the monsterhas its lair Tetheringyour mount to a rock,you ligh[ your lantemand enterthe gloomy hole Your (ootstepsechorotud the wallsas you step warily down the tunnel, and water drips from fhe ceilng inlo pools on the floor with an eerieplopping sound.A few metresfurther on, you come to a Tjunction.Do you vr'antto Bo to the left (tum to a82) or to the righf (Lumto 126)? 52,

Wrapp€din a piece of velvei you 6nd a triangr.rlar prismmadeof glass.Reh.rrnto 274

55

As you are led along the dark stone conidors of the guild, you passseveraldoors fiom behindwhich you canhearthe soundsof soldierspractisingtheirfighting skills Stronnleadsyou into a circulartorch-litroom,in lhe cenhe of which is a pit severalmeLresdeep The mercenaries crowd into the room as you are directed down a flight of stepsinLoLhebrawl-pit.,r cneergoes up from the specfators as a portcullison the far sideof the piLrisesand Lhemercenaries' chamDionentersthe a.eni. The looks as tall as an Ogre and is built like an ox.-u.r The only armour he wears are leather crossbelts loopedover his musculartorso and a spiked helrnet which hides his face He is armed with a viciouslookingsword with a jaggedblade,and a long knife. Stronn raises his hands and a hush descends over the mob. This is not a fight to the deatb'he "Thewinner shallbe the first to knock the announces. oiher to the ground Are the combatantsready?'You and the mercenarynod in reply. 'Thenlet the trial by combatcommencel' With an animalroar the champion chargesat you acrosslhe pit while his fellows shout his namein encouragement. MERCENARYCHAMPION srrrr-ro sraMrNA11 lf the mercenarywins an Attack Round,roll one dice On a roll of r-3 his jagged blade does the usualz pointsof srAMrNAdamage;on a roll of 4-6 it inflicts J STAMINApornts of damageon you. lf you roll a double-6when calculatingyour Attack Strenglh.and if you win lhat Attack Round, your blow hits your opponent with srch force that you knock him to the

54-55 Sround (tum ta aa). ll the mercenary'sAtLack Strengthis ever 22, turn at once to z:. Otherwise,if you reducethe mercenary'ssTAMrN,{to 4 poinLsor less,tum to Iat if he reducesyour STAMTNA to 4 pointsor less,fum to 22. 54 lf you have lhe ComfiuneSpecralSkiJl,lum to rz2 If you haven't,TeslVow Luck If you are Lucky,tum to reu; if you are Unlucky, tum to 14.

You lift the dragon shieldfrom lhe sLatue s alm and place iL on your own. If feels hght and, although damagedby time and previoususe,it shouldprove a usefulmeansoI defenceWheneveryou are involved in combat and you are carrying this shield you may reducean enemy'sAttack Strenglhby r point. If you want to tak€lhis shieldand you aheadyhaveanolher, thenyou mustleavethe firsl here.Turn to jjj 56 The Necromagegrabsyou and lays one hand on an exposed area of your skin. At once disgusting maggot-likeworms burst from his putrid flesh and start buftowrnginto you. Roll one dice and add r to see how many FleshGrubs latch on to you (lose 1 sTAMINApoint for each FleshGrub that is nibbling into you). The flesh'eatingmaggots can easily be pulled off and cushed, but ffrst you will have to destroy the Necromage.Retum to 116 and continue the 6ght.

sfi9 You throw yourselfout of Lheway as Lhephantom horse'shoofs crashdown on the 6agstoneswhere you had been standing just a moment before. Ignoring yoq the ghostly knighl urges its mormf towardsthe king, raisinSits weapon,readyto strike.You must act quickly.Will you: Use the BlnishSpint SpecialSkill,if you haveit? Use the Ho,y sltlrd SpecialSkill, if you haveit? Attack the ghost?

Tum to ro5 Turn to jo3 Tum to 2j5

5E The double raises its weapon and advancestowards you. l^rhat will you do now? Defend yourself (tum to f3) or stay asyou are(tum to 2E6I 59 You come to on a cold stoneslab.You try lo move but distover that your armsand legs have been tied to the stone with strong vines. Lookrng around, you see that you are on a raisedplatformat one end of a vast hall, the walls and ceiling of which are coveredwith thick root-likegrowths.The hall is filled wilh a great throng of jnitiates while, surroundingyou, are the so called Clerics of Lein, one of whom has been left holding your ba&pack (your weapon is missing). The Arch-Clerrc, a bald, bearded man wearing green robes adorned with twisting bramble-likedesigns, then addressesthe crowd: 'Brothersand sisters,lhe

6a

DarkLhorn grows shonger with every passingday, and soon our pumose will come to fruition. The ancientforestis we;keningand,with it, lhe elemental powersthat control it. Soon it will poseno threatto our ally, the Dread Lord, and a forest of lhe Darkthom shall rise up in its place!'The priest tums to you and raises his hands. 'O, great DarkLho.r! ancient spint,'he intones,'I surunon thee to take this sacri, fice so that the Root of Evil may never witherl' Suddenlythe flagstonesheaveand thick black roots burst through the platform.Desperatelyyou suugAre with your bonds Roll four dice. If the total is less than or equal to your sraMINA score,rurn ro 279, If the total is greaterthan your sr,,rMrNAscore,tum to io8. 6o Undera leadensky thesebleakmoorslook evenmore desolate.Riding along undisturbed,you are almosL lulled into a falsesenseof security.It is then that you hearthe soundof poundinghoofsand catchsiShtof a dista.nt group of riders galloping towards you Irom Lhesouth-east.There is no way that you can avoid them, and as they draw rapidly closeryou see that they are not mounted soldiersat a.llbut four Centaurs, (Teahrlesthal are part man and part horse. As they charge towards yoq the Chaos Centaus screama war-cry,proclaimingdeathlo the Templars.You must face them all simultaneouslyl You have time to use eiLhera crossbowor a lanc€ against oae of these adve$aries before you engage in hand to-hand comDat.

S (ILL

FirstCHAOS CENTAUR Second CHAOS CENTAUR ThirdCHAOS CENTAUR FourthCHAOS CENTAUR

10 9 10 9

S TA MIIi -I

g 10 10 11

If you do not have the Ri/z Special Skill you must reduce your Attack Strmgth by z points for the durationof this battle,If a Centaurscoresa hit againsl you, roll one dice; if the number rolled is odd, the chaotic'sweapon wounds you, causingj STAMINA points of damage.If you strike a Centaut roll one dice;if the numberrolled is odd, the chaotic'sarmour reducesthe severityof the damagefrom your weapon by 1 poinL. lf you are triumphanl in this titanic struggle,tum to jj2 6a The door opens into a room full of great cogs and wheelswhich are tuming, operaling huge piecesof machineryand strangecontraptions. Someof the workings here swing Lhebatteringram in and oub of an openingin Lhetower to your left, while in hont of you a great iron chamberfills the spacebetween floor and ceiling. Attached to this are levers,dials and other fitments; the chamber itself has bem constructed to look like a garganfuanscaledbeast.Everythingyou have seen here suggesfsthal the Juggemautis not controlledby some supernaturalforce but that it is poweredby a colossalsteam-engine Destroyjngit may be easrerthan you had frrsl imagined.First of all, however,youmustget pastthebaldhalf-Giantin charge

65-6J

here.The.manis strippedto the waist and,despitethe sweatard grimecoveringhis torso,you can)ee that he hasbeenbrandedon his chestwith the markof Chaos. Roaring,he chargesat you, his fistshis only weapons. WEAPONMASTER s(r!r 10 srAMrNA12 If you defeatthe half-Giant, tum to V6.

KNIGHT WITCH HORSEHEAD PICKPOCKET ODDFELLOW

S K ILL

STAM 'N A

7 6 6 6 7

6 7 5 7

If you defeatall the munmers,or after sixteenAttack Roundshavepassed,turn to r5z. 65

62.

64 The starvmglroman standsdirectly in front of your she raisesher handsand mutterssomethingrurderher breath.At once you are 6lled wilh the mosLterrible

65 The holy blastbathesthe Lich in a silvery li8ht, and it doublesup in a8ony. Roll one dice,this iq the number of srAMrN^pointsyou may subtractftom the undead horror beforeyou finishit off wiLhyour weapon.Now retum to 283 and 6ght the corpse,

-

55-61 66 Stumbling over the pronr.mciation of some of the words,you finallymakeit to the end of the page You pause,expectingsomethingto happenat any moment and happenit does A thin wisp of smokerisesfrom the page in front of you and forms into a thick black cloud. The densevapour rapidly condenses inlo the shapeof a grotesquecreahfe with a lengthenedhuman' oid skull, bony lumps prohuding from its spine and two powerfulJy muded arms that end in huge dawed hands- althoughIrom the waist down the honor is no more than a smoky trail. You havejusLcompleted readinga spellfor summoningdemonicassisLance, and you ire not sLandinginside a protectivepentagram. The DemonicSlayerglaresat you from the depthsof its glintin& midnight-black eyes and, snarling. flies at you with daws nised. What will you do now? Use the Holy Shike SpecialSkill (if you haveit! Use the BanisftSplrifSpecialSkiJl(if you haveit! Try to reversethe spell? Attack lhe Demon wiLh your weaPon?

Turn to :23 T[IT. to 47 Tum to 521 Tum lo 1i

67 your Early on men weakenunder the Chaosspawn's onslaught.Suddenlythe ranksof BeastMen part and a monstrous,bull-likecreahlrechargesat you, snortin8. The raging anrmal has a blood red hrde and demonic blackhoms.A BeaslMan sits astrideits bade waving

5tH9 a battle axe in one clawed hand while gripping the creature'sspiked mefal collar with the other. You must 6ght the ChaosSteed.

CHAOSSTEED

SKI LL 9

STA M I N A 1 2

If you win, deducfr poinLfrom the BeastMen'sBaLtle Strengfh, then Ehgogein Battle once again. If this time you have the advantage tum to r49.1f you have the disadvantagq tum to 25i4

TREEMAN

SKILL 8

STAM IN A E

Both branches(with 8 sr^MrNA points each)will lash ou[ at you eachAtLackRound,so it will be as if you are flghting Lwo opponents The Tree Man is far too strong to kill, but if you severits two main branches (reduceboth their srAMrNA scoresto zero) ib will rehealbac-l( into the forest,leavingyou to go on your Turn to way. 544.

Among the trophies are the expecteddeer, foxes, wolves and bears.However, there is also a sabretoothed tiger, a unicom and a manticore.Looking at the unicom.the stewardsays.'My lord'slale father caught that in the forest using the usual lure and entrapmentof a young maidenand a wreath of flowersThe manticorehad its lair in the Banarask Hills and ibs captue won the hunting competition,held in celebration of the Overlord'smarriage.'Tum to 4o. 69 As you are hacking your way through the under. growth, a large hunl suddenly moves into your path blocking your way. Two branches reach [owards you from the tree and, hidden in the thick crackedbarl, you make out a mouth and a pair of smallbut incrediblyancienLeyes.You have diiturbed one of Lhegardenersof the forest:a Tree Man. The plantlike creature lumbers forward on its splayed roots,readyto deal with you rs it dealswilh all tresoassers-

,o You are able to decipher the wizard s totlings and realize that his findings are huly incedible. Savant discovered five Words of Power which, when spoken backwardsin lront of somethingtaintedwith Chaos, would counteractits power and bring backorder and harmony; anything dnven by the power of Chaos magic would be destroyed.However,the use of sr.rch could prove to be equally hazardousto whoever spoke the words. You can only guess why Savant was unable to use his discovery againsl Belgaroth.

7a

,2-?4

Pefiaps he hied but did not have the strength to completethe utteEnce.The Words are writlen on the page in front of you: X Syte Nind NaderdNuheno_,

Lo 2t-2,

'ra

tothar was a doughty Dwarf ffghter from the town of Crun at the foot of the mormtains. Many were the times when he led the Waniors of Telak from the DemonleepOutpost to repel dttdck from barbaria_ns and the soldiersof lhe warmongerinqLord Meracass of Brice.In every battle LotharwodJ fefl his enemies with his trusty axe.When using the axe, unlessyou have an Axe WeaponSpecid Skill, you must reduce your sKrLLby l point althoughit still does only z srAMlNApoints of damage(note this in the Weapon box o yotr Alue fureSfiref). Returnto j56.

And thm he is dead. (Write down the word ?onnoc' on yow AdoehfweSheet)lI yott wish, you may take Corurot's Magic Sword which will harm urdead and Demons but confers no other bonuses,and his shiel4 which bearsthe motif of a rampanllion (whenyou use this in battle,you may reducean opponent'sAtta& Shength by 1 poinl). I+ving offered a prayer to Telal for Conno/s soul, you Emount Firemaneand set off in pursuifof his murderets.Testyout Stil, subkacting z from the dice roll if you have the Trarl
,H9

75-""'

door to the mill swings open at your touch and you find yoursell looking into an emply room, mofes of dust sparklingin the sunlightlrom the doorway.The placese€m6to be deserted.Do you want to enter the mill and explore further (tum fo r8/, or will you leaveWendefordaltogether(tum to 49!

not want to waste any mote time here in Havalok tum to 219, ZA Your reactionsaretoo slow and you arecaughtby the rope, throwin8 you baclorardsofF your mount You hjt the road painfully on your back (loseJ sraMINA points and l sKrLLpoint) and sit up, dazed;tum to 205.

your weapon,ready [o 6ght it (tum to 43n 75 With a voic€ like the sound of rustling leavet the 6rst qeaLurespeal(s.You have trespassedin the forest,' it says 'lt is many yearssincea morLalhas wandered this far. You musbcomewith us.'The bark-and-fungus humanoidtakesFiremane's reinsand preparesto teave the clearing.Will you go wiLh theseshangecreatures (tum to j68) or will you attack them now (turn to 294?

A charitablepriesthood? fie actionsof these'Clerjcs of Lein you have witnessedso far could hardly be describedas charitable.There is evil at work here.If wrsh to investigatefurther tum to 9j. If you do -r'ou

79 You let fly with your righLeousaltack iust as BelSaroth laundres u dark force bolt at you The two blasts of enercv collide and canceleach other out in a blaze of yello'w sp-lo, tkowing you to the floor (los€ 2 srAMlNApoints).Turn to a62.

ao Armed and ready for your quest, you hurry to the stables, whereyou find that Firemanehasalreadybem saddledand is eagerto be on his way, You arehanded a backpackand rnsideit you find enoughProvisions for live meals, a lanlem and tinderbox, and a purse containing zo Gold Pieces.There is also a flask marked with the Rune of Healing which containssom€ of Aranandus's ResLoraLive Potion-Thereis enoughhere for fwo tots, and eachtot wrll restoreyour srAMrNA to its Initial level. Urging your trusty sleedforh/ard you gallop through the main gates and leave the Citadel.Takingthe mainroad south,towardsthe town of Havalokwhich lies two days' ride away,you pass lhroughwell-cultivatedfieldsand pleasanthills However as you travel furtheraway from the caprtal,you begin to see sorne of the resrlts of the disruplion in the kingdom:a distincLatmospher€ of gloom is hanging over ihe hamletsand farmsteads, and you pass manybeggarson the road Thereis a sharpchill in ihe air as fhe month of ClosetightensiLsgrip on the land and you fear for those people whose crops have not beenasplenhitulas they might havehoped It is early aftemoon when you catch sight of a skange-lookingprocessioncoming foraardsyou along the road It seemsto be composedof a motley crowd or peasantsand farmers,but at their head are bhree bizarrefigures The frrst is tall and dressedin a long blackhabit. In one hand he holds a scyLhe,its blade gleamingdully, and beneathhis hood yor.rseethat he is wearing a wolf-skull mask. The next is of average

A1-62

83-E4

height but rs swathedin tom rags and bandages. As he trudgesalongthe road he rings a bell waming thal he is undean a leper! The [hird 6gure is a gaunt woman,her alnost skeletalbody coveredby a tatLered cloak It looksasif shehasnot eatenfor weeks. The first man stopsand miseshis handfor the processronto halt What havewe here?'hesays.'Ido believe it is a knight eranl, or should I say an errant knight?' The crowd laugh at fheir leader'sremark and begin to jeer you. 'Enoughl'he shouLs. This is the epochof our damnation.\A+ile the'common people sta.ve, our blessedTemplarslive rn splendor.rr and plenty! We three are the Prophetsof Doom, come to save the people.The doom we prophesyshall be yours!' At Lhesewords the crowd aheersand sevemlraisepitchforks and other rmprovised weapons, ready to ful6l their ieader's prophecy Some have already begun to edgeround you. You are going to have to acl fast to get oul of this unpleasantsituation,Will you try to ride throughthe mob (tum to r4), attackthe prophets (furn to 154)or try to talk your way out (tum to r97)?

lhe satehouseand leaveCeeve Manor behinda< you maki ForHavatol.) ou arewithin sight oFthe wailsof the town when dusk falls Riding on in lhe fas ailing Lehl, lou passa copseoF treesat Lheedgeof the ro"ad.iuddenly a dorl shapedropsout oFthe brarche: of one freeas you passunderit Testyout Luck Il you areLucky,tum Loi8- If you areUnlucky,Lumto 546. Ej Beforeyou realizewhaLis Soingo& you inhalea Sreat lungfulof pollenand fall rnto a deepsleepTum to 59 A4 As the flamesfrom the oil dredown, the villagersmake their break for heedom You are starting to climb care6..rllydorvn from the Wt&er Man when you hear the cackling of burning wood. Looking down, you s€ewith ho;or that the WickerMan hascaughtaliSht

8a Kneelingat the altar,the tirednessand pain in your body easeand you feeljnvigoraledResLore both yor.rr STAMINAand SKILLscores to their Irilirl levels. Having been blessed,you leave Lheshrine.Tum to 2j 82

Beforeleaving, Lord Varen gives you a parcel containing enough Provrsions for j meals.You ride through

forwardwhen Lhewoodensupporlsholdingit up bum on toPthrough;with a tremendouscrashit collaPses of the crowd of BeasLMen, sendinga great flurry oi sparksup inlo the night sky You make the mosi of

a5

a6

your opporlunily and run back to Firemane,Ioowing you have preventeda terrible atrocity from Laking place and that you have saved the villagers from (addr pointto yourHoNouRscore) incrnerafion Callopingaway throughthe darknessof the hills,yotr find yourself approachrngthe smouldering remainsof a ransa&edvillage.A hasLilyerectedwoodenstockade slandsin lhe middle,and from your vantagepoint you can seeonly one guard at iLsehtrance.Do you want Lo tether Firemanehere and sneak into the Beas! Men s _campfor 6-rtherinvestigation,now thdt night hds lallen (tum to S4ot.or do you wanl to ride o4 awayfrom here(tum to 295I E5 You perseverance is rewardedwhm you cresta rise and see the lights of a stone building beckoningto you throughthe darlmess. Torrin'sforge Seeingyou soakedto the skinand shiveringwith cold, Tonin Silverbladehurriesyou into his home and sits you down besidethe fire while he stablesFiremane. You soon6nd a bowl of hot rabbrtstew in your hands and, Luckin8in, you feel a lot betLer(restoreup to 4 srAMrNApoints).'It is a long time sinceI last saw any of the Order,' the Dwarf says,remembennghis days as one of the Warriors of Telak "Tell me, how are thingsat lhe Ciladel?Haveyou heardfrom the Demon leep Oulposi of lalel And whai bringsyou here on such a dreadfulClose niSht?''tou do your berr to answer Torrin's questionsand tell hinr about your questand what hasbefallenyou so lar Having heard

graduallyfade, and you and your host preparefor sleeP. You are woken by a blood-curdlinghowl which cuts through the niSht- 'That was no wolft' Torrin says, looking anxiouslyat you. It also soLrnded as if the beastwas quiteclose.Do you want to l€avethe safety of the forge and investigaLe (tum to 295) or will you wait and seewhathappens(tum to a9I a6 To prove LoLord VarenLhatyou havebeenvictoiious in your hunl, you decidelo lake lhe boa/s tusksback lo CleeveManor,be{oresettingoff north through the foreston Lherefumioumey.As you arending sedately throughthe leafless trees,you feel a gust of chill wind, and you shrver.Nor canyou shakeoff the feelingthat

a9-92

8188 you are not alone and Lhat your progress is being watched-It is Lhenthat you hear lhe distantsoundof chanhng in Lhe wesL, coming thtrough the ancient woodland The voice is far off, so you cafiroL make out what it is saying. lf you want fo investigate the chanting, lum to 365. If you do not, turn to r7.

a9 You wave the amLrletof plant control at the weeds and they retreatfrom you. Unsheathingyour weaPon, you rush at the Arch-Cleric, who preParesto defend himselfwith hls twistedstaff.

a7 From an old herbal you recognizethat [he orange fungi are lronbane.The sporesof the plant corrode metal on contact which would have been very dangerous for you if you had entered the clearing Howevet the mushroomscould prove a valuabJe weaponif you couldcollectsomesafely.Do you want lo try lo gathersomeof the Ironbanefungus(tum to z5o),or will you ride round lhe cleaug lo avoid the fungi altogether(lum to 8)?

If you win, turn to 185.

88 You misjudgea jump and a treehunk smashesinto Firemane, knockinghim and you to Lheground(lose2 srAMrNApoinls).You prck yourselfup in time Lo see the Hill Ciant running Lowardsyou, angrily swinging his dub and bellowingferociously

HILL GIANT

SKI LL 9

BRYAR

SKILL 9

STAM IN A 9

90

You rememberlhat,iI the Cockat ce catchessiShtof rts reflectionin a mirror,iLwrll die . Easiersaidthandonel I( you do not havea mirror or il you do not want to try yout Luck this plan of attack,retLrmto 27, otherwise,TesL twice.If you areUnluckyon eitheroccasion,the beast attacksyou (retum to 27 and tight the rnonstel won the fusl rememberinglhat rt has automaLically you boLh hmes,Lhe areLucky AttackRoundalready);if Co&atricelooksinto themrror and,seeingiLsreflection, dropsdead.lfyouhaveLheword'Enorc'writtenon your a:tn to z zr, if you haven't,turn to 168 Adaenture Sheel, 9a

STAM I N A 1 1

If the Giant wins an Attack Round,roll one dice.If you roll a 5, the blow causesj poinls of damageto your STAMINA. If you roll a 6 you are knockedoff your feet It takesone AtLackRoundto gel up again; meanwhilethe Giant gels rn an unopposedstflke(lose z srautN,l points).If you win, tum to a7j

lamishedit. Retumto 556 92

'l have mademy ludgement,'the Lord of lhe Forest intones.'Yor.rhavecausedharm to thesearclentwood-

f 93-94

gfg6

lands and you are a danger Lo all who dwell here. ThereforeI pronouncethat you be given to the forest Lo pay for your crimes.'These words spoken, the Wodewosesurroundyou and dispensejustice.Your adventureis over,

no doubtwaming othersin the tomb oI your presenceYou must dealwith the Haunt swiftly. If you havelhe BanishSpirit Spec\alSl,tll, and you wish to use it, lum to r9o. Otherwise, you will have to fight LheaPParition,tum to 576

93 Keeprngwell ouL of sight. you iollow lhe procession of clerics to therr innocuous-lookingtemple at the edgeof the town \4hen all haveentered,you waiLfor a few moments before fo]lowing them rnside-You find yourselfin a long-deserted temple.Ancientwall-hangings,coveredin shange,plantJikepattems,still adom the building, but any other objects of worship are missing.At the far end of the room you 6nd a stone staircaseLhat ends at a large seL oI double doors Surrounding the doors are thick dark roots which break through the walls in many places Carefully trying the doors,you drscoverthat they are lo&ed If you have anything wiLh whrch to disguise yourself, you could use it now. Do you want to knock on the attention,as they look far loo doorsto gain someone's thick and hea4i to be broken down (turn to r7a), or (tum will you leavethe templeandHavalokalLogether to 2.agl1

95 Entering the northem tumulus, you walk down a sloping passagecut into lhe mound until you reachar area o{ darknesswhich the light from your lanLem carmot penetrate An rntense cold, even colder than the Closeair,alsoradiatesout of this pool of blackness. Do you want to risk enterng this sectionof the turmel (turn to zr) or would you rather retraceyour steps andleavethe caim(Lurnto jr6!

94 You take one step towards the macabre edifice and there, directly in front of you, stands a terifying spectre.The apparilionmakesa grasp for you with decayedhands reachng from under its burial shroud, while its jaw dropsopen and lets out a raspinghowl

96 The bird disappears through the archway,deserbngils master- or is il? You shuggle on, blo&ing blows from Belgarotlls vrcious Runesword while trying to [ind a chink in your enemy'sarmour Sudden]ya horde of Chaos Kniehls nms inlo the chamber,wamed of their leader's plight by the bird. You are quickly strrounded and overcome, BelgaroLhhimself dealing the death-blow.

97 'Enter,'saysthe voice,and Lhedoorsare opened.The initiates lock them again and, so as not to draw attention to yourself, you follow the passagethat leadseastwardsfor as far as you can see The tunnel seemsfo be endless.You must have walked several kilometresaway from the town beforethe passageway opens out into a small antechamber.Peering through ar archway,you Iind yourselflooking inLoa vasthall, the walls and ceilingof which are coveredwith thick, rool like srowths Ab the far end of the chamberis a raisedstone platform, standingon which are the Clerics of Lein,while a great throng o[ initiatesfil1sthe ha]l in front of bhemYou are surprisedand shockedlo see that, as well as many commonersamong the iniLiates, Lhereare also nobles and high-ranking membersof the vadousrelidous ordersof Ruddlestone. As you mter thehall, the Arch-Cleric,baldand beardedandwearing green robes adomed wrth twisting brambleJikede signs,is addressing fhe assembled sectrAnd so,broLh ers and sisfers of the Darkthom, I, Bryar, Arch-Cleric o[ our order,thankyou, for our purposeis coming Lo truition.The anoent foresLis weakeningand, with it, Lheelementalpowersthat conlrol it Soonil will pose no Lhreatto our ally, the Dread Lord, and a forest of [he Darkthom shall rrseup in its place.All praisefhe Darkthom!' 'All praisethe Darkfhoml'the throngreply So it is the derics who are behind the destructionof the forestwith fheir foul weedsand nutrient-slealins brambleslThey musbbe stopped but how? lt musl

L

9a

9a

be the Arch-Clericwho holds the power here;if you were lo defeal him, you might weaken Lhe power of the Darkthom itself. Disguised as you are, you make your way throughthe lhrong unhindered, as far as lhe stoneplatform.Drawingyour weapor!you leapon to lhe dais,ready to grab the sect'shigh priesb.Seeing you, the Arch-Cleric raises his hands and mutters a dark incantationThe ground heavesand thrck black roots bursl through the stonefloor betweenyou and the priests.The fibrous sLemsgrow rapidly upwards for severa]metres,inte+wining unlil lhey have formed into a gigantic, plant-like humanoid covered in vicious thoms.Two emeraldorbsglow wiLhan evil awareness and, with its trunk-likelegs still firmly rooted in the ground,the manifestation of the Darkthomreaches for you w:th knotted hands.You are going to have to defend yourself against fhis dark elementalspirit. Will Draw your weapon and do battle? Tum to 14j Use the Holy Shike SpecialSkill (if you canl Tun to 2r9 Use the BanishSpiriLSpecialSkill (if you can)? Turn to 25o Use a Cleric'sTalisman(if you have oneF Tum to 28 Use th€ potion Witherwell(if you haveit)? Tum lo 41

9a

Riding through lhe town, you soon reach the central Suard-posl Dismounting, you enter and ask a guard

to take you to his captain.'CaptainVair died this moming,' the man says ?le was killed while trying to defend the south wall aeainst [he Chaos Warriors' attack.Sincelosing our leider, moraleamongthe men is low, and many haveresignedthemselves to defeat' You carulotleL Carassfall to Belgaroth'sevil legion. You tell the guard to galher together all those mem bersof the tonm militia who canbe spared,and within half an hour you are addressingthe exhaustedand baftle-wear-y soldiers.Firstof all you find out what has happenedhere.It was two days ago thal the Chaos Warriors made their attack, the assault being led by the fuggemaut,the tower you saw on the south side of the !own. It is an awesomewar-machine,armed wrth many siege weapons including a destructive batLering-ram,and the walls were soon breached.Some of the soldiersbelleve the tower to be driven by Demonsand will nol go neariL.You formulaLe a plan: lf you could break thror.rghthe enemy lines and board the fuggemaut,perhapsyou could find a way to deskoy it and so removethe enemy'smainadvantage. The soldiersall agreethat this is an excellentstrategy. If you have the Battle TscLiaSpecialSkill and you wanl to useit, tum to 2o1.Ifyou do not, tum to 582.

