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,ililll[lJil[[ltli WIZARD BOOKS

CURSEOF THE MUMMY

Jerran Fary renowned archaeologist,is looking for a hired help for an expedition to the Desert of Skulls, where he plans to excavatethe tomb of an ancient pharaoh. It seemsa nice, easy and, above all, safe task for an adventurer like YOU. But when that tomb turns out to belong to Akharis, legendary ruler from a previous age,and when a crazed cult of his followers is trying to return the evil pharaoh to life, matters are guaranteed to turn deadly serious.Soon you will learn the true meaning of the Curse of the Mummy! It will take a real hero to defeatAkharis and win the treasurefrom the tomb. Are YOU that hero?

Two dice, a pencil and an eraserare all you need to embark on this deadly adventure which comes complete with its own combat system and a score sheet to record your progress. Innumerable dangers lie ahead and your successis anything but certain. It's up to YOU to decide which route to follory which dangers to risk and which foes to fight! Can YOU defeat the Curse of Akharis? STEVEJACKSON AND IAN TIVINGSTONE TheFighting FantasyGamebooks

1. The Warlock of Firetop Mountain 2. The Citadel of Chaos 3. Deathtrap Dungeon 4. Creature of Havoc 5. City of Thieves 5. Crypt of the Sorcerer 7. House of Hell 8. Forest of Doom 9. Sorcery! 1: The Shamutanti Hills 10. Caverns of the Snow Witch 11. Sorcery! 2: Khar6 - Cityport of Traps 12. Trial of Champions 13. Sorcery! 3: The Seven Serpents 1,4. Armies of Death 15. Sorcery! 4: The Crown of Kings 1,6. Return to Firetop Mountain 17. Island of the Lizard King 18. Appointment with F.E.A.R. 19. Temple of Terror 20. Legend ofZagor 2'1..Eye of the Dragon 22. Starship Traveller BYJONATHAN GRIEN 23. Freeway Fighter TTUSTRATEDBYMARTIN MCKENNA 24. Thlisman of Death 25. Sword of the Samurai 26. Bloodbones 27. Curse of the Mummy This edition published in the UK n 2007by t/./ward Books, CONTENTS an imprint of Icon Books Ltd., The Old Dairy, Brook Road, Thriplow, Cambridge SG8 ZRG email: [email protected] www.iconbooks.co.uk /wizard INTRODUCTION First published by the Penguin Group in 1995 7

Sold in the UK, Europe, South Africa and Asia by ADVENTURE SHEET Faber and Faber Ltd.,3 Queen Square,London WC1N 3AU or their agents t6

Distributed in the UK, Europe, South Africa and Asia by TBS Ltd., Frating Distribution Centre, Colchester Road, BACKGROUND Frating Green, Colchester CO7 TDW r8

Published in Australia ul.2007 by Allen & Unwin pty. Ltd., PO Box 8500,83Alexander Street,Crows Nest, NSW 2065 CURSE OF THE MUMMY 25 Distributed in Canada by Penguin Books Canada, 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4p Zyg

ISBN-I 0 : 1 -84.046-802-s ISBN- 13 : 97I -1I 40468-02-l

Text copyright @ 1995Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone Illustrations copyright O 1995 Martin McKenna Map copyright @Jonathan Green

The authors and artist have assertedtheir moral rights

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means/ without prior permission in writing from the pubhsher.

Printed and bound in the UK by Cox & Wyman Ltd., Reading INTRODUCTION

':ou are about to embark on a perilous journey that will alie you from Rimon, the capital of the Pirate Coast, =rough the arid wilderness beyond, up to the very fringes :r the Desert of Skulls itself. Before you launch into your iventure, you must first determine your strengths and -^-eaknesses.You use dice to work out your initial scores. l\r pages tGrT is an AdoentureSheet, which you may use will find '^ record the details of your adventure. On it you --r-resfor recordingyour SKILL,STAMINA and rucx scores. l-ru are advised either to mark them in pencil or make :i-otocopies of the blank sheetfor use in future adventures.

Skill, Stamina and Luck l: determineyourlnitial sKltt, sTAMINAand rucr scores:

. Roll one die. Add 6 to this number and enter this total in the sxtrl box on the AdaentureSheet.

. Roll two dice. Add rz to the number rolled and enter this :otal in the sreulrve box.

. RoIl one die. Add 6 to this number and enter this total in ire lucr box.

;i:-i reflectsyour expertisein combat,your dexterity and rllifv; the higher the better. sTAMINA represents your the higher it is, the longer you will survive' Your -rength; - - :r scoreindicates how lucky a person you are. -[l- sKILL,sTAMINA and LUCKscores change constantly during .. your Attack Strength is higher than your opponent's, an adventure, so keep an eraserhandy. You must keep an vou have wounded iu proceed to step 4. If the opPo- accurate record of these scores,but never rub out your nent's Attack Strength is higher than yours, it has Initial scores.Although you may receive additional sKILL, "-qoundedyou: proceed to step i. If both Attack Strength sTAMINAand rucx points, their totals may never exceed :otals are the same, you have avoided or parried each your Initial scores,except on very rare occasionswhen the .-rther'sblows - start a new Attack Round from step r, text specifically tells you so. :'oove. r 'rou have wounded your oPPonent,so subtract z points Battles :rcm its sTAMINAscore. You may use t ucx here to do During your adventure you will often encounter hostile :dditional damage (see 'using Luck in Battles' below)' creatures which will attack you, and you yourself may ?roceedto step 6. chooseto draw your sword against an enemy you chance ':our opponent has wounded you, so subtract z points aqoss. In some situations you maybe given special options, your sTAMINAscore. You may use rucr to mini- allowing you to deal with the encounter in an unusual =:ze-.m the damage (see 'Using Luck in Battles' below). manner, but in most casesyou will have to resolve battles f:oceed to step 6. as described below. r legrn the next Attack Round, starting again at step r. Enter your opponenfs sxnl and sTAMINAscores in the l:.u sequence continues until the sreulNe score of first empty EncounterBox on youn Aduurture Sheet'You ::-ler you or your opponent reacheszero, which means should also make a note of any special abilities or instruc- :.ath. If your oPPonent dies you are free to continue tions which are unique to that particular opponent. Then -^:.Jtyour adventure. If you die you must start all over follow this sequence: i=rn by creating a new character. r. RoIl two dice for your opponent. Add its srtLr scoreto the total rolled. This total is its Attack Strength' Fighting More Than One OPPonent z. Roll two dice for yourself, then add your clrrent sKILL i;re;mes you will find yourself under attack from more score.This total is your Attack Strength. t'tr*l-:.r-ne person or creature in combat. Sometimes you will tr',:: rhem as a single opponent; sometimes you will be

9 able to fight each in turn; at other times you will have to Roll two dice. If the number rolled is lessthan or equal to fight them all at once! If they are treated as a single oppo- your current LUcK score, you have been Lucky. If the nent, the combat is resolved normally. I4lhen you are number rolled ishigher than your current LUCKscore/ you instructed to fight your opponents one at a time, the have been Unlucky and will be penalised. combat is again resolved normally - except thatwhen you Eachtime youTest your Luck,you must subtract one point defeat an enemy the next one steps forrnrard to fight you! If from your current LUCK score. So the more you rely on you find yourself under attack from more than one oppo- rucx, the more risky this procedure becomes' nent at the sametime, eachadversary will make a separate attack on you in the course of eachAttack Round, but you Using Luck in Battles can choosewhich one,to fight. Attackyour chosentarget as in normal battle. Against any additional opponents you In battles,you always have the option of using your LUCK/ roll the dice for your Attack Strength in the normal way; if either to inflict a more serious wound on an opPonent or your Attack Strength is greater than your opponenfs, you to minimize the effects of a wound you have just received' will not inflict a wound. ]ust regard this as though you If you have just wounded an opPonent you may Testyour have parried an incoming blow. HoweveL if your Attack Istckas described above. If you are Lucky, subtract an extra Strength is lower than your opponenfs you will have been : points from your opponent's sTAMINA score (i.e. 4 wounded in the normal way. Of course, you will have to instead of z normally). But if you are Unlucky, your blow settle the outcome of eachadditional adversary separately. only scratchesyour oPPonentand you deduct only r point trom your opponent's sTAMINA (instead of scoring the Luck normal z points of damage, you now score only r).

In certain paragraphs you will be told to Testyour Luck, If the opponent has iust wounded you: you can Testyour and you will then find out the consequences of being Itck to try to minimize the wound. If you are Lucky, your Lucky or Unlucky. At various times during your adventure opponenfs blow only grazesyou; deduct only r point from you may use LUCKto make an outcome more favourable your srAMINe. If you are Unlucky, your wound is serious to you. But beware! Using rucr is a risky businessand, if and you must deduct r extra sTAMINApoint (i.e. a total of you are Unlucky, the results could be disastrous. 3 points from your own sreulue). The way youTest your Luck is as follows: Remember: you must subtract r point from your lucx sc,oreeach time vou Testvour Luck.

IO More About Your Attributes You can restore lost sreIratNA by eating meals or Provisions. You start the game without any Provisions, but skiu during your adventure you will be able to obtain meals. Your sxlrr score will not change much during the course You must keep track of how many meals' worth of of your adventure. Occasionally a paragraph may give Provisions you have remaining by filling in the details in instructions to increaseor decreaseyour sKrLL score,but it the Provisions box on your AdaentureSheet.Eachtime you may not exceedits Initial value unless you are specifically eat a meal you may restore up to 4 points of suIraINl, but instructed to the contrary. rememberto deduct r meal from your Provisions box. You may rest and eat Provisions at any time except when At various times during your adventure you will be told to mgaged in battle. Testyour Skill.The proiedure for this is exactly the same as that for Testing your Luck: roll two dice. If the number Luck rolled is less than or equal to your current score, you have Additions to your LUCK score may be awarded in the succeeded in your test and the result will go in your adventure when you have been particularly Lucky or favour. If the number rolled is higher than your current created your own Luck by some action. Details are given, sKILL score,you have failed the test and will have to suffer where appropriate, in the paragraphs of the book. Remem- the consequences.However, unlike Testingyour Luck, do ber that, as with sxlrr and sTAMINA,your LUCKscore may not subtract r point from your srrn each time you lZsf not exceed itslnitial value unless specifically instructed on your Skill. a Page. Stamina and Prcztisions Poison Your sreuINA score will change a lot during the adventure. It will drop as a result of wounds received through You have spent many years adventuring in the dangerous combat, or by falling foul of traps and pitfalls; and it will lands of southern Allansia. As a result, you have been also drop after you perform any particularly arduous task. exposed to various poisons on many occasions and, in If your sTAMINAscore ever falls to zero or below, you have defence,your body has built uP some immunity to their been killed and should stop reading the book immediately. etfects. Throughout your latest adventure you will no Brave adventurers who wish to pursue their quest must doubt be exposedto the bites and stings of venomous crea- roll up a new characterand start all over again. tures, or you will encounter enemies who have no qualms

T2 T? about using poisoned weapons against you. Although you can recover srAMrNA lost to the effects of poison (as explained above), the build-up of toxins in your body may still prove fatal. Whenever you are told to increaseyour POISON score,record it carefully on your AdoentureSheet. You begin your adventure with a poison score of zero. Should your POISON total ever equal or exceed18, the toxins coursing through your bloodstream will kill you and your adventure will end there and then. The only way to reduce your POISON score is by the use of certain potions and charms, or in certain exceptional circumstances.

Equipment You have begun your adventure with very little equipment indeed: just a sword, a backpack to hold your Provisions and treasure,and ; Gold Pieces.To begin with, you do not have a lantern or any Provisions. Note down the Gold Pieces in the appropriate box on your Adamture Sheet; everything else goes in the Equipment box, as will any other useful items you may find or purchase on your travels.

Alternative Dice If you do not have a pair of dice handy, dice rolls are printed throughout the book at the bottom of the pages. Flicking rapidly throughout the book and stopping on a page will give you a random dice roll. If you need to 'roll.' only one die, read only the first printed die; if two, total the two dice symbols. r4 ENCOI]NTERBOXES

EQTJIPMENTAND TREA.SUSE Skulls.Great rewards guaranteed.Apply ferran Farr, BACKGROUND The Monkey's Paw'.You madesome discreet enquiries about this possibleemployer and discoveredthat he is an archaeologistof somenotoriety; he doesnot enjoy a very good reputationamong the advenfuringfrater- Facing its twin, Halak, on the other side of the mouth nity of Rimon and is consideredby most to be no of the Bay of Elkor, Rimon is the capital of the Pirate better than a tomb-robber.However, times are hard, Coast. With their ramshackle mazes of streets and so you decided you had nothing to lose and made twisting alley-ways, the two ancient towns, perched your way to the Monkey's Paw, a seedy drinking- on the steeply sloping sides of twin mountain peaks, housein one of the poorerparts of Rimon. are a haven for buctaneers and renegadesr even the feared pirate captain Garius of Halak has his secret Enteringthe bar, you find the clienteleas shadyJook- hideout somewherealong the coast. It was a crew of ing as you would expect,and the landlord looks as if these scurvy pirates who attacked the merchantman he would cut your throat as soon as serveyou a drink. on which you had gained passage, travelling north You mention JerranFarr's name, and with a grunt the from Kaynlesh-Ma and making for Port Blacksand. landlord directs you to a man sitting at a table by Your vessel was sunk and all on board were left to the himself. Jerran Farr, a moustachedman in his mid- mercy of the sea. thirties,looks as if he too has known his fair shareof hardship;he is tanned from days of toil in the baking After several days you were washed ashore - as far as lands at the edge of the Desert of Skulls and his you know, the only survivor of the wreck - with only sleevelessleather jacket, like the rest of his clothes,is your sword and enough money to keep you from wom and dusty and he wearsa batteredwide-brimmed starvation for just a few days. Finding yourself not far hat to keep off the sun. Having made your inkoduc- from Rimon, you made your way to the town, hoping tions,you sit down oppositethe man. to find work guarding a caravan heading north, but you missed the last one to leave for several weeks by Tlave you heardof the Curseof Akharis?'ferran asks. 'Then you only a day. So instead you decided to find gainful You shake your head. I will tell of the employment that might eam you your on legend.Centuries ago, before the drowning of Atlan- Passage - another ship heading for Port Blacksand. tis by the gods, the three maior continentsof Titan Allansia,the Old World and Khul - were all loined Then you saw a notice nailed to a wall in the Adven- togetheras one massivecontinent which early records turer's Guild. The notice read: 'Brave warrior required call lrritaria.At this time, at the southemedge of what for dangerous mission into hills around the Desert of we now know as the Desert of Skulls, there existed a tB t9 gave him water and hied to makehim as comfortable as possible.As soon as he had recovereda little, he told me what had happenedto him. He was part of a group of explorers who had been investigating the in the mountains,along with fabulousriches. Akharis lands at the edge of the desert.He told me that at a was the last of the rulersof Djarat to be buried before ruined temple by un oasisthey uncoveredan inscrip- the parting of the lands. He favowed Sithera, the tion that revealed the location of the lost tomb of Goddessof Evil, above all the other gods of Diarat Akhariswith all its heasures.They set out to find it at and was the cruellest tyrant the kingdom had ever once,but they had not gone very far when they were known. He demandedhuman sacrifices for his goddess ambushedby a group of people,swathed in red robes and was said to conrmunewith dark spirits and bring that bore the emblem of a golden cobra.The rest of the mummiesof his ancestorsback to life' When at his party were either capturedor hlled and he was left last he died, poisonedby one of his enemies,he was for dead. When it was safe, he started the difficult joumey aged one hundred and fifty-six. As he lay, dy!g, back to Rimon to wam the people what was Akharis called on Sithera, saying that one day he happening,but he only madeit as far as my camp.He would retum and all would suffer under his curset died the next moming.' Absorbedby ferran'stale, you ask,'So who were these red-robedattackers?' Members of the Cult of the Cobra,' he replies.'This cult was the priesthood that worshipped Sithera in Djarat and they were Akharis'smost loyal followers.It terribledeath-traps.' has always been their aim to find Akharis'stomb and resurrecttheir long-deadmaster, so that he could call 'lnterestingas all this is, what does it have to do with down his curseupon the land and reclaimhis kingdom. you wanting to hire a brave warrior for a dangerous The secretsect has been revived in the last decadeand mission?'you askthe archaeologist. it looks as if the Cult of the Cobra have at last found his tomb and are preparing for their king's retum. They must be stopped,or all will suffer the Curseof Akharis. I need one brave warrior to accompanyme and infiltrate the cult without their knowing, to thwart their evil plans.If you will help me - and should we

27. 20 succeed- the treasuresof the tomb will be our reward.' 'Of courseI will help you carry out your plan,' you say.The possibleriches to be found in the tomb could makeyou wealthy beyond your wildest dreams- but, more important than that, the cult must be stopped from bringing suchan evil back into the world. There is no time to lose.You both leavethe Monkev'sPaw immediatelyto preparefor your quest. The pair of you have not gone far along a narrow back street on your way towards the markets of Rimon when a figure,covered from headto toe in fine red robes,drops silently from the top of a wall to the ground in front of you, and a harsh, hissing voice behindyou says,'Not so fast,Jerran Farr.' Tum to paragraphr. t- You spin around,to see two more people dressedin the samemanner as the first, only their eyes visible betweenthe swathesof red cloth. Their robesbear the emblem of a rearing golden cobrar they must be membersof Akharis'sevil cult. Eachof the cultistsis armed with a long curving sword, and an assortment of other silent death-weaponshangs from their belts. 'They must have discoveredthat the explorersurvived their attack and they followed his trail to my carnp,' Jerranwhispers under his breath,'and from there they must havefollowed me to Rimon.What shallwe do?' Will you: Draw your sword and run at the cultists'leader? Tum to rE5 Draw your sword and standyow ground? Tum to 68 Try to escape? Tum to 259

2 As you run for the exit from the inner sanctumof the Temple of Sithera,the roof gives way and you are crushedunder tonnes of rubble. Your adventureends here.

The treasuresnake ,frrnpi to the ground, leaving it safefor you to searchits chamber.In fact there is no gold or gems here - it was all the ftitalis's illusion. However,in one comer of the room is a smallearthen- warepot, decoratedall overwithhieroglyphs.Whenyou Etr 4 5 corridorsand passagewaysand begin to explorethem. Coming to an intersection,you have to chooseyour route ahead.Will you go to the left (tum to +8), to the right (tum to r95) or skaight on (tum to n4fl room, will you head along the adioining Passageyou passedearlier, if you have not already done so (fum to 37o), or retraceyour steps past the Decaye/s room and follow the new branch (tum to 5fF

You have not travellea .ri*, kilometresbefore you 4 reach the top of a ridge of a line of hills and find ahead disappears Suddenly you see that the river yourself looking out over a wide valley. The land you. You have no choice under aiock-face in front of drops steeply down to the sand-coveredvalley floor for the best . but to hold your breathand hope ' ' and there, only a few hundred metres away, lie the You come to the surface, gasping for ar, and are fallen pillars and broken walls of a temple,half buried by the desert.At last you have found it! In front of the temple is a sparkling oasis,surrounded by palm trees,its dear waters looking very inviting after your days of hot and dusty travel. Here,you hope,you will discover the location of Akharis's tomb. Where will out of the chamber, only waist-deep in the water' you make for ftrst: for the oasis (tum to r.64) or the Beyond it, you find yourself in an exPanseof flooded ruins (tum to S+6)? Etr E After meanderingtlrough barren,rocky hills, the hack descendsthrough a boulder-shewn pass and divides, one branchcontinuing north-eastwards,while the other leadsdirectly towards a line of severalhigh peaksin the east. Looking at Jerran's map, you see that the route you are now on goes towards the temple,while the new path to the right should take you to the Shamanat Spirit Rock. Will you continuenorth-eastwards (tum to r.46) or take the right-hand fork (tum to vg)?

