reply. Instead, it stretches out a gloved hand and takes up an iron rod which is lying upon the stone mantle. The instant its fingers close around the haft, a crackling blue flame ignites at its tip.
Illustration IV —The instant its fingers close around the haft, a crackling blue flame ignites at its tip.
‘Draw steel!’ commands Nathor, and his men respond by unsheathing their swords in readiness for combat. You focus your psychic powers at the figure and sense that it is not human: it possesses an aura of evil that marks it as a dark disciple, a magician versed in the forbidden black arts of the Nadziranim.
Suddenly there is a low, concussive boom and a spiral of blue flame shoots the length of the hall, fired from the tip of the figure's iron stave. You are its intended target and you dive to the floor to avoid being hit. The bolt ricochets off the stone wall close behind you and shatters one of the tall windows into a thousand glittering shards.
‘Take him!’ shouts Nathor, and his men rush forward, but a second blast from the stave puts an end to their brave advance. All three are cut down by an arc of blue fire that leaves their corpses heaped and smouldering in the middle of the hall.
Nathor curses the sinister figure and it responds by uttering a chilling, inhuman laugh. Now you sense a new danger approaching — the being's sickly laughter is summoning its minions to the hall.
‘Lord Nathor!’ you cry. ‘We cannot prevail here. We must escape … Follow me!’
And with these words, you race to the window and leap feet-first through its shattered pane.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table .
If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 219 .
If it is 5–9, turn to 301 .
73
Within a matter of seconds, the remaining pack members catch the scent of their leader's blood and it drives them into a frenzy. They increase their speed and, knowing that you cannot outrun them, you are forced to turn and face them as they launch a simultaneous attack.
Eldenoran War-dogs (in blood-frenzy): COMBAT SKILL 42 ENDURANCE 47
Due to their frenzied state, these War-dogs are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.
If you win the combat, turn to 295 .
75
In the twilight before dawn, you catch sight of the River Kinam less than a mile away to the west. You scan the surrounding landscape and note several small tracks (which lead to tiny farmsteads dotted around the vast plain) converging at a hamlet which nestles in a bend of this great river. During the past hour your horse has developed a slight limp, and a cursory look at his affected leg reveals that he has thrown a shoe. You know that unless you replace the missing shoe, and soon, he will be too lame to carry you further. Reluctantly, you decide to enter the hamlet and go in search of a blacksmith.
A signpost at the entrance to the hamlet announces its name: Kalma. It is a quiet, sleepy sort of place that in many ways reminds you of Dage, the Sommlending village where you were born and where you spent your early years. Near the centre of this humble village you discover a smithy where, even at this early hour, you can hear the sound of a hammer beating iron. You tether your horse to a rail alongside a moth-eaten old donkey, and call out for the blacksmith.
‘In 'ere,’ comes the curt reply. On entering you discover a tall, broad-shouldered man clad in a leather apron, busily shaping a horseshoe on an anvil.
‘My steed has shed a shoe,’ you say. ‘Can you replace it?’
‘Aye,’ he says, without bothering to look up from his work, ‘but it'll cost you 20 Lune. In cash, and in advance, if you please.’
If you have sufficient cash to pay the blacksmith (20 Lune = 5 Gold Crowns), turn to 234 .
If you do not, turn to 259 .
76
Your Arrow glances harmlessly off the dragon's skull, making him even angrier than he already is. He stomps his massive forefoot down onto the black soil and sends a splash of
Illustration IV —The instant its fingers close around the haft, a crackling blue flame ignites at its tip.
‘Draw steel!’ commands Nathor, and his men respond by unsheathing their swords in readiness for combat. You focus your psychic powers at the figure and sense that it is not human: it possesses an aura of evil that marks it as a dark disciple, a magician versed in the forbidden black arts of the Nadziranim.
Suddenly there is a low, concussive boom and a spiral of blue flame shoots the length of the hall, fired from the tip of the figure's iron stave. You are its intended target and you dive to the floor to avoid being hit. The bolt ricochets off the stone wall close behind you and shatters one of the tall windows into a thousand glittering shards.
‘Take him!’ shouts Nathor, and his men rush forward, but a second blast from the stave puts an end to their brave advance. All three are cut down by an arc of blue fire that leaves their corpses heaped and smouldering in the middle of the hall.
Nathor curses the sinister figure and it responds by uttering a chilling, inhuman laugh. Now you sense a new danger approaching — the being's sickly laughter is summoning its minions to the hall.
‘Lord Nathor!’ you cry. ‘We cannot prevail here. We must escape … Follow me!’
And with these words, you race to the window and leap feet-first through its shattered pane.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table .
If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 219 .
If it is 5–9, turn to 301 .
73
Within a matter of seconds, the remaining pack members catch the scent of their leader's blood and it drives them into a frenzy. They increase their speed and, knowing that you cannot outrun them, you are forced to turn and face them as they launch a simultaneous attack.
Eldenoran War-dogs (in blood-frenzy): COMBAT SKILL 42 ENDURANCE 47
Due to their frenzied state, these War-dogs are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.
If you win the combat, turn to 295 .
75
In the twilight before dawn, you catch sight of the River Kinam less than a mile away to the west. You scan the surrounding landscape and note several small tracks (which lead to tiny farmsteads dotted around the vast plain) converging at a hamlet which nestles in a bend of this great river. During the past hour your horse has developed a slight limp, and a cursory look at his affected leg reveals that he has thrown a shoe. You know that unless you replace the missing shoe, and soon, he will be too lame to carry you further. Reluctantly, you decide to enter the hamlet and go in search of a blacksmith.
A signpost at the entrance to the hamlet announces its name: Kalma. It is a quiet, sleepy sort of place that in many ways reminds you of Dage, the Sommlending village where you were born and where you spent your early years. Near the centre of this humble village you discover a smithy where, even at this early hour, you can hear the sound of a hammer beating iron. You tether your horse to a rail alongside a moth-eaten old donkey, and call out for the blacksmith.
‘In 'ere,’ comes the curt reply. On entering you discover a tall, broad-shouldered man clad in a leather apron, busily shaping a horseshoe on an anvil.
‘My steed has shed a shoe,’ you say. ‘Can you replace it?’
‘Aye,’ he says, without bothering to look up from his work, ‘but it'll cost you 20 Lune. In cash, and in advance, if you please.’
If you have sufficient cash to pay the blacksmith (20 Lune = 5 Gold Crowns), turn to 234 .
If you do not, turn to 259 .
76
Your Arrow glances harmlessly off the dragon's skull, making him even angrier than he already is. He stomps his massive forefoot down onto the black soil and sends a splash of
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