99 As you are decidingwhat to do next, all of a sudden you hear a voice speaking inside your head Braoe kniSht,1t says, listen catdully, fot my spinf is suiftly deparlinghon this world. The cleics arc in leaglaewilh lhe UsurpingSerpent TheJoreslis in danger Wasteno no/e timehere.Do not . Iwas foullyslain. a Demon Thenthe spiritof HerluinLheSaSeis gone Tum to 156 aoo

the Skull.The placeis desertedand an eeriewhine fills Lhefeast-hallas a draughtblows in throughcracksin the mortarholding the stonesof the walls together A broad flight oF stepsleadsup out of the room, and you make for this. If you have Lhe word 'Ronnoc' writlen on your ,4/trnirre Srrst tum Lo54 otherwise, rum io 14_ aoa You burst out of fhe room and hurtledown the spiral fo the hapdoor-Flingingit open,you drop to staircase the groundand then run full pelt until you think your

heartwill burst with Lhe€xertion.You throw yourseu behindlhe remainsof a wall just as the pressureof fhe steam,building up inside the boiler causesit to explodelThe grim edificeis tom apartby the blastand a great ball of fire eruptsfrom the siege-engine, flyinS hiSh into the sky. Buning wreckageand rubblefrom lhe tower rain down all round you but, miraculously, you arc not hit. What is left of the devastatinswarmachineis now a raging infemo the lugSem.rutis no more. With lheir siege€ngine destroyed.Belga roLh'stroops panic and, totally demoralized,flee in disarray. When you staggerback to the guard posr a grear cheergoesup ftom the crowd of citizensand militlamen gatheredbhere.Your vicLoryhas won them the day and savedCarass(regainr lucr point and add r point to your HoNouRscore).Undoubtedlyyou have also set Belgaroth'splans back somewhat.Unfortunately,you haveto Lurndo*.n the citizens'kind offers of hospitality as you had planned to get beyond Carassbefore nightfall, However, Lhe townspeople insisl on givjng you a new sword if you have no weapon,as well as enough Provisionsior 5 meals and a purse contaimng 20 Gold Pieces.You also receivethe attentionsof a physician(restoreup to 5 poinLsof sr,AMrNA)Those rnembersof the militia who ale left are more than willing to fight for you shouldyou want them to, if you are rccruitingyour own force Lo take on Belgaroth'stroops (wriLedoim the word Tcrof' on yow AdomtureSheclif you want to takethemwith vou).

Leaving Carass,you Lum off the road and head south, following a trackinto the hjlls in Lhedirectionof Caer Skaal.If you have Lheword 'Ecrof' written down on your Adaenfure Sheet,turn to 3o5. If you do not, turn lo 2.

ao2

The starLof lhe trackinto the woodsrs markedby two sLonepostsjrt doesnoLlookasrf thepathhasseenmuch traffic recently.The landladyalso told you that the villagersleaveHerluinaloneard that somesayhe talks to the woodland creatures.As you gulde Firemane alongthe pathbetweenthe trees,you becomeawareof the fact lhaf the further you go, the less birdsong you canhear.At lasfyou entera clearing,which is completely silent,whereyou find the sage'ssimpleroundstonecell, built as two storeys.Disturbingly,you see that no smokeis rising from the chimneyon a cold Closeday suchasthis You lcro& on thecell'ssturdydoor but get no reply. You knock again and call out to the sage but to no avarl.Trying the door, you discoverthat it is unlockedYou sensethal somelhingis very wronShere. Will you enterthe cell (turn to 26) or leavebhewood andWendefordasquicklyaspossible(tum to 49)?

ao5 A Banshee is an undeadspirit that hasbeentrappedon thisplanein suchahideous formaspunishmenL for some horrific crime commitLedwhen il was alive. As you pronouncethe incantation, the Cailleacftis ripped from this world to its 6nal resting placewith a hellish scream (Write down fhe word 'Eehsnab'on your Adoentwe Sleef.)Now, ifyou cameherefrom paragraph175,turn io 516. If you camefrom paragraph16j, tum to 2o2. ao4 At the shaman'sdeath,the impnsonedvillagerssuddenly become aware of what is going on and in desperate panictry to freethemselves. However,many are exhausted or too weak bo be of much help to thernselves If they do not get fiee soon, either the Wicker Man yvill catchalight or the BeastMen will breakthroughthe ring of fire surroundingyou. Taking hold of a pole. you start to climb the precdfious struchue.If you sufferfrom the Fearof Heights,Ierl yow Skill, adding z to the dice roll. If you hil, after climbing severalmehes you are overcomeby dizziness and,losingyour grip, fall from the funeralpyre outside ihe blazingbarrier(lum to 265) If you succeed, or if you arenol afflictedwith this fear,tum to 192. ao5 Huniedly,you make the necessary arcanegesturesLo bamshthe ghosL The dead knight lets out a baleful shrrek,and both it and its phanLommount fade away beforeyolrr very eyes Tum to 356.

106 Dazed, you hrm as a figure drops Irom an opening in the ceiling. It is a man dressedin the garb of a labourer and wearing a dyed green hood that coverc his face completely, with ,ust two eye-holescut in it. In one hand the man is holding a chain with a spiked ball on one end of it. Yelling,he alta&s you. For the durationof this battle you mlrst reduceyour AtLack Strengthby 1 poinl because of the blow on your neao. HOODED ATTACKER

SKLLI

sr^MrNAI

Every hme your opponent wins an Attack Ror.md,roll one dice. On a roll of 14, the spikedball does the usual : strvrra points of damage.However, on a roll of 5-6 the weapon hits you hard and causes3 pointsof damageto your sr,rurr.re.If you reducethe maris sraMINA to 2 points or lest you can eithertry to questionhim as Lo why he altackedyou (tum Lo 235)or finishhim off (turnto 354) ao7 Suddenly your mind is 6lled with terrible thoughts and evil desires.Although you try to resist the comrpting inJluence of the ChaosRune,il is all in vain.Your armour blackensand Lamishesunder the rune's tainting power, as does your heart.You will becomeBelga roth s new champion and lead his inhuman hordes againstthe Citadel.Ruddlestoneis doomed! 108

You are rmableto breal
thomy humanoid, several metres tall, whose emerald eyes glow with evil malevolence The manifestation reachesfor you with great tendrilled hands. Your blood shallgive the Darkthomnew strengttr. ao9 The passageopens into a huge vaulted chamberin which countlesscof6ns ate restins. You are horrified Loseethat every one of the caskeishasbeensmashed opm and desecrated-As you survey this scene of devastation,a glowing, ghostly shapebeginsto materializein the middleof the vault If you have the Banisft SpinLSpe.ial Skill, and you wish to use it, tum to 65. Otherwjse, will you flee from Lhischamber (return to 245 and choosesomewhereelse fo explore),or will you prepareto fight (tum to 5o4)?

lao

At the {ar end of the hall a grolesque,bloatedBeast Man, coveredin thick mattedfur and with bwo goatlike horns growing from his hea4 is sprawledon a carved wooden chair. The creature is clad only in a loindoth and two armoured shoulder-pads. while roundits neckhangsa Chaoslalisman.This is lhe BeastMen's chaoticleader,Murgrim lhe Cruel Well doeshe deservethat name,for at his commanocollnrlesssettlemmtshave been put Lo lhe torch and the blood of hundredsof innocenissoilt. At th. *o-.n. ,,. is enjoying tofturing a group oi prisonerswho hang, suspended by their wrists from an iron chain,over a largefire.The chainpassesthrougha pulley,fixed to a roof beam,andits obherendis woundrolind a wooden drum. Murgrim is gradually letting Lhe capstan off a notch at a time, slowly lowering the pdsonerstowards the flames,In a far comer of the hall ls a large cage, completelycoveredby a black drape.Drawing your weapon,you run acrossthe hali. Grabbinga doubleheadedbattle-axe,the ChaosBeastLord risesfrom his chair and oreoaresfor combat MURGRIM

sKrLL10

9 TAM IN A 1 1

If you win, tum to z4z 114

Among a heap of scolls and chartsyou ffnd a piece of vellumwith a message written on if in blackinl in an untidy scrawl.It readsas follows' The cleics continte fo pursue fheir dark designs, weakeningtlu elementallorces of the fotest by fheir

aa'-at4

aclions,TheIools! Theyare upsetlinglhe natutal oder in the land. I haoe iliscooeredthat lheir femple is someaherenear]laoalok BLt I fear that fhey haaea spy in Wendeford- Masler Gftye, tlo ftillel I nust atmmonhelpto sLoptheir nil machinatiow. This note grvesyou anotherline of enquiryto follow. Do you want to look for the miller (turn to 74) or wlll you ignoreHerluin'ssuspicions and continuesearching his cell (turn to 224)? 142

HavinS dismountedand tetheredFiremaneto a tree stump,you makeyourway to the sourceof the glinLing Standingbetweenthe trees,half hidden in the undergrowLh,rsthemosscoveredstonestatueofan armoured warrior The quality of the stonelvo* has been slightly wom by thepassage of trme,but you canstillmakeout ihe attenlionto detailpaidby the sculptor.The realism of thc warriols sword and armour,and the lensionin themusclesof thefigure,cor.:ldalmostmakeyou believe thatthe statuewasoncea realmanwhohadbeentumed to stone.Restingon the warrior'sarmis a shreldwhich catchesthe sunlighton its battle-scarred surface; on fhe shieldLsthe fadeddesignof a Dragon,paintedgold Pullingawayweedsand tall grasses from ils base,you canjust makeout two inscriptjons carvedinto thestone The 6rstis in the Commonlongue but the secondis rn somestrangenrnicscriptyou do not recognrze. HERE STANDS A MONUMENT TO CANDRAZ \ f A 1 v,tfJl Y I xr{r)cti] J, 1f{4A f Y

THE BOLD WHO DIED IN THIS THE FOURTH N\t 1r 11 N\t 1r t4 +{ .l\lv J \t +}ti .l \ YEAROF THE REICNOF QUEENVAXILLIATHE r lfA tl J\t at*|/{ vLifJ ,4fl fA^tt J \t '4 JUST.MAY THE DRAGONKEEPSAFEHIS OWN fLVJoar r Jvt 1alv,{ vtt^ Vl^ t \l V l t\J o Beforeconhnuingthroughthe foresldo you wantto try to tale th€ shield(tum to 55)or will you Leave it whereibrs(tu-rn to 35J)? aa3 You strikeout at the double,br-rtfor every blow you land iL lands one of even greater force. There is nothing yor-rcan do as the monstersteadilyb€atsyou to the gror.rnd.The last lhing you ever see is your own face,horribly distortedand smiling,as the fatal blow strikesyou Your adventureis over 414

With a shout, you kick your heels into Firemane's flanks.The horsewhinniesard leapslorward into lhe crowd Driving your mount forward,you chargepast the startledprotesters.As you flee,howevet you are siruck by a pike (losez sr^MrNA points).Soon you arewell past the angrymob, but you acteddishonourably towards the starving people (lose 1 HoNouR point). Wasting no more time, you contrnuesoulhwardsiturn to zoo.

fiz'r18 115

Hurriedlyyou help Torrin to secureand barricadeall the entrancesto the forge. Two windows are left unprotecLed, so you take up positionsnexLto them Roll one dice and add r to the mrmber rolled to lind out how many Hellhoundstry to enter through the you are defending window you are guarding.Because a smalJ opening, you may increaseyour Attack Strengthby 1 point during the Helihounds'assault, and only one monstercan attackyou at a time. Each beasthas the attributes:sxrll 7, srAMrNA6, at the end of eachAttack Round,on a roll of 1 or u on one dice you are burnt for 1 additionalsrAMrNApornt of damage.Beforeyou 6ght eachof the demonicdogs, you may useone - only one- of the following (if you have them): the Holy Sfrike Special Sklll (which does the monster2 sraMrNApoints of damage),on€ dose of Holy Oil, fire a crossbowonce,or throw a dagger (Tnt vour Skill,deductingz from your sxrLr scoreif you do not have the larg.ef Special Skill; if you succeed,the dagger does 2 srAMrNA points of damage)This battle will be a hard one.If you defeat all your opponents,tum Lo24. 1a6

'Ssso,morLal You may be able to overcome my minions, buL yor.r wiil never destroy m€. I wasss exsspelled from my graveby the foul sssicknesss that rsssin the larld Now none can ssslayme'You were righl It is the power of Chaoslhat has resloredthe Necromageand mutated his body while in the sar cophagr.rs The sorcererstalkstowardsyou, ready to

use his decayinghandsas weapons.If you have lhe Fearof Spiders,for the duration of this battle you must reduceyour Attack Sfrengthby r point because of the Necromage's arachnidform

CADAVER

S (ILL

10

It the Undead Lord wins two consecutiveAttack Rounds,tum immediatelylo 56 If you wilr tum to L99

You stand wrth your sword poisedmere centrmetres from the champion'sthroatand claimvictory as youn. Very well,' saysSkorm.'l would trust sucha warrior asyou to leadmy men into batlle I only askthat you Sive us a little time lo ready ourselvesfor such an importantcampaign'You agreeto meet Stronn and hrs mercenaryband at the dese*edoutpost of Harnwatchin one day'stime.(Write the word'Ecrof'on yout AdoenlureSheet.)Secluein Lheknowledge that aL leastyou will now haveothersfightingfor you againsL the DreadLord'sforces,you prepareto leaveHavalok Tum to jr4 118

Taking Lhe orb from your pack, you raise it above your head, hoping somehow lo releaseils power Belgarothgives a short laugh at the sight of the arte[actand, raisinghis palms in your drrection,unleashes a dark bolLof en€rgyat you. The CrystalOrb oncebelongedto a BlackSorcererand it amplifiesthe e[fectsof any dark magicksusedin its presence. As a

rcsult, Belgaroth'sbolt str;kesyou with devastating effect,charringthe fleshfrom your bonesYour advm-

wood in the shapeof a raven,a bird of ill-omen On the bodiesof the other two murderersyou 6nd 3 Gold Pieces. As nrghl hasfallen,you decidethat it is Lim€to headfor Havalok Tum to 241

419

The book is written in a languagethat you do not understand.If you have the ArcaneLore SpecialSkill, turn to zoj; if you do not, turn to 66.

Belgarothwhistlesshrilly and the Nighi-maredesists from its attack.The beasLflresup Lo lhe flat Lopped tower, the Dread Lord mounts his demorucwinged you are steedand,althoughyou run up the staircase, too late Lo stop Lhewarmongertaking to the air and makinghis escapeBy the time you reachthe roof he is out of rangeof bows and sp€ars.Belgarothmust be fleeingin order to lead his army againstthe Citadel. You cannoLlet him get away,but how on Tilan are you going to pursuehim now?If you have a Golden Feather,you know what to do with it- Convert the nameyou have to say into a number,using the code A = 1, B = z,C = 2...2 = z6 A dd,thenumb e rs correspondingto the letters in the name together, multiply the total by the numberof timesyou have to say the name,then turn to that paragraph.lf you do not have a GoldenFeatherand do nol lcrow what to do here,Lumto 2ro. a2!

Hunredly you searchthe man'sbody; howeter, you find nothing but a smallcharmcarvedout o[ a dark

As you cross the hall, you hear a terrible moan; fearfully,you spinarourd to discoverits sourceSitting in the largerchair,slumpedover the tablein a pool of blood, is a semrlransparent6gure that glows with a faint phosphorescence The figure ralsesits head and sitsupnght Horrified,you recoSnizeyour deadfriend and fellow Templar,Sir Connor of Achenbury.The lemble jnjurieshe sufferedat the handsof the Orc Wolf Ridersare all too apparentand severalanows still protrude from his blood soakedLunic Connor's Bhosltums to faceyor.rand his deadeyesSive you d piercingstare.'Ibring you a warrung,'henlones You standfrozento the spot arrdlistento what your dead friendhasto say 'Thereis a traitot known only as the Raven,amonglhosewho claimfealty to the king. The Ravenwill betrayyou- Speakthe traitor'strue nameto reveal the truth ' Connor'sthosi fadesaway, his message passedon. Regain1 LUCKpoint for recerving this waming and write down the word 'Rohart' on yo:urAduentute9luet. then fum to r4.

You pay the old woman (deducts Goid Piecesfiom yo:.jtrAdoefitureSieef)and she gesturesfor you Lo go through a curtaineddoorway Al the end of a short corridorrs an omatewoodendoor, on it is the symbol of an eye insidea hiangle,madeout of polishedbrass. You open the door and stepinto the chamberbeyond You find yourselfsbanding in a largeroom laid with a plush red carpetwith the sameesotericsymbolsyou saw outsidethe shop embroideredinto it, it is lit by candlespositioned at regular intervals iound the mahogany-panelled walls Sitting opposircyou, on a gilded high-backedchair, is a beautiful,pale-skinned young woman with long blackhair, wearing flowing robesand a circlelof silverround her headas well as numeroussilv€rcharmson necklacesHangingon lhe wall behindher chajrare two wall-hangrnSs r€presenting two Cardsof Djvination:lhe Cup of Fortuneand the High Priestess, meaninghidden secrets.On the wall above the chair is a larger version of the brass hiangle and eye the sy.rnbolof the Third Eye Sweefsmeilingsmokedsesfrom two incense-bumers lhat hang from bheceilingon eitherside of the chait and to the woman'sleft is a stone bowl containinga pool of water. The effect of Lhe decorationsand objectsin the room is to creaLean atmosphereof mysferyand magic.'I havebeenexpectingyou, Tem plar,' the woman announceswithout warning. 'l am the Mistressof the Si8ht,a divinergrantedlhe powers of clairvoyance by the gods,just as my motherbefore me and her mother beforeher. I know of your quest and may be able to help you gain vital information.

Through the scrying pool you could try to spy on the Dark Tyrart and his forces,or perhapsyou would prefer to see your own future in the cards The choiceis yours.' Will you spy on Belgaroth(tum to :6) or find out what the cardshave to reveal (Lurn to 227)'l r24 You are inside a room that spansthe whole width of the luggemaut.As you step through the door, you are hit by a Lremendous blast oI heat.A numberof chainedslavesare shovellingfuel into the huge, demonic iron mouth of a fumace;lhey are encouraged Lo work harder by an armour-cladOgre overseer carryinga bullwhip. The sealng heat in the chamber is so oppressivethat you breakout in beadsof sweat, while severalof the plsonerslook as if they are about to collapseftom exhauslion.You must do what you can to help these poor people, so you atlack Lhe Ogre

O CREO VE R S E E R

SKI LL 9

Becauseof its armour,yolr must reducethe damage done to [he Ogre by your weapon by 1 point, ff the Ogre wins an AtbackRound,roll one dice On a roll of 6 the whip wrapsround your weaponand, though it does you no harm, it pulls the weapon out of your grasp,you must fight on with your srrrr reducedby I Points lf-you win the battle,you may recoveryour weaponand, having freed the gratefulprisonersand told them the way to escape,leave the fumace-room Tum to 3a1

125

The feast over, you rehre to a luxunous room for the nighL,you wakeup at sunrise,restedand invigorated (restoreup Lo4 srAMrNApoints and add r day to the Time Elapsed). A guide and escortof two soldiersare alreadywaiting for you when you descendfrom your room. Firemanehas been saddledand has also recovered {rom the prevrousday's ride. It does not Lake long for you to reach lhe edge of the forest and, leaving tilled 6elds behind, you enter the ancient, shadowytangleof trees-Your guide keepsyou on an almostcompletelyovergrownpath until you reacha fofk in lhe track,then he stops.'This is the last place where the monsterwas seen,'he says.'lt lumed on a soldierand left him tenibly wounded We will go no further. From here you're on your own You stare at the two soldiers,but they try to avord your gaze and shift uneasily in their saddles.With an exasperated sigh you decidewhich route to take.If you have the TrackingSpecialSkill,tum Lo 5o9. If you do not, will you take the left (turn lo j85) or lhe right fork (turn to.!91)? 12,5

Following the tunnel into the caves,eventuallyyou enter a low cavem As you make your way across ii, you hear a loud hissing sound and your lantem illuminaLesa mass of slithering bodies. Dozens of snakescover the chamberfloor and mary look as if they could be poisonous.Do you sufferfrom the Fearof Snakes?If you do, turn to 252; otherwise, tum to Joo.

429

'So youre the traitor, Lord Taris Varenl' you shouf beforethe bird has time to leavethe chamber.Belgaroth freezes,and you staggeraway from him to catch your breath The raven lets out an agonizedsquawk arrd drops fo the ground as i{ shrnned.What you wtness next is tenible to behold The ravenBrowsin sizeand changesshape,its Iegs becominglonger and rts tail rebractinginto its body as Lord Varenresumes his natural human form. Belgarothgranted him the Enchantment of Transformation, giving him the ability to shapechange at will. However,becauseyou have brokenthe spell,Varenno longerhasconhol over Lhe charmand the transformation do€snot go as smoothly as it should Standingin front of you is a hideous mutant. Varen has regainedhis human form except that, in place of his right arm, a huge black wing sproutsfrom his shoulderand his left leg is that of a bird, while his headis part-human, part-raven,with an ugly black beak 'l'll kill you for this, croa[l' Varen squawksas he stumblestowardsyou, consum€dby an enragedmadnessAs you preparelo fight the mutanl., you glimpseBelgarothmakinghis escapethroughthe archway.

RAVEN

sx rLL7

STA M I N A 8

If you kill the vile haitor,Ium to a76 r28 Well now you lcrow what killedHerluin He musthave tried to summonthe Demonin orderto find out more aboutBelgarothand the ChaosKnights Retumto 166-

429

your gifL from LheGuardianElves,an Remembering ideaforms in your mind. It is jusl a hunchbut, as the doors are made of rvood, maybe the sap from the myst€rious ancientforestwillhave someeffecL. Uncorking the omate bottle, with ils glass reliefs of leafy stems,you pour the oozing milky-whiteliquid on to lhe doors The sap slowly soaksinto the old dead planhsand,asit doesso,somethingincrediblehappensWith a stretchingsound,freshgreenshootsburstfrom the doors as the dark wood remembersthal iL was oncea living tree Creahngloudly, the doorscontort, individualplanks forrning into gnarledtrunks as the raw elemenlalenergy surSingfrom the sap gives the ancientwood rene\redli(e. The growing doors split apart as they break tlfough the wal]s of Lhe castle, leavingthe way into Belgaroth'slhroneroom,and the innersanctumof the Order of the Knights of Chaos, oP€n The throneroom is circular,lit by torch€sround the walls,wilh the Runeof Chaoslaid into the floor of the chamberin polished black Branite.Bannersof the Fortressof the Skulland the ChaosKnightsadom the rvalls,and on the far sideof the room is a high-backed lhroneof blackwood. In the cenlreof the room sranos a ring of black-armoured knightswho are completely ,.ilentand motionlessAl fheir head,standingbefore ihe throne,is a huge man clad in full, shining black platemailarmour.His homed heimet has been fash :onedto look lrke a skull,while bandsof metalacross ris breastplate resemblea rikage The armouris also

130

a3a-a32

sraMrN-A. poinls unlessyou have the word ,Euga1p, written down o yolr, Aduenture S/rerf,in which case dead, tum as one and advance towards you acrossthe throne room If you know five Words of power and dare to utter them here, speak them backwardsnow. If you do not know such an incantalion, or if you do not want to use it, tum to 276 430 The ride soufh is uneventful srnce the road passes Lhrough cultivated fields, then on to barren moorland To lhe east lies the sprawlng expanseof ancient !1oodlandlhaf's so bound up in le8end.It is said lhat objectsmadefromwood takenfrom its treesreLainsome

rope iust in time, tum to zo5 lf you fail, turn to 78.

43-435

towards the edge of the clearing.Howevet more wonyingly, as the sporescomeinto contacLwrth youl armour,th€ metal starts lo corrode,tuming to rust You have fallenfoul of a fungusknown as Ironbane Roll one dice:this is Lhenumberof piecesof armour, weaponsor metal objects,such as your lanlern (but lhat both you andFiremane not rncludrngGold Pieces), that tuJn to rust Crosspiecesof equiPare carrying menLtotalling that numberotf your A.rlomtureSheet. Away from the sporecloud,you leadFiremanerourd the edgeof the treacherous clearingTurn Lo8. 45 Refusinglo help lhe peopleof Ennoxwasa selfishand dishonourable act (lose1 HoNouRpornt) Jeering,the villagersdrive you ou! of town, wavlngpitchforksand hurling roLtenvegetablesin your direction Tum to

434 The landladytellsyou that yearsago the surrounding hamletsandfarmsteads weretenorizedby a monstrous wild boar which lived wrlhin the bordersof the Forest of Lein.Eventuallyit was trackeddown by lelder the Hunterand his packof legendaryhormds,was Lrapped in a stakedprt and slain Now will you askher where you canfind Herluinthe Sage(tum to j62) or askher about any local rumours (turn to 26a), or will you leavethe BristlingBoarand Wendeford(tum lo 49)? You explainto the old woman that you meanher no

455

iarm, and she soon calms down. 'I thought you'd .ome 'ere to h]m me out of me 'ome,' she says,'but s€eingas 'ow you 'aven't,perhapsyou'd take shelter ior the night' You gratefullyacceptthe crone'sinvitaiion, and she providesyou with a meal of spit-roast rabbit (regainup to j srAMrNApoints).As you eat, ihe old woman rambleson about her life in these :onelyhills and tellsyou thaLshecan concoctpotions lo curealmostanything 'l couldrid you of your worsl tearseven,althoughfor that I'd needspecialingredi ents, ihe moss from a dead man's scalp taken by noonlight, the tongueof a Cockalriceand a Banshee's iooth' If you sL'fferfrom a fear and wani Lo take the o1dcroneup on Lhisoffer, tum lo 51 lf you do not, i ou turn in for the night and,at dawn,leavethe cave and iLs slrange occupant(add 1 day lo the Time Elapsed and turn to j79).

t 13ra5a

439

tum Lo194. 437 The tra& that leadsrnto the southernmound looks both well usedand as i[ somethinghastravelledalong jt recently.Now. havinglit your lantern.will you enterth€ moundto the: North? South? East? West?