I It is not long before you come to the top of another flight of stone steps;at their base,you enter a large, rubble-strewnchamber, its ceiling some ten metres aboveyou. Tum to zoz.

You dodge the man's cltarge, then draw yow sword 7 to defend yourself. He unsheatheshis rusted weapon You move the piece sideways to the left, and and fums on you, shouting, 'Die, Demon! You cannot Nemsetmoves Wliite Two, two squaresfoward' Black prevail against the honour of Don Huan Femandez, Oneis now freeto move.Willyoumove BlackOne(tum Knight of Vastille!'With that, the two of you engage to Eo) or BlackTwo again(tum to z+l[ in combat. EE aa-43 4

FERNANDEZ sKrLL7 STAMTNA 7 You find yourselfstanding at a vantagepoint overlook- ing the vast Necropolis.As far as your eye can seeare If you reduceyour opponent'sstAMtNa scoreto 5 the stonetombs of Djaratianrulers and nobles,as well points or less,tum immediatelyto 255. as shrines to their beast-headedgods, eldritch fires buming round the city makingit all visible.The ruined your al Necropolisis obviously in use again.To left lie The path you are following leads towards a narrow, severallow stone buildings that do not appearto be steep-sidedgorge, the land on either side of it rising tombs; to the right, in the distance,you can seewhat up to the cliff-tops. If you have Cranno's Waming appearsto be a collectionof simpledwellings, possibly the ruined remainsof a village. Howevet the edifice written on your AdoentureSheet, tum to 5ro. Other- wise,tum to z9E. that dominatesthe complex is a great black pyramid towering over the Necropolis; a voice inside your head tells you that this is the Templeof Sithera.What willyou do now? The walls of the tunnel?r" ur" constructedfrom chiselledblocks of stone. Not far along the Passage, Explorethe low stonebuildings? Tum to 56 you come to a place where the ceiling opens into a Investigatethe ruined village? Tum to r97 shafttravelling upwards, bad< towards the upperlevels Make straight for the Temple of of the tomb. The tunnel also continuesahead of you. Sithera? Tum to 9z Do you want to try to climb up into the shaftin order to explore it further (tum to 3gz),or do you prefer to carry on along the tunnel, in the hope of reaching your goal (tum to agg)? 4 The door opens easily. You enter an empty room, a5 leading into an inner sanctum. In the centre of the 'l judge you worthy to enter the Ciby of the Dead,' sanctum stands a rectangular column and resting in a the Sphinx says. 'The Cult of the Cobra have taken niche in its side is an exquisite golden image of a Akharis's mummifiedbody to the Temple of Sithera crocodile-headed man, probably a god, no more than on the far sideof the Necropolis,where they intend to thirty centimetres high, dressed in Djaratian garb. raise him to life once more. Now go on your way.' There is no sign of any guards, so will you take the Without hesitation,you leavethe entrancehdl through statue (tum to z1s) or leave the shrine undisturbed a secondset of doubledoors. and retum to the funnel (tum to zE4)? Etr rFtg traT

ascentof Spirit Rock again,tum to 5gr-.lf you prefer to abandonyour searchfor the Shamanand set off in Betweenthem, the rn"r.f,rl?, have some very interest- searcl of the templeagain, tum to r7E. ing items for sale' they are listed below with their pti."t. If you decideto buy afVlhing, do so, then tum r8 io the relevantparagraph to ftnd out more about your Thereare two ways you can use fue as a weapon.The new acquisition. first is to fight using a torch, if you have one. If you Oil of Lotus - + Gold Pieces Tum to r55 do this, tum to r58 and fight as normal,but with your Two Yokka Eggs- 6 Gold Pieces Turn to z9r Attack Strength reducedby r point; if you win an to Sandworm'sTooth - 6 Gold Pieces Tum 548 Attack Round, you will cause4 points of damageto AlabasterScarab - z Gold Pieces Tum to 4r the Mummy's srAMrNerather than the usualz, since Crystal Pyramid- 5'Gold Pieces Tum to zo9 your weapon ignites its bone-dry bandages.The second fire a When you have finished here, you leave the market method is to throw a source,such as lamp, a Yokka Egg or a buming skin of oil at the and set out on your quest;tum to a4z. Mummy. For each one you attack in this way you 16 must Tesfyour Skill; if you succeed,the Mummy bursts into flamesand is destroyed.You may try this method The passageends at a fligtrt of steps' Descending as many times as you have fire sourcesto use. Once these, you-are surprised to find yourself in a partially you haveused up all your fire sources,or when you give flooded network of tunt els. As this is the only way up this method of atlack,note down how many of the Mummiesyou havealready killed and tum to r58.

The scarabsymbol ,lid., into the wall. Will you "?ity pressthe snakenext (tum to $y) or the vulfure (tum to a5o)? tum left (tum to tz4) or right (tum to 254)?

a7 You fall only a few metres and fortunately suffer nothing worse than cuts and bruises(deduct z points from four sreulNe). If you want to attempt the trtr 2(>21

So now you know tL" io"."tion of Akharis's tomb! Without fwther delay, you begin to make your way out of the templeruins so as to continueyour joumey eastwards.Walking between the columns,you suddenly catch a glimpse of a red-robedfigure dashing behind a crumbling wall. Could it be . ..? You give chaseand, rounding the comer, seethe man standing, ten metres away,his scarletrobes bearing the golden imageof a cobra.Swiftly you draw your sword, ready to deal with the evil cultist. However, before you can get any closer,the man strikesthe sandybank by him severaltimes with the staff he is holding in his hands. Immediately you hear an angry buzzing as a cloud of desert wasps flies out of a hole in the bank their nest having been disturbed.You watch as the homet- like insectsswarrn towards the cultist, then suddenly stop, hovering in mid-air.The cultist has his fingertips pressedto his temple and appearsto be concentrating deeply. The wasps masstogether into a cloud which rapidly takes on the form of one of the insects,only many times larger.The swarm,looking like a gigantic wasp with a taperedabdomen and a sting half a mehe long, tums on its massivewings and moves towards you threateningly.You are going to have to deal with the swarm; there is no way of escapingit. Will you defendyourself with your sword (tum to zzz) or will you usean altemativeweapon (tum to roBF

You pull the stakesout of the ground so that the Dracon can free itself from the net. ?t last,' the Etr 2t- 22-24 creafuregrowls in a haughty tone. 'l zupposeI owe you my thanks.I don't know how I ever managedto It is well known tfrut ,n"ii, fear fire, so if you have get into such a predicamentin the first place.I only somemeans of clearinga path with fire, suchas a skin lay down for a nap and then those impudent trappers of oil or a torch, you can use this method to reachthe had the effrontery to try to captureme. No doubt I box easilywithout being bitten (tum to rE6). If you was bound for the animal traders'markets of Rimon haveno suchitems to clearthe way, or if you do not and then into the private zoo of some upstart human wish to waste any materialsnecessary for sucha plan, noble. If there's one thing I cannot tolerate, it's a you will have to make a run for it through the asps' completelack of manners.' nest(turn to gg). aPPearbetween the Four men on horsebacksuddenly 23 you' with their prize free, they dis- boulders.Seeing As you walk towards the righFhand exit, the guards' weapons.The leader of the mount and draw their bonesrise jerkily from their postsand advancetowards the waist and with a shavenhead, group, shipped to you. They will reachthe archwaybefore you do, so, if you a stiletto dagger grasped in one runs at with you want to avoid clashingwith the guards,you could join with the leaderwhile the Dracon hand.You battle changedirection and run through the other exit (tum takeson his accomplices. to 57r). If you are intent on passing through this TRAPPER srrn 8 STAMINA 7 archway,you will have to fight. The blade of the trapper's dagger is coated with a SKILL STAMINA poison that normally inducessleep. Howevec it will FiTstSKELETAL GUARD haveno sucheffect on you, due to your high immunity SecondSKELETAL to toxins. The first time the trapper wins an Attack GUARD 7 you add r to your PoIsoN total, as well Round must If you win, tum to zzg. as deducting the usual z points of damageto your STAMINA.If you win, turn to rz5.

The terrain grows oroo.r?ir"ly more tortuous as you make yow way towards the ruined temple. At mid- day you rest briefly, to avoid being out in the open during the hottest part of the day; but by mid-after- noon you are walking between steep cliffs and high EE I zGzT 25 stacks of rock. Gradually the sound of a struggle z6 reachesyour ears from somewhereto the west be- You give a singleloud blast on the hom and it echoes off the tween the rocks. If you want to investigate,tum to distant hills and acrossthe endlesssands. The two Warriors look startled - then suddenly you are szz. If you would rather ignore the disturbanceturn aware you. to zz6. of two more of the creaturesbehind The bone hom is one used by the Xoroa to summonhelp 25 and wam the colony of danger!The mutuatedant-men closein you You can attack the mummified animalswith fire in one on from all sides.You must fight all four at the sametime!

SKILL STAMINA FirstXOROA 10 rL SecondXOROA 10 ro Third XOROA i.r g FourthXOROA ro rr. If you somehowsurvive this battle,fum to 55r.

to destroy, or if you run out of fire sources,you will have to fight; tum to t65.lf you kill dll the beastsin this way, tum to r47.

27 To reach the deeper sectionsof the tomb, you will have to enter the Fangsof Sithera.The only way to escapeis to locatethe door-release,hidden in a comer of the room.' If you ever find yourself in the Fangsof Sithera halve the number of the paragraphyou are reading at the time, then tum to the paragraphwith this new number.Now retum to zE6. Etr l zE-So 5a-r'

2E As the BlackLion slumpsto the ground, a greatthggt The night is numbinglr;ld and you are barely able goes up from the onlookers. Ierran is not badly to sleepat all. In the moming you feel worse than you iounded but, becauseyou were diskactedby having did when you settled down the night before (deduct z to fight the deadlybeast, the cultist hasgot away' You points from your sreurwe). As the feeling retums to will-now have to try to head him off on the way to your limbs with the rising sun's warming rays, you the tornb (tum to z4z) or give up the chaseand visit consult|erran's map; it showsyou that you must now the markets,to preparefor your quest(tum to uz)' headdirectly north for the temple.Tum to 5.

Your body feelsas if it is ii^, crushed,and you look down to seethat you are trappedwithin the conshict- ing coils of an enormous golden cobra. It raises its headuntil it is level with your face and watchesyou 29 with glittering eyes. And then it strikes. Your advenfure is over.

35 Full of hepidation you step over the blood-stained If you do not, you say just anythinS;tum to 56t' sand and round the great Gtrcassesand enter the tomb. Tum to zo4.

(tum to zS+F EE 34 The key hrms in the lock and the omate stone door swings open. You are at the top of a wide stone staircase;descending it, you entera vast,high-ceilinged chamber.The blue roof is dotted with stylized yellow stars,while the walls are coveredin plasterwhich has beenpainted with scenesof the deadking's life. In one frieze he venerateshis dark goddess,in another he dictateshis harsh law, and in another he communes with vile, demonic creafures.Several archways lead out of this main chamber,allowing you glimpsesof fabulousgolden treasuresand casketsbrimming with sparklingjewels. However, your attention is drawn to Akharis's huge stonesarcophagus and the enorrnousserpent wrapped round it. Covered in red, black and yellow scales,the giganticsnake must be at leasttwenty metreslong! As your light falls on to its body, the serpent'sancient, :eptilian eyes flick open. Slowly it raisesits head and startsto uncoil itself, its hard skin grating againstthe stone of the coffin as it rubs acrossit. With fangs as iong as your arrn, dripping with venom, the Great Serpentattacks.

GREATSERPENT sKILL8 STAMINA 11 lf the serpentwins an Attack Round,you must lose 3 sTAMINApoints and gain 2 porsoN points from its ierrible bite. If the monster wins two consecutive AttackRounds, tum to ry5.If you kill the over-grown reptile,tum to Et.

trE 5f57 5'F.59

55 for you to do here but refum to the trail and set off You leap through the archway just as the statue againeastwards. Tum to z5o. crashesto the floor behind you completelyblocking the way backinto the chamber!Youwill never be able SE to move the colossus,so you descenddeeper into the Pulling the iron wand from your backpack,you strike tomb.Tum to z16. Akhariswith it. At oncehe is surroundedby a shimmering black aura - and he seemsto revel in it. You are wielding the Sceptreof Oset, which the ancientDjara- With the cultist d"ud, tli"6 glowing sphere she was tian people hid from the Cult of the Cobra becauseit using to light her way fades.Ignoring this, you look was imbued with evil power. Rather than weakening uro,nd to iee what elseyou can find. The cultist was the Mummy, it has strengthenedhiml Rememberto recoveringa smallea*henware jar, which (asyou leam add r point to Akharis's srnl and 3 points to his when removing its lid) containsa peculiarly shaped, srAMrNAwhen you come to fight him. Now tum mummifiedobiect. If you want to take this jar, add it to ar5.

Walking towards tn" ,no,i?r, you catch sight of two bizarreJookingcreatures among the boulders. From the to 9. waist up they appear to be human, except that their eyes are silver and, instead of outer ears, two 57 flexible,antJike feelersextend forward from the top of A quarter of an hour later, a SrouP of four men on their heads.However, their lower bodiesand legs are betweenthe boulders,one shipped those of a giant ant! Coloured a light reddish brown horsebackappears -and to the waisi with a shavenhead, apparentlythe and standing about one and a half metres tall, these leader.Dismounting, they approachthe Dracon,which creaturesare Xoroa.As well as being able to seein the roars in defianceand fear. Unperfurbed, the bald man dark,Xoroa have an acutesense of smelland they can walks up to the monsterand plungesa stiletto daggel easilypick up your scent,which is rather strong after into its side. The cteaturesoon stops struggling and days of sweaty travel through the scorchingwilder- falls,unconscious. The four men pull up the stakesand, ness.The two Workers start to makea seriesof frantic having bound the Dracon'sfeet together,&ag it on to dicks and hums,then they scuttletowards an opening u *o6d"n sled pulled by two of the horses and, in one of the mounds. Suddenly two more Xoroa remounting,ride away southwards.There is nothing appearfrom betweenthe boulders.These creatures are Etr 40-42 45-4s larger than the Workers, standingalmost two metres tall, and their skin is slightly darkercoloured. Both are Peering round the edge iira" arch, you look into a holding iavelins,and one also carriesa sling. Quickly smallchamber which is facedwith stone;its walls are the Xoroa Warrior lets fly a.stonedirectly at you. Roll coveredin hieroglyphsand carvingsof animal-headed one dice. If the numberrolled is odd, tum to 265; if it people.Standing in front of a statueof a bull-headed is even,tum to 557. man that reachesup to the ceiling is a red-robed figure the cultist you chasedinto the tomb! Will you 40 mter the chamberand attackhim immediately(tum to The passagetums sharply to the left and you can see r9r) or wait to ftnd out what the cultist is doing (tum a hght being cast from round the comer. Carefully to 54op poking your head round the tuming, you see a red- swathedfigure bendirigover a hole in a derelictroom. It is one of the cultists! Round her lie the charred Nandibearshave no keasure,so they usually outlines of three humanoid creatures,although their rernoveit from their homes.^"aff However, you do find part fanged, skull-like visages still remain. The cultist is of a humanskeleton, still wearingwhat was oncea-red lifting somethingout of the hole. Do you want to rush robe; on one bony finger is a gold ring, fashioned to in and attack (tum to ztz), wart and watch for a look like a coiled cobra. If you want to take the Cobra moment (tum to tr6) or, seeingthat this is a dead- Ring, make a note of it on yow ,Moutfure Sluet.\ou end, retum along the passageand go the other way alsofind a few Gold Pieceslying among the carcasses (tum to gF (roll one dice to leam how many).Finding nothing else of value, you leave the Nandibear'slair and rejoin the 4t hail leadingnorth-westwards (tum to SIZ). The scarab,carved from a lump of veined alabaster,is actually an ancient lucky charm. Whenever you are 45 instructedto Testyour Luck,you may deduct r from Slowly, using the Papyms Scroll, you are able to the diceroll. Now reh'rmto 15. hanslate the hieroglyphs copied into the diary. The inscription reads: 42 And all tlwse who would despoil tlv shrine of It is no good. You searchdesperately for a meansof Cracca,I-ord of Rions and Fmyrun of the Gods, escapebut can find none.Deep underground, Akharis's baoarethe wrath of thenocodile-hcaded one. burial chamberacquires a new occupant as you are buriedalive underthe sand! Tum to zz6. trE 46".47 47 Curse You sit opposite 46 of Akharis.' the dog-headed 'The The force of your blow sendsAkharis reeling back Shamanand listen to his tale. Cult of the Cobra into the one brazierleft standing.Instantly the magical are followers of Sithera,the ancientDjaratian Goddess fire igniteshis wrappingsand the Mummy bursts'into of Evil. Sitherais, in fact, the Demon PrinceSith in the flamei.Howling, Akharis'sbuming undeadbody stum- guiseof a four-armedwoman with a snake'shead. The blesforward and topplesdown the steps'In moments, Djaratiansworshipped many of our gods and demi- all that is left of the evil creatureis a pile of ashes. gods in the form of animal-headedhumans, such as the Akharisis truly deadat last. cat goddessMeerar whom they knew as Seket,God- dessof loy. The Djaratiansalso believed shongly in But even though you have succeededin your quest, the power of charms.The Cult of the Cobra practise will you be able to escapeand live to tell the tale?For the curse-magicof their long-dead high priests, and the first time, you notice,behind the brokenremains you will no doubt need amulets and talismansto of the statute of Sithera,an alcove which contains protect you from their spells.'You ask Lopar how he someof the cult'smagical artefacts. Will you wasteno knows so much about the sect and the history of (tum more preciousmoments and flee the temple to z), Djarat. 'I was not always as I appearnow,' he says, you or wili you seeif you canuse the artefactsto help sombrely.When I was a foolish young scholarwith a get out (tum to z5z)? lust for knowledge,searching in the desertI stumbled upon someof the ruins of that once great civilization. I filled my mind with everything and anything I could discover about the race, but I pried too far and disturbed the resting place of a high priestessof Sithera. Inadvertently I releasedher spirit into the world and sufferedher cruel vengeance,before I man- aged to banish her speche.However, if you do not stop the Cult, and if Akharisshould be retumedto this world, the fate of hundredsof innocentpeople will be much worse than mine.Do all you can to thwart their nefariousplans!' If you have any items in your posses- sion that you wish to ask Lopar about, tum to r94. 47 Otherwise,the Shamansays to you: Now lie down 'That is correct,'Lopar murrnurs'Now sit, and I shall besidethis ftre and sleep.You still have a long way to tell vou what I know of the Cult of the Cobra and the go beforeyou meetyour destiny.'Tum to y6. Etr 4E-5o

48 Swimming towards you :re two huge reptiles, each four metreslong. When they are very close to you, the crocodilesopen their jaws wide and attack,intent on satisfyingtheir voraciousappetites. In the narrow passageway,fight the creafuresone at a time. How- ever, becauseyou are fighting waist-deepin water, you must reduceyour Attack Strength by r for the durationof this battle. SKILL STAMINA FirstCROCODILE 8 7 SecondCROCODILE r I

The crocodileis sacredto Akharis'scult becauseit is such an efficient killer. There are more crocodiles guarding these flooded corridors so, if you win this battle and cometo this spot again,roll one dice.If you roll r3, you will meetonly one crocodile;on a roll of 4-5, you will meet two more;and if you roll a 6 you will meetnothing. Tum to 287.

49 As you hit the ground, the Yokka Eggs in your backpackbreak. At oncethey hatch,releasing the fiery birds.For eachegg you break,deduct one dice worth of damagefrom your sTAMINAas the blazingcreatures bathe your body in flames.If you survive, tum to 202.

5o Keepingyour back againstone of the tall pillars,you areable to fight the Caarthone at a time. trtr 55-54

SKILL STAMINA 55 CAARTH WARRIOR AO ao You become engrossed in the game, forgetting your CAARTH SORCERER 9 8 worries for a while. Soon the board looks like this' The first time you are hit by either of the Caarth,you o o mustadd r to your PoIsoNscore, as well aslosing the usual z points from your sTAMINA,because of the @ venom with which the evil Snakemencoat their weaP- ons. If you win and you did not suffer any damage o o o from the Caarth,regain 1 LUcKpoint and tum to z5r. @ @ If you did suffersome damage, roll one dice.On a roll of 6, turn to rsE; otherwise,tum to z5r. @ 0

5a As you can see,the piece,Black One, is happedat the Unsheathingyour weapon,you chargeat the undead moment by White One and White Two. It is your horde.Test your Luck.ll you are Lucky,tum to r5E. If tum; which piecewill you move? you areUnlucky, tum to 176. BlackTwo? Tum to 7 Tum to 156 52 BlackThree? The Cyclops falls to the ground, dead. If Femandez BlackFour? Tum to zo5 attackedyou when you lastmet, tum to z6t-.lf he did BlackFive? Tum to r84 not, tum to 96. 54 Where will you go now: through the other door, if you have not already been there (tum to 595\, or along the new passageleading away from this iunction (hrrn to zlgB

Hffi 5v56 57

55 that has been used recently: scrapsof linen lie, dis- Beforeyou can get to your feet, you feel the cultist's carded.on the floor and a dark fluid has stainedthe hands round your throat (deductz points from your cnrmbling slab. It is then you realize the purpose of srAMrNA).The cultistis trying to strangleyou! Figiht these rooms: these are the embalming chambersto the battle which follows in the normal way; however, which the bodies of the dead were brought to be you cannot injure your opponent until you have got preserved.You are especiallyinterested in two jars, free. If you win an Attack Round, do not deduct any half-fullof strangeliquids. One is sweet-smelling,while pointsfrom his sTAMINAscore. If you win two consecu- the other stinksfoully and is symPy.Do you want to: tive Attack Rounds,you manageto free yourself from the cultist's grip and, from then onwards, you can Drink someof the sweet-smelling injure the cultist in the usualway. liquid? Turn to 8z Drink someof the reekingsyrup? Tum to r75 CULTIST SKILL7 STAMINA 7 Rub someof the syrup on your skin? Tum to zr9 If you win, tum to zt4. Leavethe embalmingchambers? Tum to r47

s6 An eerie silencepervades this area of the city. Inside You reactimmediately, ,flnting throughthe gorge the buildings you find rooms containing stone tables awayfrom thelandslide, although you arestill hit by a and benchescovered with rusty tools and broken clay few small rocks (deduct z points from your srluIN,l). pots. In the heart of the complexyou enter one room Tum to 89. EE 5E-6o 6t

58 its wings scintillating with azure flames.The bird of Gazinginto the depthsof the crystal orb, you concen- prey swoops down on the phantasmalcreature and trate all your mental energiesinto searchingfor some- tears at the beast with its ghostly talons, while the thing within it. Testyour Skill, adding r to the dice snake-headsstrike at the falcon. Within secondsthe roll. If you succeed,tum to 55E. If you fail, tum to battle is over and the jackal-spiritis banishedback to 543. the Demonic Planes.Its duty done, the falcon also vanishes. Suddenlyyou feel the priestess'sgaze upon you. Her eyes bum with a crimson fire, and under her cn-rel stareyou feel the strength ebbing from your body. If you have an Eye-shapedAmulet, tum to r5r. If you do not, tum to 544.

59 6t- When the Death Spiderbites you, it also injectsits Finding itself being overwhelmed by your superior poison into your bloodstream,paralysing you. The righting skill, the Dracon leaps out of reach of your Demon drags your body on to its web and goes on weaponand takesto the air on its stubbywings. As it biting you until you are dead.Its dire task complete, fliesaway, it continuesto hurl insultsat you until it is the Death Spider,along with its web and your corpse, out of earshot.Alone again, you continue on your dematerializes,retuming to the Realmsof the Damned, quest.Tum to z5o. where your soul will be extractedand tortured for all etemity!

6o The lapislazuli set into the breastplateglows with an inner light and above you hovers a great spirit falcon, trtr 6z-65

6z Thesedesolate highlands seem to be devoid of life in any form; you make your way further to the east

your left by a precipice.Without waming, a surpris- ingly cold wind begins to blow in from acrossthe desert,swirling the sand round about you. As you watch,the spirallingcurrent of air and sandbecomes a focusedcolumn and forms a recognizableshape. Stand- ing on the track in front of you is a humanoid,over two metres in height and composedentirely of the substanceof the desert.With great clenchedfists and a malevolentred glow in its eye-sockets,the SandGolem advanceson you. What will you use against this magicalcreation:

Your sword? Tum to r45 Firepowderor a Yokka Egg? Tum to 8r The statuetteof a god? Tum to 57E A Sandworm'sTooth? Tum to 5o8 A CarvedBone Hom? Tum to zao

65 Passingthe door from the Decayer'schamber, and the enhanceto this level of the tomb, you soon come upon a stone door, without a handle,in the left-hand wall. You try pushingagainst the door but can find no way of opening it. Then you notice an inscription carvedround the door. If you want to stop for a while ffitr 6+-6s 6ffiE and translate the messageusing the papyrus scroll, 66 tum to r9E. Otherwise, you will have to press on You try wedging your backpackbetween the roof as you can find no way of opening the door (tum and one comer of the room, but to no effect. Next to szt). you try your sword, but this snapsunder the inexora- ble pressureof the descendingceiling. Finally you lie 64 down and brace yourself against the floor, pushing Unstopperingthe bottle, you throw its contentsover qainst the ceiling with your legs, but even this the Mummy. Akharishowls with pain as the purifying desperatemeasure makes no difference.The Fangs waters eat into his undead body like acid! Roll one of Sitheraclaim their first victim in severalthousand dice: this is how much damage the Waters of Life years. causethe Mummy (make a note of the number of points of sraurue lcs you have alreadyinftcted on 67 Akharis).Tum to ar5. You raise the stone easily. Beneath it you find a *rallow storage pit. In this are some decayedprovi- 65 sions and a peculiar,wand-like object, made of iron, Buriedunder the pilesof bonesyou unearththe remains that has remaineduntarnished in this dry atmosphere; of a backpack that you presume belonged to the ils end is fashionedin the shapeof a clawed hand. If unfortunatehuman. Looking inside the backpack,you you want to take the iron wand, add it to your find a smallnotebook. Opening it, you discoverthat it tMoentureSheet.Whether you do or not, you will now is a diary or joumal. From what you can makeout, its have to leave the village. Where will you make for owner was amongthe band of explorers,one of whom now: the Temple of Sithera (tum to gz) or the low tumbled into |erran Farrs camp eight days ago; the *one buildings,if you haven'tbeen there already(tum diary containsinformation about their progressto the bos6F temple,but you alsoread something else of interest.On their joumey the group cameupon some ruins which 6t they believedto be Djaratian.On one sectionof wall Fortunately,since you:re standingback-to-back in the they found an inscriptionin a strangepicture script; it is narrow street,only one cultist can attack eachof you reproduced in the diary. There is nothing else of at a time. You prepareto defendyourself againstthe interest, but before leaving you decide to take the hader. Rasaur'stwo eggs with you, each of which will CULTIST sKrLL STAMINA provide a meal in itself (add z to your Provisions). 7 7 Tum to zz6. If you defeatyour opponent,fum to zr4. Etr 6tr7r 7244

69 people.On the oppositeside of the room is a statueof The tangle of flooded corridorsyou are in now leads a bull-headedman that reachesup to the ceiling.Your off in all directions. Peering down new intersecting flickering light casts eerie shadows acrossthe walls funnels,you see that yet more Passagewayslead off and you decide that there is nothing here of any from these.Which way will you go? importanceto your quest,so you continuealong the tunnel.Eventually the passagetums right again,bring- First left, first right, secondright? Tum to zr7 ing you to the top of another flight of stone steps. First right, first left, then straight on? Tum to 16z You have no choice but to descend,wondering how Secondright, then straight on? Tum to rEz rardown into the earth this tomb leads.Tum to 116. Secondleft, first right? Tum to 5or 72 7o Musclestensed, you spring forward and manageto Using the incredible strength of your willpower get hold of the statue.Where you were standing a alone, you break the control of the Path of Fear. momentago is now the openinginto a pit of bubbling The terror of the waking nightmare was all in your acidtPulling yourself to safety,you put the Malachite mind. Now the corridor is empty once more and Amulet round your neck and wasteno time in getting you can continue on your way, but you have been out of the room. Tumto 247. permanentlyscarred by the experience.Reduce both your Initial and cwrent srtn by r point. Turn to y3 r.6. No matter what you try to use against the statue, your attempts to stop it are futile. A massivestone foot is raised and then smasheddown with tremen- dous force, with you undemeathit. Your adventure endshere.

74 Unrolling the scroll, you see that it is covered in incomprehensiblehieroglyphic picture-script,written 7L in black ink and arrangedinto ftve columns.You can Peeringthrough the archway,you find yourself look- make no senseof the hieroglyphs, so you roll the ing into a smallchamber faced with stone;its walls are scroll up again and fuck it into your backpack.Retum coveredin hieroglyphsand carvingsof animal-headed to \sg. trE 75a6

75 Walkingalong the sand-strewntunnel, the passageway evenfuallytums ninety degreesto the left, then continues as before. As you progressfurther you see that aheadof you, to the right, part of the tunnel wall has cavedin, revealingthe entranceto a roughly circular funnel.As you approach,you can hear scuttling and scraping sounds coming from the hole. A huge, glossy-brown,oval-bodied beetle enters the passageway, rolling a large ball of compactedearth and stones in front of it. Then the Giant Scarabstops, sensing your presence,and clicks its mandiblesmenacingly. You have invadedthe beetle'sterritory and are blocking its path. With one tremendouspush, the Scarab sendsthe ball of earth hurtling directly at you. Test yourSkill.lf you succeed,tum to 246.lf you fail, tum to t7z.

76 You wake up as the sun is rising over the eastemhills. You are lying in the middle of a dusty track that wends its way north-westwardsthrough the wilderness.Behind you, many kilometresaway on the horizon, you can see the silhouetteof Spirit Rock. Lopar has helped you once more on your quest (regain r lucr point and z srAMrNA points).With renewed vigour you proceedon your way. Under Glantanka'sunrelenting gaze you havel on through the heat of the day. The uneven path leads you further into the wildemessthat fringesthe Desert of Skulls.You follow the route north-westwardsacross EE 7749 Eo-Ez

boulder-strewnhills and through narrow valleys. As boks as if a Giants' game of knuckle-boneshas been you passthrough one rocky gully you notice a large lhy"d here. The only signs of life in this scorching hole at its base,Ieading underground. Do you want to rildemess are the occasionallizard, running over the stop and investigatethis entranceinto the earth (turn rodcsin searchof beetles,and a lonely bird of prey to 524) or will you continue on your way without oaring on the warmthermals above you in the cloudless hesitation(tum to zz6[ are sky. The only sound is made by a cool breeze Bowing throughthe valley. . . but it isn'tthe only sound! n You aresuddenly aware of a low growling comingfrom You squeezethrough the smallhole and crawl along a ornewhereamong the rocksbehind you. Do you want tunnel on your belly for a few metres. The tunnel binvestigate thesource of thisnoise (tum to zg4),orwill suddenly slopes steeply downwards and you find 1lrouhurriedly move on eastwardsagain (tum to z5o[ yourself sliding into the depths of the temple. The tunnel eventuallyopens into a bare chamberand you EO are deposited on the hard stone floor. An archway I is a closething, but Nemset'spiece just beatsyours leadsout of this chamberand further into the temple, b the oppositeend of the board. You concededefeat so this is the way you will haveto go. Tum to 342. ld prepareto leavethe tomb. Tum to 5zz.

78 Er You know you cannotharm the Sentinelof the Shrine There is a sudden blinding flash and, as your eyes unlessyou are in contact with a piece of the material r€cover,you are startledby the sight now in front of from which it is formed. However, while retrieving you. Under the intenseheat of the explosionproduced this item you are vulnerableto attack and must auto- by yo* attackthe sandthat the Golem was composed maticallylose the ftrst round of combat.After that you o{ has completely vitrified. Standing on the path in canfight on asnormal. front of you know is a motionlessglass stafue.You give the Golem one great push and it plummetsover GOLDEN SENTINEL sKrLL11 srAMrNA12 tre edge of the precipice,smashing into hundredsof If you win, turn to 566. pieceswhen it hits the rocks below. Regain 1 LUcK point for your quick thinking and tum to rE5.

As the sun reachesits niffit point, you rest fora few Ez minutesin the shadeof a great slabof rock. (You may You gulp the liquid down and discoverthat it is wine eat Provisionshere if you wish.) The whole landscape ffised with medicinal herbs. The wine is used to trtr Es-8+ E5-8E cleanthe co{psebefore it is mummified,but on you it tS hasa restorativeeffect (regain up to 4 srAMrNApoints What will you use: a Bronze Rattle (tum to r6E), and increaseyour Attack Strength by r point during an Iron Wand (tum to 5E) or the Book of the Dead your next battle).Now will you: (tum to 24sn lf you have none of these items, fum to zr5. Drink someof the foul-smelling symp? Turn to r75 E6 Rub someof the syrup on your The great Cranno,hero of a hundredtragedies, has no body? Tum to zr9 time to help lesser mortals when he has a dozen Leavethe embalmingchambers? Tum to 579 soliloquiesto rehearse.Now leavethis place.'Will you do as the man says (tum to 8) or attack him (tum to E5 $4n Yokka Eggs are warm to the touch; with one of these clutchedto you while you sleepyou will not need to EZ light a fire. The night passespeacefully without any You wanderalong the featwelesstunnel - one corridor disturbances(restore z srAMrNApoints). In the mom- is very like anotherin this labyrinthinetomb. Eventu- ing, having consultedFarr's map again, you take a ally, having led you around to the right, the passage route north towardsthe temple;tum to 5. doesreveal somethingof interest.To your left is the entranceto another passage,but it has been crudely blockedwith lumps of rock. It may take a while but You reachout a hand ," pll up a fistful of jewelsbut you think you can clearthe obstruction.Do you want jump back in surpriseas the treasurepile rearsup in to: front of you. You blink severaltimes and the illusion disappears.The room is actuallyhome to a Scitalis,a Clear the enkanceby hand? Tum to r.65 large, brightly coloured snake which traps its prey Use Firepowder,if you have some, with illusions of treasure.You are going to have to to clearit? Tum to 59o fight the deceiving serpent,but at least you can take Continuealong the passage? Tum to r54 somecomfort from the fact that its bite is not poisonous- it doesnot needto be! EE With the serpentdead, will you oPenthe sarcophagus SCITALIS sxrrr 8 STAMINA 10 immediately(tum to 576),or do you want to search If you win, fum to 5. Akharis'streasure-rooms frst (fum to rZ9)? EE Etrgo

E9 As the dust clears,you hear a terrible shriekand look up at the rocky ledgesabove you. On both sidesof the gorge, among the rocks, is a group of six baboons. They are almostas large as men, coveredin bristly fur andwith viciousJooking,sharp teeth. They are leaping up and down, snarlingand howling cnrelly.One, larger fhanthe rest,is standingon its hind legsand holding a boulderover its head.It musthave been these creatures which causedthe landslide.Sensing that the baboons will attackat any moment,you unsheatheyour sword - and not a momenttoo soon,as the two nearestapes leap towards you, ready to tear you to pieceswith theirclawed hands. Fight them both together.

SKILL STAMINA FirstBABOON 7 j SecondBABOON 6 6

If you kill the viciouscreatures, tum to 516.

9o As you reachthe top of yet anotherridge you passan outcrop of rock, and suddenly your goal becomes visible.At the edge of a vast mesa that stretchesto the east and north, rising up between two of the sandy hills is a tall pinnacleof rock, its sides almost vertical.A massiveboulder, which appearsto be precari- ously balanced,rests on its flat top. The boulder is coveredin swirling pattemsformed by veins of some cryrstallinesubstance. There is a strong auraof elemen- tal energy about the place and a voice inside your EM 9a-92 93-94 head tells you that this must be Spirit Rock. A thftl you pass through other areasof the city that may be kail of smoke rises into the air from the top of the d interest.To your left, extendingtowards the distant boulder, and you can just make out rnrall ."rr. edge of the cavem are the tombs of Djaratians,while entranceat its basewhere it restson the "pinnacle. The to the right are shrinesto their gods. Do you want to Shamanmust live at the top of the rock and, from all proceedby making for' appearances,you assurnethat he is there at the The tombs? Tum to r49 moment. However, the only way you are going to The shrines? Tum to 295 gain accessto the cave is to scalethe pinnacle.If you The Templeof Sithera? Tum to 595 are determinedto seekthe Shaman'said and ,"*l to make the dangerousclimb, fum to ry2. lf you would rather abandonthis approachand set off in searchof You fall more than twentfietres down the sideof the the templeonce mofe, fum to r7E. pinnacle,hitting rocky outcropsand ledgeson the way down.You land heavily amongthe bouldersat the base of Spirit Rock,seriously injured; you arecovered in cuts and bruises; you have several cracked ribs and have sprainedyour left ankle (deduct 7 points from your sTAMINA,z points from your srtn and r point from your rucr). You areno longerin any conditionto climb the rock so,having tendedto your wounds,you set off, hobblingin greatpain, for the temple.Tum to r78.