Tum to 95 Tum to r75 Turn to 5j9 Turn to j5o

158 His Elite Knights may be dead once more, bul the Dread Lord still lives. Standrng before his throne is Belgaroth,the Da* Tyrant, the UsurpingSerpent,the Iron Fist,the Warmongerof CaerSkail,Lord of Havoc

Progressto my fortresshas beenobservedevery sLep of.the way. Do not think that I am unprepared. you will merely be the 6rst of thousandsto die - or will you hrn from Telak and loin my Knightsof Chaos? Wha[ can he mean?ls Belgarolha fool?you would never betray your holy order or your kingdom- at

least,not of your oran free will. A Lhoughtsuddenly crossesyour mind. Your eyes drop to Lhefloor and you realizein horror whereyou are sLanding: in your strugglewith the undeadChaos Knighls, you have strayedinto the paltem of the ChaosRuneset into the flagstones.BelgaroLhmuttersa few words under his breath,invoking its power. Roll one dice and add 7 (addz more pointsif you are carryinga moon shield). If the total is less than or equal to your HoNouR score,tum Lo 218. If the total is greaLerthan your HONOUR SCOre,turn tO 1O7. 439

Having madea few discreeL enquiries,eventuallyyou find yourself outside the impressiveheadquarters of the Mercenaries' Guild, the best place to recruit an army. The tall stone buildingitself looks like a small fortress,the entrancebejng barred by a portcullis. Affer you have rung the bell nexL to the door, a hr-:nchbacked frgureappearsat the window abovethe portculls and asks you your businessYou explain youl desireto assemble an army of bravefightersand are soon standing before the Cuildmaster,Nasra Stronn,and a crowd of rough looking, battle-scarred ruffians.'So, you want to hire an army, but you haven'fgot the money to pay us,'Stronnboonx. The mercenades burstinto ralrcouslaughter. 'But your bravery and heroismwould go down in legend,'you say 'This is no petty dispute betw€en rival lords but a batlle againstthe very forcesof Evil and Chaos, the outcome of which will determine

a35 You have avengedlhe death of your friend, Connor the Templar(add 1 to your HoNouRscore)The Orcs possessnothing of any use to you, so you set off again. With a thud, a white arrow embedsitself in a hee next to you. The shaft rs engravedwith runes that you cannot read but which you know are Elven in origin Six slender,white-hairedfigures almost melt out of the forest,their bows trainedon you. Theseare the GuardianElves of the Forestof Lein who palrol and lend the ancienlwoodland.'Slranger,'saysone of the Elves,'whatare you doing so far inlo the forest?' The GuardranElves of Lein are unerring s€rvantsof Good so you have nothing to lose in telling Lhemof your encounterwilh the Orcs, your quest and your searchfor Aelfgar 'Come with us,'says the Elf- Dismounting, you lead Firemanetluough the trees,following the Elves. You havenot gonefar whenyou find yoursellslanding at the edge of a grove of trees which is beautiful beyond descripLionOn the iar side of the lush lawn, which is coveredwith brighhflowersevenat this time o[ year,standsa srx-sidedplinth of pure white stone, engravedwith what you susPectare Prayers.You are greetedby a female Elf who possessesan almos[ unearthly beauty, long flowing white hair, pale skin and large deep-greeneyes The leaderof the Elf patrol relays to her whaL you have told him, then she you. 'Templar,I am Elaina,Sorceress Priesf addresses are The hmes ess of the GuardianElves of Leintroubledindeedand our beloved forest is sickening

142-45

the fate of the krngdom,if not of the Old Wond itselflThink of the honour and preslige.Suchrewards areworth far morethanmeregold.' The mercenaries are silent.AfLera momeDt'sthouSht, Slronn speaksagain:'l still don't understandwhy the Wamors of Telak aren't preparedthemselves but thaL'snoLmy concem.All right, we'll join your crusade if you can prove your own skill as a warior You must besLour championin combat' Will you agreeLo Lheseterms and fight (turn lo 53), or will you leave the Mercenaries'Guild, and Havalok ifsell and conLinueon your quest(tum to J14! 740

At fust the creatures recoilat the sight of the talisman, but [hen their attitudeof fearbecomesone of fury and the plant like humanoidsleap at you. You have no choicebut to draw your weaponand de{endyourself. Turn to i8. 4a Hurriedly,you male the signsand mutter the words Lhatwill banishyour supemaluralassarlant. As you completeyour incanLatiorlthe ghosLlyhanddropsLhe dagger fo the ground and drssolvesinLo Lhe cold night air. If you wjsh,you may takeLhedagger(if you do so, add it to yow AdoenturcSlesf).The Assassin's Daggeris a favourileweaponof vindictivepractitioners of the occult Someoneobviously knows about your questand doesnot want you bocompleteit, but you have halted their evil scheme,for now at least

(regainr rucr point). The rest of Lhenight Passes without incident,and ab dawn you are on yorrr way again(add r day Lo the Time Elapsedand rcstore2 srAMrNApoints).Tum lo 2E5 742

on lhe easternside of At the foot of lhe escarpment the castle,hiddenbehindscrubbybushesand boulders, you hnd a smallcavemouth and,beyondthal, a ro&y tunnel leadinginto the hill beneaththe fortress.Perhapsthe tunnelwas madeby the crusade$,a century ago.Whoeverdug it out, it shouldtakeyou inlo the castledungeons.Do you want to explorethe Passageway fufther (tum to a57) or would you raLherretum to the gatehoLrse and enterLhatway (tum to 563)? 143 You rain blow afler blow upon Lhemonstet but to no effect.a1lyou manageto do rs preventit strikingyou Suddenlysomeof Lhethornsfly from its body drrectly at you. Roll one dice and add-l This is the numberof thoms that hit you, each one inflicting 1 STAMINA point of damage.Unableto injure the creaturein Lhe usualway, will you now use: SpecialSkrll? The Holy Sfn.ke The Bdnis,spiltl SpecialSkrll? A Cleric'sTalisman? The potion Witherwelh

Tum to :39 Turn to 25o Tum Lo 28 Turn to 41

the Darkthorngrabsyou If you can usenone of Lhese, wrth one huge tendrilledhand and cmshesthe life out of you. Your adventureendshere

144-147

144 144

The srlver-tippedspear sails past Belgaroth'shead taughrngcruelly,he releases his darkboll of energy It slamsinto your chest,knockingyou from your mount's ba&, inlo oblivion 145 You try to throw yourself ouf oF the path of the cmshinghoofs but are just too lat€. The horse hits you in the back,kno&ing you to the floor (lose 5 STAMINApornLs)Ignoring you, the ghostly knight urgesrts mount towardsLheking, raisingits weapon, readyio strike.You mustact quickly.Will you: Use the Brris, Slilit SpecialSkill,if you haveit? Use the Holy StrikeSpecralSkill, if you haveit? Aftack the ghost?

Turn to 1o5 Turn to 5o3 Ium to 255

146 As you dashLrnderthe Juggemautto get to the ladder there is a rumbling sormdabove you and a massot red-hot ash drops dorama chut€,hitting the ground with a showerof sparks.Someof this wastefrom the slege-engine hiis you and you cry oLrtin agonyas you are terribly bumt (lose 5 srAMrNApoints).Tum to

147 As the horsemanapproaches, you seethat h€ is wear ing the Lvery of the Lord of CleeveManor.When he

rswithin ear-shoL he reinsin his horseand callsout lo

mostgratefulof your help.The tenantson the manor,s lands are behg tenorized by a rogue boar from the iorest.Our best soldiershave tried to kill it, but all havefailed Somesay Lhatthe beastrs enchantedand cannotbe slain.Will you help us?'A nighf in a bed would certainly be very relieshing.and you have pledSedto keeporder in the kingdom.However,su.h an expeditionwill tale up valuable[ime.Will you go wrth the messeng€r to CleeveManor (turn ro 525/ or rvill you press on and try to reachHavalok before nrghtfall(tum ro 19a)?

t4a you must The villagerscheerat your announcemenl. act tonight so as to savetime and proteclAssartfrom ihc cursedtwilight existenceof the undead If you havethe BalileTacficsSpecialSkill and wanLLo try to orSanizethe villagersinto a smallfighting force,tum :o 224.If you do not havethat SpecialSkill,or if you Jo not want to useit, turn [o 5.

149 Hacking your way among Lhe enemy, you suddenly break through their lines and are conFonted by a scme that mal<esyour blood boil with fury! The bodiesof your companionslitter the ground in front of one of the BeastMan warriors The creatureis almosl tluee metres tall, wrth a wolllike head,daggerlength fangs and a row of long spinesprojecting from the top of its skull and down its back It has huge musculatarmsthal end rn great clawedhards;in one of them it is gripping the brokenaxle-shaftof a warchariot wth one wheel sti attached and ending in a vicious curved blade. Iron chainsare bound round the BeasLMan's torso, and hanging from a belt are the headsof previousopponenlsIn fhe mrdstof its balllefrenzy. the foul Chaos spawn swings rts weapon at BEASTMAN CHAMPION sKrLL12 srAMrNA14 lf the Champion hits you with the sickle blade from the war-chariot, fhe rmplement will inflict 3 poinh of damageto your srAMlNA I{ you def€atthis terrifying adversary, tum to 136. 450

You explainto lhe villagersthal bheTemplarsare not 'snooDers'but Drot€ctors of thecitizensof Ruddlestone. In faat, at th; very moment you are on an arduous rnissionto defmd the kingdom and its people from an evil tlrant whose retum would bring bitter war and destruction.

455-455

i

Havalok. However, lime is pressingand you can r€mainhereno longer Tum Lo45 453

1 Thecarvingson lhe wallsarormdyou suddenlydrstort

154

andtransfom into hundredsof screaming humanfaces your wision and theit Their anguishedfeaturesfill rvailingall but deafensyou Theseare Lhepoor souls held in perpetualtormentby LheNeaomancer'sdark powers to be his slaves Then everything is as it shouldbe agan- However,you are disturbedby this you experience and while you remainin the Sepulchre mustreduceyour srtLr by r point Tum Lo443. 454 You charge towards the prophets,and immedrafely the crowd areupon you Roll one dice.If you roll r-2, tum to 18J; j-4, turn lo 2g8t 5-6, tvm to 64

move qujetly enou8hand the guard hearsyou (tum to 346) 452

Piecesand says that you will always be welcomein

455

You cannothelp but sit down in the chair and rest your weary body. ClaspsimmediatelysnapshuL,trapping your wlsts and ankles,while another closes ror.rndyour neckand one round your waist.)nstanLly you arejolted free from the mind dulling effectof the voices,but it is too late.Thereis nothing you car do as hidden mechanisms in the chair are triggeredard whirr inio action. Sharp blades and pointed spikes emergefrom the deviceand move evercloserto your immobile body. You will soon drscoverwhy this deviceis calledthe Throneof A8ony.

V

a56-a5g a56 You manageto keepyour seaLin the saddleand guide your steedround the hazard.You soon catchr.:pwiLh the desperaternanand cut him down easily.Turn to

As you chaseafter the High Priest,a manic InitiaLe barsyour way. Armed wrth a long, blackthom, sheis tntenton revenge.You mustfight her,

I NI T ] AT E

SKILL 7

demonicHellhoundsand savageBeastMen. Aheadof lhem ride the Chaos Knights of Caer Skaal,their steedsmighty war-horcesBehindthem, riding a de monicwingedhorsewith blood-redeyes,is a shadowy tigure whom you loow to be the warmongering DreadLord Belgarolhhimself.Under lhe veil of night the UsurpingSerpentis leadinghis army towardsthe Citadel.You cannothope to overcomesuchincr€dible odds.It will not be long beforeRuddlestone is crushed beneaththe Iron Fist.

STA M I N A 6

If the battle lasts six Attack Rounds or less, you continueafter Brya4 tum to 287. If it takeslonger, turn to 554. 156

459

a6o The strangeliquid fastesstrongly of wild garlic,but it alsoseemsto hav€healingproperties(restoreup bo4 points of lost sraMrNA).Now will you readlhe letter (tum fo 57) or leavethe mill (turn to 49)?

on wolves; also Trolls, Ogres, black clad warriors,

a6a Rummagingthroughthe debris,you uncovera locked iron box. If you have a small iron key and want to open lhe box, tum to 2j2. lf you do not have sucha key but you 6nd one laler, make a note of this paragraphso that you car return hereif you wish to open the box. For now, t:UInto 2Z+

T a6z As yoll se to your feet, Belgarothstridestowards you acrossthe throne room. 'l shallcrushyoq Templarl'he spits vehemently.'Then lherewill be no one to stop me and the prophecywill never be f,.i6lled!' You just have time to ready your weaponwhile the Dread Lord unsheathes his great black Runesword. Chaged with the powersof darkness, a blow from the Runeswordwill inflict J points of damageto your sraurre and it will alsodrain1 HoNouRpoint as it taintsyou wrth the foul infectionof Chaos If your norour scorereaches zero,you will havebeentotally corruptedand will comeunder Belgaroth'scontrol,to becomehis new champion

BELCAROTH

S K I LL 12

You must reduceany damageyou causethe Dread Lord by 1 point becauseof his heavy plate armour. \44renyou do strikehim, he does not bleed;instead his woundsooze a vile greenslime:every 6bre of hrs undeadbeing is corrupted.As soon as you reduce Belgaroth'ssrrwrr.re scoreto Z poinLsor less,if you have the word 'Reggad'writlen on youl AAoentur. Sfieei, turn to :j8; otherwise,tum Lo251. a63 With a souJ-rending scream,a hideousspectreflies aL you out of the darloess,tearinga deep gashin your sword-armwith a clawedhand(losez srAMrNApoinLs and r srILL point). Standingin front of you is a ghastlyundeadcreaturewhrch looks like a shrivelled and stoopedold woman wifh long matted hair and,

f 166-15,

a64-1,6s

therrmouths.You must fight all the Fre Imps at the sarnetime, wilh your Attack Strenglhreducedby z pointsbecause of yor.r verLigo.

stranBely,only one largenostril and a singletooth As the hideouscreaturehowls moumfully,you look into its red rimmedeyeswhich are iilled with blazingtury and indescribablesorrov/. You are now [acin8 the known as the Cailleach,that haunls terribleBanshee, lhe Caims oi Dunar (Make a note of the numberof thjs paragraph.)lf you have the Barisl Spirit Special Slolland wish to try to useit now, tum Loao3. lf you do not haveiL,tum LoJ45.

S K ILL

lirst FIRE IMP Second FIRE IMP ThirdFIRE IMP

I 6 7

4 t

If you defeatall three,turn to z:z a66 you with a piercing stare' fix The owl continuesLo \ ou seetha{a largebookhasbeenlefLlying openon the desk,and n"*t to it i. anothervolume,bound rn red leather,that may be of inLerestYou mav now chooseto carryout two o[ the fol]owingactions(You rvill be told to relum to this paragrapha{ter each chorce.)However, once you have performedtwo of them,you mustturn immediatelyto r5. Will you:

a64 Although you have stoppedthe etherealWyrd, the Mistresshdsobviouslybeenrhakenby the exPerience 'Dark powers are at work here Not only does the UsurpinSSerpenthave physicalguards,he also has servantsamong the other planes.I Pray tha! you can overcomesuchterribleodds,but I am afraidthat there is nothing more I can do for you.' The young woman sits down, shivering.'Now go.' You do not want to causeher further distress,so you leave The Mind's Eye'.Turn to 248

Tum to 1a9 Readfhe largeopen book? Turn to t9: Tale a look at the red book? Make a thoroughseach throughthe Tum to 274 wreckagein lhe cetl? Turn to 49 Leaveimmediately?

a65 With a heavinggroan, th€ floor of the chamberfalls away into a now clearlyvisiblefi€ry pit many metres deep, leaving only a pinnacleof rock beneaththe badge of the Templarson which you are standinB The height makesyou feel dizzy and you have to concentratehard on keepingyour balanceThere is a beating of wngs and three lmps fly out of fhe pit, they have barlike wings and barbed tails. As they swoop doltn to attackyou, jets of flameshoot from

a67

ri is blo&ed by a padlocked iron gate. Coming from

l_

15fa7o

158

Lhedarknessbeyond lhe gaLe,you can hear something large moving about and grunting in the distance;there is also a strong animal smell. Becausethe SaLeis locked and you have no key, some other meansof opening it will have lo be found if you wanl to proceed further. Ironbane, if you have some,will rust the lock and the gate itself, letling you pass. A grenade,if you have one used successfullywill blow lhe lock apart, allowing you to open the gale. Otherwise, you will have to break the gate open with your weapon-lf you have'a smashingweaPon,such as a mace or a war-hammet you make short work of the problem.However, a pointed or edSedweaPonrequiresgreatereffort to breakthe lock (lose1 sTAMINA point through your exertions).If you use one of the abovemethodsto get past lhe gate, tum to 294. If you decideagains[thisrouteafLerall, tum to 353. a68 Cuttins off one of the Cockatrice'sclaws to take back with you as proof of your vicLory, you leave lhe caves and retum to Ennox. Thers you ffnd the group of villagerswaiting outside the local tavem, the Wild Goose, the sign of which depicts a farmhand drasing just such a fowl. They are slartled to see you wiLh evidence of your conquest. "ilVe didn't think yodd tut actuallygo throughwith it,r saystheir spokesman, you have our thanks.Maybe the Templars really are our guardiansafter all.' Add r lo your EoNouR score for ridding Ennox of the Co&atrice and restoring the people'sfaith in your order. As a sign of their lhanls, the peoplegive you e meals'worth of Provisionsand

ask if lhey can help you in any way in your quesL You realizelhat lhesefarmersare not greal fighLers and have recently sufferedenoughhardship,so you ask lhem if they lnow anything conceming the ElfSpear, AelfSar. 'L€gend tells of a weapon of great power lying in one o{ the burial mounds of the ancient kings, the Caims of Dunar, half a day's ride south-west of here acoss the moors.However,I wam you, the Caims are also said lo be haunted by the Cailleach,a tenible undeadmonster.'Do you want to rnakeLhis addeddiversionto the burialmounds(tum bo3i:3) or, knowing thal time is fast rurming out, will you stay on theroadheadingsouth(lum lo jj2F a69 The mistspart momenLarilyto revealjagged rocksat the baseo{ the gorge, hundredsof mekes below. Iesl yoar Skill,addingz to LhediceroJl.If you succeed,you manage to control your vertigo; tum to 245.If you fail, you panic andyourheadbegins to spinYou loseallsenseofbalance and topple fiom Firemane'ssaddle,over the ParaPeLof the bridge.Your death plunge lasts severalseconds, beforeyourbodyissmashed topiecesontherocksbelow. 470

rises You are unableto keepyour seatwhen Firemane up on his hind legs. You land on top o( one of the callhropsand its vicious metal spikesdig into your back (losez sTAMINApoinLs).By bhetime you have inLo the recoveredyowself, the man has disappeared encroachingdarknessand you decide against fllrther pursuiL.Searching the murderers' bodies, you find 3

a7Fa73

Cold Piecesbut noLhingmore. As night has fallen, you decide that you must now make for Havalok Tum to 241.

nofhing of interest or value, so you spu-rFiremane onwards.Ii you have the word 'Ecro[' written down on yorr A,lDehlurc Sheef,fur to jo6 If you do not,

Ducking behind the mound, you can see your next move.It is only a iew stridesto fhe cauldronfull of oil and,putting all your weight behindit, you manageLo tip the vesselover. Its contentsgush down the slope and collect round the base of the mound. In the confusionLhatensues, a torch fallsinto the river of oil; il goesup insLantly,forminga wall of 6re beiweenthe BeastMen and the mound and leavingyou and the villagers unharmed,but wrlh Lhe furious shaman trappedwith you With the oLherBeastMen roarrng encouragement/ the shamanattacks.Fight the battleas normal but if he wins Lhe 6rst Attack Round, the shamanblastsa bolt of dark energy at you wmcn causesj points of damagelo your srAMrNA.Afler Lhat,he hies to rakeyour fleshwith his talons

CenLlyyou fu8 at the stalk of one of the planls whenit snapsin your Braspand the mushroomsends a cloudof sporesinto the air-Roll one dice and divide the number by z (roundinghalves up) This is Lhe numberof piecesof armour,weaponsor melalobjects, suchas your lantem,you are carying at the moment (not includinSCold Piecesor any weaponscaniedby liremane)that are destroyedby the lronbane.Cross piecesof equipmenttotalling that number off your AiloenLure Sheel.You decideit is not worth tryin8 to collectthe lronbane,so you quicklyremounLand leave theclearing.Tum to I

BEASTMAN SHAMAN

5KILL E

STAMINA 7

If you win, hlm to io4. 412

You bang on the doors, and after a few moments you hear someone r.rnlocking them from the other side, then they open just a crack.Are you wearxr6 a green cloak and hood? If so, turn to joz if not, lum to 225

Quickly searching the body of the Giant, you find

474

I

Creeprnginto the darkenedpassage, you are assailed by a stenchof decayand putrefaction.Following fhe tr.mn€la little further, you round a bend and come upon a circularchamberliltered with bonesand filth, and smellinglike an anrmal'sden Hearing your approach,the inhabitantof the mound tums, dropprng the humanarm it was gnawingwhen you arrived,and leis out a soul-shreddingwail The grotesquethinS slandingbeforeyou lookslike a shrivelledand stooped old womanwith long mattedhair and,strangely,only one large nostrii and a single tooth. As fhe hideous creaturehowlsmoumfully,you look inlo a parrof redrimmedeyesfilled with blaan8 fury and rndescribable sorrow- You are now facing the terrible Banshee, knonn as the Cailleach,Lhat haunts the Caims of Drmar.(Makea note of the nLrmber of this paragraph.) If you have the BanishSpitit SpecialSkill and wish to try to useit now, turn to aoj I[ you do nol have rt, rurnro J45 176

Sprintingthroughthe archway,you raceup a flight of stone stepsand on fo the crumblingbattlemenhof CaerSkaalafter BelBaroth.Night hasfallenand light ning cracklesfrom raging stormcloudsoverheadYou know that somethingof a supernatural natur€is laking placeBelgarothstands,not far from you, at the top of anotherflat-roofedtower wiLh a staircase ascendinS it round its outside The warmongerhashis armsrarsed to the turbulenlskiesas if in supplicationASainstthe dark cloudsyou can make out an even darkershape

t L7a-qg

approachint at Sreat speed on feathery red+ipped wings.The midnight-black wingedhorseis one of the demonicsteedsof lhe Wild Hunt a Night-marel Seeing you, Belgaroth shouts a command to the Night-mareard, beatingthe air wifh fierytippedhoofs, i[ c]osesrn on you, ready to Learyou apart with its razor-edgedteelh There is time to use a crossbow once,if you have one.The Holy Skrte SpecialSkrll,if usedagainstthe beast,will cause2 points oi damage to ih sr^MrNAand1 pointof damage to its sKrLL N I G H T- M ARE If you reduce the demonic Nighl-mare's srAMrNA to 6 points or less,turn Lo 12o.

g8 Your opponenttopplesbackwardsat your death-dealing blow and falls with a crashinto the gearsand clankingmechanisms of the Juggemaut,)amminSifs lvorkings-Thereis a terriblegroanin&then something buckles,sendingcogs and metal shafts flying fiom theirmountings.In the confusion,warriorsand guards are running everywhere,bui ignoring you. just to make sure that lhe Juggemautwill be completely destroyed,you locate the safety valve on the boiler and jam it shut.Having begunthe destrLrction of the rvarmachineyou must flee Teslyour Luck.lf you are Lucky,turn to 1ol If you areUnlucky,turn to 233. ar9 Yor.rmanageto hold your brealh before the sleep rnducingpollen can affect you- Lunging at the man, you deliver him a fatal blow and he slumpsto the flooa CeadYou hurry outsideand wait for the pollen to dispersebefore re-enteringthe mill to investigale turther Tum to 354.