94 The Decayer bursts into flameson contact with the sourceof your fire and is soon consumedby ftre. You carefully avoid the undead creafure as it stumbles about in the chamber, screeching and deftly move towardsthe door. Turn to r4E. trE 9r.96

95 97 Your secondquestion. In reachingthe Necropolisyou At last you find yourself face-to-facewith the ancient have ferried yourself acrossthe SacredLake. Bgt tell evil that you carneall this way to destroy.Remember me this: who ip the Ferrymanof the Gods and Lord of to deduct any points of srln or srAMtNe damage Rivers?'Convert the name of the deity that is the you may have already causedthe Mummy, then do answerinto numbers,using the code A = a, B = z, battlewith Akharis,who tries to beatyou into oblivion C = 3 .. . Z - 26. Add the numberstogether then with his powerfulfists. tum to the paragraphwith the samenumber as the AKHAR.IS SKILL 15 srAMINA 25 total you have calculated.If you get it wrong, or if you do not know the.answer,tum to z6z. lf you overcome your inhumanly strong, ultimate opponent,tum to 556. '96 'Thank you, my friend,' saysthe old knight. You are a 98 truly noble and honourablewarrior. Betweenus we A short figure suddenlyappears in the open doorway. have rid the land of one of the foul giant brethren.Let The man is dressedin plain grey robesand is wearing us drink a toast together.Gordo!' he calls.lVhere are a mask with grotesquelyexaggerated features. 'l am you, man?'Femandez's cowardly manservantemerges the great Cranno,master of a thousandroles, Possessor from his hiding placeand approacheshis master.'Give of a thousandguises!' the little manbooms. Will you: me the bottle of Old Samak'swe've got,' the old man tells him. 'Here, my friend,' he says,passing you the Ask Crannofor his helpt Tum to 5o4 bottle, 'this will revitalize your spirits.' You take a Attack him? Tum to r54 swig of the fortifted wine and immediately feel its Leavethe theatre? Tum to 8 effects.Restore up to 4 srAMrNApoints and add r point to your Attack Strength for the next combat you are involved in. While Gordo tends Don Huan's wounds,you wasteno more time in refuming to your original route to the temple.Tum to zz6.

Roll one dice and uad r to9tL total; this is the number of snakeswhich bite you as you pick your way over their writhing mass.For eachbite, deduct r point from trE I.O(F!O2 Lo5=ao4 your sfAMtNA and, for every two bites suffered, add r his heels into his nag's sides and levels his lance at to your polsoN score as wellt If you survive the your chest.Continue as if you were conducting one- venomous asps,tum to rE6. io.rnd of combat to determine the Attack Shength of yourself and the madman,but do not deduct any L()(, itnrt*^l points (hehas a SKILLof il.lf you havethe Ahead of you a broad set of stepsleads up out of the higher At6ck Strength,tum to ro. If his is higher,tum water and deeper into the tomb. At last you have to ztt.

What will you use against'o3the Mummies:fire (tum to r'8) or any charmsyou may have (tum to z4r)i!If you at a stone door, whilti to the right it continuesinto have none of these,you will have to use your sword darkness.Will you go to the left (h'rm to r.65) or to (turn to Sr). the right (tum to rzf

L()1. You have chosen*.onrlr"Lnyour combination.Rather 'There are many,' Rhehotepreplies seriously.'lf you than the wall opening, a greatblock of stone pushes are to reachAkharis's burial chamber,you will have to out from the wa[],behind the bull-god'sstatue. Looking confront the Guardianof the Dead and overcomeit. up in horror, you see the great stone colossustoppl-9 Also, bewareof Amentut, should you encounterhim' forward and at the sameinstant you start to run. Roll He was Akharis's Vizier and is loyal even in death'' three dice. If the total rolled is less than or equal to Refurnto 286. yonr sTAMINAscore, fum to 55;if it is greater,hrm to 422,. ao2 Unforhrnately,this bizarrecharacter does not believe the account you give of yourself. Why, you lying cur!' he roars.'Where is the knightly apparelthat one

clearly not thinking rationally.With a shout, he kicks trE 1or1('6

You sooncome to un ur.lnli", in the right-handwall. Beyondit is a flagstonedchamber, decorated with yet more wall-paintings.Howevet your attentionis drawn to a magniftcentgolden statue of a rearing cobra on the far side of the room. The statue, standing on a finely chiselledplinth, is two metrestall and its jewelled eyes sparklein the flickering light. Hanging from the cobra'shead is an amuletset with a pieceof malachite, which may be of use againstthe cult's curse-magic.Do you want to enter the room, with the intention of retrieving the amulet (tum to t56), or would you preferto passit by and continuealong the tunnel (turn to z47ll

ro6 As you flee,you hear the Dracon breakfree of the net and launch itself into the air. Your heart pounding, you are suddenlyknocked to the ground.As you lie in the dust, trying to catch your breath,you feel blood oozing from a gash on your back (deduct z points trom your srevrnn). The Dracon lands and stalks iowards you. 'Well, puny human,'it snarls,'let us see what you can do with that lump of iron you call a weapon!'

DRACON sKrlr 9 STAMTNA 14 The Dracon continuesto deride your skill and mock you as you fight; as a result, you must reduceyour Attack Strength by r point for the duration of this battle. If you reduce the creature'ssreurNA to 5 pointsor less,tum at onceto 6r. trm toraao ata-1L2

114 The diabolicalcreature, .ffirud from the underworld If you cleared a path to the box using fire, the flames of Djaratianmyth, leapsat you, snarling.Your eirthly have now died down and you will either have to weapon is uselessagainst the demonic spirit, which employ the same means again (remember to cross off soon overcomesyou. Your body will be sacrificedto from your Adoenture Sheetwhatever you use to clear a Sitheraso that Akharismay live again. path through the asps), in which case you will be unharmed, or you will have to run for it. If you choose ro8 the second option, roll one dice and deduct the total If you have a torch, tum to z4o. Otherwise,you may from your srAMrNA score, due to the snake bites; for use weapons such as Firepowder or a Yokka Egg every 2 sTAMINA points you lose, add r to your against the swarm, but in the end you will have to porsoN score! If you survive, or if you dear a safe resortto using your sword (tum to zzz). path using fire, turn to 54.

a12 You notice a crackut tt of the sarcophagusand exploring Rimon'smarkets, you soon discover markson the floor asif something"tU"u?. heavy has been pushed Quickly what the many stalls have to offer. JerranFan hands acrossit. Desperately,you push against the immense you a bag containing Gold Piecesand leavesit to stonecoffin in the hopeof revealingan escaperoute. Roll 3o you to decidewhat may be most usefulon your quest. threedice. If the total rolled is lessthan or equalto your Readthrough the list of items describedbelow and, if srAMrNAscore, tum to zgo.lf it is greater,tum to r7r. you buy anything, deduct the appropriatenumber of Gold Piecesand record the item on your Adoenture 1.1.O Sheel.\ou may buy only one of any item on this list Using your sword, you slicethe top off the plant and, unlessyou are told otherwise. removing the spines,bite into its juicy flesh.The bitter taste makesyou wince and, before you know what Ropeand Grapple- a length of rope with a metal hook you are doing, you have swallowed some of the attachedat oheend. Cost: f Gold Pieces. liquid. As well as being protected by its spines,the kooisions- you may buy any numberof meals.Cost: Barbthorn has a second defence against would-be r Gold Pieceper meal. diners:it is poisonous.(Add z to your porsoN total and deduct3 points from your srAMrNA.)Spitting out Lanternand Oil - eachuse of the lantem consumesone the rest of the plant, you hurryron your way, leaving skin of oil. Cost: z Gold Piecesfor the lantem plus one the toxic Barbthombehind. Tum to rr. skinof oil. Additional skins'r Gold Pieceper skin. trE ttz tty-tt6

Healing Draught - each tot of this elixir restores aaT sTAMINApoints equivalentto half your lnitial,score You stop half-way along the corridor and begin to (rounding fractions up). There are three tots in the search for the entrance to the hidden room that Rhe- hotep spoke of. Test your Skill, adding z to the dice bottle.Cost: 5 Gold Pieces. roll. If you succeed,tum to 3z5.lf you fail, tum to Anti-Poison- when drunk, this potion will reduceyour 145. polsoN total by 4 points.Cost:4 Gold Pieces.

BrassTelescope - this finely crafted telescopeis one Even if Don Huan r"*ulaX, did attack you at your of the most incredible examples of the metalworker's ftrst meeting, the eccentricold man is iust a witless art that you have ever seen.Cost: 5 Gold Pieces. fool, and leaving him to a cruel death at the handsof the Cyclops is not an action befitting a hero such as Firepowder- an alchemicalcompound wrapped in a yourself(lose r rucr point).Tum to zz6. paper parcel with a taper protruding from one end. IA/hen lit, within a tew seconds the package will ta, explode (roll one dice to find out how many points With grim determination,you staggeracross the cham- you may deductfrom the sTAMINAof any creaturein ber, sweatingprofusely. When you are past the fires contact with it). You may throw the packageat an you collapse,exhausted (deduct r point from your opponentat the start of a battle by successfullyTesting sreurNe). Unableto go on for the momentafter the yourSkill. Cost:4 Gold Pieces. strength-sappingheat of the Path of Flames,you sit down and rest.Ten minutespass before you feel ready Torch- a length of wood with oil-soakedrags wrapped to set off once more. Getting to your feet, you march round one end. Useful as either a light source or a along the tunnel until you reach a door, covered in flaming weapon.You may buy a maximum of three goldJeaf, to your left. Do you want to try this door torches.Cost: r Gold Pieceper torch. (tum to 4) or will you keep to your present path Severalmerchants, who look as if they have done very (tum to zE4)? well for themselvesfrom the trade, try to tempt you into inspectingtheir slightly more unusual- and more tr6 expensive- wares.If you have some money left and The cultist is holding a smallearthenware jar, inscribed want to have a look at what they have to offer, turn with hieroglyphs,in her hands.Now you can also see to r.5.Otherwise, you leavethe marketand set off on where the light in the room is coming from, for your quest(tum to z4z). resting next to the cultist is a glowing white sphere. trtr a',.Ta'3 a7_rtzo

As she turns to leave the room, she seesyou and, jars smashed,you can also deduct 1 SKILLpoint from picking up the sphere,hurls it at you. The blazingball the Mummy. Now, while Akharis is weakened, will hits you in the chestand you feel its white-hot heat you: scorching your body (deduct 4 points from your sreurrun).Wielding her curvedsword, the cultistruns Attack him with fire? Tum to 55o at you. Use the Watersof Life, if you have them? Tum to 64 CULTIST sKILL STAMTNA 7 7 Use a charmagainst him? Tum to 85 If you win, tum to 36. Try to removehis death-mask? Tum to 295 Try to destroy the sarcophagus? Tum to 257 Use your sword? Tum to 97 The monster'snoctumd 1,llr,a"rings are not difficult to trace, and after an hour you reach a wide cave mouth in the hilly uplands.Knowing Nandibears to be You do not have ,o *#t.g before you notice a solitary predators,you approachwithout fear of meet- disturbancedown in the valley. From nowhere, it ing the creature'smate. Entering the cave,your nostrils seems,a sandstormsuddenly blows up but, as quickly are assailedby a strong animalodour and the smellof as it appearedit dies down agairuonce the sand has rotting meat. The monster'slair is littered with half- settled, you see a red-robed figure standing at the chewedbones and shatteredskulls. Test your Luck.lf entrance to the tomb. It is the same cultist you you are Lucky, tum to 44.1f you are Unlucky, tum to encounteredat the temple! He looks around for a 560. moment then disappearsinto the tomb. Swiftly you descendinto the valley and dash across the sand, rrE hoping to get there before the Giant Lizards notice Not sure what else to do, you hurl the jar on to the you. Testyour Skill, adding z to the dice roll. If you ground,smashing it to piecesand crushingthe mummi- aresuccessful, tum to 54E.If you fail, tum to 5o6. fied bundle it held beneath your foot. Akharis's Mummy doublesup in agonyas you do so.Of course, the preservedpackage must be one of Akharis'smajor Beforeyou leavethe cavem,',,20you setfire to the Demon's intemal organs, removed by the priests of Sithera carcassand its web. Regain1 LUcKpoint for defeating centuriesago, as part of the embalmingprocess. For sucha powerful opponent.Climbing backup the slope, every earthenwarejar you have that you can destroy, you caneither enter the pillaredhall (tum to 5o) or retum deductr point from Akharis'ssTAMINA; for every two to the passagebefore that and tum left (tum to 254)? EE r2t-424

Beforeyou can reach het',,21 the priestesscasts a spell. At once thick, green smoke begins to pour out of one of the braziers and in its midst you can see a phantasmalshape forming. The demonic spirit has the body of a huge jackal, with two dogJike heads sprouting from its shoulders.Behind them a massof serpent bodies writhe up along its back and two scorpion tails lash menacingly behind it. Do you have a Falcon Breastplate?If you have, tum to the paragraph which is the same number as the number of feathers on the falcon; if you haven't, tum to to7.

a,22 After days of trudging through the desert,your legs are just not strong enough to get you out of the chamber in time. You are only a metre from the archwaywhen the stafuecrashes down on top of you, cnrshingthe life out of your body.

423 In panic you sprint through the gorge - but, unforhl- nately,not quickly enough.Several rocks hit you and knock you to the ground, shrnned (deduct 6 points trom your sr.nurN,l).Turn to E9.

a24 The tunnel you.ue following is soonjoined by several othersfrom the left and right. Will you go straight on (h,rmto z4g), takethe first to the left (tum to r8z), the secondto the left (tum to z7z), the third to the left EE t2ra26 t2ra29

(hrm to r95), the first to the right (tum to 5or) or the The powderswere usedby the cult's High Priestessto secondto the right (tum to 6g)? communewith creafuresof the Pit. However, before the summonedhellspawn can kill you, the templeroof cavesio burying you alive. You land the fatal Uo* llttne Dracon brings down one of the other men. The other two trappersfling themselveson to their mountsand gallop away,scre.un- In one comer of the ,ooilorfind a roundedgranite ing in terror. 'lt seemsI owe you my thanks again,' catch.You pull it and the doorway in front of you saysthe creature,'and as a sign of my gratifudeI shall slowly rises. Not waiting for it to open fully, you give you a gift.'The greatbeast bounds up the sideof throw yourself through the gap as the spiked roof a boulder, launchesitself into the air on its stubby meetsthe floor of the chamberbehind you. You have wings, and disappearsfrom view. You do not have to escapedthe Fangs of Sithera!Regain 1 LUcK point. wait long, however,before the Draconrefums, holding Picking yourself up, you look around. A few metres in its mouth an object which it drops at yow feet.The away is a T-junction;looking to the right, you can see article is half a metre long and looks like a T-shaped a painted door, while to the left the passageis swal- crosswhose top arm consistsof a loop. It is made of lowed up in the darkness.Will you go to the left (tum solidgold andhas twelve preciousstones set into it. It to ro5) or to the right (tum to frSF must be very valuable.'l hope you find this acceptable,' the Dracon says,'and thank you again,human.' With that, the golden creatureflaps its wings and risesinto the sky, leaving you alone again to continueon your quest.Tum to z5o.

Carved from a single piece of bone the hom is well made but is otherwise quite unremarkable.Retum to 359. rz6 Wondering what elseto do, you castthe powdersinto 129 the magical flames of the brazier. Thich choking, Nemsetis just too good for you - but then, she is an green smoke pours from the brazierand you can see, expert and you are iust a novice - and victory is soon forming within it, a grotesque,demonic apparition. hers.Tum to gzz. trE a5(Fa5t 432-a35

150 The passage soon ends at the entrance to a ruined As you stride confidentlffing the avenue,the two room - and now you cannot believe your eyes. Re- guardssee you and,before you can attempt any bluff, flected in the light you are carrying is a huge pile of chargeat you. They are grotesqueto look at, with jewels and gold coins! There is no way onwards human bodies but savage,bestial heads,and hands through the room, so will you enter and take someof gnpping cruel pole-arms!Fight them both at the same the treasure(tum to 84), leave the room and make Lime. your way along the adloiningpassage, if you have not done so already (tum to 37o), or retraceyour steps SKILL STAMINA back along the tunnel past the door by which you FirstTEMPLE GUAR.D 8 8 enteredthis part of the tomb (tum to 6tY SecondTEMPLE GUARD 8 7

L3a If you win, you enterthe blackpyramid; tum to 542. Keepingthe hills to your right, you trek acrossthe hot sandsof a desertwhich stretchesas far as you can see 'I to the north. After almost an hour's joumeying, you believe that there i, ;5i" such item in a hidden catch sight of several hillocks of sand, each with a room close to here. Leaving this chamber,furn left, large opening at its summit,close to the edge of the then right, and the secretentrance is around there.' If hills. Could these possibly be entrancesto Djaratian you later find yourself in this passage,you may look tombs,although they are much doser than you would for the entranceto the hidden room by deductingroo have expected?Do you want to investigate the hom the paragraphyou are reading at the time then mounds (tum to 3,g)or will you keep well clear of hrming to this new paragraph.'There is also a charm them and proceed along the outskirts of the desert that may be of use to you in the chamberof the (tum to r89[ GoldenCobra,'Rhehotep adds. Retum to 286.

EE 454-457

154 At a single word from the strangeman, a huge Sabre- toothed Tiger boundsthrough the doorway and across the sandto attackyou beforeyou canreach its master. SABRE-TOOTHEDTIGER sKrLL9 srevrN^a8 If you win, tum to 237.

You think that fire *"rttt" an effective method of attackagainst the Decayer.If you have somemeans of setting the skeleton on fire, such as a torch, Yokka Eggsor a skin of oil, and you want to try this, tum to tii 94. If you do not, or if you do not wish to wastea fire source(you cannotuse your light, if you have nothing else,so leavingyourself in the darkness),tum to a5E.

a56 Creepingtowards the huge golden cobra,you prepare yourselffor any devioustraps that may have beenset. As you step on to the last flagstonein front of the statue,it gives way beneathyou. Testyour Skill.lf you aresuccessful, tum to 7z;if you arenot, tum to zo6.

457 The Scorpiondextrously evadesyour defences,grabs -'-ouin one of its clawsand its sting whips forward. Its normallyfatal poisonis iniectedinto your bloodstream, 'cut fortunately you have built up a resistanceto such ioxins (add + to your porsoN total and deduct 5 oointsfrom your sr.lvrNn). Now retum to z4z and continueyour battle with the monster. ME t5E-a5g r4cr42

138 140 The Mummy horde numbers fifteen in total. With Moving acrossto the archway,you direct your light their atrophying hands outstretchedin front of them, nto the room beyond.At the foot of a few steps,the the powerful undead advance towards you. Fortu- foor of the chamberis completely covered by the nately,because Mummies are slow-moving,you can glistening bodies of hundreds of asps, a small but fight them one at a time. EachMummy has srrn 9 venomousspecies of snake!Only six metresaway, an and srnulNa rz. (Rememberto reducethe total by uon box sits on top of a stone plinth. If you want to any you may havealready destroyed.) If any individual attemptto crossthe room to the iron box, tum to zz. battle lastslonger than nine Attack Rounds,tum to Otherwise,you haveno choicebut to leavethis place; 256. lf you manageto overcomeall the shambling ium to 54. undead,turn to 567.