This breastplate hassavedmany a warriorfrom olherwisecertaindeath.While you wearit you may rcduce by r poinl any damagcdone againstyou in battle However,lhis pieccof armouris also qurreneavy,so you must alsoreduceyour Attack Strengthby 1 point duringcombat.Now returnto 356

aE3-aA4

aao-a82 a80

As the 6nal word begins to form on your lips, sweat breaksou! on your brow and you realizethaLyou cannoLcontain the eldrilch power writhhg within you. A surge of elemen[alChaos, generaLedas a reaction to your charm,rushesmto your body as yor.r stumbleover the last word. In a searingexplosionof pa;n, tensedmu'clesgo into spasmand sinewssndp Your adventureendshere. Gasping for breath and exhaustedby your slruggle, you dimb backinto the saddleand presson through the nighl and the torrentialrain. To the eastyou can makeoul a low rangeof hills,but thereis sLillno sISn of the villageor the forge Do you want to try to ffnd shelterin the hills (tum lo j."7), or will you pushon in hopeof reachingyour desireddestination(tum Lo85)?

a82

You walk for several kilometres along the uneven Lunnel floors until you reach a large cave chamber wiLhno other exits:a dead-end. By the time you have hudgedback lo the junction,you are quite tired (lose 1 srAMrNApoint).Having restedbrie{ly,you takethe (tum to a26). righL-hand passage

a83 Feeling a sharp pain, you look down to see the prophel represenLingthe threat of death pulling his scythe ftom yoru leg (lose 2 9TAMINA Points). You cannot hope to 6ght off all the mob, so you male your escaPe-Turn Lo a14

a84 you Dusk falls as come in sighL of the smouldering remains of a ransackedvillage In the twiliSht haze you canjusLseethat a hastilyerectedwoodensto&ade slandsat its centre.Howevet as you nearthe siteyou hear a terrible din Coming over lhe hill towards you a ceatures suddenly aPPears.The massof beasL-headed noise is made by them banging weaPonsagainst shields and making animal hootings, grrnts and bel lows. Firemanesnortsin excitementat the prospectof baltle. Driven by a maniacalbloodlust, the bestial warriors chargeyour small force. The Beast Men's BattleStrengthis ro. (lf you Lookfour daysor lessto 8et this far, deduct z pornts 6om the BeastMen's BattleStrength.) Now Engagein Battle To do Lhis,roll two dice and add

L85

your army's Battle Shength. Now roll two dice and add the BeastMeris BattleStrength.If the tofals are the same,deductr poinbboth from your aimy's Battle Strengthand from that of your opponents,lhen Er8rg, in Battb again.lf the Lolalsare not the same,the side which is at a disadvantage(has the lower tobal)must deduct 2 points ftom its Battle Skength, then you retum to lhe bop of Lhis paragraph If your Battle Slrengtheverfallsto zeroor below,turn al onceto 2o7 (makea note of this)-If your enemy'sBattleSkength ever falls to z, or below, turn at once to r49 For now, however, iI your force has the advantage,hrm to 49. tum to 67. lf your forcehasthe disadva.ntage, a65 The evil servanl of the Darkthom falls to his kneesat your fatal blow and grabs your tunic. 'So, this is how il ends,'he gasps.'You may have thwartedthe Clencs of the Darkthorn,but Belgarothlives again.You and all your order are now as good as dead.Curseyou, Temolar! From this moment onwards, fear and dread shall rule your life!' fien he is dead. A suddenchill overcomesyou and your mind rs filled with irrationalfear Roll one dice lf you roll 1 or 2, record the Fearof Spide$ on yow AdltentureSheet;on a to17oI 3 or 4. write down the Fear of Snakes;and on a roll of 5 or 6, record the Fear of Heights, You may havedefeatedan ally of the evil warlord,but you have paid deaiy for it. (Add 1to your HoNouR score.) Next lo Brya/s body lies his bwistedstaff; it is a curious object and you may take it iI you wisll If you

aA6-a8, were captured by Master Gnye the Miller, tum to t4 If you were not, having composedyoursellyou now lake stock of your bearingsuntil, after walking severalkilometreswestwards,you reachthe outskirts of Havalok and retum to the desertedtemple'senhance. Turn to zi9. at6 Kneelingbeforethe altat you feel a surgeof energy passclean through you. Regain up to 4 sraMrNA points,1 skrrt point and r rucr point. For a mommt your hands are $rrounded by fue but you feel no heabthen the flamesvanish.You have been granted Kldzat's Giftr you may conjurea smallmagicalball of 6re which will do 4 srAMrNApojnls of damagewh€n aimed against an enemy However, you may use this gift only once. Having been blessed,yor.r leave the shrineTum to 25. a8, Cautiously you ceep acrossthe lloorboards towards another shadowy doorway in the wall opposite- As r-ou peer into the gloom there is a swishrngsound hom above and someLhinghard and heavy hrls you on the backof your head.lf you are wearinga helmet, tum Loz5; if you are not, Lurn[o j7o-

188 Themummersarealldressedin the tradihonalcolor,rrful rag robesof their professionand are re-enactingLhe popularstory of a kniShfs battlewith a fue-breathrng &agon anda spitefulold hagin theirown comicalstyle.

wrtch-mask. The mosl remarkable cosLume, however,is lhat of thedraSon.It is wom by lwo peopleoperatinga nechanrsmthal makesthe dragons wings flap and its ;awssnapopenand shut.A short blastof flarnebursts from the creature's nostrils,causingthe crowd to gasp onceagain.Caughtup in ihis display,the audiencedo not notke anotherof the mummersdancingamong them,relieving them of their purses- but you do. You cannotlel lhis felony go unchallenged, so you shout out, 'Stopthief!'The pickpocketlooksaroundin horrified surprise,ihen makesoff through the crowd. You follow in hot pursuitbut 6nd your way blockedby the dragon.The thing spinsaroundto faceyou anda jet of frre shoots from is nostrlls. TesLyour Luck If you are Unlucky,turn lo :o8. If you areLucky,the flamesmiss you,but onlyjust, andyou findyourselfin combatwiLh the mummers'dragon (turn to j28) 189 You are unable to make any senseof the wizard's joftings and so, decidingnot to wasteany more time searchingrn Savart'slaboratory,you leave and take the tunnelbackto the po cullis Tum to 212.

a9o-493

495 190

Without ev€n thrnking, you make the appropriate gesturesand utter the words to dismissthe Haunt The evil guardianspirit screams in pain as it is sucked into the earthat your feet.Tum lo 289 a9a You are within srght of the walls of Havalok when dusk is falllng.Riding on in the fastfalling light, you passa copseof treesat the edgeof the road.Suddenly a dark shapedrops out of the branchesof one lree as you passby urdet il TestyourL ck If you are Lucky, tum to 38 If you areUnlucky,tum to 346 192

Clinging on to the Wicker Man with one hand,you start to open the cagesand free the prisonersAs you climbhigh€r,a volley of spearsand olher projectilesis launchedat you from the seethinglhrong of Beast Men, who are howling with rage Roll one dice.On a you roll oF | 1. d spearihudsinto yoLubacl.cdusinS to fall from the structureand land outsrdethe ring of {ire (turn to :65). On a roll of,tr 6, lum to 84 493 Beyond lhe door you 6nd yourself in a room filled wrth what is undoubtedlyfhe clutter of a scholar There is a loud bang, and a cloud of dirty smoke billows through an archwayon the far side of the room CouShingand spluttering,a thin, middle'aged man,wearingscorchedand well-wom robesand with an untidy beardand shocko( hair, slagSersinto the

chamber.'Oh, excuseme,' he says, 'just a minor techmcalhifch. I'm sure if I heat the cruciblebefore addingthe ... Oh, but you don't warLLohearabout ihat The man beamsat you jovially. 'Now, what can Ido for you?'You mentionthe sign you saw on the door. Ah yes, of course,'says Pyritees.'Follow me' Leadingyou into his laboratory,the alchemistshows you the potions he has for sale.Thoseyou are mosl inter€stedin are listedbelow; if you buy any potions, amendyour Adt:enture Sleelaccordingly. Wilheruell- This concoctionacts on any plant like acid,causing:tto wither and die CosL4 Cold Pieces AnLilorin An antidote to the poison o[ venomous creatures suchas snalesand spidersThereis enough for two dosesCost:3 Gold Pieces HealngDrautht This elixn hasthe €ffecto[ restoring sraurra pointsequalto haLfyour lnifial score(round ing fraclionsup) Cosl:3 Gold Pieces Reoelation - Drrnking this polion briefly heightens your psychicand spiiLualawareness as if you had the |mm"flp Special Skill Cost:o Cold Prece:,. Pyriteessays,'I Whenyou havemadeyour purchases, don't supposeyou could help me with a probleml'm having?It won't take long' )f you raant to help the alchemist,Lum lo 2:7 Alternatively,you could leave the laboratoryand iry to recruita smallarmy (tum to 1j9) or leaveHavalokwithout any further ado (turn to J14.

1,94-1,96 494 You cannot prove to the Elves that you mean Lhe forest no harm. They wish you well in your quesl but swiftly escort you away from their sacred grove, before vanishing again among the trees You know that you will nof be dble lo find the grove again becauseof the Elven magic lhat protects it, so you hurry on your way. Tum to 278. 495 You enLer the bel-tower ttrough a small door at its base and climb a spiral stone slaircaseto lhe top. Here you find a square room with an arched opening in each wall. A large rron bell is swinging on its frame in the centre of lhe chamber,tolling sombrely. The only occupantsof Lhebelfry are severallarge bats, hanging upside down {rom the rafters. Do you want to try lo stop lhe bell tolling (tum to zg4), or would you rather leave the tower and searchelsewhere(retum to ja and chooseanother option)? a96 YoLrr heart pormding in your chest, you utLer the terrible syllables of the incartaLion-As you speak the hve Words of Powet you feel their awesome might twisLing Lhrough every fibre of your being. BuL do you have the physical strength to control the energles you are about to release?Roll three dice If Lhe total rolled is less lhan or equal to your srAMrNA score, turn lo 229. If the Lotal is greater Lhanyour srAMrNA score,turn Lo a8o,

a97-194 497 fiail, good people,'you call out over the hubbub. fihat is it thal you want?' 'l,Ve have havelled from village to village, Sathering thoseworthy oI our causeto us,'saysthe first prophet fie seekto petrtionthe king, that he may give food to the starvingand healng lo lhe sick,for is he not the divine represenLative of our gods on this Earthly Plane?The end is nigh. Our priest-krngneedonly see the truth, and the land shall be healed.But it is the liles of you who keep the truth from hrm!'You are going lo have to say somethingquite amazingLo deter the mob. Testyour Skill, addtng r to the dice roll. Ifyou succeed, tum Lo34A.11yo.u fajl,tn to 26a.

a9a The door is unlocked and, once through, you slam it shut behind you You walk along a short passageway unLil you come upon a T1unction To the left, after a few metres, the corridor ends abruptly. To the right you can see a heavy iron portcullis, beyond which a

flighl of stone stepsl€adsupwaids.Do you want to tum left and male a thorough investigation of the dead-end (tum to 35i), ot will you tr.rm right and inspectthe portorllis (tum to lrf 499

The Necromagelets out a deathly shriek as,with your killing blow, his rotten flesh drops fiom his bones, which dissolveinto slime.Soon all thal is left of the diabolicalrmdeadsorcereris a pool of felid sludge. With Cadaverdead, the tormmted souls under his control are free, and his undeadarmy stops in its tracksand cmmblesto dust.You have won this victory for the peopleof Assartl R€gain2 LUCKpoints and add r to your HoNouR score. Now all that remains for you [o do is to leave the sepulchreand retum to Assart. [f you have the word Reggad' $,riften down on yolur Ailoefllure Srrtrt, fum to 249. If you haven't, twrr to 574, too The aftemoon winds on aB you and Firemanehead south.While you ride along, undisturbed,you consider the differenl palhs that you could take that may lead to successin your quest. The most direct form o{ action will be to make your way to Caer Skaalas quickly as possible. However, if you are going to have to face BelgarothlsChaosKnights and Warriors,it may be wise to try to rcquit your own small force as you proce€d. Aranandus'swords atout the Forestof Lein alsointerest you; you hrow that the vast expanseof woodlandis a mysLeriousplace, prolected by ancienLelemenlal

powers,powerswhichmay be ableto helpyou in your quest.Thereis alsoarotheroption opento you, to find the legendaryElf-Spear,Aelfgar. Storiesabut this mysucal weaponpre-datethe Crusadeagainstdraos. Forged by the Elvesof l-ein centuriesago, it is rumoured [o be imbuedwith the power of the gods themselves.lcgends tell how it has been wielded many times against the forcesof darkress and has saved the land fiom etemal tu8ht. To find AelfSar would be a momenLousundertak, ing but couldproveto be the way lo victory. Night falls and, having tetheredFiemane Lo a tree stump,you settledown for the night in bheshadeof a copsejusLoff the road.With a gentlebreezeblowing through the leaves of the trees you are soon lulled to sleep.If you have the CommunzSpecialSkill, hrm to ,5. lI yolr do rl.ot, Test youl lact If you are Lucky, tum to 7t if you are Unlucky, tum to 226.

204

Rallyingthe tonn's militia,you lead them out againsL the enemy.On the other sideof a greatgapingholein lhe south wall standsthe forbidding edifice that is the Scramblingover pilesof debrisand rubbie, Juggemaut. you run up a flight of steps to the batllemenLs, followed by your band of brave soldierswhom you deployalongthewalls.TheChaosWaniorsareswarming up tall laddersto the top of the walls. With a stifledcry, a beleaguered senlry falls at the handsof a black-cladhuman.The ChaosWarror stepsover Lhe sentry'sbody and preparesto swing his two-handed swordat you. CHAOS WARRRIOR

srcrrrro

srAMrNA9

On a successful hit, the warrior'sweaponwill causeJ srAMrNApoints of damageVr'hilefighting in sucha you musLreduce resLricLed positionon the battlements, your Altack Strengthby 1 point If your aoversarys Attack Strengthrs ever zz, the force o{ the blow he landscausesyou lo loseyour balanceand knocksyou over the batllementslo your doom If you win, tum to 50. 202

Dusk has fallen by the trme you leave the burial mounds.If you do not havethe word 'Eehsnab' written down on yout Aiaenlure Sheet,turl:. to 165. If you do, you spendthe night in peacenot far from the caims, and next day you sel off feelingrefreshed(restore2 srAMrNApoints and add r day to the Time Elapsed) Ratherthan retum to Ennox,you set off eashvards

aaoss the moors to rejoin the road leadingsouth,in an altemptto mal(eup for lost time (tum to 5o) 203

Although you do not understand the actual words, your hows spent studying ancimt heatisesover the years mean that you can work out the gist of whaL you are reading- It appear Lo be a spell, and there is somethingaboul tummoning and 'assistance'. If you wanLto keep reading, fum Lo 56, otherwise,retum to a65.

205

You are immediately sunoundedby a band of n:ffians, &essedin rough clothesof brown and green They are armed with an assortmentof weapons, ranging from staves lo daggers, and lhey look a motley bunch. There is a one-eyed cut-Lhroal, a woman wearing metal sfudded leather armour, a renegademonk and therr leader a tall man whose face is hidden by a hood. 'A Templar, eh?' he says in a refined accent 'Rich pi&ings indeed.'And with lhat the outlaws attack.If you are still mounLed,you may fight the outlaws one aL a Lime and add r to your Attack Strength for lhe duration of the battle. If you have been unhorsed, you must fight all your opponents simultaneously S K ILL

CUT-THROAT BANDIT RENEGADE MONK WOLFSHEAD

6 7 6 8

If you defeal lhe robber band, tum to 246 204 Swiftly you male the proper arcane holy signs and ulter the words of banishment The spectre slops, a miasma of dark energy playing about her insubstanfial form, then she stads to laugh cruelly. Morgwl'n is using the power of dark sorcery to prolect herself.A jagged bolt of black lightning sLreaksfrom one taloned hand and slams into your body (lose 4 sraurre points). If you are slill alive, you draw your weapon and preparefor combat. Tum to 29.

5 6

7 7

206

of Aelfgarbecomesa mystery However, whereabouts I do believei heard once of a weaPonfrom legend reslingin the Caimsof Dunar I am afraidthat is all I know.'Tum to E2

208

The scorchingflameshit you fair and square,sending you staggeringbackin agony(lose4 sr,{MrNApolnts). While you are sLunned,the dragon - or, rathet lhe peopleinsidethe costume- chargetowardsyou. Tum i o J2E .

209

Firemanelakesa flying Ieap over a parLicularlylarge boulder and lands awkwardly on lhe far side. As the horseslumbles,you are unableto keep your seatin the saddle You are thrown over your mount's neck and hiL the groundpainfully(lose2 srAMrNApoinLs) You remolmt quickly so as not to lose your quarry andchargeoff aILerit. Tum to 256. 207

One by one,your bravefightersfall beforelhe savage BeastMen's attack.You dispatchmany of the foul Chaor cpawr uriil. eventually,)ou loo are over whelmedby the enemy.Althoughyou die he'oicallv is still doomed Ruddlestone

ChaosKnights and Warriorsare stormingon to the battlementsfrom all directions.You watch in desparr as Belgaroth vanrshesinto the nighl and you are sunoundedby hrs army You are soon overwhelmed andyour crushedbody is hurledfrom thebattlemenls

245

zaa-ta5 taa As you leap into the saddle your ghost\ attacker makes a (inal lunge at you. Test your Skill. II you succeed,you parry the blow and escapewithout iniury' lf you fail, the dagger sinks inLo your back (lose z

on yow Adomlure srerf.) At dawn you are on your way agairytum to 2E5.

The portcullis,althoughvery heavy-looking,doesnot appearto be lockedin position-You couldus€Ironbane on iL,if you havesome(tum to i72), or try raisingthe portcr:lliswith your barehands(tum to zsg). 245

Walking westwards through the forest, you soon emergeclose to the outskirts of the town of Havalok. And standing near by, qoPPing the 8rass,is Firemane

Your steed must have followed you and your captors hom Wendeford to the derics' tenpte. Thankine the gods for such a loyal companion,you show Firemane your appreciation.Having remounted,you decide that ther€is no time to visit Havalokitself,so you presson with your quesl. Two roads leid away fiom Havalok. The westerly roadeventuallyforlcs,one branchleadingsouthto the villageoI Ennox.You lcrow that the Dw;f bhcksmith Tonin Silverbladehas his forge near Ennox. In his youth, Torin was a \ /arrior of Telak, but now he is renowned for the quality of the armour he makes which,somesay,hasmagicalproperties.He couldweJl provide you with a vdluabledefenceagainstthe attack ot your enemies-F{owever, to 6nd his fotee would mean maki^g a long detour to the village ;f EnnoxDo you have hme [o make such a joumey?If you think you have, and you want to visit Torrin, fum to :t3 If you would rather head more directly south towards Caer Skaal, skirting the Forest of Lein, tum to 15o.

214

l,\t1!{\la1 l\lv!v\ \\1 ^\ v^I\a$fiI {i .Ntr'{Atil'l\1 l/lltl \tY\1'!\!^1 \\1{$

A1\\ \iv\ !^!i \ l\aell ai,\1\$ N -'j\\ $N.AN\ 111Vl1\o

You push €ainst the heavy stone lid and with a graling noise it slides open Lying in the sarcophagus is whal remainsof a Lallman Drapedover his skeleton is the uniform of a knight, bearinglhe insigniaoI a grey mould cove$ the GoldenDragon.An unpleasant bones;when you openedthe coffin,a cioud of spores flew into lhe air- You cannoLavoid inhalinga lungful, and you start coughingviolenLly The sporesof the poisonousmould affectyour breaLhingano you mus! losej srAMrNApoints.If you have Lheword'Eugalp' written on your AdoentureSAes,you musL lose 6 sravtNe porntsand r srrrr point inslead,because the leper'swasting diseaseis agSravatedby the sporecloud 144renthe cioud has cleared,you look into the sarcophagus to see if the dead knrght has anything that may be of use to you His weaponsof war have Iong sincerustedand are of no use lo you However, on one bony finger you notice a gold nng inscribed with the piclureof a shield.Do you want to take the ring, at the risk of releasinganothercloud of spores from the asphyxiatingmould(lurn to r5r), or will you leavelhe crypt and searchelsewhere(tum to :4g and chooseagain)? 245

Searching theroomso{ the Elders'MeetingHouse,you come upon somethinginLerestingin what was once the treasury.Undera thick layer of dust,an old lournal lies open on a desk.The last entry in it is dated'The Third day of Lo&ing, Two Hundred and Sixteen YearsAfter Chaos'andreadsasfollows,

2aa Cadaoer,was It is hoo nofihs sinceLheL)ileNee,oltlage, lsid Lo rest, buf sfill we are besetby all mannerof toruents and egonies.Creaf rcs of the night stalk the streetsof our onceproud aillageand the GrentBell has begunfo LolIagain.I fear our doomto bedecreerlThere is no hopefor usnow Disturbedby Lhis message,written by a long-dead hand,you leave the meetinghouseto conLinueyour exploraLionof the village Refum to 3a and choose anotheroption.

ready- Wilhout hesitation you gulp down the foulsmelling,thi&" black liquid The potion males you feel slightly sick, buL at the same time it fills you wilh rmewed confidence and delermination. Lose z STAMTNA points,but resLore1 LUCKpoint and 1 sxrll point, and cross off a y tear you may have recorded on your Ailomhre SherLThanking lhe old cronq you mormLFiremane andheadsoufh.Tum to 5ga

2a5 growing brackenthat sLoPsyou It is the densely spotLin8a foresLer'shap, constructed,no doubt, to catchthe rogue boar The coveringof branchesgives way underyour horse'sweight and you boLhfall into the pit. FortunatelyiL rs not stakedbut, as he falls, Firemaneknocks you into Lheside of lhe Pit and traPs your leg underhis body (lose3 sr.rvlr.re pointsand r SKILLpoint).Your mount pulls himself{reeof the trap wilh easeand you clirnb up after him, slightly less you ale on your easily.Once you have remounLed, way again through the forest. Tum Lo29a

Dusk has fallen by the time you leave lhe buriai mounds-You spendthe night in Peaceand the next day set off refteshed(restore2 sraMINA Points and add r day to the Time Elapsed).You reach lhe cave after sevemlhours' riding, and the cronequickly sets about brewing your potion In another hour il is

2a8

Your inherent goodnessand the purity of yow purpose protecl your will from the comrpting power of the ChaosRune.BelgarothhesiLates for a moment,sensing that his own supremarymay be threatened. The Dread Lord now appears to be concenlrating. What rs he

preparing? You had betLer make the most of this opportunity to aLtackBelgaroth.lA/}ratwill you use to attackhim? Tum to 118 A Black Crystal Orb? Tum to 252 Aelfgar, the Elf-Spear? Turn lo 299 The Holy StnkeSpecialSkill (if you Tum to 79 Turn to 20 '

249

Remounting yoru lrusty steed, you male yoUI way through the South Gate out of Havalok Two roads lead away from Havalok. The westerly road eventually has a branch leading south to the village of Ermox You know that the Dwarf blacksmithTonin Silverblade has his forge near Ennox.In his youtb Torrin was a Warrior of Telak, but now he is renorvned for the qualityof the armourhe makes which,somesay,has magrcalproperties.He couldwell Provideyou with a valuabledelenceagainstthe blow' of your enemies However, Lofind his forge would meanmaking a long detour Lo lhe village of Ennox Do you have time Lo make such a journey? I{ you think you have, and you want to visit Tofln, tum to 285 If you would rather headmore directly south towardsCaerSkaal,skirting theForeslof Lein,tum to lio You reach the ladder withouL further mishap and, unnoticed,climb quickly up it The traPdooris not locked;pushingit open,you find yourselfin a small

dark chamber at the base of the tower. There is an iron-bounddoor in the wall of the room and a sprral staircase leadsupwardsinto the fuggemaut.You can feel heal coming from behind the door and you hear a deep roaring sound-Do you want to open lhe door (hrm to rz4) or ascendthe staircase (lum to jarl

Culting out the Cockatrice's tongue,you returnto the crone'scave-'A tenible Banshee, calledthe Cailleach, hauntsthe Caims of Dunar, half a day's lde southwesl of hereacrosslhe moors.You'll have to k l it in the flesh and gel the last rngredrentfor yer potion,' the old hag cackles.If you want to go afLer the Banshee and its tooth, turn to gzg. lf you would ralher forget the whole rdeanow, you decideto waste no more time in this areaand to head southwardsagairy rum ro 3J2.

Once agarrleveryLhing$ as it was when you entered lhe chamber.You move towardsthe gilded doors,but thereis yeLanothersurprisein sLorefor you. Hearing foolstepsbehindyou you tum lo seeyourselfstanding on the other side of the mosaic However, as you watch, yor-r double undergoesa honifying transformation First it beginsto grow in size,then lerriblesores appearon its skin,they burstopen,revealingdecaying fleshbeneath.Its handsbecomecmeltalonsand unholy fires bum within its eyes At the same trme your double'sarmour and weapon larnish, and its tunic

225-224

2ts-zz5

becomesa grave-shroud. Whal will you do?Will you at[ack the honor (tum to 11j) or wait to se€ what happens(turn lo 58)?

lead your army againstthem in an altempt to break thror.rghtheir lines.Roll one dice.If the re;utt is odd, tum to 358;if it is even,toll].to z7j. 225

The hellspawnreelsunderthe force of your righteous Power and, as it recoversfrom your blast,you draw your weapon,readyto fight The DemonicSlayercan be harmedonly by magicalweapons.If you do not haveone,you wiil soonmeet the samefate as Herluin underthe creaLure's onslaught.Your opponent'sclaws are so sharp,they will cut through armourand flesh alike,so any bonusesyou may haveagainstan oppo nent'sdamagewill haveno effectl

DEMONICSLAYER

s K rL L9

s rAMrN A 6

If you destroythe honor tum to c8-

You give the foresteryour insfructionsand by the lime dusk is falling you have your makeshrftarmy ready,armedwith crudeweaponsand farmimpJements - your old commanderat the DemonkeepOutpost would have beenproud of youl Carryng Lorchesand singrnSto keep their spirits up, the villagersfollow you west to M1'rton,while you ride at therrheadon Firemane, who is excitedat the prospectof battle You soon come in sighl of the derelict ruins which are Jyingundera thick pall of mist The air is heavy with the smell of deathand you can hear the tolling of a bell. Emerging from the enshroudingmist are the bodresof the deadretumedto lrfe.With a shoutyou

i,2,6

22'

Pyriteestakesyou over to a workbenchon which is laid out a pieceof parchmentwith a grid drawn on it. ln the squaresof the grid have beenplaced the various solulions and compounds needed for an alchemical experiment. At the end of each row and column a number has been written, except at the bottom of two columns:there is also one empty square.Pyritees explainsthaLa friendof his in Shekinhassenthim the formulafor a life-exLending elixir, includingdetailsof the ingredientsrequiredand their respectivequantities. UnfortunaLely, as a resultof one of the alchemist's all too ftequent'accidents', the letter thaLcamewith the formula was destroyedbefore the experimenty/as fully sel up- Now all Pyritees has are Lhe weighb of the combined compounds in each row and column, except for two, and one missing ingedient. (Take a look at the illushation opposite this par€raph.) The ingredients- ether-misttrappedin glassspheres,dew from the Forestof Lein,volcanicashfrom Hellsbreath Peak,and lumps of sulphur-rock- eachrepresentone of the four elements. If you couldwork out the weight of each element,from the combinedweights, you might be able lo work ouL the missingingredient If you coulddo this,you would alsobe ablelo work out the two missing numbers from Lhe two columns If you managethis, add the two missingweights logether, then tum to the paragraph with the same number.If you cannotsolve the problenr"you leave the alchemist'slaboratoryand either try to recruit a small army (tum to 1j9) or leave Havalok (tum to 314)

228

in their armour which startsto drssolveRoll one drce andadd5 to thenumberrolled(addr furtherpointifyou havetheHolyStriLeSpecialSkill) to seehow manyof the ChaosKnightssuccumbio your atlack(therearerwerve in a1l) The words spoken, lhey lose their power andmay not be usedagain.You will haveto fight any knighLsnot destroyedby the charm,onc at a time.Each ChaosKaight has srrrr ro and srau:Ne rz When fightingthe knights,you musfrcduceany damageyou do by r point because they areprotectedby theirblack armour.If a kmghthts you. roll one dice.If the numbcr rolledis odd, the knight'sweaponcauses I srAMrN^ poinLsofdamageratherthanz.Ifyoumanageto deslroy or defeatall your knightlyoppon€nts,ium to r5s.

Feelinga sharpparnrn your side,you wakeup with a start Hoveringaboveyou is a dagger,its hilt glinting in Lhe moonlight and its blade dripping wth blood your blood! Lose z srevlr,l points A thostly while handclutcheslhe daggerand is poised,readyto strike again What will you do to deiend yourselfl Will you usethe BqrishSpirifSpecialShll, if you have it (turn to t41), or unsheatheyour weapon,ready to fighl it (tum to 43)?

230

At the close of the monfh of Dark in the year r85 After Chaos,the battleweary crusaderslaid siegeto the fortress of Caer Skaal Among them was the younS warrior-priestess, Shamar With her frnely craftedcrossbowshe shot down many of Belgaroth's nightmarishflying creahuesthai were preventingthe bravewariors from rcachingthc casllewalls until shewashit by a darkbalefue,launchedfrom a catapuit insidelhe fortr€ssThe crossbowhassix bolts that go t ith it, three oi which are made from a blessed magicalalloy so lhat they will also harm undeadand Dcrnons.When you are gtven the option of usjng the crossborr'r', Trsl your Skill, adding 2 to the number rolled rf you do not have the la6et SpecialSkjll. If you succeed, the bolt will hit, doing 2 srAMrNApojnts of damage.lf you farl,it mrsses. Now retqrnto f56.

229

As you declaimthe final word of lhe charm,the knighLs droptheirweapons andclutchtheirheadswrthSauntleted hands They staggerabout,reelng under the eldritch forcesthatareassallingtheirundeadbodiesSomefall to thefloorard lie perfectlymotionless.As you watch,foul greenslimeoozesout of theirhelmetsandthroughgaps

l.

212-734

As you lift the sword from the slab the dead do not awakenand nolhing elseuntowardhappens.You are holding the ancienL magical blade, Shadowbane,a weaponwoven with a blessedenchantmenl[o harm the undead.If you lake the sword,wheneveryou are in combatagainstone of the undeadyou may add 1 poinLto your Attack Strengthand inllict 3 srAMrNA points of damageupon it afLera successful hiL(against all other opponenlsShadowbanedoes the usual .z srAMrNApoints of damage).Regain1 LUCKpoinLfor this find. Leaving th"e burial mound, passing once again through the chilling darknessyou will lose a further z srevrr,ra points and 1 sr[l point unless you are carrying the moon shield or Shadowbane Tum to ja6.

232

Inside the box is an orb of black crystal Such rare crysLalsare sometimesused by sorcerersLo store spells Having bem locked away, it could be very valuable or very dangerous Return Lo274.

As you makefor the door In orderto leavelhe boilerroom, a black
sKrLL 7

sraMrNA6

If this fight lasLsmore than four Alta& Rounds,hrm to 4. If it lasts {our ALLackRoundsor less,Lum to

254 You haveno tror.rble silenonglhe bell,you smashit to pieceswith your weaponrby doing so you have slightly weakenedthe evil powersat work here From now on, while you arein Myrton, you may reducethe srrlr- of any undeadcreatureyou have Loconfrontby 1 point Regain1 LUCKpoint for this good fortune. However,somelhingelseis lesshappy at your stopping the deathknell. One oI the bals &ops from ils roost and,exposingtwo elongatedfangs,attacksyou. You are going Lo have to kill the VampireBat before you can leave the towerl

VAMPIREBAT

SKILL 7

sr aM lNA 6

255-232

234-259

If you defeat the bloodthirsty guardian of the belfry, you notice a battered,but usable,lantem standingin one comer of Lheroom. If you do not have a lantem, you may tale this one; then you descendthe tower safelyand leaveit, to searchelsewhere. Retum to 3r and chooseanotheroption. You pull the hood off the man'sheadand demandlhat he tell you why he attackedyou. 'Curseyou, Templarl, he shouk. 'l shallneverbekay the secu'And withthat he pulls somethingouf of a pocket and flings ib in your face.The air is suddenlyfilled wibh a cloud of sweet-smellinS SleepingGrasspollen.TesfgourLuck.lt you are Lucky, tum to q9. II you are Unlucky, tum io 83

right throughyour armourand inb your body (losej srAMrNApoints) Tum to 11. 254

caughtup with you and fulfilledits purpose.

256

and strengLhto defeattheir opponents.It looks as if you are winning. If you have Lord Varen,ssoldlers among your force, turn to f5. If you haven,t,tum to So2.

259 The beastreelsunderyour ghteousblast,givinS you time fo performanotheraction Wrllyoul Afta& it with your weapon? Use the BanishSpiriiSpecialSkill? Use a Cleric'sTalisman? Use the potion Witherwell?

Tum to r45 Tum to z6o Turn to 28 Tum to 4r

240

Shoutrngaloud the baLtle-cryof the Templars,you hear the voices in your head tum to screams,then they aregone Relieved,you sLartto leavethe macabre lorture-chamberWith a clang,a branding-ironstrikes a pillarjust in ftont of your face You spin aound as a length of chainrisesfrom the floor inlo the air. This canmeanonly one thing;you are being alta&ed by a Poltergeist. Spitefuland malevolenlspjnts,Polter8eisls are invisibleand immatenaland so cannotbe hrt by weapons If you have lhe BdnishSpitif SpecialSkill, you canuseyour talenLto sendthe PoltergeistLo the EtherealPlane(tum lo 198) If you do not, you will have to defendyourselfagainsLthe ghost as it hurls toriurermplemenLs at you. PO L T ERG EIST

SKI LL 9

Il will lake you five Attack Roundsto reachthe door exiting the torture-chamber, during which lime you will haveto fend off the Poltergerst's aLtackWhen the five Attack Roundsare up, and if you are still alive, lum to a9E. 244

You find that the gatesof Havalokhavebeensecurely shutfor the night However,as soonas the guardsees that it is an eliLeTemplarKnight of Telak who seeks entry to the towru he hunies down and unbarsthe tat€, lelting you into Havalok.You find a room and a hot mealfor the night, at a cost of 5 Gold Pieces,at the Red Herring, a large inn, popula among the

adventuring fratemity. Having eaLer! you retire lor the night. As you are preparingfor sleep,through your window you suddenlycatch sighl of a blazing ball o{ light shootingacrossthe blackenedsky, a 6ery tail trailingbehindit The cometsoarsonwardsuntil iL disappears over the hills on the distanthorizon.It is a well-known(act that a comet is a sign of impending disasler,and you havejust wrtnessedsLrch a portent.IL is sometimebeforesleepeventuallyovercomes you. You rise early, feeling refreshedafter an untroubled nlght's rest (resLoreup to 2 points of STAMTNA and add r day to the Time Elapsed)Having left the Red Hcrring,you geLready to explorethe town Havalok rs not a larte town but, astime is pressng,you still do nol want to spend loo long here ln Havalok yor.r shouldbe ableto lind someusefulequipmentthal you may need later rn your quest,and surelyhere would be a good place to try to recruLta smallarmy with whrchto opposeBelgaroth's forces,if that is what you intendto do If you want to visit Lhemarkets,tum to 554.If you wanLto hy to recruitan army,tum lo aj9.

Hastily you free the prisonersand usherthem out of the hall At that momentyou heara voiceinsideyour head: Braoewanior, lrce me Something is speaking to you telepathically,in a calm warm voice that fills you with a senseof well-being. You tum your attention to the drapedcage.Taking on€ comer of the bla& clolh, you pull il away For a momentyou are blindedby a dazzlinglighl and fling uP an arrn to shield your eyes. Wl€n you grow accustomedto lhe bdlliance,you peer between the iron bars Trappedinside the cageis a Brganticbird looking somewhatlike an eaglein shapeand form, but far larger and with a crestof feathersrising from its head and along its neck Each of the bird s feathers glows with a golden radiance which lights up the entire hall, and you can feel the creature'spowerful auraof goodnessThank you, goocl knighl, lt says I am fhe CeLashit, perhapsyou haoe heard of rne fron yo r leger.ds? lou nod, awe sLruckThe Celastrix,so legend says,is a messenger of the gods,a magicalbird of divrneorigrn In fimes past, uhen peoplewere closerto their gods, I Disiledthis Eafthly Planeregula y, rcl^Vingmessages lo andfrom try masfefi.Centurieshaoepassedin your utarld sincelatt I camEhere,but now lhe sihnlion demandsit. Dinrder and Chaosare on lhe riseand so I uas sent to this planz to offu dioine aid. Houeoer,I was mught by lheseoile BeastMen lhrcughdark sorcery, far lhe Dark TyranLfearslhe deadking'sprophecyIf vau releasene, I wiLlofferyou my help.

243

244

SearchingMurgrim's body, you find a bunch of keys and, sure enough,one opens the lock on the cage.Free of its prison,the Celastrixshefchesits wings then flies up to the ceiling, picking you up in its talons.Nozo/et r,rs leaoe thts place. 'lhe bird smashestlrough lhe wooden roof of the hall and,beatingits grear wrngs, soarsaway from the campacrossthe night sky. Your aerialjoumey is soon over when the Celashixdrops to the ground and depositsyou near Firemane.Before it flies off again, the huge bird plucks a featherfiom its breastand drops il at your feeL.Whenyou needmy help, simply bum fhis featheraftL call mv name thrce flrres.With lhat, the divine messenger fliesaway over the hills and disappears beyond the horizon.Taling the bird's golden feather you remount Firemaneand ride oIf to the south. Regain r rucr poin! and add 1 to your HoNorrR score for defeatinganother of Belgaroth's allies and for releasinSthe C;hskix. Tum to 2o6. 243 A passageleadsfrom lhe stepsinto a squarechamber which has the same omarne;tation as tie exterior of the sepulchre.Tluee archways lead further into the fomb- If you have the ArcafleLorc SpecialShll, tum to 16. If you haven't,you mustdecidewhich passageway to follow. You haveentered{rom the eastso will you South? Wesl? North?

Tum lo j61 Turn to 39r Tum to to9

244 The men are playing a game called 'Dragon's Hoard'As you watch, you soon manageto work out the rules. The board on which the game is played has beendividedinto a grid of z5 squares and on someof thesesquareshavebeenplacedGold Pieces.Thereare also two playing pieceson the board,one carvedand painLedto resemblean arrnouredwarriot the oLhera fearsome-lookingRed Dragorr The labourersroll two dice,then consulta tableon one srdeof the board:it tells them how many squareseachprececan move in thal ror-rnd.They then move the wanior, while the soldiermovesthe dragoncloserto try and catchthem. Each time the labor.rrers land on a Gold Piece,they removeit from the board and add it to a pile in {ront of them- However as a result of the dice roll, bhe soldieris ableto move his dragonso that it landson the samesquareas the warrior The labourersgroan and hand over lheir pile of coins, and the soldier removes the othe$ [rom lhe board. As the Lwo men slouchaway,the man-at-arms asksif you would like a 8ame.If you do not wanLto play 'Dragon'sHoard', lf you do, the man explainshherest of the n es to you The warrior and dragonstart at opposifecomers of Lheboard-The aim of Lhewarrior is to collect as many Gold Piecesas possibleand then escape. Escap' rng can be done at any time by moving back to the warrior'sstart square.Howevet any coinsleft on the board then go to the dragon. Also, if the dngon lands on the warrio/s square,the dragon wins and claimsall

246

245

/a v/ G) \-/

\J

#6

DRn
v

\-/

6 \J G \-/

?

/-\ !-/

v

6 v

the Cold PiecesThe table of dice rolls shows how many moves the warrior can make in a fum and how many squarescloserthe dragoncanmove.Movement canonly be madehorizontallyor vertically,not diagonal1y.In order to play,you have to PuLdown a stake, equallinglhe soldier's,of 6 Cold PiecesIf you carurot afford ths, or do not now want to Play, turn to 4o. If you do, then the boardis laid ouLas above Use countersfor the warrior and dragon, then start by rolling the dice.Whoeverwins lhe gameclaimshis or her winningsas soonas it is over,and you leave.Turn

245 you follow lhe trackthat leads Having crossedsafely, through the rocky hom the gorge south-eastwards

hjlls. This boulder strewn wildemessmakesa compleLe contrastto the shelteredpaths of the forest.A cold wind whips acrossthe bleak grey hrghlands,making you shiver at its chill louch. The landscapebecomes evenmore odd lookingas the tra& leadsyou between the half-br-ried bonesof somelevlathanfrorn a bygone age.And then you seeiL Set into the sideof a ro&y hillock are two great stone doors, flanked by the statuesof two armouredwamots: the ShrineoI the TemplarsYou dismountand approachthe doors-A deep,booming voice makesyou start, echoing ouL acrosslhe barrenhilltops,'Who seeksentranceLo the sacredShrine of the Templar Knights of Telak the You give your name and await a r€Swordbearer?' sponse.If your norouR sroreis 11 or greatet tum to tjo. If it is IessLhann, hnn to z5r. 246 You searchLheoullaws' bodiesand find a toLalof 8 Gold Piecesand a silverlocket You may take any of fhe reshictheir weaponsif you wish to, remembering any one you us€ at tion on the number can carry or time.Thereis a quartersLaff, a daggerand two swords, none of which is magicalWhen you are finishedhere, yor-rsetoff soulhagainwiLhFiremane. Turn to ii2-

24r244

249

247 lnside the stockadeis a wooden hall, decorated with human heads impaled on stakesround the edge of its roof. Is there no end to thes€ creatures, barbarism? Chained to a post in Iiont of fhe doors of fhe hall js a fwo-headed, wolf like creature which at present is suckng the marrow from a hurnan leg-bone However,

restoreup to 6 points of lost srAMrN^. Vvhileusing the war-hdmmerin combdt you must reduce your Attack StrenSLhby r point, but ary successful hil

248

ft on y our Adaen|ure SheeL).

Rope Lantem 6 Crossbowbolts ExtraProvisions Breastplate Mirror Healng Salve War hammer flask oi Holy Oil Spear ZiddianCharm

r Cold Piece 1 Gold Piece f Gold Pieces r Gold Pieceeachmeal 5 Gold Pieces 2 Gold Pieces 4 Cold Pieces 6 Gold Pieces 7 Gold Pieces j Gold Pieces 4 Cold Pieces

As you are leaving the market.you passa building which has a brassplaqueinscnbedwith the M/ords 'AureusPydtees- Alchemist.Purveyorof polionsand Flixrrsattachedto the door. Do you want to: Enterthis buildingl Turn to 19j Now try to re0uit an army? Tum to r59 LeaveHavalokaltogether? Tum to j14 249 As you dimb the steps leading out of the sepulchre,

249

you smse an evil presencedose by What can it be? Surely all the Necromage's crcatures have been de shoyed?Hovering at the top of the steps is your you down nemesisThe Assassin's DaggerhasLracked yor.r al 1ast,following the psychictrail haveleft like a fingerprinlon the ether.The bladeglints dully in the moonlight in the grasp of the ghostly hand If you havesomeHoly OiJ,you castit over your supematural assailantand the sprrit dissolvesinto the night air, droppinglhe dagger(crossthe Holy Oil and the word 'Reggad'off yoll Adoenture Sierl; you may also talce the daggerif you wish, and then turn to 374) If you do not have any way of banishingthe speclralhand, you must6ght rt onceagarn. A SSASSIN'SDAGGE R

250

You dismount and tear off a squareof cloth from your tunic to put the mushroomsin. BendinSdown at the edge of the clearing,you reachgingerly towardsthe fung| Testyout Skill.Il you succeed,lurn to 266 If you fail, tuln to ry4.

SKILL 10

Afler four Attack Rounds,or if you win two consecu tive Attack Rounds,you work yourselfinto a position in which you canescapefrom the sepr-rlchre Racingup the last few steps,you slam the heavy stone doors bchind you, trapping lhe Assassin'sDaSBerinside T.ulr. to j74

254

Belgarothis beginningto weakenunderyour attack; oul of the corner of your eye you notice thal the large black bird ihal was sitting on the back of lhe DreadLord'sLhroneis flappingfrom its perchtowards an archwaythableadsout of the throneroom. I{ you have fhe word 'Rofiart' wntte down onyour Noenl rc srsef,tum at onceto t6o. II you haven't,tum to 96.

255

lowersasit runsat you with fhe inlentionof goring GOREHORN

SKI(L 8

If the BeastMan wins two consecutive Attack Rounds, roli one dice.If the numberrolled rs odd, the chaoLic

252

At the.sightof all thesesnakesyou start to panic.T€sl your Skill, addingz to the dice roll. I[ you succeed,

Drawing your_magical. blesed sword you prepdrero clelend thisgho.tll adversary. )ouJ.elFdgrinst

SPECTRAL KNIGHT

SKILL 9

If you defeatthe spirit,turn to j56. remountingFrremane, ride away from Ennox (lose 1 HoNouRand 1 LUCKpoint for your cowardlybehav_ rour and tum to J32).

the crossbowzips through the air, straight into the ilceing,scoundrel's heart.His lifelessbody dropsto the s_oJndrrcltatnr rucx poinl).Turnto 12L 254 One of the warriorsstandingnext to you dropsdead cnd \u,. turn on \i. lijler ,: harry.goar_hcadid .rea. :t--, Ore Innqhom protrudes irom irs .kull whrchir

STAM IN A 8

255-258 256 You manageto sLayin lhe saddleas you and your sLeednegotiatediffcult tenain. Suddenly,in a small clearing,the boar stops and tums to face you. The roguebeastis at leastthreemetreslong from snoutto tail; il is covered in short, dark harr, wilh darker bands along its back. It snarls,revealingiLs huge yellow tusksand sharpteelh. With a bestialroar the animal runs at you. If you have a crossbowor a lance,you may use one of theseweaponsoncebe{orehaving to draw your weapon.Deductfrom Lheboar'ssrrvrr-l scoreany damageyou have alreadyinllictedupon lt, thenfight lhe baltlewhichlollows in the usualway. G RE A T B O A R

SKILL 8

STAM IN A 8

If you krll the beast,tum to 86

The voice addresses you, saying,You arenot worthy LoenLerLhisplace.Only the bravestaIldmost honourable may share the secretsof the Templars' You know that there is nolhing you can do to enLer the shrine and so, greatly disheartenedand having wasted a day's travel geiting here, you tum Fire maneLowardsthe west and set off at a gallop through the hills towardsCaer Skaal(lose I rucK point and tun to 2j) 258 AwenydionstarLsfeelingthe bumpson your headand tellsyou how you willhave a largefamily and be well loved by the ciLizens of RuddlestoneThen,suddenly,

25a-r55

25ft6o he freezesand his eyesglaze over. It is as rf he has gone into a tranceWhen he speaks,you sensethat rt is not he who is conLrollinghis tongue:'Braveknighl, lhe forces oF darknessand Chaos seek your ruin. Bewarethe beash that are men, and heed well the words of the warrior of sLone.Time is rurming ouL. Hurry now to the Fortress of the Skull.' Awenydion has been granted the Third Eye by his gods, and they havegivenyou a waminSthroughhim rreSainr t ucK point),Turn to 125 259 Unfor[unately,this methodcreatesa lot of noisewhen the portollis rattles up inbo the walls, rvilh rnetal Sratingon stone,and it is not long beforeyou hear the soLrndof armouredguards running down Lhesleps in front of yotr Several ugly Orcs and black clad Chaos Warriors appear at the portcullis, which is huniedly raised,and you are soon overpoweredby the guards.You die quicklybut valiantly. 25o Your mystic talenthas no effecton the seaLurelThe Darkthom is an elementa-l spirit, not an undeadone. The thing lashesout at you with a vine-like growth, which hocks you off your feeh (lose z sreurN,t points).What will you do next?Will you: Attack wrth your weapon? Use the Holy Shits SpecialSkilh Usea Cleric'sTalisman? Use the potion Witherwell?

Tum to 43 Tum to 259 Tum to 28 Tum to 41

26a You try lo calm the crowd by lelling thern that you are on an urgenLmission,but your omtory skjlls are not good enough to appeaselhe seething mob. 'Avenge yourselves with the dealh oI this accursed Templarl' the incensed prophet yells. You have no choice bul to try to escape.With a shout, you kick your heelsinto Firemane's flanks.The horsewhinnies and Ieapsforwardinto the crowd Driving your mount forward, you chargepasl lhe startledprolesters.As you flee,however,you are struck by a pike (lose z sr,AMrNApoinls). Soon you are well away from the angry mob; but you acteddishonourablyLowardsthe sLarvingpeople (lose r noroun point). Wasting no more time, you conlinue southwards;tum to 2oo, 262

As you grip the Elf"Spea/s shaft you feel its power flowing into your arm, str€ngtheninSyour muscles Belgarothscreams upon seeingLheweaponthat caused his deatha centuryago, Beforeyou canhurl it at him, the Dark Tyrant raiseshis handsand unleashes a dark your bolt of energy at you. It slams into body, throwing you back acrossthe room (iose5 srevru poinls).If you arestill alive,tum to 162. 26j

The sm is low in the sky by the tine you reach the Caims of Dunar, and you can sensethe pres€nc€of evil in the area.The site is made up of four tumuli constructedround a centralring of stoneswjLh one at A dark hole in the roughly eachpoint of the compass.

264

265-266

side of each mound providesaccessto whaLeveris 'rvaihnginside. II you do not wanL to searchthe barows - which you can do only if you have a lantern - you can leave the Caims of Dunar by Lumingto 2o2- If you have the l/ar:[irg SpecialSkill, tum lo aJZ If you do not, having lit your lantern, whichmoundwill you enter6rst?The one to the: North? South? WesB

265 The Chaos spawn are on you in an instant Driven by

insanebloodlust,the BeastMen do not evenbother to add you to lhe fmeral pyre but simply cut you down whereyou stand,beforeseltinga lorch to the Wicker Man and its prisoners The Dark Gods will be well pleasedlonrght.

Tum to 95 Tum Lo v5 Turn to fl9 Tum to 55o

266

264 Severalvinessuddenlyshool out of the urdergrowlh and wrap thcmselves round your ankles,draggingyou to the gromd with a thump (lose r srrvlrn point) You hack al lhe plants until you manage to free I'ourseltbut now the man rs nowhereto be seen,and fhc surroundingbramblescoverup his lracks.Puzzled b-vwhat you have lust seen,you return to liremane andleavethe Foreslof Lernbehrndyou. TLrrrrc,17.

Taking great care you push the soil away hom a cluslerof the fungi and gently lilt themfrom the earth inlo your ready-madepouch With the cloth securely tred with a preceof vine, you put the fungi in your backpack.If you ever use the Ironbaneagainst an armoured opponent, roil one dice before combat begins.On a roll of r or z, LhesporesdesLroyyour adversary'sannour so it losesany Prolectionlt may have againstyour blows On a roll or i or 4, your opponent'sweapon,provided it is madeof metal,is

,57-268

269

destroyed,so your enemywill have to fight you with hrs sxllc scorereducedby 3 points.On a roll of 5 or 6, Lhe lronban€destroysboth the armour and the weaPon,However, this new w€apon may be used only once.Tum to 8 267 Connor manageslo swallow the liquid and recovers 5ulficientlyto tell you whal has befallenhim,'l was ambushed... Archers. - There were three of lhem riding wolves And their bannersbore the gaurtlet and sword symbol of Belgaroth'sforces...' \ou tell Connor quickJyoi your questdno swearoy Ielal.i golden sword that you will do all you can to avenge him, The knight managesa weak smile and then,althoughhis breathis comingin short bursts,he speaks again: 'Yesterday I encountered two draos Warriors raiding a fann on the southem edge of fhe Iorest. Before I slew rhem, I overheardpart of a conversation. They said that Belgarothhasgarnedthe supporlof the ChaosBeaslLord, Murgrim the Cruel, and his horde of ChaosBeastMen. One of Lhemalso said that the BeastMen have capturedthe Bird of Light and mentionedsomethingabout a prophecy.' Connorsuddenlycriesout in pain 'l'm afiaid thereis nothing more you can do for me .. Co now and do your duty.' Tum to 72. 268

The landlady makesthe mosLof any opportunity for a Sood gossipand readilytells you all the rumoursthat aregoing aboutin theseparLs.'They do say that there

is upset in the land,'she tells you conspiraforially 'Only last Earthday,Serlo,the gravedigger,saw the ghost of a pnest in lhe graveyard,and at the end of Hiding the moon itself was the colour of blood There'salso talk of druids carryingout dark rites rn lhe forestand robber bandsroamingthe colrntryside. It's not safeany more' Next, will you ask her where you can find the sage(tum to j62), askher aboutthe lnn's name(turn to 134),or will you waste no more time hereandleaveWendeiord(tum to +9)? 269

The conosive spor€sof the fungus begin to work shaight away.(Crossthe Ironbaneoff your Adoenfure Sreel) The iron body of the Golem rapidly turns to rust and falls apart before your very eyes Soon all that is le{l of bhisulhmatekilling machineis a heapof red powder.Now roll one dice.On a roll of r or -2, lum to j4z oth€rwise,tum to 50.

You whisperCadaver'snameand the greatblackdoor swings open. A blast of air escapesfrom the tomb chamber beyond, causjng you to gag at the reeking stench.Steppingthroughthe grim portal,you oesceno a night of steps into a hi8h-ceilinged,cavemlike chamber.Stalactiles hang down and lhe alcovesin the walls hold gruesomestaturesof Demons and the undeadStandlngin the middleof the room is a huge stonesarcophagus. its ld coveredin skangeglowing writing As you step towards the tomb, green fire beginsto play about the crackof its lid. Slowly the heavy stone slab risesinto the air, then slidesto bhe floor with a hollow boom What you witnessnext is like someLhing out of your worst nightmare.A decom posingbody. sfill wearingthe robesof a sorcerer,sits up in the stonecoffinand fums fo faceyou. A sinister smile forms on its decayinglips and a raspinghiss risesfrom its throat.Howevet more horribly,you see, protruding Fom the corpse'storso below rrs :mns, are four huge spide/slegs,coveredin bristly blackhairs. Trailing strandsof a thick gelatinoussubstance, the Necromagedimbs out of his sarcophagus,while yor.r remainrooted to the spot, petrified.'Well, Deathsss head,it sseemss we havea vissitor.'When lhe rurdead sorcererspeals, a human skull, glowing wilh faint phosphorescence, risesfrom lhe coffin and slaresat you with two laundice-yelloweyes,its jaws clicking lncessanuy_ 'Bibeand tear,biLeand bear,'the snappingskulljibbers as il flies towardsyou. The Holy StrikeSpecialSkill

2rr-275 274-275

will infict 2 srAMrNA pointi and 1 s(rLL point of damageupon this adversary,Whether you use this power or not, you are going to have to 6ght the Necromage's servanL, DeaLhshead.

DEATHSHEAD

SKI LL 9

STAM I N A 5

If you win, h.rm lo 116.

2ra You keepto fhe mainpassageways and staircases that rrddlethe wallsof the tower trying to avoiddrscovery, in order to find the UsurpingSerpenthimself.Tuming a comet you come face to face wilh a Chaos Wanior patrol You prepareto ffght, but one of the waniors hasalreadysoundedthe alarmand soon the patrol is joinedby a hordeof Orcs,Goblinsand other soldiers. You aresoonoverwhelmed. Ruddleslone rsdoomed! As you move lo atta& the Arch-Cleric,the weeds wrap themselvesround your legs, hampenng your

BRYAR

SKI LL 9

s TAM I N ^ 9

If you win, tum to 165.