If you have a Carved itt"" t".", you could try blowing into it to scareoff the Xoroa(tum to z6).If you haveanything else you may want to use,such as a Yokka Egg or Firepowder,tum to zt8 and use it before you fight the two Warriors. If you have none of the above,you will haveto rely on cold steelonce more(tum to ar8). Thescarab slides easily ,^litf,u wall,as does the snake afterit. A grindingsound begins behind the wall and you watchexpectantly for thedoor to open.Tum to ro4.

You haveno ideawhere il?, in the floodedmaze. Rollone dice. If you roll, "."

7. Tum to 569 2 Tum to rz4 5 Tum to zyz 4 Tum to 69 5or6 Tum to 4E EE t45 45-'t11

fury, the cultistsrun towards you, intent on avenging Becauseof its insubrt*tif,lnifting form,blows from themselvesby your demise.But the transformationof your weaponpass shaight through the SandGolem the statue-isnot over yet. With a tenible cracking and will causeit only r srAMtNApoint of damage(z sound, fissuresappear all over Sithera's image and srAMrNApoints after a successfulTest for Luck).How- piecesof it break off and fall to the floor of the ever, hits from the magical creatureare like punches charnber.At the sametime, great rifts form acrossthe from an iron gauntlet covered in sandpaperand will walls of the dark temple and huge ciunks of masonry still inflict2 srAMrNApoints of damageon youl crashdown all round you. The whole templeis starting to collapselThe cultists forget about you and, more SAND GOLEM srrll 8 STAMTNA 9 concemedover their own plight, try to flee from the If you reduceyour opponent'ssteurNe to zero,you cmmblingbuilding. ]ust as you are thinking of follow- breakthe spell animatingthe Golem,and it becomesa ing suit, two rotting hands reach out and grab you harmlessheap of sandonce more (tum to r85). round the neck. Unravaged by fire, Akharis lives again!Breaking free of .the Mummy's grip, you must now fight Akharisagain.

AKHARIS SKILL E STAMINA 10 If you reduceAkharis's sTAMINA score to 4 pointsor lessin five Attack Rotnds or fewer,tum to 46.lf you do not, beforeyour battleis evenover the templeroof ialls in, crushingyou undertonnes of rock.

a14 Something tells you to pull the Ankh out of your 145 backpackand brandish it in front of the statue.The Try as you may, you cannot find any hidden enhance, Ankh glows with power in your grasp. The statue's and you start to think that the old ghost must have piercing gaze falls on the ancientartefact and it stops been mistaken or confused after so many centuries. In in its tracks.Then the stone limbs stiffen once more the end, in frustration, you give up the search. Retum and the eldritch light of its eyesfades. Screaming with to zr5. trE t46 t4r4E

146 47 Trudging through the desolate landscape,you are Where will you go now: towards the Temple of alone except for a solitary bird riding the warm ther- Sithera(tum to gz) or to the village (tum to r97[ mals above the hills. After an hour, you hear the sound of hoofs in the distancebehind you. Tuming around,you can makeout a cloud of dust approaching from the south-west.As its gets closer you can see that riding towardsyou on a gaunt,haggard steed is a tall, thin man wearing scrapsof armourand car4zinga battered wooden shield and a wooden lance. He is accompaniedby a short, round man riding a mule. You cannot avoid these two peculiar characters,so you wait for them to comeup to you. 'Halt, stranger!'thetall manhails you. He is wearinga dentedhelmet and is sporting a drooping grey mous- The door is not lo"k"d,lrld on the other side is a tache and a pointed beard; he also looks well on in regularly cut passagewayleading both to left and to years lVhat are you doing in this region?' he asks, riftrt. rire *ilt coveredwith stylized carvingsof almostaccusingly. You tell him that you are on a vital figures,human and "t" semi-human,worshipping demonic missionand that time is of the essence.Test your Luck. idlob.You decidenot to gazefot too long at someof If you are Lucky,tum to 542.lf you are Unlucky, tum the scenes,so you move on swiftly. Will you go to to roz. the left (tum to rEo) or to the right (tum to 6l)?

EE 4trL50

Many of the tombs h#"9 been broken open and looted, while others are no more than piles of rubble. More disturbingly,however, you notice that the maior- ity of those chamel-housesbroken into have also had their sarcophagismashed open - and the bodies are hissing. You begin to feel very uneasy, wandering among the empty burial sites,and you decide to get away from hereas quickly aspossible. It is then that you heardreadful moaning as a chorusof dead voices announcetheir presence.Blocking your way back is a horde of shambling,bandaged horrors. Somestill look quite human,while othershave become decayed,mouldering, bandage-wrapped skeletons. Will you face the Mummies and try to force a way through their ranks (tum to 5o5), or will you flee (tum to z5E[

450 Loparunrolls the PapyrusScroll and scansthe columns of picturescript. 'Ah,' he says,'do you know what you have here?'You shakeyour head. 'This is a copy of the hieroglyphicalphabet that was used,centuries ago, by the people of Diarat.'The Shamanexplains to you how to translatethe hieroglyphsinto Allansian.If you ever come acrossany of this hieroglyphic script, you will be able to hanslateit by subhactingzo from the numberof the paragraphyou are on at the time, then tuming to the new paragraphnumber. Now retum to a94.

EE 15a-155 t.5445'

a54 The amulet you are *";tt": protects you from the 'Making your way onwards through the tomb, you Evil Eye which the High Priestessis trying to use cometo anotherjunction. Will you veer off and follow againstyou. Beforeshe can try anything else,you run the new passagethat leadsto the right (tum to zt5), at the deviouswoman. Tum to 55o. or will you stick to this corridor (turn to rgoF a'5 Extractedfrom the White Lotus flower, this oil is clear and sweet-smelling,and is non-combustible.There is alsonot very muchof it. Now retum to 15.

The sun is low in the ,Ur"ff the time you begin your ascent.In this light, Spirit Rock takes on a deep red hue and the veins of cryrstalsparkle as they catch the sun'slast rays. If you have a rope and grapple,tum to Otherwise,tum to '.56 595. 59r. You have chosenbadly' By moving BlackThree you hee White Four, which rapidly reachesthe other end of the board.You havelost. Tum to 3zz. You haveentered *h"t ffi"rs to be a throne-room. An omate golden chair, inlaid with precious stones, standson a raisedplatform between two arches.Carved

guards,doubtless buried along with their king millennia ago. You are determinedto press on, since you feel a57 that you haven't much furthei to go. Will you leave You press the next symbol and then the third' You the throne-roomvia the right-hand archway (tum to can hlar a grinding of stone on stone and wait for the z5) or the left-handone (tum to z5o)? door to open. Tum to ro4. trE a5'Flt'g t6el6z

15E t6o As you recover from the latest test of your mettle, Mummies cannot move quickly becauseof their con- you begin to itch all over and, looking at your hands, stricting bandages,so will you run at them with your you cansee scales forming on your skin!Thismutation sword dr"*t (tum to 5r) or, if you can, will you use must be an effect of the poison on the Caarth's somethingelse against them first (fum to rolf weapons!The irritation gradually dies down and, as you will no doubt soon discover,your affliction may have its advantages.If you ever suffer damagefrom edged weapons,such as swords or daggers,roll one dice;on a roll of 5 or 6, you may reducethat damage by r point, thanks to the hard scalescovering your body.Tum to z5r.

r.6r. 'I am sorry, but I cannot give you what you desire,' says the dog-headedShaman. 'Now lie down beside this fire and let sleeptake you.'Tum to 76.

a5g Taking the spherein your hands, you suffer no ill- effects.You sensethat you can see somethinginside it, so you rub its surfaceto see if you can uncover anything. Suddenlyyou feel &zzy and disorientated. Your vision swimsand the room spinsround you until you :re no longer sure that you are still in the same tGz place.You closeyour eyes to try to stop the whirling You are at a crossroadsin the tunnels.Will you go left and then, feeling steadier,open them again. Tum to (h"rmto r95), right (tum to 287\ot shaight on (hrm to 547. rooF trtr r:65<55

a63 The mummified animals stalk prowl and slither towards you. In the confines of the corridor only two can attack you at the same time. (Any you have alreadydestroyed come from the top of the list')

SKILL STAMINA IACKAL MUMMY 5 5 TIGERMUMMY 8 8 COBRAMUMMY 6 4

EE V 16Gt67 r.6E-l7o

meat and stuffed ftgs. After several thousandyears, t68 most of the food left for Akharis to consumein the Shakingthe rattle, you advanceon the Mummy - afterlife has spoiled. However, if you want to spend who merely punchesyou in the stomach,causing you some time searching,you could probably find some to drop the charm. Deduct z points from your items that, preservedby the dry air of the tomb, are srAMrNAand tum to zr.5. still edible.If you want to look for provisions,tum to zro. Otherwise there is nothing else here, so you L69 leaveand follow the other passage(fum to rz). Your feet touch the tunnel floor and you are safely over the chasm.Having rested for a minute, you set off again,until you come to a junction. Will you now go to the left (turn to 4o) or to the right (tum to gF

470 Having constructed your fire, you settle down to you Lucky,the night r.66 sleep.Tesf your Luck.lf are Passes (restore2 srAMtNApoints) and in the mom- The processof removing the rocks from the blocked peacefully map once more, you entrance is very tiring as well as time-consuming. ing, having consulted Jerran's head the temple (tum to If you are Deductr point from your srAMrNAthen roll one dice. north towards 5). If you roll an odd number,tum to zzy.lf the number Unlucky,tum to 575. rolled is even,tum to 5r9.

a67 'What help do you require?'the man asks.Will you ask whetherhe can aid you in any way on your quest (turn to s1g) or askhim what he knows of the Shaman (tum to 589)? trE f a7a-r7t a74-a75

a7a :cnsationassails your stomach.The plantsthe pungent After all you have had to face,your musclesare just lrup is made from are toxic (deduct 4 points from too weak to achievethe mighty task you need them i-our srAMrNa and add z to your porsoN score). for. As the burid chamberfills with sand,you have to \ow do you want to try rubbing some of the abandonyour attempt and consign yourself to death. syrupon your body instead(tum to ztg) or drinking In minutes the chamberis full and your advenfureis ;ome of the sweet-smellingliquid (tum to 8z), over. rr will you leave the embalmingchambers (tum to 37il?

474 xrambling down frorn the safety of the rocky ledge, 1-ouwalk slowly towards the beast. Hearing your :ootsteps,the Dracon tums its headin your direction andlets out a tenifying roar. You notice that, with the reature's struggling,the stakesholding the net down r-recoming loose. Do you want to:

Before you can throw yKr"lf out of the way, the Show the beastyou meanit no harm mud-ball rolls into you, knocking you to the ground and keepwalking towards it? Tum to 196 Severalof the stonesembedded in it gash your :ums Draw your sword and prepareto and legs (deduct z points from your srevrNe). As defendyourself? Tum to 562 you struggleto standup, the beetleattacks. Make a run for it while vou still can? Tum to zy5 GIANT SCARAB BEETLE sKtLL7 srepuNr 8 For the first Attack Round of this battle reduceyour 475 Attack Strengthby r point as you are still getting to Very well,' the Sphinx intones. Tlere is your first your feet. If you defeat the overgrown insect,tum to 'pestion.Who designedand built the tomb of the evil 55a. onewhom you seek?'If you know the namethat is the inswer to the Sphinx's question, convert it into a :rumberusing the codeA = L,B = z, C = 3 and so You take a swig fro* tf,151", and swallow quickly. on; then tum to the paragraphwith the samenumber. You immediatelydouble up in pain asa terriblebuming .1youdo not know the name,tum to z6a. Ettr ':76-177 a76 Before you can reach the Mumrnies, a cold shiver passes over you. The statue of Sithera is glowering down at you malevolently. Suddenly, a cultist leaps into your path wielding a huge, curved blade! You must fight him.

ELITECULTIST SKILL 10 srevtNn I

If the battle lasts more than six Attack Rounds,more cultistssurround you; tum to 558. If the battle lastssix roundsor fewer,and you win, tum to r58.

477 Opening the darkwood door, you enter a square room, on the far side of which an archway leads into a second, darkened chamber from which you can hear a hissing noise and the slithering of scaly bodies. However,before you will be ableto reachthat chamber you will have to defeat the guardiansof this outer one. Dressedin faded Djaratianrobes, two horrifying figures are advancing towards you. In the flickering light you can make out their skeletalhuman bodies, and you recoil at the sight of their serpentheads, still covered in patdres of snake-skin,and their glowing red eyes.If you would rather slamthe door shut again and escapefrom here immediately,turn to s4; otherwise, you will have to fight Sithera'sminions at the sametime as they attackwith talonedhands.

trtr L7E tTytEo

SKILL STAMINA NANDIBEAR sKrLL9 STAMINA 11 FirstDEMONIC If you manageto kill this ferociousmonstet tum to SERVANT 8 7 244.- SecondDEMONIC SERVANT 7 7

If you succeedin winning two consecutiveAttack Rounds against either of these hellspawn,the spell animatingits body will be broken and it will collapse into a pile of bones. If you defeat the Demonic Servants,tum to r4o.

There are riches f,"ru U"?3nd your wildest dretrms! Mesmerizedby the treasurehoard beforeyou, you are only dimly aware of a rushing sound coming from the main chamber.At last you look around- and seewith horror that the burial chamber is filling with sand, pouring down from holes in the ceiling. It is already kneedeep as you wade back towards the door, where The sun setsover tt *"t?3* horizon and you settle you find that it has closedagain and that there is no " down to rest betweensome rocks. The night is warm handleon this side!In a matterof minutesthe room will and you are soonfast asleep. . . be completely filled with the sands of the desert above, you alive. Greed has proved to be You wake up with a start, hearingthe snufflingsound burying your made by some large creaturenear by. You have just downfall! unsheathedyour sword when the beast comes into view between the boulders. In the moonlight the creaturelooks like a crossbetween a bear and an ape, but it is largerthan either.Smelling you, the Nandibear tums to face you and lets out a blood-curdlinghowl. 18o It has decidedthat tonight it will feaston its favourite The passagecontinues for quite a Way without chang- food - humanbrains! ing direction. At last you come to a black-painted EE ttr. r.Ez-tE1

{oq in the right-hand wall of the passage;a silner r'Ez Will you now go \*ag protrudes from it. Do you want to try to open you reach a T.junction. this door (tum to arE) or walk further along the bthe left (tum to +E) or to the right (tum to tz4)? passage(tum to 296[

Therecan be no doubt tnffi" Golem was an emissary d the Cult of the Cobra,sent to stop you reachingthe tlrb. As the day grows hotter, you redouble your cfiorts and force yourself onwards, determined to drwart the evil sect'splans. At last you find yourself tazing over the top of a great rift in the hills. At the If you have someriruporrlE"l or a yokka Egg, you can bottom of the steep-sided,sand-blown valley you can use either of them to diskact the Cydops; Test your dearly seea dark rectangularopening in the side of a Skill iI you do this and, if you are successful,reduce its diff, surroundedby large, carefully cut blocks of stone srAMrNA score by the appropriate amount before bearingcarved reliefs which areunmistakably Djaratian. fighting it (tum to a+E). If you do not have any such You have found the Tomb of Akharist However, you specialitems, you will have to be satisftedwith ttuow- may still not be able to enter safely,since from your ing rocks at the beast. Tnt your Skill. lf you are vantage-pointyou cansee two giant,fourJegged lizards successful,roll one dice. If you roll a 6, tum to tg9; rt *anding close to the entrance.Both are saddled and you roll any other number, deduct z points from the hamessed,but thereis no sign of whoeveror whatever Cyclops' srAMrNAbefore fighting ib fum to z4E. Even has ridden them here. Do you want to approachthe if you fail, you still athact the monstey's attention, tomb immediately (tum to 276) or will you wait to see even though you do not wound ib tum to z4t. whetherany further developmentsensue (tum to u9[ trtr I r.84-tt6 rETr.EE

aE4 only after you have opened the iron casketthat you You manage to trap White Four securely,but liVhite discovera problem'lying in the bottom of the box is a Two is left unchallengedand in three moves the game long, rolled-up papyrus scroll and crawling all around is all over: Nemsethas won. Tum to 5zz. and over it are severaldeadly scorpions,each as big as a man'shand. If you want to take the scroll, Testyour Skill.lf you.re successful,you lift'it out safely;tum to zoo. If you fail, you disfurb the scorpionsand have to mdure their stings!Roll one dice and divide the result by two (rounding fractions up) then add this number to your polsoN score;tum to zoo. Altematively, you may decideagainst retrieving the scroll and so attempt to leavethe room; tum to rrr.

LE7 a8s Kneeling down at the water's edge, you cuP your Yelling, you run at the leader of the cultists.At the handstogether and, having dipped ttrem in the pool, last moment he deftly sidestepsout of Srourway, and gulp d"* a great mouthful. Almost instantly your you end up sprawlingin the dirt. Testyour Luck.lf you stomachis seizedby a tenible buming pain.The water are Lucky,tum to 565.1fyou are Unlucky,tum to 55. of the oasisis poisoned!You writhe around in agony for severalminutes before the acute pain passes,but you are left feeling weak and nauseous (deduct + pointsfrom your sTAMINAand add z to your PoIsoN score).Once you feel able to continueagain, you leave the treacherousoasis to explore the ruined remainsof the temple.Turn to 9i46.

rtE

r,E6 Standing on the plinth, clearof the snakes,you study the box and find that it has a simple,hinged lid. It is here. Etr '..EflgL aEg You have not gone mudr further when suddenly a lizarre creature appearsover the crest of a sand-dune h front of you. Its headand torso are human,but from tre waist down its lower body and legs are those of a giant ant! The Xoroa for that is what you :re now h.i.g, standstwo mekes tall and is coloured a deep reddishbrown all over. The creafure'seyes are silver nd, insteadof outer ears,two flexible,antJike feelers ortend forward from the top of its head.This Xoroa Warrior has been patrolling the arearound its colony and it makesangry clicking soundsat your intrusion. Armed with a short spear, the guard attacks in- *antly.

XOROA WARRIOR sKILL10 STAMINA 11

If you win, tum to 55r.

a90 The further you progress,the more cracksand fissures you notice covering the floor of the tunnel. Just as you .ue considering tuming bad<" the tunnel floor gives way and,yelling, you fall through utter darkness for severalseconds. Your cry is cut short by the shock of hitting water. Surfacing,you allow your body to be carriedalong by the fast-movingcurrent of a subterra- neanriver. Tum to zEo.

agt Your sword drawn, you run into the room uttering a shout.At the last instant,the cultist tums and PrePares to defendhimself with the staff he is carrying. EE 492-tg, r.g4-tg6

CULTIST sKrLL7 srAMrNAz you whole! Trapped inside its stomach, you quickly suffocate before its powerful digestive acids begin If you win, a swift search of the cultist's clothes their work. reveals nothing of use to you except two meals' worth of provisions (add these to .yow Adomture "riJr" Sheet).Still no wiser as to the cultist's actions, you The Shamancan tell ,or, about an obiect only if searchthe chamberbut discovernothing. All you can you have a numberassociated with it. If you do have do now is continue along the tunnel; eventually it such an item, multiply the appropriate number by fums right again,bringing you to the top of another thirty, then fum to the paragraphwhose number is the flight of stone steps that lead still deeper into the siune as the total. After you have discoveredmore tomb. You have no choice but to descen4 fum to about your obiect, you will be retumed to this para- zr.6. graph. When you have finished showing Lopar your items,he says to you, Now lie down besidethis fire andlet sleeptake you.'Tum to 76. The talisman starts to f"lii". Holding it up by ts chain,you seethat the sun is glowing brightly. There 195 is a suddenflash, then a blazing beam of light shoots The only sound in the tunnels is the gentle lapping of from the amuletinto the undeadhorde with devastat- the water against the walls. Rounding a comer, you ing effect.Several of the Mummies immediatelyburst come to a large intersection.Which way will you go into flamesas their bonedry wrappings ignite under now? the heat of the beam.Roll one dice and add z. Make a note that this is the number of Mummies you have First left? Tum to 5or alreadydeshoyed. The talisman'spower is expende4 Secondleft? Tum to 254 but Akharis's servantshave already sufferedthi wrath First right? Tum to 69 of the sun god! Now will you attack the remaining Secondright? Tum to ar7 undead with fue (tum to r.8) or your sword (fum to Shaight ahead? Tum to r4z 5a)? ag6 493 Raising your hands in a gesfure of peace you move Catching you off guard, the serpent evades your doser to the Dracon, telling it that you mean it no feeble blows and strikes swiftly. In an instant its harm. You are somewhat surprised when the beast mouth has closedround you and the monster swallows snarlsin reply, Well, get this infemal net off me then!' trE a9Ta99 2o,(>2()1

Will you do as the creature demands (turn to zt) or 2o() leave it bound (tum to 582)? -nrolling part of the scroll,you see that it is covered n picture-writing and illustrations in the Djaratian 497 dyle. Scanningthe ftrst'few columns of hieroglyphs, At present you are wandering through the deserted urd utilizing your growing knowledge of the ancient streets of a Djaratian workmen's village where the )jaratian language, you translate them to discover people who laboured to build the Necropolis once $eir meaning.It appearsthat the scroll you have in lived. Their basic dwellings are in ruins now and there lour handsis an ancientDjaratian Took of the Dead', joumey is nothing of use to you here. However, as you are a guide to the through the underworld contain- joumey returning to the central avenue through the City oi ng spellsto aid dead people making the and the Dead you come upon a craftsman'sworkshop, stili nformation suchas the fact that they must facethirteen joumey. almost intact. Looking inside, you notice an iron ring ruzardson their This could prove very useful. attached to a flagstone in the middle of the room. Ii Rollingup the scrollagain, you put it in your backpack. you want to try to lift the flagstone, tum to 67. lum to rrr. Altematively, you can leave the workmen's village and explore the low stone buildings, if you haven't Your sixth sensescreamiffir.r, you throw yourself already done so (tum to 56), or make for the Temple iorwardjust as the floor gives way beneathyou. You of Sithera(tum to 9z). ^andheavily just on the far side of the pit-hap, winded hut alive. The bottom of the deep, sheer-sidedpit is ag8 Slled with cmelly pointed metal spikes!You had a The inscription reads: Twice upon the door to knock, closeescape indeed! You continue on your way ex- thrice upon the door unlock. If you know how many remely cautiously. The passagesoon fums to the times you must knock upon the door, tum to the right and, following it, you come upon an archway, paragraph with the same number. If you do not, you surroundedby carvings, in the left-hand wall. If you will have to press on further into the tomb, tum to followeda cultist into the tomb, tum to 45. If you did 574. not,tum to 7t.

Unbelievably,your.o.t tiir'rf,e Cyclopson its temple in just the right place to kill it outrightl Regain 1 LUcK point. Tum to 52. EE 202-203

2()2 Hearinga clicking sound,you look along the length of the room. At its far end, standingin fiont of a grand set of double doors,are two tenifying creafures.They appearto be a cross between humans and gigantic scorpions,with the headsand torsos of men but the bodiesand deadly stings of desertarachnids. Carrying polearms,these are the demonicAccursed, once human but now seruantsof the Demon Prince.If you are to gain accessto the third level of the tomb, you will haveto vanquishthem in battle. Becauseof their great size,fight the Accursedone at a time.

SKILL STAMINA FirstACCURSED ao 7.o SecondACCURSED g r-I

If either of the Accursedwins an Attack Round, roll one dice. On a roll of 5 or 6, insteadof hitting you with their polearms,they strike you with their stings iadd r to your polsoN scoreas well aslosing z points from your sravtN,l). If you overcomethe demonic guards,tum to r55.

205 Evading the Mummy's flailing .ums, you grab the death-maskand pull it from Akharis'shead, flinging it to the ground. At once the Mummy howls with pain and its movement seems to become slower. Your actionhas cost Akharis 1 sKILLpoint and 2 sTAMINA poinis of damage(remember to make a note of the number of points of damage Akharis has already utr 2o4-20,5 2orzao suffered).You now have no choice but to'fight the 207 Mummy. Tum to 97. You have almost reachedthe cave entrancewhen you fall. There is no way you could survive a fall from zucha height. When you hit the ground, your body is smashedto pieceson the bouldersat the foot of Spirit Rock.Your advenfureis over.

zo6 Keepingout of sight of the guards,you creep round the side of the pyramid and soon discoveran altema- tive way into the temple.There is a small hole, half- You find yourself*"lki,',;;:ng a rectangular passageway up the side of the pyramid severalmetres above way cut into the rock of the cliff. Daylight entering you. You could easily scrambleup to it - but it could from outside illuminatesthe tunnel for only a short be a trap. Do you want to risk it and climb up to the way - beyond that there is nothing but darkness.If hole (furn to 77),or will you use the main entrance you have a perrnanentlight-source, say a lantern, afterall (tum to rlzF torch or lamp, turn to 3o7.If you have no meansto light your way, fum to z5g.

This is a foolishmove *ili leavesthe way clearfor WhiteFour. Nemset wins the game in just two moves. Tum to 3rz. 209 The small pyramid has been carved out of a piece of quartz crystal; it refracts the light from the sun inside it into a myriad colours.Now refum to r.5.

2to Your reflexes.re ;:f enough. Helplessly you Your searchis quite fruitful and you manageto accumu- "", plunge into the pit, the bottom of which is filled with late enough food for 4 meals (add these to your bubbling acid.No one escapesfrom the Venom of the AdoentureStuet). Preparing to leave the offerings cham- Cobra! bers, you tum back towards the stone door. With a trE 2At- 242-2'.5 cracking sound, fragmentsof plaster start flaking off 242 one of the wall-paintings.You watch, startled, as a Becauseyou have the element of surprise,the cultist is life-sizeftgure from the mural begins to emergefrom prevented from using any trickery against you, and the wall, assuminga three-dimensionalform as it does you gain an unopposed strike. Then the cultist snarls so. The Djaratiansbelieved that figures of servants and h"rmson you. paintedin the tombswould magicallycome to life to servethe deadking. This is exactlywhat is happening CULTIST sxnr 6 srAMrNA5 now as the food store'sguardian prepares to deal with If you win, fum to g6. a thief- youl

TOMB GUARDIAN sKrLL7 sravrNe6 245 Trudging through the deathly stillness of the tomb, If you kill the servantlat your final blow the guardian you wonder what other surprises and horrors await crumbles into a heap of plaster-dust,allowing you to you before your quest comes to an end. The tunnel leave. Tum to rz. turns right and you continue to walk along it for severalmehes. Tum to 25i4. 244 You try to leap out of ,fi"""*u, but the lance strikes As your opponent falls, so does lerran's. Before you you in the middle of your chest,pushing you to the can stop him, the third cultist furns tail and flees ground (deduct points from your srnrrarrue).Un- 3 towards the markets.What will you do now? Will you sheathinghis rusted weapon,the man bearsdown on pursue the cultist and try to stop him before he can you, shouting,'Die,Demon! You cannotprevail against wam the rest of the sect (furn to Rimon the honour of Don Huan Femandez,Knight of Vastille!' 1g4),leave immediately,with the intention of heading the culust For the first Attack Round,reduce your Attack Strength off on the way to the tomb (tum to z4z), or ignore by r point becauseyou arelying on the ground. *re cultist and visit the markets to prepare for your quest(tum to rrz[ FERNANDEZ sKrLL 7 STAMTNA 7 If you reduceyour opponent'ssrAMrNa scoreto 245 5 to you, since points or less,tum immediatelyto 255. You now have only three options open Akharis is upon you. You can either attack him with your sword (furn to g7), W to remove his death-mask (tum to zg5) or try to destroy the sarcophagus(hrm to 257). mtr 2a6-2aE

2a6 ,{s you descendthe steps you are amazedat the amountof heat,transmitted through the sandand rock of the desertabove, in the tomb. Through your con- siant exertions,beads of sweatstart to breakout on 1'our skin. The staircaseleads into a low-ceilinged, squarechamber, on the far side of whlch is a fine woodendoor with gildedhandles. However, resting against the wall to the left of the door is a grotesque,mouldering, human skeleton,still wrappedin rotting clothes.The air round the colpseis heavy with diseaseand decay,and sunk deep in their socketsare two vacant,sickly yellow eyes.Cautiously you step towards the door and immediately the skeletoncomes to life and lurchesjerkily towardsyou, its claws raised.You are going to have to fight the foul Decayer!Will you use your sword (tum to 258) or someother weapon(tum to r55)?

All the tunnels toot lr"riLuch alike. Coming to a junction,will you now takethe first to the left (tum to 5or) or the secondto the left (tum to r8z), or turn to the right (tum to z7z)?

ztB You have strayed inside the boundary of the land round a Xoroa colony which the two Warriorsyou are now facing have been guarding. You must fight the ant-menat the sametime.

EE 2Ar22t 222-224

t:tjt STAMINA Se treasure chamber, but on your way out you grab a FirstXoRoA wARRIoR :andful of gems, worth between 3 and s Gold Pieces SecondXOROA roll one dice and add z to the number rolled) and a WARRIOR lo Lo 3ronze Rattle - a sacred device used in religious :eremonies.Now tum to ro5. If you manageto defeatboth of them,tum to ggt. 222 249 )esperatelyyou hack at the swarrnwith your sword, The synrp is used by embalmersto toughen and Tying to preventthe waspsfrom stingingyou. Fight preservethe body as part of the mummificationpro- ie insectsas if they wereone opponent. cess.Rubbing it on your skin toughensit so that from S'iVARM sKrLL9 STAMINA 7 now on you may reduceany extemalphysical injuries you may suffer, say in battle, by r sr.lurNe point. Secausethe swarm is made up of many creatures,it However,this tougheningmakes your skin lessflexible xrll be difficult to iniure, so for the duration of this and so hampersmovement (reduceboth your current :attle you must reduce your Attack Strength by r andlnitialsrlrr. by z). Now will you: roint. If the swarm wins an Attack Round, deduct z :oints from your srAMrNAand add r to your porsoN Drink someof the syrup? Tum to r73 score.If you win, tum to 5oz. Drink from the other jar? Turn to tz Leavethis place? Tum to 579 225 5o, you managedto retrieve the Serpent'sEye from ire tomb,' the priestesssays with a voice like velvet. Putting the hom to y#"tips, you blow hard. A In that case,obey my will. Kneel!'You are unableto resonatingblast echoes across the hills but doesnothing :esist.The evil artefact round your neck makesyou to stop the Golem'sadvance. A gritty ftst shikesyou in zusceptibleto the will of the Demon Prince'sminions. the face(deduct points your You remainmotionless as the life-forceis drawn from z from srnulNn). Swiftly .;our you draw your sword,ready to retaliate.Tum to r45. body so that Akharismay live again.

224 |ust in casethe undeadiitTr"insane loyalty should lhere is nothing remarkableabout the key, and Cranno bring him backto life oncemore, you set ftre to his you he has never found a lock that it ftts. Retum -lls colpse.Having done so, you do not delayin leaving 10559. trtr 225-227 zzE

and strangleyou, causingdamage equal to the roll of Time will wait no l""r"r:it, you watch, the ghost of onedice! Each Attack Roundafter this, you must strike Rhehotep fades. 'May the good gods of Djarat go successfullyto free yourself from its grip or take the with you, brave adventurer. . .' is the last thing you sameextra damageagain. If you overcomethe undead hearhim say beforehis spirit departsthis world at lasf. guard,tum to 5r9. Turn to r54. zzB zz6 The door opens into an antechamberwhich is decor- Dusk falls and still you have not sighted the temple. atedwith paintedreliefs of the Diaratiansat war with Here,on the fringesof the Desert of Skulls,the nights various nations and desert tribes. Beyond this room, are as freezingas the days are scorching.If you havea through an archway, is another, smaller one. In the Yokka Egg, hrrn to E5. Otherwise, do you want to centre of this second room stands a plain alabaster build a fire to keep you warn, assumingyou have pedestalon which, glinting in the light you are carry- some me:rnsof lighting one (tum to t7o), or would ing, you seea smallfigurine of a cat madefrom jet. As you rather not risk attracting the attentions of any you considertaking this treasure,you becomeaware noctumalhunters (turn to 5r)? of the two life-sizestatues of men, armedwith spears, standingone either side of the archway.Do you want to enter the inner chamberand take the cat (turn to As you clear away th" .u"b?", you are intemrpted in :5r) or will you leave this room and retum to the your labours by the anival of one of the tomb's passageoutside (tum to 296[ wandering guards. With lifeless, rotting flesh, long dank hair and tatters of Djaratiangarments clinging to its decayingflesh, the Tomb Stalkerstumbles towards you, moaning.If you do not want to fight the deathly guard, you can stop clearingthe passagewayand run back along the tunnel, following it past the cedar- wood doors (tum to zS4).Otherwise, you will have to fight.

TOMB STALKER srrrl 8 stevrNe 6 If the Tomb Stalker wins two consecutiveAttack Rounds,it will grab your neck in its powerful hands EE 221231

229 Entering the passageway,there is a sudden drop in temperatureand you cannot help feeling that your llght does not penetrate the darknessas well as it should.Without waming,a huge claw sinksinto your back, tearing your flesh to the bone. Screamingin pain, you stare,horrified, as a great ball of fire comes hurtling down the conidor and engulfs you. From amid the flames,a spear-wieldingcorpse thrusts its weaponbetween your ribs, and all around cruel faces laugh at your distress.Can this really be happening? Testyour Skill.lf you succeed,tum to 7o.lf you fail, bumto 52.

230 You pressthe vulture symbol next and then the snake. Thereis a momentof tenseanticipation as you wonder whetheryou have madethe right choice,then the wall swings open. Stepping through the secretdoor, you find yourself in a short corridor which ends after only ten mehes at a bizarre portal carved to resemblea gapingserpent's mouth. Between the fangs,pin-pricks of silver light swirl within a black void. There is no sign of the cultist, and the portal is the only way forward, so will you enter it (tum to S+il or retrace your steps to the original tunnel, which tums right and leadsyou deeperinto the tomb down a flight of steps(tum to z16)?

254 As you searchthe Snakemen'sbodies, you wonder what they are doing in the tomb. The Giant Lizards Etr 212-25t 23,4-256 you encounteredmust have been their mounts. It is you do not see the missingsteps and, losing your likely that the Caarth were investigating goings-on footing, fall the rest of the way down the steep,very here becauseof the proximity to their lands and the long staircase.Lying at the bottom of the steps, connection with the Demon Prince, Sith, whom they stunned,you are only dimly aware of the sound of worship. These two can only have been scouts from a footsteps and a sibiliant hissing before a poisoned larger party, as they are carrying nothing of use to blade is plunged into your heart. You perish horribly you in terms of provisions or treasure. in the darkness.Your adventureis over. Leaving the dead Caarth, you make your way to the far side of the pillared haII and leave tluough an archway, which is the only exit. You enter another You passunder u ,".tion'5i roof coveredwith thick short passagewhich ends at a T-junction.Both routes slime and, as you do so, some drips on to you. look exactly the same,so far as you can see by your Unfortunatelythe vile gunk is acidic (deductz points light, so will you take the left- (tum to or the fg6) from your sraurra). Now wherewill you go? right-hand tunnel (tum to ZsF Left, then left again? Turn to r8z Left, then straight on? Tum to r95 In the alcove i, ..yrtulry2orb,resting on a golden Straighton? Tum to 569 stand, an alabaster" bowl containing brightly coloured powders, and a flask fashionedin the form of a viper, 255 containing someblack liquid. What will you try to use Crouchinglow againstthe top of the cliffs,you encoun- to aid your escape? ter no hostile denizensof these parts and, once past the gorge, you follow a stony track down towardsthe The crystal orb? Tum to 5t lower ground and rejoin your original path. Tum to The coloured powders? Tum to ra6 90. The viper's venom? Tum to 297 236 While you battle on, the other Mummies slowly sur- You proceedcarefuIly ffi ,^" tunnelinto the all- round you and grab you with their decaying hands. enveloping bladcness.Slowly edging forward, you Unable to move, you :re totally helpless as the High ftnd yourself at the top of a flight of steps and begin Priestess casts her spell, draining your life-force to to make your way down. Totally blind in the darkness, resurrect Akharis. Your adventure is over. trE 231259 24o..41

240 Tl'owing asidehis rn"rk?f,:-an runs down the steps While you are lighting the torch, the waspscan sting from the platform and falls to his knees beside the you unopposed(deduct z points from your srAMrNA prone body of his dead pet, tears streaming down his and add r to your porsoN score).However, wielding face. Then he fums to you and, between great sobs, the blazing torch, you will be able to harm the swarrn managesto splutter,'l'm sor4r. Oh pleasehave mercy. more effectively. I don't mean anyone any harm; I just like to be left in SWARM SKILL STAMTNA peace.'Seeing the man in such a state,you are ftlled 9 7 with remorse and leave the ruined theatre before you Becauseyou are using an unusualweapory you must causeCranno any more grief. Tum to E. reduce your Attack Strength by r point for the duration of this battle. If the swarmwins an Attack Round, as well as losing 2 srAMrNApoints you must add r to You tum tail and *" *r.*lhe hbyrinthine depths of your polsoN score.If you overcomethe swarm,tum the tomb district. Rounding a comer, you almost run to 5oz. shaight into anothergroup of Mummies,then a third group emergesfrom a side-street.Surrounded, you do your best to fend off the lumbering undead but, even with ftre as a weapon, you are evenfually overcome \a by the sheerforce of their numbers.Your advenfure is over.

If you are wearing ffi Tahsmaru multiply the "#aong You have not travellea the passagewhen numberof light rays projecting" from it by eight, then you come to a junction: another low corridor leads turn to the paragraph with the same number as the away to the left. Do you want to follow this new total. Anything else you may have has no effect on tunnel (tum to 5o5) or would you prefer to stick to these undead;so will you fight them with fire (tum to your presentroute (tum to aS+F rt) or with your sword (tum to lrl trE F 245-^+t 24r247

scorpion and strike its claw. Releasingits grip on Nandibear.The creaturestill lies where it fell and you |erran's body, the grotesquecreature tums to ittack # canmake out its hacksamong the rocks.Its lair cannot you. be far away,and you wonder what treasurescould be # Kidden there. If you want to follow the Nandibears GIANT SCORPION sxrlr 8 fr srAMrNA10 tracksin the hope of finding its lair, tum to tr7-lf yort would rather not make this diversion from your journey, tum to 557.