Materializing in the middle of the chamber is a large coiledserpent-A long forkedtongue tlicksin and out

betwe€nits fangedjaws, and Lwo horns sprout from ih head.You must6ght bhismonster but with your Attack Shengthreducedby 2 points becauseof your pnonla, HORNED SERPENT

sKrLL 6

srAMrNA13

If you destroythe slilheringhorror,tum to :zl. 214 Underfhe gazeof the owl, you startto searchthrough LhedebrisoI brokenbookcases and scaLtered papers. Rollonedice-On a roll of r, tum lo:os; ifyou roliz, tum to 5r; rI you roll g, tum to u; andon a roll of 4, tum lo r6r. If you roll5 or o, you ffndnothingoFvalue.Repeat thisactionlwo moretimes.If you roll a numberthatyou have rolled before,you fud nothing. After three rolls of thedice,you canfindnothingelse,soyouconcludeyour search,Takrngany objectsthaLyou have found and want to keep,yotr decidewhat to do next (retum to a55)

Charging out of the mist come three temfying Undead Horsemen,waving srythes.The flesh is falling from their bodies and lheir steedsare skeletalcreatures, their skin shetchedtaut over their bones Thereis no time to usea crossbowor a lanceor any mystic skills beforethey all attackyou at once FirstHORSEMAN SecondHORSEMAN ThirdHORSEMAN

SKILL

STAM IN A

7 6 7

Z 7 6

216-z7a for the duralion of this battle you must reduceyour Atla& Strengthby 2 pojnts unlessyou do have the RideSpecialSkill. If you are victorious,Lhevillagers continue to battle against lhe deadarmy while you go afberthe Necromancer-Tum to tl 276 Courageously, i{ somewhatfoolishly,you engagethe ChaosKnighLsin combat,Eachof thesefoul undead warriorsis alnosLyour equal,and theseare not creair.rresof honour They surroundyou and the mighty blowsof theirweaponssmashyor:rbody to the floor 27' The Mistress lays oul her elaborately decoratedCards of Divinatior! face down, in a rnystical pattem, lhen tums lhemover one by one to interpreltheir mearing. 'Darknesssh;oudsyour paLh,deathsurroundsyou and fhe way rnay be perilous.Dark powersare comtngLo fhe fore, but there are those who would help you The Lord of the Forestawartsyour comingand lhe prisoners of the WickerMan requireyour aid. Do not tarry, for lhe Dread Lord rncreases in strengthn'ith each passingday and creahresof Chaoscome to join his evil horde'The consultationover you decidenot to delay here any longer and so leave the divinels abodeTum to 248.

2rE you The day drawson as ride throughthe ancient woodlandHaving crosseda river the furtheryou

279

travel the strongergrows the senseof mystery that pervadesyour consciousness. You alsofeelincreasingly thaf you are being wahched, which js quite unsetLling. Everytime you look aroundyoLrdetecta siight movement in the rmdergrowthbut nothing to be seen causingit. It is then that you hear the soLrndof somethinglargemoving among Lhehees,a little way off to your left It couldbe a forestcreahrre,suchas a bear.Do you want to try to discoverwhat is making the noise (turn to 69) or will yor.r ignore it and continueon your pr€sentpath (turn Loj24)?

279 With a gargantuaneffort you manageto snap lhe vinesand flrng yourselffrom the slab,snalchingyour backpackfrom the surpriscdderic holding it Rapidly the fibrous slems Brow upwardsfor severalmetres, intertwininguntil they have formed into a gi8anLic, plantlike humanoidcoveredin vicious thons. Two emeraldorbsglow with an evil awareness and,with its tnrnklike legs still ffrmly root€d in the ground, the manifeslationof the Darkthom reachesfor you with knotted hands You are going to have to deiend yoursclfatainst thisdarkelementalspirit Will you.

2aa-242

Draw your weaponand do baltle? Tum to 143 Use the Holy Sfn[eSpecialSkill (if you can)? Turn to 2j9 (f Use the Banishfuirit SpecialSkill you can)? Tum to 260 Use a Clerrc'sTalisman(rf you have one)? Turn to 28 (if you Use lhe potion Witherwell Turn to 4a

fly from ils hools You must face the fiery warrior in combat

KNICHT OF THEFLAME

S K ILL 12

If you are hit by the fire sword, you must lose 5 sTAMINApornLsraLherthan the usuaiz If you are victoriousin yourstruggleagainslLheknight,turnlo55 28a

'2Eo

'Although you have commrttedcrrmesagainst the foresl, your intentionsare of the grealestgood and ullimatelyyou seekpeacefor theseancientwoodlands,' says the Lord of the ForesL'ThereforeI pronounce thal you may passfreely lhrough theselandsin your searchfor the Elf Spear.'Forestmaidensretum your weaponand hand back Frremane's reins to you. The Wodewosewatch you depart,then dissolveinto the undergrowthHowever you know that they will still be keeping an eye on your movemenh while you remainin the greatforest When night falls you are still wjthin the confinesof fhe foresl of Lern. Havrng tetheredFiremane,yoLr seltLedown to sleep.You are woken by lhe soundof poundinghoofs Gallopingshaight towardsyou and dearly visrblein the darknessis a laight, riding a fiery steed.The wanior is dressedin ora;rgeand carriesa ihield bearingthe image of a flame In one hand he rrields a blazing6re+word The horse'smaneand tail seemlo be on 6re, while wisps of scintillatingflame

The band of mLrsicians are playing The Balladof Sir Rhyaddanthe CrusaderThe song lells of the heroic knight'sadventuresat the time of LheCrusad€againsL ChaosThe minstrelsarevery skilledand you pauseto listento the lilting meiodyandwords, 'Then firm was his resolve, His will strong,his spiril lrue. Ridingl'wardsthe smrise, Fve.onraard ttuoughthe land. Everonward,swordin hand' Now tum to 4o. 282

Buffetedby the wind, the Celaslrix suddenlyrises almostverLically. You tip over backwards, Iosrngyour grip on the bird's crest. The next secondyou are clutchingat thin air as you plummeLearthwards. The Celastrlxtums and tries bo catchup with you as you fall, but it is not fast enough.Your adventureends here

245 245

Galloping along the road that leads westwards across the desolaternoorland, it is s€veml hours before you reacha signpostdirectin8 kavellers south to the village of Ennox. Taking this route, you passno one else on the road, and the sky Srows overcast with heavy grey clouds Dusk fallsand still you arenot in sightof Ennox or Tornn's forge You ride on, determinedto find shelterbeforeit startsto rain,and soonyou come uPon a gibbet,a macabrelandmarkin this otherwise banenwildemessThe corpsehangingfrom it looksas if il hasbeenherefor severalweeks:its fl€shis rotted and in placesits skin has split, exposingyellowed bone. The gibbet creaksominously as the body hanging from its tsayednoose swings in [he breeze.There is a rurnble of thunder overhead and the skies opert. catchingyou in the downpour.After a suddentud cracka bolt of lightning sheaksdown from the clouds, hitting the gibbet just as you are pa$ing undemeath it. In a vivid explosionof light, Lherope snapsand the body falls on top of you, knocking you {rom your mounl on to the sodden ground (lose 1 STAMTNA Point) Horrifi€d,you push the corpseaway ftom you and pick yourself up out oI the mud. Suddenlylhe body springsto its feet and its diseasedyellow eyes flick open The Lrchhasbeenanimatedby the corrup tion that is infecLingthe land and you must 6ght it f you have the Holy SbiLe SpecialSkill and wish to use It, tum to 65. If you do not, you draw your weapon andengagein combaLin the driving rain.

LICH

sxrrL8

STAM IN A 9

2A5-2a6

244

After three Altack Roundr if the battle is not over you musLreduceyour Attack Skength by 1 poinL becausethe road has tumed to mud and you are Eghtingin it up to yolrr ankles.If you wi& Lum to 16 1

284 Dismounting, you tether Firemaneand quickly formulate a plan to rescuethe villagers lt must be the shaman's ChaosmagicthaLis preventingthe pdsoners ,!romsavinglhemselves, so,if you couldstop him, you could breal
245

It is mid-momingwhenyou entera pleasanlvalley,aL the bottom oI which nestlesthe settlementof Wende ford To the west lies an areaof woodland,whrle on the distanlhorizonyou canmakeou[ the darkedgeof the Forestof Lein.The road on which you are Lravel ling nms on southwards, out of the village,to Havalolq but you feel you may Sleam inforrnationhere that couldbe of useto you on your quest For a srarr,you know that the reclusivesage,Herlurn,lives not far from the village Do you want to try hofrndout more herein Wendeiord(turn to 3an or, as time is precious, w l you ride straightthrough(turn lo 49I

286

Suddenlyrt dawns on you what you have to do Laying down your weapon, you knecl before the honor and bow your head:the double,you realize,is a mamfestation of the darksidc of your nature.All the hahed,anger,malce, envy and pride that lwk deep

246

inside you stand before you now, multiplied and exaggerated oul of all proportjon.However,by submitting to the double,you areadmrttingthat the negafive qualifiesit displaysare part oI you KnowinS and is a sign of strengthand facingone'sown weaknesses courage.The doubleraisesits weaPonto siay you lhen vanishesNow you understand,everythingyou In lhe shrinehasbeenin your own nrve encoLrntered mind, nothing but illusions.If you have fought any batlles here, resLoreany STAMINApoints you may havelost in combat. The goldendoors swing operyallowtngyou to enter the inner sanchm At the end of a short hall sLandsa stone altar with golden drapesand, behlnd that, the massivegolden staLueof a heavily armed warrior: God of Courageand palron of Telak the Swordbearer, your holy order. Lying on the altar is the object of

out in silver,surroundthe shaft,and as you takethe spearrn your handsthey glow with divine energy II you havethe SpearWeaponSpecialSkill,you may use Aelfgar rn combatand add r to your Attack Strength will alsoinjureundead whiie wreldrngrt The Elf-Spear and Demons-Offering a prayer of thanks to Telak, you feel that a greatweight hasbeenlifled from you. (Crossany fear you may have olf your Arloeftwe Sheet and regain r LUCKpoint.) Do you have a shield?ff you have,tum to j44 if you haven'|,tum Lo23.

2ar2aA 287 A split secondafter you nip into the secretpassage the templeroof cavesin, blo&ing the way back and burying alive all thosestill trappedinside-As you run along the damp Lunnel,it slopesupwardsuntil you bursl througha fem-shrouded openingand ffnd yourselfin a clearingin the forest.The lreesin this areaare stunted and mis-shaperlwhile the r.rndergrowLh is beingthrottledby weedsard brambles. Bryaris standing, a few metres from you holding his twisted staff whichhasa weasel'sskullfixed to the top. Beloreyou can react, he waves the staf{ in the air and the weeds sunounding Lhe clearing shoot towards you. If you have a Cleric'sTalisman,tum to 89; if you do not, rn to 272.

288

'Gladly,'Varensays.'lf Lhatrs how I canhelp deshoy the conuption thaLis infectrngour land, then that is what I must do However,my men will need time to prepare,so it would be best if you conLinueyour quest,and my soldierswill join you later' You agree to meei at the desertedoutpost of Hamwatch,Lwo days lrom now OVrite Lhe word 'Ecof' on your AdomtureSheet)'fumto 8z

249-292

293

269 The flickeringlght f;om your lantemcastseeneshad ows on the morbid carvingsthat adom the walls of lhe sepulchre when you descendinto its depths If you have |he Commune SpecialSkill,tum to 93.If you do not, Teslyour Luck If you are Lucky, tum to 245; if you are Unlucky,fum to 1j3

Strengthby 1 point for this combat),beforelurgint at you with her bone dagger.

290

crone's sorcerous brews and possessiorswell alone, but you do 6nd two rabbrtsharging up (enoughfor onemealea(hrand you takethem-wiihyou.Remourting Firemane,you rejoin the road and ride towards Ennox Turn to 579.

Standingin front of the largedouble-doors, the ar.rra of Lhe enchanlments bi4ding lhem is langible and fills you with dread You are suresomefhingof a magical nahte will be requiredto open thesedoors and that without such an item you will be unable to pass through them As you do not carry any Chaotic artefactsyou will need somethrngelse.If you have somesapfiom the Forcstof Lei4 now may be the time lo useit (turn to 129).If you haven'tany, turn to J8E. 29r You come acrossclear srgnsthal the boar travelled lhis way not long ago, in the direclionleadingaway from you and further into the ancient woodland. Quickly you set off aft€r yow prey. Testyour Skill, adding r to the dice roll if you do not have the TratkingSpec;'al Skrll,buL sublractingr from the drce roll if you havca Hunting Charm.If you are successrur, tum to j4j. If you fail, fum to 50. 292

The wicked hag throws somedust in your eyes that makesyour reactionssluggish (reduceyour Attack

CRO NE

SKILL 6

STAM IN A 5

293

its use,turn to 25j. If you fail,or if you oo not navea crossbow(or you do not wish to useit), you will have [o pursuelhe felon on Firemane,tum to j

295

294 295

294 it is Making your way cautiouslyalong the passage, not long beforeyou sLepthrough an archwayinto a hrgh-roofedchamber.The stone floor is litfered with shaw and bonesof many creatures, somehuman.Set rnto the ceiljng,somemetres above your head,is a large grille through which you can see the deep blue of the night sky. A smal wooden door in the wall oppositeleadsout of the chamber-Howevet as you sLepInto the pit you disturb its occupant.With a roar a giganlic, DragonJike creature emerges fiom a gloomy comer o[ the pit. lt is winglessand its rough hide is scaly Its enormousjaws are lined with razorshalp teeth,but the monster'seyes do not hold the glinLof intelligenceof dragonkind.lls great tail lashes around,blocking the way back If you want to avoid having to fight the beast,you can make a run for the far door. If you do !his, Tesl your Luck.If you arc Lucky,you dashacrossbhepit and,openingthe door, nn through it (turn to 329); if you are Unlucky,the monsterstrikesyou with a greaf clawedfoot (losez suvrr.,t,r.points)andyou haveto tum andfight. REPTILIAN

SKI LL 10

ST,{MINA 15

If you slay this mighty beast,you stepover its prone body and. opening the wooden dooa leave the pit. TLrmto j29.

Opmint the door you step into the night. Everything is still, with nothing seeminglyout of the ordinary. Walking further. you suddenly freeze,hearingup ahead soundsof panting that are approachingrapidly Then you seethem:scoresof blazingred eyesappearout of the darknessas in horror you see Lhepack of huge, rnidnightblackdogs bearingdown on you acrossLhe moor. It would be foolish to try to face the whole Packin suchan exposedposiLion,so you rum on your heelsand run backtowardsth€ forge.Torrin standsat the open doorway yelling for you to hurry. Roll iwo dice;the total is the distanceyou haveto cover before you reachsafety.Now roll two dice again.If the total is less than the dislance you have to cover tum to 159; if it is grealer than thaf dislance,tum to j98. If the two numbers are the same,Testyour Luck:I yol are Lucky, turn to j9a; if not, tum to j59.

295 296

After you have put several kilometres beLweenyou and lhe ChaosBeastMen's camp,you stop to rest. When you wake up agai4 you find Lhat you have points sleptwell into the next day (restorez STAMJNA and add r day to lhe Time Elapsed).The desolate Hills is unchangingas you landscapeof the Banarask ride on underthe cold grey sky for severalhours. And Lhenyou see it: on a hrlltop stand the dark rurned towersoI CaerSkaal,the Fortressof the Skull.From hereyou canseeits grim keep,still intaclafter surviva century rng the onslaughtof the besregrng crusaders ago Bla& flags fly from its crenellatedturrets,the siShl of which fills you with uneaseBeforeyou can reachthe forbiddingcasLle,you must firsl cross the ancient battlefieldon which the final battle of the CrusadeagarnstChaoswas fought It was on this field lhat Belgarothwasfelledrn battleby Sir Rhyaddanthe Crusader, alongwith hrsChaosKnights The battlefreld is shroudedin a thick pall oI mist, and hereand there you can male out Lhe indistinct shapesof broken weapons,war-enginesand the skeletalremainsof ar moured warriors You half expect ihe bodies of the fallento riseup againstyou as you nde ouf acrossthe ancientbattle-siteA large raven sits perchedon the branch of a lone gnarledand leaflesstreenearby. Seelngyou, rt givesa hoarsecroakingoy then flaps off through the mists towards the forlress.A moment later you hear the somd of hoofsgalloprngtowardsyou. Trailingtendrils of vapour,a bla& horsewiLh its rider emergesout of

29'

29&-Joa

the mists. The loight is covered from head to foot in shinrngblackspikedplatearmour.His helme!is homed and decorated with weird patteris inlaid with red kacery,as is the rest of his armour.The ChaosKnisht Ievelshis black lanceand spurshis qteedon towaids you without saying a word You must overcome Belgaroths championin a deadly joust. If you do not havea lance,or if you do haveone but don't havethe Lance Special Skill, you must reduce your Attack Strength by I point for the duration of this battle and by r filther point if you do not possessthe Ride SpecialSkill. CHAOS KNIGHT CHAMPION

sKrlr 12

298

lvith[heleper'sterriblewastingdisease. (Losef sr^MrN^ points,r sKtrLpoinland1 LUcxpoint:alsowritedown theword'Eugalp'on yourMucntweShect.)Tumlo 114 299

STAM I N A 1 2

sraMrNA poinls). Tum Lo 162. 500

Attack Rounds before the Chaos Knight does, you unhorsehim and may increaseyour Attack Shength by 2 poinls. If you win this deadly contest,tum to

Drawing your weapon,you defend yourself against these vmomous adversaries. Fight lhem as if lhey were a single opponent.

SNAKES

SKILL 8

STAM IN A 1 1

297

What will you use to defend yourself against these strangecreatur€s? A Cleric'sTalisman? The potion Witherwelh Your weapon?

Ium Lo i4o Tum to J49 Tum Lo 18

a way across the cavem. Tum to 27. 304

Your reactions are not quick enough and you are hit by one oI the cart'sshafts(lose3 srAMrNApoints).By

302-304

5o5-3ob

the time you have picked yourself up, your quarry are long gone and not even the lraci
JusLrahenit looksas thoughvictory is yours,you hear the animalroars and criesof a band of chaoticreinforcements making for the twilight baltlefieldfrom the directionof the decimaLed village. Do you wanL to fight on (tum to 2o7),or will you commandyour men to retreatand you yourselftry Lo breakthrough lhe enemylines on Firemane,to conLinuewrth your rnission(tum lo j22)?

was once the priest of Myrton. I have been deadfor many decades,as has the foul Necromage.Th€re is sicknessin lhe land and this has causedhis returnWhile he lives,none heremay rest in peace.A coura geousknighl lies Lo the southand may haveweapons lhat would help you defeat the undead lord who reignshere To End the Necromage,speakhis name beforethe Door of Skulls Now go and free the poor soulsenslavedby him.'With that,the ghostfadesfrom view. If you ever find yourselfrn front of the Door of name,convert Skulls,and you know LheNecromage's = 1,8 = 2, C = j it into a numberusingthe code,A = . Z z6 Total the numberswhich corespond lo the lettersin hrs name,thenmultiply the iotal by five and turn to the paragraphwith that number Withoul furtherhesitation,will you look for lhe knight'stomb by going south (tum to j6a) or will you follow the (turn to j91I westempassage 505

to 255).

Inside a shattered earthenware pot you find a small iron key and a hunLing charm that has been carvecl from a piece of bone to resemble a wild boar Some people believe that such a charm gives a hunter a better chance of successfullylracking prey. Retum lo 274.

304 Just as you are unsheathingyour weapon, the apparifion cries out,'Nol'You pause,then see that the ghost is that of an a8eing priest Sensing iLs goodness,you Listenas it speaksto you: 'My name is Guildas and I

Ii is noL far fiom here to lhe ruined outpost of Harnwalch,where you have araIlgcd to meet your army.The oulposthasbeendesertedsincethe Crusade againstChaos,a century a8o All lhat remainsof it

303

Your blaslof holy energyhits the ghost,apparentlyto no effect.The spirit cannolbe truly evil it is merelya portent, possrblya sign oI what is to come. The Icright turns to faceyou and prepares_to attack(tum

306

309

5or3oa now is a crumbhngsLonestockadeWaiting, hrdden insideits walls,is your forceof bravewarriors.Before you engagethe enemyin battle,you must delermine your army'sBattleStrength,which at presentrs zero Consultthe tablebelow and lotal up the porntsgiven for eachfightingunit you havecomprisngyour army: LordVarenof CleeveManor'ssoldiers NasraSLronn's Mercenanes from Havalok . he villagers oi A'sarl Caass'sTovm Militra

4 poinLs 5 poinls I po'nls 4 points

whereit is but do you know how to get there?If you do, you will havefound threecluesthal gve you directionsto lhe Elf-Spear's resLingplace There is a numberhiddensomewherein eachclue.Put the three nr.rmberslogether in seq.rence,in the order in which you found them, to give you a fourth lhree-digit number,and turn to that paragraph.If you do not have all the clues,you will have to abandonyour queslfor Aelfgarand headsouth(tum Lo48).

This total rs your BaLtleStrength. you have Lhe BaLtleTacLics SpecialSkJll,you may add z more points lo your BattleStrength. Thereis no time to lose,so,your army ready,you set off into the Banarask Hills towardsthe Fortressof the Skull.If you havetakenmore thansix daysto get thrs fat tum to 555 If you have taken six days or less, h.lm to 1E4 307 'Passwordl' a voice hisses from behind Lhe doors. If you lcrow the password, convert it inLo a number, using the code A = 1, B = 2, C = 3 .. Z = 26Add the number corresponding to the letten in Lhe password together then tum to the paragraphwith the same nunber as ihe tofal. If you do not know the Password,Lurn to 225 Jo8 If you are going to searchfor Aelfgar, you must know

309

Although the track is severaldays old, you can still lell that a very lage animal has passedalong the nght-handpath However along lhe path to the left you canjust makeout somefarnthunanoidfootpflnts leadingboth towardsLhefork and awayfrom it Now, will you take the le{t (lum to j85) or the right track (tum to 291!

3ao-342

3ao With a tremendous splintering crash, a huge black shapesmashesthrough a window near you, showering you wilh shardsoI brokenglass,and landsin a crouch rn lhe centreof lhe room-The beastis mldnight-black in colour and is as large as a woll Snarling,the Hellhotrnd Lums to face you, baring its black teelh, then it springs There is no LimeLo use your powers againstit Once agarnyou are fighting for your life, whrle Tonin tries to securethe window.

HELLHOUND

SKILL 7

STAM IN A 6

As well as its savagebiLeand sharpclaws,Lhedemonic creaturehasanotheraLtack:il can also shoot gouts o[ flameout of ih mouth After eachAttack Round,roll one dice.If you roll 1 or 2, the monster's6ery breath bumsyou for 1 additionalpoint of sraMrNAdamage. If you kill the Hellhound,turn Loa15 3aa The staircasetakesyou up to anoLherchamberwith anoLher iron-bounddoor.Frombehindthis door comes a steadyrhythmicclankrngand grating.Do you want to open this door (turn to 6a) or will you climb the staircase Lothe next level (tum to j57)?

Seeinghis crealion destroyed,the priest panicsand tries lo flee You want Loknow what hasbeengoing on here,so you chasealier Lheman. Testyour Luck.If you are Lucky, lum to 594 If you are Unlucky,tum to 2,64

514-345

If you can work out whaLihe numberis, tum to the paragraphwith that number. If you are unablc to break the spelllock, you will have to return to the Portcullis;turn to 212.

You 6nd a crackbetweenone secLionof wall and the floor, and a loosebrick When you pushthe brick,the wall swinSs open to reveal a short passageway,which endsin an omatelycarvedoak dooc inscribedon it is a strangernagicalsymbol, but there is no lo& or handle.You have heardof suchspellloes ano you know lhal you will be unableto forceentry here.The only way throughis to decodethe numberhiddenin the symbol.

314 LeadingFiremanetowards the South Cate, you pass througha squarewherea crowd of peopleseemto t'e enjoyingsomc spectacleor ofher As you get closer, you see that a crude stage has been sei up in the squareand over fhis s stretcheda molh-eatenbanner with the words 'Oddfellow'sMummers'paintedacross it. Occasionalgaspsof amazement and pealsof laugh tef rise [rom the crowd as lhcy watchlhe show being put on by lhe travelhngplayers.Do you want to pauseior a moment Lo watch Lhemummers(Lum fo r88) or do you prefer to make For the SouLhGate (turn to 45I ShowrngElaina the Arch Cleriis staff, you tell her how you vanquishedthe Darkthom and its sewants 'By this heroic aciion you havc helped in part to restorcfhe elemenfalpowersof the forestand halt the sicknessaffectingit. Erillia,the Elf Mother, will bless you for this, and you certainlydeserveour aid'The sorceress-priestcss takesan ornatebotflc from an Elf and handsit to you 'This bottle containssomeo{ the very life-bloodof Lein'saptakenfrom thc treesin this ancientforest Kcep il safeand use it wiscly, and the prophecywill bc fultilled' Beforethe Elves Ieadyou away from their sacredgrovc and vanishbackinto the

A

5$-5aA

549

undergrowlh,they also give you an Elven Amulet Filledwith hope oncemore,you hurry on your way Turn to 278

hear the Dread Lord's evil laughter in your earsas you plmge to your death

3a6 Which of the mounds will you explore now: the northemmound(tum to gs); the southemone (tum to ry5), the east€mone (tum to 359) or lhe westemone (tum to :so); or will you leave the Caims of Dunar(tum io zozl 547 Wendeford'sonly inn is the Bdstling Boar,and you decidethai this would be as good a placeas any in which to acquireinJornation Inside,the bar is dark and musLy, although the clienLeleseems friendly enough.'Well, what can we do for you?' asks the roLundlandlady. If you want to buy a drin-k,a tankard of alewill cosl you r Gold Pieceand will restoreup to 2 pointsof srAMiNA.What will you asklhe landlady? Where you can find Herluin the Sage? About any localrumours? About Lheinn'sname,if you are cu ous?

Turn to 362 Tum Lo258 Tum to aj4

3a8 You have no time Lo prepareany other defenceas Belgarothunleashes the dark bolt at you. It hrts you squarelyin the chest,knockingyou from the back of the Celastrix Over the rushingof Lhewrnd you can

549

The villagersare very understanding oI your reasons and they wish you well in your quest,but you leave Assartunder a verl of fear and despair.Undoubtedly you have doomed the village to death and just as surely you have broken the Oath of the Templars, bringingshameand infamyon your holy order(losez HoNouR points) Al the edge of the forest,not far from the village,you drscovera woodmant abandoned hul and decidelo sleepherefor the night. If you have the word 'Reggad'wrtlen down on your Atluenture Srrel tum to 371 Otherwise,thal night your dreams areff1ledwith imagesof horific undeadYou wakeup lhe next moming only partially refreshedand set off quicklysouthwards. Regain1 srAMrNApoint and add 1 day lo the Time Elapsed. Turn Lo48.

525

32,0-322 5:o As you draw your weapon,you feel a tingling sensation in the fingeron whrchyou are wearingthe ring Distracledfor a mom€nt,you look down and see a shieldof golden light flicker lnto exisLence on your arm;thrsis powelul magicindeed.Wheneveryou tind yourselfin combat,while you are wearingthe Shield Ring thrs magicalshieldwill appearand protect you from an enemy'sblows(reduceyour opponen!'sAttack Strengthby :t point).Add 1 LUCKpoinf and relurn to j91 to fight the skeletaldog

Hamwatch.The exhausted chaoticsfollow onLya short way beforestoppingandraisinga greaLhooting cheet believingthey haveroutedyour Lroops.You ride in a wide circleround lhe BeaslMen's camp,avoidingany unwanLed aLtention. From your vantagepoint you can seethe stockadequjteclearlyamongLheruinedhouses. You cannot see any people, and there appearsto be only one guard at the stockadds mtrance Do you wanf Lo telher Firemanehere and snea] into the Beast Men's campfor fixther invesLigation, now thabnight has fallen (tum to 34o), ot do you want to ride on, awayfrom here(tum to ,95!

321

Reversingthe Demon SummoningSpeJIwill not be easywhile lhe raging DemonicSlayeris in the room with youl Testyour Skill ard add r to the roll. If you you manaSefo read part of the spell are successful, backwardswhile avoidingthe creatLrre's attack If you fail, the Slayerhits you while your guardis down (lose points) You mustrepeatihis processuntil I STAMINA you havemadethe roll successfully threefimes.If you you achievethis, lurn to 128. If fail two conseculive rolls, the Demon knocksthe book out of your hands, lum io Ij- You can abandon this line of defence wh€neveryou want to by turningto rj.

With a shout, you kick your heels into Firemane's sidesand rush strarghtat thc cnemy lrnes.You fell severalof the BeastMen in your chargeand break through their ranksbefore thc rcrnforcements arrive Your soldiersscaLterand flee sor.rthwards, fowards

A bitterly cold wind is howling over the moorsasyou and Firemanejoumey acrossthe desolateheath. After two hours' ride you see a single standing stone rising up out of the otherwisefeatureless landscapeKnown as the Maiderr the stone once had the carvinc of a young womanon it, bul this has beenalmosicompletely erodedby time and the weather.If you have the CommuneSpecialSkill, turn io j8o If you haven't, TestyourLuck,if you areLucky,tum to j8o, if you are not. tum to 251

324-525

324 The sun is sinking towards lhe horizon as dusk approaches, andunderthe treesa grey twilight permeates every nook and hollow. Firemanestepswarily over tree boles and exposedrooLsand you start lo think about making camp for the night You bring your steedto a hall in a smallcleanngthat is litteredwith fallenleavesand wilh a funguscoveredlog lying al ils edge-As you dismount,you heara rustlingsou,ldand slarein startledamzvemenL as the leavesdraw themselvestogetherinto a shapeLhatlhen sLandsupright; the figurenow looksLke a man coveredfrom headLo toe in leaves-AL Lhe same time, the 'log' sLartsLo mfold with a crealing sound and, looking like a humanoid nith barl folkin and with frrgu.8ro!\ing out of it, getsto its feet Thc leaf'manslretchesout an arm towardsyou and you recoveryour amazedstate Will you move to defendyourself (tum to 2e7) or wart for these strangehumaaoidsto make the 6rst move(lum to 76I CleeveManor rs servedby a smallhamlet,includinga smithy,,nd is surroundedby a numberof smallfarms. You arrive at dusk and, as soon as you have dismounted,you are taken to the great hall by lhe slewardof the manor,whrle Firemaneis led away to be stabled Inside,the hall is a picLureof bustle and actlvity. Long trestletablesare being laid with food and &ink alld a large woman is supervisingthe cook urg of venisonon a spit in the middle of the room, whrlea minstrelband startsplaying a populartune In

326-52'

324-329

is playing some one comer of the hall, a man-at-arms kind of board game with two labourers Larte tapestries cover the walls of the hall;abovethe lord's Lable on the raised dais at lhe end of the room hanS decorativeshieldsand Lhe coats-of-armsof several noble families,while at the oppositeend of the cham ber are mountedthe trophiesof hunting expeditions The sLewardexplainslhat the feast to be held here will begin very shortly- Beforeit does so and while you are waitinS,he will be happy Loshow you round the hall Do you want Jo, Sludy the tapeshies? Watch lhe boardgame? Look more closelyat the lrophies? Listento the minslrels?

Tum Loi41 Turn to :44 Turn lo 58 Ium to 281

325 Reachingthe edgeof bhestockadesafely,you hide in the shadowsTheBeastMan on gtard hastheheadof a boar,and spittledroolsover its largeyellow tusks It is armedwith a halberdard roundshield,and torchesare bumingon eithersideof theentranceit is guarding.The sharpened stakesof the slockadelook far too tall and treacherous to climb,so how will you get in?Will you: Attack the guard? Try to distractit and sneakpasfl Bluff your way in?

Tum lo i86 Turn to 151 Tum to 2z6

327 \ot far into the hllls,you find lhe enkanceto a large cave:the perfectplaceto shelter.As you leadFiremane

towardsit, however,you seethat the cavemouth has been crudely decorated by someone, or something, with animalskullsand skins.Then an old hag appears ai the opening, she is wearing ragged robes and necklaces of teeth and is yelling at you angrily and waving her arms frantically.Do you want to altack the crone(tum to 292), or do you preferto speakto her and calmher down (tum to 1j5)? 324 Usingup fhe lasbof its fire-breath,the dragonlets out a blast of flame directly at the crowd, who flee in panic, so Siving the oLher mummersa chanceto escape. The dragon-coshrmed playersthen run aLyou, trying to batteryou with its wings and bite you with therathertoo realisticjaws, MUMMERS' DRAGON

sKrLL 8

srAMrNA7

If you win, yor.rdo not actr.rally kill the peoplein the costumebut merely disablethe contraptionthey are wearing and leave the mummersunable to escape (turn to j67) 529 You find yourselfwalkingalong the stone-faced corridor Wrth a suckingsound,somethingdropson to the ground behind you and you recognizethe jellyJike creatureas an lron-EalerTheseamoeboidanimalsare not camivoresbut inslead,as their name suggesLs, ieed on metal. Moving carefullyforward, you hear anoLhercreaturedetachitseif from the ceiling of the passage aboveyou.

IRON-EATER

s KIL L4

Roll as usualfor the first Aitack Round.If the lronEaterloses the Attack Round,it missesyou, hittrnt with one blow the floor, and caneasilybe dispatched l{ the creaturewins, ii landson top of you and start! to feed, cross off one piecc o[ armour from you: Atlxenture Shee|, and loseany bonusesthat 80 with ii ThentiShl fhe bdrtlei.l tl'e us.ralnay li you win Jr Altack Round, you manageto knock the Iron-Eatei off; if not, it destreysanothcriLemof armour.Once you havedefeatedthe giantamoeba,turn to 47 550

you, saying srmply,Tnter' The The voice addresses great stonedoors swing open and you step betweef them inio ihe shrine You walk along a pillaredcom dor, lit by a goldenglow from the ceilng, paststatues of knighls and warriors,standingto attention or a: prayer, your footstepson the stone floor the onll sound The corridor endsat a largc circularchamber the floor of which is a mosaicshowurgthe badgeo: the TemplarsIn fronl of you is anotherseLof double doors,but thesearc platedwith gold and adornedwill' two hugedragoncarvingsThebeautyandmajeslyoftha place6tl you with awe and wonder-Even as you arr marvellingat the intricaciesof the decorationo[ th; ishapp€nin8 of theroorr shrine, somelhing in thecentre lf you suffer6om theFearof Spiders, turn to 366 If yoareaffliciedvliLhlhe fear o[ Snakcs, turn lo :7i Ifyohavelhe Fearof Herghts,turn io 165.If you sufferfror noneof Lhesefears,turn to 222

Honified,you now seeLhatLhemonsleris foamingat bofh of its mouths - il is rabidl Slaveringat the prospectof having you as a tasty meal, the Chaos Houndspringsat you, skainingat its chainRABID CHAOS HOUND

sKrLL 7

srAMrNAz

Dunng every Attack Round, each of lhe monsleas headswill attack you, so you must treal rt as two opponents.On lhe fffth Aitack RoLurd,tum to 39. If you win the 6ght beforethe fifth Attack Roundand if you were biften at leastonceby the hound,you must -osean additional2 srAMrNApoints from its rabid 'orte(4 pointsif you havethe word 'Eugalp'wntten on ;ovr Adoenture l( you are sLillalive, you erter Sheet). :hehall (tum to lro).

335 certainly does, but you cannot help thinking that Belgarofh'scorruptionand Chaosmay be the source of this problem 'Everyone in Assart's afraid,' the woman continu€s,'and no one daresto to Myrton itself,not evenduring the day. Will you help us?'Will you help the peopleof Assart (turn to 48) or, still havingseveraldays' travel aheadof you, will you go directlyfor what you thinl is the rooi of the problem tum lo 519!

vrllaSeyou seea grouPof Peoplein 6ercedebale 'But if w; don't do somethingwe're all as good as deadl'a manis sayingdesP€ratelyyoung,scholarlyJooking 'What can we do?' a burly foresterreplies.'Thereare loo many of them,ahd more come eachnight. There are thosewho would be willing to fiShi if we had a strongleaderto takeus into batlle' 'Failingthat,we needsomeonewho would be PrcPared to go there alone and krll the Necromancet'ar oJd *omun decla."s She suddenlycatchessight of you and adds,'someonelike a TempLar'You askthe group what the problemis, and the old wrsewomantellsyou and the ghost vrllage 'Not far aboutthe Necromancer from here,to the west,lieswhat'sleit of the villageoi Mlrton lt's beendesertedfor yearsand mosl of it's in ruins now but no one'sever been fherebecauseof liesburiedthereandPeople the sforiesA Necromancer do say that the placers hauntedBut now it look as if ihe talesare true,ior last Moonsdaynight the deadof Myrlon rosefrom theirSravesandattackedour village, carrying oif three people.They've been back every nrght since,lheir numberncreasingall the Lime,so we have to lock ourselvesin our homes Four more were is back takenlastnighf It seemsas if the Nccromancer and is building himself an army of the undead' Il

ChaosKnighk and Warriorsare stormingon Lo the battlemenlsfrom all directions.Using your lantcm, ;-ou set tire to the featherand call the name of the Celastrjxthree times A brilliant liBht immediately appearson the southemhorizon and soarsacrossthe ;ighl sky towardsyou The dazzlingbird, its rad;ance .ightingup the battlements, alightson the roof of the :ower and allows you lo climb on to its back,while Belgaroth'shordcs cower in fear- ITohl on Light,my 'rietd,you hearrts warm tonessay within your mrnd Crippingon to the divine brrd'screstof feathers,you 'rang on when the Celastrixbeatsits greaf wings and rsesinto the sky Ridingon fhe backof a hugebird is

t

334-336 noL easy,as if climbssteeplyinlo fhe wind. Iesf yorr Still adding 2 to the dice roll if you sufferfrom the Fearof Heighlsbut subtracling-:,from the drcerol] if you havethe RidsSpecialSkill If you succeed, turn Lo Ifyou fail, tum to 28: 596 334 As you leadFiremanealong the main streelthat leads lo Havalok'smarket,you passa shop decoratedwith esotericsymbolsAn elaboratelypaintedsign over the front informsyou that lhis is 'The Mind's Eye' Would you like to enler Lhisunusualestablshment(tum to j67), or wjll you go to the market(tum to 248)?

Testyour 5ki1l,subhacting2 from the dice roll if you have the lrncting Spec;alSkill If you succeed, tum Lo 5r3 If you iail, you 6nd noihing, so you doubleback to the portcullis,tum Lo2i2 336 Havgar was a legendaryhero from the times before the founding of your order.Single-handedly he van quisheda tribe of Giants,kiliing the chief with one blow from his huge,spikedclub.Havgar'smacebreaks boneand sionewiLhequaleaseandwill do j sr^MrNA pornts of damage.However, becauseof ih weight unlessyou have a WeaponSpecialSkill in using a Mace you must reduceyour Altack Strength by 1 point when fighfing with it (makea note of this in the Weaponbox of yoor ldoentureS/leet)Now reium tc ts6

All the openedgravesseemto be empty; no doubL thei occupanhare among the undeadarmy atiacking Assart.However, you find that the rotLed wooden cofffn at Lhe bottom of one grave has been left mdisturbed.The epitaph on the tombsLonereads: Cuildas,Priestol Myrton Lelt this liJeaged75 VearsAs you are reading thrs inscripLion,there is a ierrible sphnteringsound and a grotesquemandibledhead burststhrough the lid of the coffin This is followed by a slime-covered, worm-like body which swiftly rvrapsitself round your legs as the rreaturetries lo brte you with its mardrbles.Normally restrictedto eatingthe femainsof the dead,the smellof hol blood and livrng flesh has drawn the Grave-Wormout to hLrnt.

CRAVE- W ORM

SKILL 8

STAM IN A 6

If you kill this feederon the dead,you decidenot Lo rvasteany more hme but headfor the sepulchre. Tum to 94.

33&-339 ,54 Dusk falls as you ride south tkough the bleak highlands.However,just as you are considedngmal.jng campfor the night, you breasta flse, to seea bizarre ritual taking place. A horde of beast-headedinhuman aeatures is gathered at the foot of a small mound on whichstandsa hugewickerslruch.rre, it is madeoul of cagesof woodenpoles,lashedtogetherin the shapeoI a giant man. The Wicker Man iis packed with Ii human prisonerswho are doing nothing to try to escape,as if they were under a hypnotic spell,The BeasLMen are malcinga tenific din, brayin& roarin& bellowing and banging weapons against their shields. Somehold torchesaloft and all are wabchinea smaller 6gl:re who is chanting and carrying oul a peculiar dancebetween the feeL of the wicker structue This 6gure is dressedin weird-pattemed robes and has a pair of anLlersgrowing out of iLshideous,bestialskull. It looks as if lhe caphrredvillagersinsideLhefuneral pyre formed by the Wicker Man are about to be sacriticed by the shamanto the Dark Lordsof Chaos Will you try lo rescuethe villagers(bumto ,E4) or will you ride on towardsCaerSkaal(turn to j99)? 359 lnsidethe barrow is a crcular chamberwhich contains nothing of any use to you. Howevet it is home to a nest of Giant Spidels eggs which have just hatchedThe Spiderlingsdrop on you from the roof of the chamberand bite you beforeyou can brushthem off and escape.This strain oi spider also happens to be venomor:s. Roll one dice and add 2. This is how many

340-342

poinls of damageLo your sr,{MINA the Sprderlings' injectedpoisondoes.If you havesomeAnLitoxin,you may halvethe damagedone(rormdinghacfronsdown). If you have a FearofSpiders, you run from the mound, screamingin terror, ready to flee the cairns altogether (tum to roz)- If you do not havesucha fear,tum to jr6. 540 You mter the villageunnoticedand makesilentlybut swiftly for the sLockade,Isif your Lu&. It you ate Lucky,tum to 326. If you areUnlucky,tum to j9j. 344 Most of the tapestriescany the usual designsof fabulousbeastsand loights on horsebackbut there is one that standsout ftom all the others. It covers half of one wall and shows a man with a pack of hounds fighting a huge wild boar. The steward explains Lhat the tapestrydepictspaft of the legmd of the Great Boarof Leq when the monsterwasffnallycaughtand killed by a brave hunter.Almost hidden among the embroideredtreesoF the forest,watchingthe scene, you pick out a group of menand womenwho seemto be coveredfrom headto to€ in leavesTurn to r'.o t12 You throw 2 portions of your Provisions,one for each head, as far from the doorway as possible buL still within reachof the chainedbeast (crossthese off your Aluenfure SheeL).The creature pounces on the food and starfsto gulp it down. You run pasLiL, through the doorsand into the hall.Tum to to.

343-545 345 Your slcrllsdo nol fail you. You burst inLo a clearing where a monshousboar is rooting among Lhe leaf debris, doubdess iooking for acoms. This creature must be the Great Boar of Lein. Seeing yot! it turns and flees into the forest; however. before it leaves the dearing you have time to use a crossbowonce, if you have one. Then you are olf after the beast. As you gallop through th€ trees in pursuit of your quarry, your sLeedjumps over fallen branchesand rocky moundsI{ you havethe RideSpecialSkill,lum lo ,56. lf you haven'1,Testyour Skill, If you are successful, tum to 256,if you fail,tum to ,o9.

l{hat designdoesyour shield carry?Is it that of a, Tum to 569 Tum to 395 Tum to 6a TUIn to 186

Criffn? Goldm Dragon? RampantLion? Flame?

lf your shield does not bear any of these emblems, noLhingmore happens,so you leave the shrine(tum ro 2t)

34s

Screaming,the ghastly spectre lunges at you with frightening speed and tries to slash you with ih dawed hands. CAILLEACH

SKIIL t2

STAM IN A 1 2

The Banshee'sspine-chilling howl proves a very off-

v 344-349

346-347 putting distractionto you during thrs combal At the start of eachAttack Round you must Tes,yoar Skill If you fail in the dice roll, the creature'ssoul rending shrieks transfix you with fear and you will auto malically lose the Attack Round If you defeat Lhis grisly undeadhoaoa tum to j8j.

lou turn to see a greaLWar horse,iis black armour bearingthe devrceof Belgaroth'sChaosarmy, charging iowardsyou. Although riderless,the beast'sevil intent rs th€ sameas that of its masLers. Neighing,the horse rearsup on its hind legsand tdesto skike you with its iron-shodhoofs.Onceagainyou areforcedmto retalia-

546 A pair of feet slaminto your chest,knocking you from the saddle,and you Iand awkwardly on the road with yotr assarlant on top of you (losez sravrre points). For a moment you wrestlewith the man beforeyou manageto throw him off. Quickly you jump to your feei and draw your weapon as two more figures emerge from the copse,holding cudgels.The frrst atta&er pulls a long krife from his tunic and advances towardsyou 'We'regoin' to slit yer throat,Templarl' he spits,then the murderersare upon you. You must fight themall at the samehme.

1\iAR.HORSE

FirstMURDERER Second MURDERER ThirdMURDERER

SKI LL

STAMINA

z 6 7

6 I 7

As soon as you have dispatchedtwo of your opponents,Lumimmediatelyio :95. 347 While Belgaroth'smen are distractedby having to fight Lhetown militia you scrambleacrossthe wreck age between the ruins of the south wall and the Iuggemaut Hearing a shrill whrnnying behind you,

sK l rL I

sTAM IN A 9

It you win, tum to 50. 344 'Havefaith,'you say.'At this very momentI am on a questto rid the kingdom of this sicknessand to save Ruddlestone from bitter war and certaindestruction The Knightsof Telak are noL petfy roguesand saboteurs-We seekonly peaceand hope for the peopleof Ruddlestoneand, with courage,we shall overcome thisthreatto the securityof our country' You continue ior severalminutesn this vein, your speechslowly in your order When restoringLhepeople'sconfidence at lasl you stop talking,lhe crowd cheersand parts to Iet you pass,while the prophetsbow and wish you tvellon your qu€st Tum Lozoo. 149 You lhrow the potion over the two plant-likehumanoids and they emit a shriekas they instantlybegrnio dissolve.Soon nolhing is left of the bizarrecreatures after the wind dispersestheir dry and brown residue acrossthe forestfloor Freenow to 8o, you continue on your way Turn to 568,

35c351

354 350

A blood'curdlinghowl suddenlyrings out over the cairns,making you freezefor a moment-t\4ut or Titan couldmakesucha moumtulcry?Without waiting to ffnd ouL,you huny into the lumulus.A serieso: stoneslines the sidesof lhe tunnetleadinginto the burialplaceand,because of ihe occasional bonebreaking throughlhe ear1h,you guessthat they marklongforgottengraves.Te4 your Luck.If you are Unluckr you trip over a partiallyexposedribcageand hil yoLr headon one of the stones(1osez sr.rvrr.r.rpoints) I: you arc Lucky,you sufferno suchaccidentAl the enc of the tunnel,a pyramidof humanskullshalf hides: circularblack shreldbearing a white crescentmoo: mofif If you takethis shreid(remember you can carr, only one shield at a time), you may reducc anr opponent'sAttackSlrengthby :Lpoint in battlc.Retur" i n g to r h e ..o n e.ir.le ror decidcnl-crcro g o rc : Tum to ji6.

Flaving used all your skills of horscmanship all; r cJpon .o defeal Belgarorhs,Fampion.yo. 'n;\rery are 611ed with new hope (regain 1 LUCKpoint) Yo,

rde on acrossthe sterile plain towards Caer Skaal, liremane'sbreathappearingas cloudsof steamin the you notice lhat the :old air. As you near the casLle, of being rebuilt. in lhe course rrokenbatilemenlsare fhe Dread Lord is sLrengthenmsihe fortresss cleinces, preparingfor warl Scanningthe forbidding 1"alls, you seeno signof any guards.PerhapsBelgarolh jrd not expect to be challengedon his own soil, or -raybehe jusl did not exPectany enemy to get this :ar CaerSkaalrs surroundedon threesidesby a steeP :scarpmentand the other approachis protectedby ihe However, on closer inspectron .:nposinggaLehouse. :he gate has beenleft wide open,wilh the gatehouse :self seemingly compleLelydeserted.A half-6lled, :renchlikeditch, a relic,no doubt, of lhe hme of the n:ns almost straight !o the gale. Do you -rusade, r,ant to use the ditch as cover and enLerthe fortress :ris way (lum to j6j), or do you want to look for nolher way in (turn lo 142)?

352-353

With a shout you leap into the dearinS.At once the manjumps to his feet and tums to face you- Before -youcanreachhim, he pullsa phial from his robesand, uncorkingit, pours its contentson the gromd Dark tendrilsimmediatelybreak through the crackedearth andwith unnahualspeedshootup into the air.As you watdl th€ thick stems and woody growbhs take on humanoidform and in a matter of momentsa grotesque qeatureis standingin fiont of you. lts body is covered in sharp thoms and its head js flat and broad, with largetooth-lile growthsprotrudrngfrom its mouth.Ils €les are lranslucentemeraldorbs, and green veins pulseall over its body The ThombeastIifts one leg and pulls a rootlike foot oul of the ground.It does the samewith the other, then t'egins to move towar.ls j-ou across the clearing. You draw your weapon and prepare Lo defend yourself against this plantiike rhonster.

IHORNBEAST

SKILL 8

II you defeat the creaLure,write down the word Nroht on your ,4luentarcSheetan.dtum to jD.

Hearinga movementin Lhe r-:ndergrowthaheadof 1ou, you suddenlycatch sight of the boar. It is a honsLrousseaturewith viciouslookinetusksand stiff bristlesrunning Lhelength of its back.Then it is off Urging liremane forward, you set off afheryour quarry.{s you gallop throuSh the treesin pursuit of the boar. loLr steed jumps over fallen branches and rocky

551-355 mounds.If you havethe Rid, SpecialSkill,tum lo 255 If yon do not, Testyour 9kill.It you aresuccessfr.:1, turn to a56; if you hil, tum to ro9. 554 At your fee! lies the body of MasterGraye,the miller of Wendeford You caruroLunderstandwhy he tried Lo ambush you, so you set about searciing the mill to find some answers.In the miller's living quarters you find enough food for two meals,a pouch containing 6

down the word 'Relllm' on your AdomtureSfuet.) Having decided what you want to take with you, will you now read the letter (hrm to 3;7), drink some of the liquid in the bottle (fum to 16o), or leave the Wendemilland the village(tum to 49I Dusk falls as you march into the hills. Cradually you

you see them coming over a ri:e: Belgaroth'sarmy. Chargingtowardsyou and your smallforceis a horde of Orcs, some mounted on wolves; also Trolls, Ogres, black-clad warriors, demonic Hellhounds and savage BeastMen. Aiead of them ride LheChaosKnightsof Caer Skaal,their steedsmighty war-horses.Behind

356 drem,riding a demonicwinged horsewith blood-red eyes,is a shadowy figure whom you lcrow to be the rr'armongeringDread l-ord Belgaroth himself. Under $e veil of night the Usurping Serpent is leading hrs army towardsthe Gtadel. You cannothope to overcomesuchincredibleodds It will nol be long before RuddlesLone is crushedbeneaththe lron Fist 355 As the ghost is senl on its way to its ffnal astral destination,it cries out, 3€ware! Belgaroth livesss. . .' Thenit is 8one. The king lhanks you for delivering him from the spirit but, once you have recovered,he urges you to be on your way. 'fie dead knight was a portent, maybe of what was, what is, or what is to come.SinceBelgaroth himself has refumed to our world, your mission becomesof the utmost urgencyand importance.Equip yourselffrom the armoury,but go with all haste,' Bidding the king and his council farewell, you leave the audiencechamb€r and ma&efor the Ctadel's ancient, and much renownd, armoury. Inside the vast cellarbeneaththe castleWeme the Amourer and his teamof weaponsmilhs, metallurgists and engineersare busymakingand repajringweaponsfor lhe Knightsof Telak. Weme, a broad, well-built man shipped to the waist and wearing a leather aproD puts down the tongs he has been using and leads you to a large iron door at one end of the armoury He unlock it with a key selectedfrom a largebunchhanging6om his bell andleadsyou inside.'This,'he says,'is wherewe keep

556

the rnore precious weapons. Some once belonged to lhe m.rsaders andheroesof the pasf.' Looking aroundthe vault, you seerow upon row of racks, heavy with gleaming weaponsand polished armour,With Weme'shelpyou pick out severalweapom and pieces of armour that may be of use to you, From the list of items below choosea maximumof two to takeon your quesL(recordlhemin the appropriate boxes on yout AdaenfuteSheeL),then hrm to the paragraphslisted by them Loffnd ouL more about your choice.(Remember:'youcan only us€ one weapon at a fime and carry another on your sLeed,Firemane.If you wish to tak€ lwo weapons from the armoury, you musLdrscardyour owrrmagicalsword.) ftuvgar's Mace Paladin'slance The Crossbowof Shamarthe Shield-Maiden The Axe of Lothar of CrLrn The GrtffinShield Dwarvm Breaslplate The Helmetof Ventarc Iron Gauntlets

Tum to 3j6 Tum to 9 Tum to zgo Tum lo 71 Tum to 52 Tum to r77 Tum to 91 Ttrm to j89

Once you have c-hosenyour equipment,tum to Eo-

t57 The stone st€pswind upwardsfor quiLesome way. \44renat last they come to an end, you find yourself standinginsidea large guardroom Fortunately,most of the wan:iorswho would normally be here are outside 6ghting- However, two Chaos Warrion are still here. They immediatelyrush at yoa wielding theirdeadlyweapons SKILL

FnstCHAOSWARRIOR Second CHAOS wARRIOR

STAM IN A

9

8

E

9

If you win, you surveythe guardroom.A plainwooden door on your righLgoesout of here,and a shortflighl of stepsleadsup to a Lrapdoorin lhe ceiling.Judging by how far you have already dimbed up the lower, you guessthat the kapdoor opms on to the roof, and you have no reasonfor going up theretSo, will you descendthe sDiralsLaircase and ooen the door on the floor below (lum to 61) or op".r the plain wooden door in this room (hrm !o 39o)?

j6eJ61

554-559

354 Suddenlyyou find yourself facing a skeletalwarrior dressedrn remnantsof chainmailarmourand wielding a barbedlongsword The warrior has retainedall its fighting knowledgeevenin death Thereis no time tc use a crossbowor lance or any myshc skills before you engagein combat. UNDEAD CHAMPION

SKILL9

STA M I N A ;

lf you are using an edgedor pointed weaponagainst the skeleton,a successful strike will be tumed by its bonesand do only r point of damageto its sTAMINA Smashingand crushingweapons,suchas an axe,mace or war hammer,will do normal damage.If you van quish this opponenl,the villagersfight on while you go afterthe Necromancer Turn Lofa

Although you run asif the DemonLord Myun himseli were after you, you cannol outrun the Hellhounds The hellishcreaturesleapon you and pull you to the ground Your adventureendshere.