245 545. Unfurling the scroll, you scan the columnsof hieroglyphs for a spell to help you. As you do so, Akharis 245 grabsyou and hurls you to the floor (deduct4 points It is a close-runthing, but you just beatNemset to the from your STAMINA).Dropping the scroll,you PrePare to fight; turn to zr5.

246 You side-stepswiftly so that the mud-ball rolls past you harmlessly.Angrily, the beetlescuttles forward to attack. GIANT SCARAB BEETLE sKrLL7 s'rnurNe8 water, etchedwith the Djaratiansymbol for life. ,Take the Sun Talisman and the Waters of Life,' says the If you overcomethe overgrown insect,tum to 55r. princess,'and may they help you thwart the evil one., If you ever want to drink the Waters of Life (but not 2,47 when you are in the middle of a combat),make a note Proceedingalong the tunnel, you are startled to hear of the paragraphyou are readingat the time, then tum the sound of rushing water in the distance.The nbise to 55S.For now, add your new possessionsto your increasesin volume until you come to the edge of a AdoentureSheet, then tum to 3zz. precipice.Shining your light into the darkness,you see ihut lh" crevasseis severalmetres wide and that the ''14 tunnel continueson the other side. Your illumination The rest of the night passeswithout incideht, and in also picks out the craggysides of the chasmbut does the moming you are able to inspectthe body of the not reach as far as the water you can hear roaring Etr 24E-z'o 251

below. Somehowyou will either have to get acrossto in this hot region is the occasionalscrubby bush and the other side of the crevasseor risk jumping into the fleshy, green, thick-stemmed succulent covered in undergroundriver. Will you: spines.You notice one of theseplants growing close to the track you are following. Somespecies :ue very Attempt to jump acrossthe chasm? Tum to z9z nutritious,but you do not know if this is such a one. Use a rope and grapple if you have Do you want to cut yourselfa pieceof the plant to eat one, to swing across? Tum to z7t (fum to to) or will you continueon your way (tum fump into the river? Tum to 586 to rr)?

z4E Yelling, you chargeat the Cyclops and, before it can react,sink your bladeinto its leg. Bellowingwith pain and rage the monsterforgets Femandezand tums all its fury on you. 254 You pass through the archway between the stafues CYCLOPS sKrLL10 STAMINA 10 unhinderedand lift the jet figurine from the pedestal If you win, tum to 52. without triggering any lethal device.It is only when you approachthe archwayagain that the natureof the hap here becomesclear. Creaking, the two statues The tunnel comest" #?.a in a flooded room. move from their sentry-postsof cenfuriesand advance Manacledto a wall is a human skeletonand hanging towardsthe tomb robber who would stealthe treasure frorn its neck is an obsidianpendant, which you they guard. Standing in the archway, you may fight take if you wish. Leavingthe room, you refum to-uy the the statuesone at a time. intersection.Will you take the ftrst to the right (tum to r.g5),the secondto the right (furn to z7z), the third SKILL STAMINA to the right (tum to rEz), the first to the left (tum to FirstSTATUE 6 6 59), the secondto the left (tum to 5or) or go shaight SecondSTATUE I 9 ahead(tum to r4z[ If you wio the secondstafue shatters as you lay your final blow. Stowing the Iet Cat in your backpack,you 'ril You trudge on through n"", of the day, further leavethe room and continuealong the passagewayin into the rugged hills. The only vegetationthat grows searchof further treasures.Tum to 496. ME 255-254

Lying at the bottom of thli;.ophagus, among a few Reheatl Retreat!' tf,u of?* yells, acknowledging scrapsof stained,tom bandages,is an amulet in the your superior swordsmanship and breaking off his form of a stylized eye (you may take it if you wish). attack. Pulling on his steed's reins, Femandezgallops So where can Akharis's body be? The Cult of the away north-eastwardsinto the hills, followed by Gordo Cobramust have moved it from the tomb and takenit on his mule. Bewildered by the old man's irrational elsewhere.Having bravedthe tomb's dark depths,you actions,you watch as the two ftgures dwindle into the are overwhelrnedwith dejection, fearing that your distancebefore continuing your journey on foot. Tum perilousjoumey may have beena completewaste of to 24. time! You are rousedfrom your stateof self-pity by a rushing sound.Looking up, you seein horroi that the 254 burial chamberis fillilrg with sand which is pouring Following the passage you find yourself in a small down from holes in the ceiling. The door slamsshut squareroom with a door in each of its four walls. As and there is no handleon the inside!The last trap has you stand in the middle of the room, considering been sprung and, if you cannot find a way out ioon, which way to go next, there is a loud grating sound you aregoing to be buried alive.Test your Skill.If you and four great slabs of stone drop dowo blocking all succeed,tum to rog.lf you fail, tum to 42. the exits! You run over to one blocked doorway and hammeron it with your fist. As if things were not bad enough already,now you hear a deep rumbling sound and the roof of the chamber begins to descend as great metal spikesemerge from holes cut into it. You were not quick enough in leaving this room, so now you will die by the Fangsof Sithera!IA/hat are you going to do to prevent zucha grisly fate?Will you: Ram one of the doors? Tum to rEB Try to jam the descendingceiling? Tum to 66 Searchfor a releasemechanism? Tum to 562

trtr 25y257

As soonas you tor.n tn"liltue, a magicalhansforma- tion takesplace and the goldenimage grows until it is two and a half metres tall. The huge crocodile-head looks down at you then raises a great golden fist, ready to beat you into the ground. Do you have a Gold Piece or something else made of gold among your possessions?If you have, fum to 78. If you haven't,tum to 275.

256 Looking through the telescope,you are amazedby how closedistant feafuresappear. In the east,a single high pinnacleof rock juts up from amongthe hills into the sky. A massiveboulder seemsto be balancedon top of it and you can make out shining, swirling pattemson its surface.Surely this must be Spirit Rock! Tuming to the north, your eye is caught by the reflectionof the sun on water.Surrounding the oasisis a group of palm treesand next to it, lying in fumbled ruins,is the templeyou seek.Tum to 255.

257 To reach the sarcophagus,you will first have to get past Akharishimself. The foul Mummy reachesout for you with bandagedtalons. (Remember to deduct any points of damage you have already inflicted on Akharis.)

AKHARIS sKrLL15 STAMTNA 25 As soon as you have fought four rounds of combat, you get past the lurching undeadhorror and run up EE 25'F.259 z6ez6t the dais steps to the sarcophagus.But how will you stumbleto the ground and the cultists are uPon you. destroy it? There are severallarge cracksacross the Turn to 68. coffin,but you feel surethat strikingit with your sword will havelittle effect.If you havesome Firepowder you could use,tum to 3y5. Otherwise,you decideto try to z6o push the great stonecofftn off the dais,hoping that the As you walk towards the left-hand exit, the guards' fall will break it. Roll four dice; if the total is greater bonesrise jerkily from their postsand advancetowards than your srAMrNAscore, you are not strongenough you. They will reachthe archwaybefore you do, so, if to carryzout such a herculeanfeat (tum to g). If the you want to avoid clashingwith the guardsyou could total is lessthan or equalto your srAMrNAscore, you changedirection and run through the other exit (tum succeedin pushingthe sarcophagusoff the daisso thai to zzg). If you are intent on passing through this it hits the floor with devastatingresults (tum to lZl). archway,you will haveto fight.

25E STAMINA 'K;LL Reekingof deathand putrefaction,the undeadDecayer FirstsKELETAL GUARD advancestowards you, fearlessof your weapon. SecondSKELETAL GUARD 7 DECAYER sK[L 7 STAMTNA 5 Unknown to you, while you were fighting you have If you win, tum to 37r. been infected by the near-invisible,disease-ridden sporesreleased by the Decayer(so, if you win, add 4 z6t to your PorsoNscore); tum to r48. 'You areno Demon,'he says,looking slightly bewildered. 'Perhapsthat black-heartedscoundrel Zanmethees did not sendyou.'You assureFernandez that he did not and, 'Run for it!' you ,t o.rt to'i3rran, and the two of you convincedat last,the old knight apologizesprofusely for chargethe lone cultist behind you. Knocking him to the ground, the way along the street aheadis clearas far as the markets. Once among the crowds, you should be able to lose your pursuerseasily. Suddenly you hear a humming sound as two throwing-starsfly to from the cultists' hands and strike you and ferran in master'swounds; you wasteno moretime in refuming the back (deductz points from your srAMrNA).You your original route towardsthe temple.Tum to zz6. trE 262-265 264-267

z6z 264 The Sphinx speaksagain, but still you do not know what The blast is just too much for the ages-old tunnel; the to say in reply. There is a tense moment of silence,then roof caves in on top of you and crushes the life out of the great creatureroars, bounding towards you acrossthe your body. hall. Bewildered, you unsheath your sword to defend yourself. Unfortunately, your earthly weapon has no z6s effect against this agent of the gods of Djarat, whereasits The small round bottle is full of what appearsto be terrible claws soon tearyou apart.Youradvenfure is over. swirling black smoke, giving it its colour. The glass stopper is sealedwith hard-bakedclay. If you ever want to breakthe sealand open the bottle tum to 59E (makea note of this).Now, however,retum to 53g.

266 You weaken under the priestess'srelentless stare. Deduct 6 points from your sTAMINAand z points from your srrn. However, somehowyou manageto keepmoving and staggertowards the dais in order to attack the priestess.Seeing you approach,she breaks her concentration and you are released from the strength-sappinggaze. Tum to 55o. z6j The stonewhistles past your head,missing it by just a 267 few centimetres.Unperturbed, the mutated ant-men The fireball missesyour head by mere centimetres, move in to the attack.Will you draw your sword to exploding into a pillar. Before they can try anything defend yourself (tum to zr8) or will you look for else, you run at your reptilian attackerswith your somethingelse to useagainst the Xoroa(tum to r59[ sword drawn;tum to 5o. EE z6E-269

z6E You slide to a stop close to a large web, which is made up of a tangle of shimmering, sticky, silver strands,in a high cavem. You scramblequickly to your feet as the web's makerdescends from the roof of the cave.Facing you is a massivegrey-black spider, almost five metresacross. Instead of having the head of an arachnid,as you would expect,its hairy body is surmountedby a demonic head with a malevolent havesty of a human face, and wearing a Djaratian head-dress.As the diabolical creaturestalks towards you, there is no doubt in your mind that your oppo- nentis a DeathSpider.

DEATH SPIDER SKILL 12 STAMTNA 9 The Death Spiderwill try to bite you when it attacks. lf it wins an Attack Roun4 as well as losing z srAMrNApoints you mustroll two dice.If the resultis lessthan or equalto your porsoN score,tum to 59. If it is greater,add r to your polsoN total and continue your battle.If you win againstthis awesomeadversary, hrm to rzo.

269 There are two ways in which you can fight the Mummieswith fire. The first is to use a torch, if you haveone, as a weapon.If you do this, tum to 525 and fight as normal;however, if you win an Attack Round, your weaponwill inflict 4 sTAMINApoints of damage rather than the usual z. (lf you choosethis courseof action,you must also reduceyour Attack Strengthby r point becauseyou are using an unfamiliarweapon.) EE 2,7.ts272 275-274

The secondmethod involving fire is to throw a fire damage to your STAMINAon a roll of 4-6 on one source- such as a lamp, a Yokka Egg or a buming dice. If you survive your encounter, you go on. Roll skin of oil - at the corpse.Roll one dice and add z: one dice. If you roll r-3, turn to z8z; it you roll 4-6, this is the numberof undeadyou will have to get past. tum to 69. For eachMummy you attackin this way, Testyour SkilLif you succeed,the Mummy perishesin flames.If 273 you destroy all your opponentsthis way, you break Desperately you sprint away through the boulders. through the Mummies' ranks and run to the shrines Test your Luck. lf you are Lucky, you escape safely; (tum to zg5)or the Templeof Sithera(tum to 59d.If tum to a5o. If you are Unlucky, tum to ro6. you fail to stop all the Mummiesthis way, or if you run out of fire sources,tum to 3zg but ignore the 274 instructionthere to roll dice. The surface of the gaming-table is divided into fifty squaresand at either end is a row of counters; one set is black and one set white. The whole set-up looks like You take the sandsto." ,?lir"tt" from your backpack this: and show it to the Shaman.He explainsthat the deiby it representsis Assamarra,the now almost forgotten God of the Sands.Retum to r.g4. o o o o After a few vain manageto securethe "tt"-pt37iou O grappleover a rocky outcropabove the tunnelentrance o opposite and, gripping the rope for dear life, you o o swing acrossthe crevasse.Tum to :;69. o o 272 Suddenly there is a commotion in the water round Nemset explainsthat the idea of the game is to get you: you are being attdcked by several vicious Snapper- one of your piecesto the other end of the board; the fish. Roll one dice, add O and divide the total by z first personto do so wins the game.Pieces can move (rounding fractions up) to see how many you have to one or two squaresforward at a time but in no other fight. Each Snapperfishhas srrlr 6 and srAMtNA 2, direction. However, if, on your ham, your way is and the bite from such a creafure does 3 points of blockedby a piecedirectly in front of yours, you may EE 275 276-277

move your piecejust one squareinto an empty space on either side (but not backwards);this is the only time when you can move sideways.A good tactic is to try to trap your opponent's pieces so that they cannot move. Nemset chooses to play white and directs you where to move her pieces,while you are black.White goes hrst. Testyour Skill, adding z to the dice roll. If you succeed,tum to 55. If you fail, fum to t2g.

You descend into th" ;li"y and cautiously creep towards the entranceof the tomb, trying to avoid the attentions of the lizards. Testyour Skill, adding z to the dice roll. If you are successful,tum to 548. If you fail,tum to 5o6.

You are unableto harm tffientinel of the Shrine,but the crocodile-headedguardian pounds your body with its great fists, knocking you back acrossthe chamber (deduct5 points from your sraurNe). Testyour Luck. If you are Lucky, you manageto open the door and escapefrom the shrine (the Sentineldoes not follow you once you are outsideits chamber);tum to zE4. If You scrambledown' th":(:p"until you are standing you are Unlucky, the metal giant blocksyour way out in the sandyarena in front of the platform.The fagade of the sanctumand exactsthe punishmentreserved for of the low building is decoratedwith the busts of all thieves.Defenceless against its attacks,your adven- people - or possibly of gods - standing in recessed ture ends here. alcoves. trffi zTE-.zEo zEo

1A/hodares trespass in the Theaheof the Gods?' to assessyour progressby its dim glow as you are The booming voice makes you jump almost out of carrieddownstream. You suddenly becomeaware of your skin in surprise.The words echo around among somethingmoving towards you in the water ahead- the empty tiers of seats,but the voice itself seemsto Sren the Snapperfishattack. Although only a little be coming from a dark doorway in the front of the larger than a man's hand, the Snapperfishis a savage jaws building.What will you do now?Will you: carnivore with powerful and needleJiketeeth. The bite from one of these creaturesdoes 3 points Answer, apologizingfor trespassing? Tum to 566 of damage to your sTAMINAon a roll of 44 on Answer, demanding that the owner one dice! Partially submerged in the fast-flowing of the voice show himself? Tum to 9E river, you can fight these vicious predatorsone at Say nothing and approachthe a time, but with your Attack Shength reducedby r doorway? Turn to 5zr point. Leavethe Theahe of the Gods and

continue your quest? Tum to I SKITL SKILL FirstSNAPPERFISH 6 z 278 SecondSNAPPERFISH 6 2 Will you now make your way to Sithera'sforbidding Third SNAPPERFISH 6 j temple (tum to 5gd or will you ftrst explore the tombs of the Diaratians, you if have not alreadydone If you kill all the ftsh, tum to 4. so (hrm to qgft

Youmissyourfooting *#U?. Automaticallyyou reach out for somethingto hold on to, butthe stoneyougrab is looseand comes away from the faceof the pinnacle.There is nothingyou cando to stopyourself falling.If you failed your ftrst TestYour Skillroll, tum to r7.lf youfailed the second,fum to 95. If you failed the thir4 tum to zo7.

The sheer rock walls on'L?n". side of the river are covered with phosphorescenthchen, so you are able trE 2Et

You are at the lower .JT a long, vaulted passage which ascendssteeply aheadof you. The walls of the Grand Gallery are carved with reliefs depicting a mighty king meetingthe gods in the afterworld.At its top you entera high-ceilingedchamber, on the far side of which is a great stone door, omately carved and with a-magnificent gold lo&, flanked by two huge statuesof a Djaratian king. The stafues'expressions have been exquisitely fashioned,but their cold eyes and the cruel smilestuming the comersof their stem mouths bring a chill to your spine. This must be Akharis - even these carved images of him fill you with dread; it is as if the evil king knows that his retum to power is imminent and considersyour attemptto stopit to be futile. Then you notice the blazing red eyes in the gloom of a comer of the anteroom. With a roar, a massive, shaggy-hairedblack beast leaps out of the shadows and paws the ground in front of you. The monstrous, dogJike creatdresnarls and bares its gleaming fangs. Facingyou is the Guardianof the Dead of Djaratian myth, menacingprotector of burial placesand execu- tioner of any trespasserswho would desecratethe tombsof the kings. GUARDIANOF THE DEAD sKtLL10 STAMINA 10 If you manage to overcome this mighty opponent, tum to 564.

trE 2E2-2E4 zE5rzE6

282 another door. As you listen in the stillness of the Wiping the lizard'sblood from your sword,you survey tomb, a faint whispering sound comes from beyond the cavem. On the far side you can see a mound of the door in front of you. Where will you go now? looseearth with a hollow in the top, in which rest two sandy-colouredeggs. Around the nest are scattered Through the door in front of you? Tum to t77 the bones of wild dogs and even piecesof a human Tluough the door to the left? Tum to 595 skeleton.If you want to searchthe debris,tum to 65. Along the passageto the right? Tum to 259 Otherwise, you have no option but to leave the Rasaur'scave; tum to zz6.

28j There is nothing lying on top of the column- but, as you are about to leave,you experiencea weird sensa- tion: your body feelswarrn and you becomeaware of a peculiarvibration, accompanied by a deepthrumming The world solidifiesrouiS5you again - but to your sound.The whole sensationis not unpleasant,and you horror you see that you are still in the crumbling almost feel as if you are being revitalized- and you temple. Lopar does not have the power to teleport are! This is the power of the magicalgeometry of the you from sucha great distanceaway! You have saved pyramid which allows the bodies of the dead to be Allansiafrom the Curseof Akharis but, as the temple preservedso well and for so long. However, you are falls in over you, your adventure,and your life, ends not dead,so the effectsof the pyramid's regenerative here,entombed in the Necropolisof the ancientDiara- power are all the more beneficial.Roll one dice (if you tian kings. have a Crystal Pyramid,add r to the numberrolled). If you roll 1-2, tum to 327; j-4, tum to ggz; 5 or above,tum to 54r.