J60

,Vhat was it Connor'sghost said abouf the traltor? The Ravenwill betrayyou-' Of course,the blackbrrd rs a huge raven Could it be that lhis is in fact lhe irailor in anotherguise?'Speakihe trartor'stme name :o revealthe truth.'If you think you know the identity Di the Raven,conveft the traitor'snameinto a number, using lhe code A = 1, B = 2, C = j and so on, to Z = 26 Total the numberswhich correspondto the 'etlersin ihe trailor'sfirst and last names,then LLunto :he paragraphwith that number. lf the paragraph lakcs no sense,you are wrong in your assumpLion; lum fo 95 If you havcno ideawho lhe Ravenis, turn to 96

361 Enlering a chamber at the cnd of the h.rnnel,you behold a scene of dcstruction and desecrafion The crypl is fr-rllof stone coffins but cvery single one of them has bcen broken open, and the bodies inside are missing - every one, thal is, except for a sarcophagus rcsfing on a plinth at the end of Lhechambcr Do you

j52-563

354

wdnt to open and searchthis last coffin (tum lo 2r4l or would you ratherledvethis crypt and searchelse' wherein the sepulchre(tum Lo 245 and makeanother

'That old redusel' the landlady exclaims,sr:rprised 'What do you want wiLh him?' You tell her that vou are just seekinghis adviceon a certainmatLer.1 'fell,if iL's about curing warts or when the next eclipseis, donf bother.He s gol no paliencefor time-wasLe|s and sheiellsyoLrLhatHerluirl-ashis , el \ ou persist. in the woods to the west. If you want to follow her directionsand go in searchof the sage,Lurnto 1o2 Olherwise,you can eitherask the landLadyaboutany Iocalrumoursfhat may be Eoingaround(Lumto 268), ask her about the im's name (tum to r34) or leave Wendefordandcontinuesouthwards(tum Lo49)

353

bestialwinged creatureswhich seemto leer at you as you passbeneaththem.Enteringthe outer courtyard of the forLress, you seethe rotLingskeletonsof caLa pulls and ballistasusedagainstthe besiegingforcesof the Warriorsof Telak.Disusedstablesand out-houses standin ruinsas they havedonefor years.Thereis no sign of life . . . or is there?Hearing a graLingsound behind yoq you tum in fime to see several of the gargoylesfrom the gatehouseanimate and launch fhemselves into the air on great leatherywings You manageto draw yorrr weapon just before Lhe Gar, goylesswoop down to altackyou with rendingdaws and Lalons.If you do not havea magicalweapon,you will be unableLo make any impressionon theseevil rreatures'stony hidesand will quicklypenshhonibly If you do have such a weapo4 you must fight the Cargoylesfwo at a time with your AhtackStrength reducedby 1 point as Lhe creaturescan fly out of reachof your blows. FirstGARGOYLE Second GARGOYLE ThirdGARGOYLE FourthGARGOYLE

SKILL

STAM IN A

9 9 10 9

ao a1 s 10

If you destroyall your ferociousaLtackers, tum to J84.

clear,you swiftly move from cov€r towalds the oPen archway.The darktowersandparapetof the gatehouse are decoratedwith grotesquestatuesand carvingsot

564 lVith a tremendous crashihe roof of Lhetemplecaves in, buryrngaliveall thosestill trappedinside,induding ,!ou,Lmdertonnesof rubbleand earth.Your advenLure

j6fj56

365 You guide Firemane through the undergrowth as quicklyas possible.As you geLclos€rLo the ownerof the voice, you notice that the numberof briars and weeds growing round the trees is increasingand that the other plants of the forest look unhealthy and stunled in their growlh. Eventuallyyou reach the source of the chanting.You dismor.rnL and crouch down, hidden by the undergrowth. A man, dressedm long greenrobes,is lcreelingin the middleof an area of clearedground,hls handspressedflat to lhe earth. As he continueshis strangechanl, cracksbegin to appear across the gound as if the very life-giving nutrien[sof the soil were being drainedaway.At the sametime, you can almostsensethe weedsgrowing round the edge of the clearing.What is going on here? Do you want to burst into the cleanng and intem.rpt lhe man, who may be a priest of some kind (!um to :sz), or will you leave the forest and head back io CleeveManor (tum to a7P 366 A huge, grotesque,bloate4 black body, sprouhng eight hairy legs, materia[zes in the middle of t]re chamberand, clicking its mandibles,scuttlestowards you. You are tumed almost to stone as you stare into the cold black orbs that are the deature'seyes. A monster from legend has retumed to challenge you - Verama,Queen of Spiders.Dunng this battle you must reduceyour Attack Strengthby z points becauseof the terror you feel al confronling the Gant Spider.

567

VERACNA

SKILL 9

STAM IN A 1 0

Ifyou arevictodous,hrm to 222. j67 A bell rings as you open the door and step into a crampedroom,fumishedwith drapes.Standingbehind a counLerrs a wizenedold woman 'You'll be wanting to see the Mistressof the Sighl then?'she says.'lt'll cost you 6ve Gold Piecesfor a consultation.' Are you willing to pay this fee and meet the Mistressof the Sight (bum to ru3), or would you rather leave and continueon your way to the market (turn to ,44)?

564

&

56A You find yourself in a large clearing wilh a roof formed by a canopy of branches Emerging fiom among the Lreesand out of the undergrowthcome moreof the strangeplantlike peopleyou havealready encounteredThey look as if they are clolhedentirely in leaves,moss,bark brackenand fungus,but you know now that thesearenot clothes,Someof the men and womenhavelong greenhair plaitedwith ivy and other plants They are a1twatchingyou intently,and you feel the samescalplinglingsensationyou had in the forestwhenyou thoughtyou werebeing watched Theseman-likecreaturesare the Wodewose,also re ferred to in folklore as the Green Men They are primal spirits of the woods, ancientelementalbeings of nature. Two of Lhe Wodewose hold your arms while your r,r.eaponis taken from you You are then led to th€ far sideof the clearinBand madeto lmeelon the ground in fiont of a screenof branchesThe branchesare drawn apartand you find yourselffacrng a huge figure,seatedon a great chairLhatseemsto be rooLedin the earth The 6gure is a giant of a man, wearing.rfobeof leaverHis beardandhairaregreen and matted with moss, and his skin is grey and crackedlike bark, coveredyrilh knotly brown verns. Thegiant'seyesareringedlike bhestumpsof branches, and when he speakshis voice is like lhe creakingof branchesin the wind.'I am the Lord of ihe Forest,'he says. 'You have trespassedin the forest and your progresshas been observed.This woodland comes under my protecLionand I cannot allow it to be harmedby carelesshumans.However,before I pass

554

tof5ra

judgementon you, you may speakand defendyour aclions.'Quickly you relatethe evenLsthat have taken place so far on your adventure and explain the nahle of your quest, Read through the following list of actionsthat you may have carriedoul lo date in the forestor posses' sions you may have acquired,and bobalthe number of pointsfor all that apply: For trespassing in the forest Forhuntinga wild boarin the forest For having someof lhe fungus Ironbane For havingd Cleric'sTdlismdn Forhavinga twistedstaFf For havinSthe potion WitheMell Forhavingdn ElvenAmulef For fighting Orc Wolf-Riders For fighfinga TreeMan Forkilling one of the Wodewose

+ 3 poinLs + 2 poinLs + 2 poinLs - r point - I point + 4 points - 1 point - l point +4 points + 5 points

Roll two dice.If the fotal is lessLhanor equalto the number of points you have scored, tum to 92. If the total is higher,tum to 2Eo.

359 As you kneel at the altar, the tirednessand pain in your body easeand you feel invigorated. Restoie your srAMrNAscoreto its lritral level Havingbeenblesse4 you Leavethe shrine(tum to 2J). 370

The sharp crack on your skull sendsyou reeling (lose 2 srAMrNApoints).Roll four dice,If the Lotalis Iess than or equalto your sraMtNA score,tum Lo 106. If your lotal is greaterthanyour srAMtNA,fum to 59

374

You awalen with a start when the moon is high in the sky, convincedyou heard the hut door criak. The door is indeedopen and therein front of you . Oh

372

373-314

lf you do not have any way of banishing the speckaj hand,you must6ght iL oncemore.

ASSASSIN'S DACGER

s KllL 10

After four Attack Roundg or if you win two con_

,7' You sprinlinto the clumpof heesand duckdown in a fem-coveredhollow, hardly daring to breathe.Crouching amongLhebracken,you wait until you decideit is saieto leave.You iump up with a sy as the dagger sinksinto ) our sword-arm(lose2 srAVrNApointsand .r skrll point). You are going to have to escapeon horsebackbut before you can reachyow steed you will haveto 6ght the Assassin's Daggeragain.

ASSASSIN'S DAGCER

S K I L L 10

A-fter four Attack Roundt or if you nrin two consecu-

are on your way again;tum to 285i

574

376 Provisions enough for 3 meals,while the local wisewoman tendsyour wounds,RestoresrAMrNApoinLs equalto half your /rifial score(roundingfractionsup). Thenit is time for rest Not many hours have passedbeforeyou are woken by cockcrow, and you prepareto set off again(addI day to the Time Elapsed).As you mount Firemane, Ben. the forester,oFfersthe villagers' thanksonce more and adds that, if there is anylhing they can do Lohelp, you need only ask. If you wish to, you can recruit someof the villagersto figlt with you againstBelga, rolh's forces;you agreeLo meet them at Lheruined outpost of HarnwaLchthat mght, so that they have Lime Lo recover from Lhe prevrousnight's shuggle (wriLethe word 'Ecrof' down on your AdaenLura Sheel if you have not done so already) Now, if you want to follow the road south towardsCaerSkaal,tum to 48 However,if you preferto set off in searchof Aelfgar, the legendaryElf-Spear, tum to jo6. 37s With a trem€ndous splintering crash, a huge black shapesmashesthrough a window and hurtles straight into you, showerintyou with brokenglassand krocking you fo the ground.The midnight-blackdog is as largeas a wolf andits cavemousrnouthrsjusLcentjme, fres from your face.It snans,and the smellof its fetid breathmakesyou gag Wilh a roar,a ball of fire br.tsts out of the monster'smouthinlo your face.You sceam in pain as the flamesburn you and, opening your eyes, you 6nd that the savage attack has darnaged your

sight 0ose 2 srAMrNA points and r sKrLLpoint). Tlrowing the Hellhomd from you, you get to your feet as the monsterspringsat you aga|n.Thereis no time to use your powersagainstit. Once again you are fighting for your life, whrle Tonin briesto secure thewindow

HELLHOUND

sKrLL7

STAM ]N ^ 6

As well as its savagebite and sharpclaws,the demonic creahrehas anotheratta&: it can also shoot gouts of flamefrom its moubh After eachAttack Round,roll one dice lf you roll 1 or 2, Lhemonst€/sfiery breath bums you for r additionalpoint of sTAMINAdamage If you kill the Hellhound,tum to t5.

376 In order to harm this undeadBuardianspirit you will have to be wielding a magically charged weapon. If you are not fighting with such a weapon, the Haunt

5n

374

tears through both flesh and armour with its skeletaj claws,drainingaway your very life-force.lf this is not the case, _onceagain you find yourself opposing a se.vanf of [he powers of Evil. If vou use the Hoir ShrkeSpecialSkill againstthe spirit. you mry redr." its srAMrN scoreby 2 pointsand its srrrl scoreby r point.

HAUNT

SKI LL 9

374

STA M I N A E

The spectre'sinsubstantial lorm 6nds your armourno resislanceso, unlessit is magical you must ignore any bonusesyou receivefrom wearingif. If you defeatthe Haunt,Lumto 289 371 You unfoldthe letterand beginto read, cf[aotet

Will you now drink someof the liquid(tum to 160) or wiu you leavethe miJldndWendeford(tum to 49)?

Qccge,

r,/y.we br. flccbcd 06 al.. .h. Templo.s hr!,E ecDt r r^,orclo. ao ddccr our alll rr? n uat oc! to p.seert !bi. eom heppaing."d "/o cA.eus.in'. bqr, Oa\gq h,,. beco diepctched rboqld ahi. Lrigbr sqrviva 6qch rr attrc!, l|ra .cl8 or tou ao irfotD or of atralr p.ogre.E cnd to rtop tbc rccrfsad finplot, lt gou can.

easlwards; 'Throughthe forestold,, sureiyLheancien! Forestof Lein;and 'High upon a barrenpeal<,'rn the hills somewhere.Beyond the forest lies the eastem edgeof the Banarask Hills . that musf be wherethe Shrinelies. LeadingFiremaneaway from the road,you set off into the greaLuntamedexpanseof woodland$aL is older than Ruddlestone itsell Leaflessbrancheslike skelelal

ot tfic clloated ai|t|s bua 7hc acca ficct ^gain the ra,ord of eDrrt brs bc.n cbaoged,jt is oow 'WlolJlbon '. €.rA.., cA.t]h,C',.ic

of rhe lacyltho.''

Knighls of Telal. His tunic rs tom and bloodstained

3rr'ao and s€veralarrows protrude from his chest.Hearing you approach,Connor danages to lift hrs head and open his eyes 'Ah, a friendly face ... It has beena long time I only wish we were meelrng agdir n happiercircumrfarces..Orc Wolf Rrders...carrying the bannerof Caer Skaal .' Connor is failing fasl If you have a Healing Draught or a tot of Aranandus's ResfomLive Potion that you would Iike to gire to your dying fiiend, tluJnlo 26r.If you haven't,tunl to Jz. By mid'momingyou reachbhelonelyvillageof Ennor A numberof farmsand otherbuildingshuddletogetha roundthe villagesquarc,in the middleof which stands a stone cross.You can seethat parts of the surroundint 6elds are blackened and bhghted. As you ride into Ennox,a group of villagerstums to look at you with hostileexpressions on their faces 'So,a Templar,'one of them sneers 'What'ave we done to deservethe attentionsof the likesof you?As if thingsweren'tbad enough wrth the blight. We don'L need your sori snoopingaround'ere' The man'sfellowsmutter their agreemenLSomethin8tells you thaL your presenc€ rsn't welcomehere. You have no quarrelwith Lhese people, so will you ride on through and leave Lhem,r: peace (tum to 1j2), or will you stop and argue in defenceof your order (turn to r5o[ 5Eo Justat the edgeof hearingyou delecta sofL tinHin8 voice calling to you. When yor-:strain to liste4 the

5aa voicebecomesmore audibleand a shimmeringfigure beginsto malerializenext to the standingsLone.Sensing a strong aura of goodness,you waLch as the apparilron of a beautifulwoman.almostLlvenin appearanceand swathedin flowers,spealcs to you: 'Before dark magic imprisoned me wrthin this stone, I was a Fey Sorcaressof some power. It is nol my destiny to be releasedby yo4 worthy knight, but for now the paths of our fates cross and I may offer you aid. The Bjrd of Light must be fr€ed if you are to defeatthe UsurpingSerpent,and the Championoi the Templars musLbe overcome.,,' Having spoken,the ghostly woman fadesfrom sight. Ponderingher words, you rideon oncemore Tum to 26j tEl Of coursq where else would you look for the deceased Necromancerbut the graveyard! Many of the graves are open,and the c€meteryis dominatedby a grimlooking sepulchrethat is decoraledwith carvingsof skeleLons and has the image of a huge skull on its granite doors. These doors stand open, revealinga flight of slonesLepsthat leaddown rnto the gloom of the mausoleumOf course,you would not dreamof descendinginto the darknesswiLhout some meansof lighting your way, would you? If you do not own a lartem. you leave the graveyard to searchfor one in you sense,is the village;tum to lr In the mausoleum, you where wrll find the NecromancerDo you want to enter the sepulchr€straigh[ away (tum to 94) or would you prefer to examinesome of Lhe opened gravesfusL(turn lo jj7)?

302

382 While the last oI Carass's militia maketheir final stand you on Lhe southem wall, set off alon€ lo try to peneLrate the besiegers' lines;the borarn's fate restson your achievingyour goal Hacking your way past severalChaosWaniors,you seea clearway through the breachedwalls to the Juggemaut.Then, with a crash,part of a building a few mehes away from you collapsesand its buming roof falls in, as a giSantic figure smashesthrough a wall, sending bricks and brokenwooden beamsflying inlo Lhestreet.As the dusLclears,you ffnd yourself confrontedby what at fust lookslike a two-and-a-half-metre-tall walkrnesuib of armour.Howevet,there are no 8ap9in the armour and through the slib of the visor you can see a red glow suggeshng that barely controlled magical enerSiesare powering the metal warrior The lron Golem is a deadly fighting machine,almost imperviousto weaponsand hell-bent on your destruction If you have someIronbaneand wish Lo use it now, rurn ro 269; olherwiseyou mustfighLit

IRON COLEM

sr AM lNA 16

Any damageyou inflict on the Colem will be reduced by r point becauseof its sturdy construction.However, on a successful hit, its metalfistswill por-rndyou for 3 srAMrNApoints of damage.If you ever roll a double when calculatingyour Attack Strength,you brcak your weaponagainslthe Golem,suchis lhe force of yow blow and the hardnessof its body, you must fight on with your Attacl Slrength reducedby ; points. If the Golem wirs two consecrtiveAttack

543-zai Rounds it managesLo pick you up and throw you against a wall; roll one dice and Iose thaf many srAMrNApoints.If you are victoious in this mighty contest,roll one dice.On a roll of r or z, Lurinrc 34f otherwise,tnm to 50. 3aj Write down the word 'Eehsnab'on yovr Aloenture 'Tnorc' Sheet.Now, if you have the word already wriften on your Adpenlwe Sheet,fum fo 12. If you haven't and you cape here from paragraph ry5, tum to ja6. If you camehere from paragraph15j, tum to

584 You hurrlz through an archway and beneath a raised portorllis into theinner courtl'ard of CaerSkaal.This area

times,tum to roo.lfyou areUnluckyat all, turn lo z7r 5E5 Guiding Firemanethrough the undergrowm,you en(ourter a large fallen tree,blocking the path. By ihe time you havetakena detour ro,rndit, you ha.relost the path. You ride on through the ancientwoodland

3A6-5Aa wiLh a deep senseof unease.You are sure lhaf you are being watched and, when you tum your head to look around,you spot a suddenmovementin the dense brackenEventuallyLhetreespart arrdyou find yourself at the edgeof a smalldearing.The floor of Lhedearing rs coveredwith orangemushrooms. If you havethe,4r.dre lorc SpecialSkill,tum to Sy.Ifyou do not, TeslyourLrck. If you are Lr.rcky,tum to 87. If you areUnlucky, to go on you will either have to ride round the edge of the dearing(tum to E) or straightacrossit (tum ro 1j2). 545 You have time to use a crossbow once here, before attackingthe ChaosBeastMan CHAOS BEASTMAN

sKrLL I

srAMlNAI

If the battlelastsmore thansix Attack Rounds,tum to 39. If you defeatthe guard in six AbtackRoundsor less,tum to 242. 547 You chaseafterthe other mummersand catchsight of the group running down a narrow back slreet. You tum the comerjust in time to seethe mummerspush an empty wagon, thal was sLardingin the road, in your direction.The cart comesthunderingdown lhe alleyway towards yolu. Test your S[ill If your are successful,tum to 62 If you fail, tum to 5oa. 5t8 Your attempts to break open the doors are enhely futile and only servelo summonCaerSkaal'sgr:ards.

394-392

349-39o Trapped in Lhe antechamber,you finally succumb to Lheironslaught.You were so dose to lhe completion of your quest,but at the lasLstageyou havefarled. 349 Weme explainsthat lheseiron gauntleLswere made by his tutor, the armouer Rastin.Every joint in the gauntlets matches those of the human hand so that they will not restrictmovementin any way Retum to 356 390 Opening the door, you enter lhe JuggemauL's armoury. Dark-bladedswordsand pole-axesrest in racksLining the walls,alongwiLhbows and black-feathered arrows. You decideagainsttakingarryweaponsthat belongto an army of Chaos,but somethingelsedoescatchyour eye A wickerbaskeL rn one comeris full of spikediron spheres with wicksprotrudingfrom therrmetalcasings, grenades.Thesevicious explosivedeviceshave been developed by alchemists and are knov/n for Lheir destructivepower not to mentiontheir unreliability. If you ever want to use a grenade,you should light the fuse wiLh your linderbox, or a nearby fire source,then hurl it at your tarSet-When you use a grenade,roll one dice:on a roll of r, the grenadeis a dud and will not go off; a roll of z-5 meansthal rt hits ils target,doing r dice worth of damage;however, on a roll of 6, the thing explodesprematurely,causingyo, r dice worth of damage!You can carry up Lofour grenadeswith you Leavingthe arnoury, you descendlo the floor below andopenthe heavyiron-bounddoor lhere(tum to 6r).

594

The sickly-sweet smellof decaygrows sLrongerasyou and LheLunnelsoon makeyour way along the passage opensinto a small,bare chamber,liltered with bones of bolh human and ammal origin On the opposite side of the room is a huge door of black granite,its surfacecoveredwith skullsthat have been carvedrn high relief on the stone This is all you have time to takein beforeyour attenlionis dislracledby a ratLling sormd Some of the bones covenng the floor are starlinglo movejerkily towardsone another.Suddenly the bonesleap into the air and join logelher,forming the completeskelelonof a large dog. Snarling,the guard springsat you. If you have the chamel-house Holy Shib Special Skill, you may use lhis (ghteous aLtackagainst the dog (reduceits sraNarNAby 2 points and its sKnL by 1 poinL) If you have a Shield Ring,tum to 32o

SKELETAL DOG

sKlLL 7

STAM IN A 6

Edgedweapons,suchas swords,will be deflectedby the skeleton'sbones and wrll do only r pornt of and crushingweapdamageto rls srauINe. Smashrng ons are not affectedin this way- If you destroy lhe undeaddog, tum to 42. 392 The volumeis a bestiary,Lhumbingthroughils Pages, you comeacrossa sechonaboutthe raremythological You readon wiLh interest. beastcalledthe CockaLrice Also known as the 'king of seryents',lhe Cockatriceis saidto comefrom a hen'segg hatchedby a toad It is

394-395

593 a strangecombinationof a largecockerel,a bat and a snake,and is a learlesscamivore A distantrelativeof the Basilisk,the Cockatriceis renownedfor rts poisonous breathwhich paralysesanyLhingit touches.However,lhe monslerdoeshave one major weaknessif rt shouldcalchsight of ils own reflectionin a mirror the creaturewill dre The text is accompanied by a wood cut of one of thesemonstersNow relum to 156.

394 When you are just within arrrr's reach of Lhe maf, several vines suddenly shoot oul of lhe undergrowlh, ;ust missing your anlles, and procced lo tie lhemselves in hots. You grab the hem of the man's robe and he spins around to faceyou. The cleric preparesto defend himself with a long, black thom. CLERIC

SKILL6

If you win, lum to 46

As you kneelat the allar,you hear a deep,rumbling voiceinsideyour headsaying,'Truly you area Knight of Telak.'Youfeel filled with new life and hope,ready for whatever the remainderoF your lourney may bring You have receivedTelak's Blessing Restore your srAMrNA,sKrLLand LUCKsco.esto their l ifiiTl levelsand add l point to yoLLrHoNouRscore.Having you lea"c Lheshrrne.Turn io 2J beenblessed, 393 Romding ihe comer of a stone building, you come upona patrolscoutirgrhroughrhe ruinrfor survivorThe two Ral Men have large eyes and ears, and beneaththeirleatherarmouryou can seethat they are coveredin short fur, while rallike tails lrail bchind them.Drawinglherrshortswordslhey run at you. SK]L L

FirstRAT MAN SecondRAT MAN If you win, turn to 526

S6 65

STA MIN A

t96-594 396 With the cold night air buff€tingyour face,you peer inlo the night. Below you are the swiftlv dwindling turrets of the Fortress of the Skull and the banen

shaft.lf you do not have the legendaryweapon,tum to 518. 597

278.

394 Reachinglhe doorway, you fljng yourself through it Torrin slamsthe door behind you, quicHy bolting and barirr.g it. TesfyoLt Luck.If you are Lu&y, tum to 3ro If you areUnlucky,turn lo 375.

399-400

399 For consigning the villagers lo lheir faLe, lose z (roNouRpotntsand 2 rucK poinLs!Riding away from lhe scene through Lhe twilight, you 6nd yourself approachingthe smoulderingremainso{ a ransacked village.A hastrlyerectedwooden stockadestandsin the middle,and from your vanLagepoint you can see only one guardal iLsentranceDo you want to tether Firemanehere and sneakinto the BeastMen's camP for futher investigabion, now thal night has fallen (hrrn Lo j4o), or do.you prefer lo ride on, away from here(turn Lo296! 400

The silver-tippedspearsheakstluough lhe air and sinking inlo hls piercesLheDread Lord'sbreastplate, blackheart.Belgarothlets out a blood-curdlingscream of horror and surpriseas a silvery glow envelops Aelfga4theq with a teniblesuckingsound,Belgaroth's is lost body collapsesin on ilself His deaLh-soeam beneath the sound of a rushing wind, a vortex rs formingin the sky at the point wherethe DreadLord died, drawing air into its centreand opening a doorway to another world With a shrill cry the demonicNight mare disappearsinto lt. Let us leaoenow, lhe Celastlix says in your head then, beaLingils powerful wings, begins to drag you away from Lhe cenlre of lhe rapdly wrdeningvortex. Beneathyou, the Lowersand baltlementsof the dark fortressare being lom apart by the force of the vortex, greal lumps of stone and masonry are hurtlng upwards {rom the caslle into the heart of lhe whirlwind. With a deafening somd, lhe

ground buckles and cracks and the enLire fortress is dragged inlo the air. lA4rile the Celastrix is flyng away from lhe spiralling vortex, you look back over your shoutderand witness the final deshuchon of CaerSkaalasit is drawnLhroughthe gaLewaybelween the planesard you catch sight of the nightmansh jaggedblack drmensioninLowhich it hasbeendrarnm, entirely with mounLainsrising from plains covered bones, volcanoesspouting columns of lire inLo a blood red sky and the pitiful screamsof losL souls rrnging out acrossthe Realmsoi the Damned You Lumaway in horror,and the vorLexcloseswith a deep resoundingboom whrchechoesacrossthe hills.Nothing has been left ertherof Belgaroth'sFortressor of his evil hordes to show thal they ever existed.The spot where Caer Skaalslood has been cleansedo[ every haceof Chaos You suddenlybecomeawareof an insubstantial figure,floating in lhe sky in front of you The manhasa long grey beardand on lop of hr regal head he wearu a crovvn, while hrs tmic and kingly robesbear the holy emblemof the Knighls of Telak. His voice is powerful arrd rcsonatesin your mind: 'When lhe earthin sickness hes And the year,in twilight,dres, iron hand The UsurpingSerpent's Shallcrushthe life from thisfair land bum Everwill his vengeance Till the Bird of Lrght'sretum And LeinWood the fortressseebe The DreadLord will thenvanquished

'Thanks to yoq brave lnight, the prophecy has been fulfflled,' says the ghost, 'and, with my evil brother's death the sourceof the coEuption in the kingdom is gone. Ruddlestoneand the king are safe once more and all will soonbe madewhole again.You area truly noble and honourablewarrior.My blessingsgo with you' With that, your vision of King Chivalras X dissolvesinto the night. Riding on your winged mount lowards the Citadel you know that, thar*s to your bravery,your homelandhas been savedfor a second time from the tyra4ny of Belgaroth, the Dread Lord, and his Kniehts of Doom.