2E4 The tunnel emergesin a square chamber which is paintedwith scenesof the deadking's joumey through zE6 the underworld.In the wall opposite standsan omate You would need two hundred and eighty-six blocks darkwood doo4 to the left and right, corridors lead of stone altogether,'you say. The ghost, obviously elsewhere,the one to the left ending abruptly at hearing you in ancient Djaratian,stops its muttering Etr zETzEE zEyzgo and looks directly at you. 'Of course,'the' old man 2Eg saysslowly, 'that's right! Thankyou, stranger.Tell me With one mighty wrench you snap the chains free who is it who has releasedme from my torment?'yorr from the pillars. Before the two cultists can react, you tell the ghost your narne,and in retum he introduces swing the chainsat them and knock them both out! himself as Rhehotep,the architectwho designedand Then you grab your sword and backpack.Most of the built the tomb, along with many of its death-haps.'l cultistsare still unawareof what is going on. Do you was misled and ambitious.When the tomb was com- want to attackthem (fum to lS8), or would you rather pleted, I was buried alive in this room so that I could attackthe Mummiesin order to reachthe High Priest- never revealits secrets.I was working on that problem essand stop the ritual (tum to 16o[ beforeI was killed, and I havebeen unable to rest ever

this paragraph after each choice). I{hen you have madetwo choices,tum to zz5 at once. With every muscle the strain,you heave ".r,ir,f9,rla.r Guardsand monstersin the tomb. Turn to ror againstthe granite block of the sarcophagus- and it Trapsyou may encounter. Tum to z7 gives! A dark hole appearsbelow the coffin and soon Charmsyou might need. Tum to r55 you have opened a gap big enough to squeeze The Cult of the Cobra. Tum to 534 through. You find yourself at the top of a flight of Akharis. Tum to 565 steps which disappearinto the darknessbelow. You run down it as the sand starts to pour into the secret 287 funnel, and find yourself standing at the edge of a Totally lost, you wander dejectedly about in the subterraneanlake in a huge nafural cavem.Phosphores- water-filledcorridors. Test your Luck.lf you are Lucky, cent mossis growing on its walls and stalactiteshang tum to roo. If you areUnlucky, tum to 5G9. down from the ceiling, many mehes above you. Far off in the distance you can see a great wall, on the zEE other side of which you can just makeout the tops of Which symbol will you pressnext, the scarab(tum to ancientDiaratian buildings. Moored at the edge of the r4r) or the snake(tum to ro+)? lake is a long, n.urow boat. This is Akharis's funerary Etr 29a 292-293

b-q* and your meansof crossingthe SacredLake. theseeggs resemblesa ball of fire. You may throw an Unmooring the barque,you climb aboardand, taking egg at an opponentat the start of a battle and, if you an oar in your hands,guide the boat over the still Testyour Slcillsucessfully, it will hit, break open and waters.On the other side of the lake,you step out by releasethe Yokka Bird, which will bum your enemy, causingdamage to his sTAMINAequal to one dice roll, before it flies away into the sky. Now retum to 15.

292 You take a run-up at the chasmand, when you reach its edge,you leap forward into the air. Roll two dice and add 6 to the total rolled. If the new total is less stand it, you know what to do. If you don't, tum to than or equd to your srAMlne, tum to 169. If it is z6z. greater,furn to 552.

295 Leavingyour sword sheathed,you mn at the Mummy in an attempt to remove the glittering death-mask. Fight the following combat in the usual manner but with your Attack Strengthreduced by 5 points. Also, if you win an Attack Round you do not wound Akharis, you merely manageto avoid his blows; of course,if he wins an Attack Round, you suffer the usualdamage.

AKHARIS sKrLL15 29a If at any time your Attack Strength is 5 or more points greaterthan your opponent's,tum to zo5. You can give up this method of attack at any time and insteadtry to destroy the sarcophagus(fum to 257)or simply resort to attacking Akharis with your sword (tum to gZ). EE 294-296

Climbing over the Uortig.l you peer over a rocky ledge and are startledby what you see.Lying entan- gled in a net, which has been stakeddown, is a huge creature,almost six metresin length; it has the body of an enormouslion and massiveclawed feet. As it strugglesto free itself from the net, you see that its large head is leoninebut its teeth are more like those of a dragon. Its mane is golden as is the rest of its sleekand powerfulJookingbody, and a pair of small, leatherywings sprout from its shoulder- a Dracon! The happedbeast has not noticedyou yet, so will you leavehere before it does (turn to z5o), remainin your hiding place and wait to see what happens(tum to i7), or climb down betweenthe bouldersand approach the Dracon(tum to r74)?

All the shrines hu.r" b""',i1ither plundered or des- ecrated- except for one. Amid the destructionone, small, tomblike structure has been left untouched. Nearing the building, you sense a strong aura of Goodnesswashing over you like a refreshingwave. What could be inside to create this atmosphereof calm?You could open the door of the tomb and enter it (tum to 5r) or leave here without further delay ifum to z7E).

296 After severalminutes' walking, you come to a point wherea side-passagecomes in from the left to join the one you are following. Will you take this new tunnel trtr 29r2gg 5o(>5o2

(h.rrnto 57o) or continueon your presentroute (tum burial chamber is a fake a trap to lure the unwary. to r5o[ Thereis no way out!

You gulp down thu liquii%d feela surgeof energy The heat is unbearabr" you are half-way shootthrough your body. (RestoresrAMrNA points acrossthe chamber,you "lllU"rrre lose consciousness. As the up to half yow lnitial srAMrNA score,rounding frac- strength of the flames intensiftes,your adventure tions up.) The vipe/s venom was like a Potion of comesto an end. Strength!Your musclescharged with new power, you flee the temple.Turn to z. With each corridor l""f;t much like the last, you " 2gE soon becomedisorientated. At the next junction will Betweenthe towering cliffs you find yourself in cool- you go:

Left, then right? Tum to 565 Right, then left? Tum to z7z Right, then right again? Tum to zr7 boulderwhich in h,rmhas starteda landslide.Test your Right, and then straight on? Tum to 4E Luck.If you are Lucky,tum to 97.lf you areUnlucky, tum to rz5.

At last the spell holdi";";" swarrn together in its At last you have found iu"?3front of you, illuminated wasp-formis broken by your spirited attack and the by your light, is Akharis's burial chamberand, in its remaininginsects disperse. As you pausefor a moment to recoverfrom your latestbattle, you can seeno sign of the cultist; however, you have the feeling that you will meet him again before your joumey is done. Looking at ferran's map, you calculate the general way out. Too late you realizewhat is wrong with the position of the tomb of Akharis and the distanceyou burial chamber:its walls are rough-hewn and undeco- will haveto travel to reachit. With reneweddetermina- rated, as is the sarcophagus.You heave the stone tion you set off in an easterlydirection, away from the cofffn open and, just as you feared,ffnd it empty. This temple. trtr 503-505 30,6

Eventually the sand-covered plain meets the barren to6 hills to the east again and the way onward looks to be The great beasts detect your movement and lumber hard going. However, not far to the north-east the into your path. The aggressive creatures attack instantly. You will have to defeat these huge reptiles before you can enter the tomb, since they are now blocking the way in to the entrance.

SKILL STAMINA FirstGIANT LIZARD I s SecondGIANT LIZARD I 8

If either of the lizardswins an Attack Round,roll one What will you use Mummies: your sword hits you with its tail, which "gu,n;t"r'h" dice.On a 6, the beast (tum to 525) or fire (tum to z69)? knocks you over as well as inflicting z points of damageto your sTAMINA.It takesyou one Attack Roundto get up again,during which time the monster Testyour Luck.lfyou are iljUr, tumto fi7.Ifyou are getsin an unopposedstrike. If you win, tum to 55. Unlucky,tum to 86.

Everywhereyou look, tfi"1".a granite walls of the tomb are coveredin carvedreliefs depicting the life of the evil Akharis.One particularstretch yo.t pus shows slavesbeing put to death in front of a huge image of Sitheraas a giant, four-armedwoman with a ,rlk",, head. Absorbed in studying these ghastly carvings, you almost miss an archway to your right. Shining your light into it, you see a long, pillared hall. Do you want to enterit and explorefurther (fum to 5o) or will you keep walking along this passage(tum to 57il? EM 307 Having lit your light, you make your way along the passage,able to see about ten metres ahead of you. The tunnel soon ends at the top of a steep flight of steps, cut out of the rock, that leads down into the darkness. A tunnel leads onwards, but this one is faced with stone. Following this new passageway, you soon emergein a long, pillared hall. You cannot seeits end, and in the flickering light you can just make out the ceiling, high above you. Your light also picks out intricate Djaratian carvings covering the pillars and walls; they depict priests and servants carrying offerings, all looking towards the interior of the tomb. You pause in awe at the skill of the ancient Djaratians whose achievementshave lasted for centuries. Sud- denly the whole chamber is lit up in a burst of vermilion fire as a flaming ball flies past your head. In shockedsurprise you face your attacker.Standing next to a pillar in the distance is a figure wearing volumi- nous robes of linen and muslin. In one scaly hand it holds a curved sword and you see that its head, far from being human, is that of a snake!In horror you realize that you are facing one of the Caarth, the legendary Snake People of the Desert of Skulls! The Caarth raises its free hand and another fireball forms in its palm as a second Snakeman, wielding a cruelly jagged blade, steps out from behind a pillar a few metres away. As the warrior advancestowards you, the sorcerer releases the ftreball. Work out Attack Strengths for both you and the Caarth sorcerer (who Etr 5oF5og 3ar5t-2

has a srrrl of ro) but do not deduct any srAMrNA 5to points. If your Attack Strength is higher, tum to 267. Rememberingthe actor's words about the primitive If the sorcerer'sAttack Strength is higher, tum to 555. inhabitantsof theseparts, you can well imagine that If they are the same, calculate them again. this gorge would *"k" u perfect placefrom which to ambushunwary travellers.Will you carry on directly 508 throughthe gorge regardless(tum to zg8), or will you Wielding the Sandworm's tooth, you must reduce detour to one side and climb up to the cliff-top in your Attack Strength by r point as you engage the orderto avoid the route betweenthem (tum to 3SZF Golem in battle because you are used to using a sword. However, this unusual weapon will not make any difference against the insubstantial magical creature as it will pass straight through the Sand Golem's shifting form and so will cause it only r srAMrNA point of damage (z sraurrurr points after a successful Testfor Luck).However, hits from the magical creature are like punches from an iron gauntlet covered in sandpaperand will still inflict 2 srAMrNA points of damage on you! 5Lt You hangfor a momentby your armsfrom the lip of the SAND GOLEM srrll 8 STAMINA O hole,then you let go. You fall at leastten metresbefore If you reduce your opponent's srAMrNA to zero, hitting the sand-coveredfloor of the chamberbelow you break the spell animating the Golem, and it (deduct5 pointsfrom yow sTAMINA).If you arecarrying becomes a harmless heap of sand once more (hrm to anyYokka Eggs, Test your Luck, adding z to the diceroll. a8l)' If you are Lucky,tum to zoz; if you are Unlucky, tum to 4g.lf you do not haveany Yokka Eggs,turn to zoz. 509 The priestess's relentless stare bores into you and you collapse at the foot of the dais. A smile forms on The sandstonestatuette ,i;? tall, is of a regal- ^metre the woman's lips as you continue to weaken until looking man, bare-chestedand wearing a simple cloth you are totally drained of your life-force, which will round his waist. On his headis a tall, cylindricalcrown be fed to Akharis's undead spirit to give him life with nine bandsround it. In one hand he holds a long once more. staff.Retum to ggg. trtr 3L5-5a5 3a6

515 3a6 The orb reveals no guidance and so, deciding you have Observingthat you have killed two of its companions, no moretime to lose,you fleefrom the temple.Tum to z. the largestbaboon screams in fury and hurls its boulder at you. Testyour Skill.lf you succeed,you dodge the 514 missile.If you fail, the rock hits you a glancing blow Nothing untoward happens,so now will you pressthe and knocks you over (deduct z points from your scarabfollowed by the vulture (tum to r57) or the srAMrNAand reduceyour Attack Strengthby z for vulture and then the scarab(tum to ro4)? the first Attack Round in the ensuing battle). The Great Baboon bounds down the diff to demonstrate to you what happensto anyone who strays into the territory of its tribe. Your blade still covered in the blood of its fellows, you engagethe furious animalin combat.

GREATBABOON srrll 8 STAMINA 7 If you win, the remaining baboons recognize your superiority in battle and escapeup into the cliffs, hooting with fear. You are left to passthrough the gorge unhindered,although you sensetheir eyes on The door is unlockedunSdlprrrhing it open, you are you for as long as you are walking between the almost blinded.You are standingat the entranceto a towering cliffs. Once you are through the gorge, the largeroom with marbledwalls, and it is full of fabulous landlevels out againand you headeast. Tum to 9o. treasures.The countlessgold and silver artefactsreflect the illumination shed by your light, making a quite dazzlingdisplay. Adjusting your eyes to this brilliance after the gloom of the endlesstunnels, you gaze in awe at the goblets, stafues,gilded chariots, royal fumiture and casketsbrimming with yet more won- drousitems. You could spendsome time searchingthis room for possible charms,or just for some choice treasure(tum to 1sg),or you can leaveand follow the passageback past the T-junction(tum to ro5). EE StntE 3ag

347 The rocksout of tn" *#?t last,you can enterthe passage.For as far as you can see there is nothing remarkable about it, certainly nothing to justity sealing it off. The pissage soon comes to a dead end in abare, small, square chamber. You suddenly become aware of a phosphorescencein the middle of the room and, as you watch, the ghostly figure of a short, middle-aged man, with an anxious expression on his face, material- here - but how? If you have some Oil of Lofus, tum izes in front of you. He is dressedjust like some of.the to 584. Otherwise, you will have to go out of this people in the carvings on the walls of the tomb, and is tomb,leaving everythingin place(tum to z7E). mumbling something over and over to himself in a language you do not understand but which you presume to be ancient Djaratian. Unable to communicate with the ghost, you sense no aura of Evil round it - but nor do you detect any great presenceof Goodness. The chamber is totally empty, so there is nothing left for you to do but leave the ghost to its mumblings. The floor immediately ,tvt *", beneath you and, Tum to r54. with nothing to grab, you cannotstop yourselfplung- ing into the spike-filledpit ... with fatalresults. Your advenfurecomes to a gruesomeend in the Tomb of Akharis.

trE 32F522

320 'Mortal,' the Sphinx growls, 'all who would enter the Necropolismust first be judged worthy; thereforeyou must answermy three riddles correctly.If you should lie or prove ignorant,your punishmentwill indeedbe tenible.But first, tell me, why do you seekto enter the City of the Dead?'In reply, will you tell the Sphinx all about your quest to stop Akharis (tum to t75),or will you simply say that you are an adventurer exploring the ruins of the lost civilization (tum to s6r-Y.

524 A short figure sudcienlyappears in the doorway. The man is dressedin plain grey robes and is wearing a maskwith grotesquelyexaggerated features. 'No one trespassesin the Theatre of the Gods without facing the wrath of Cranno the Great!'he booms.Then, at a single word from the strange man, a huge Sabre- toothed Tiger boundsthrough the doorway and across the sandto attackyou beforeyou canreach its master. SABRE-TOOTHEDTIGER sKILL9 srnurNn8 If you win, tum to z5y.

'Farewell,brave advenru.l"r]irurs the ghost. 'Remem- ber, Akharis gains strength from his coffin.' As you leave her tomb, the spirit of PrincessNemset adds, 'May the gods of Djarat favour the noble-hearted.' Turn to 278. trtr 325 324-525

323 324 The hole is actually the entranceto a natural funnel. The air inside it is hot and dry. The tunnel does not go very far beforeopening into a smallcavem. At this time of day the sun'srays penetrateeven this subterra- neanchamber. Suddenly you hearthe grating soundof Restingon a slabare severalobjects of interest:one is scaleson stone and the scratchingof claws.You spin a small, earthenwarejar containing a mrrnmified pack- around,to see a large, reptilian creaturewith a long, age; the secondis a fabulousbreastplate made from dragonJikehead and fang-filledmouth running at you gold and lapislazuli in the form of a falcorueach of its from out of the shadowson six crocodilelegs. A black sixty feathers carefrrlly fashioned; and the third is a tongue snakesout from betweenthe Rasaur'sjaws as it dashestowards you. You must fight this camivorous reptile. RASAUR sr.rn 8 sTArurNAg If the Rasaurwins an Attack Round,roll one dice.On a roll of 4 to 6, it will hit you with its tongue, on the end of which is a poison gland (deduct r further sTAMINApoint and add r to your porsoN score).If you win, turn to z8a.

The Mummies move t"r'1,?rasHffly to attack the one they believe has defiled their resting-places.Roll one dice and add z to the number rolled; this is the number of Mummies you must get past in order to reach freedom. Becausethey are so slow-moving, you can fight them one at a time. However, if any trtr 525 SzGgzE individud battle should last more than nine Attack 326 Rounds, tum to 599 immediately. (Any Mummies The hanslation of the inscription on the wall above you have already destroyed come from the top of the the map is asfollows: list.) Thedead king's body was carriedfrom the City of Tezra thirty kilometuesto tlu edgeof the hills whereinlie tlw SKILL STAMINA alabasterquanies, South of the Pillarsof Antep theeoil ANCIENTMUMMY 7 9 one rested threeilays within tlw templebefore being FESTERING for MUMMY 8 6 caniedto histomb. Tlu infernalking orderedits cotrstruc- DENU OF TEZRA 6 to tion decadesbefore, and within its deptls werecountless LORD SARROTH 9 t2 trapsand unspeakablehorrors to ensurehis eternalslery ZOTH-LAR 7-T 9 was undisturbed. CROWNEDMUMMY I 17. Theirduties finislwd, the priestsnnd embalmersleft the DECAYEDMUMMY LO 7 rift in the hills betweenthe GoId Tunnelsand the Oasis PTAHNEMTHE of lnsh but only onereturned aliae, the resthaoing all MIGHTY 7.2 sufferedthe Curse. If you should defeat all the Mummies, you make good Now retum to 946. your escapeto the shrines (fum to zg5) or the black pyramid (fum to 595) before they can come back to life! 327 You feel invigorated and ready to face any new challenges.Restore your sTAMINAscore to its lnitial level, reduce yow polsoN score by 4 points and regain 1 LUcK point. Climbing down from the pillar, you leave the chambecbum to 16.

32E Sandworms'teeth, serratedalong one edge, are fashioned into shong ivory daggersby the nomadsof the Desert of Skulls and are pnzed possessions.Now retum to r.5. Etr 5zg 331552

529 Youwatc-h in satisfaction;tJ,f," v"**, is consumedby

fist(deduct z pointsfrom your srnntNe).Tum to zr5. you ftnd as a result of your efforts is an earthenware

554 chamber(tum to r7y) or leave via the other corridor (tum to a59)?

hills to searchfor Akharis's tomb. Tum to 62.

352 The strength of your jump is not great enough to carry you to the other side of the crevasse.Test yout Luck.ifyou areLucky, hrm to 556-lf you areUnlucky, tum to 555. trtr 355

555 You manage to make your way safely to the cave entranceat the baseof the great boulder.After a few metres the rough-hewn tunnel opens out into a vast chamberin the centre of the massiveboulder. A fire bums in the middle of the chamber,the smokerising up through a hole in the roof. Sitting, crossJegged,on the far side of the fire is the figure of a man, his head bowed. 'Who seeksLopar, the Shamanof Spirit Rock?' the man asks from the shadows.Sensing the man's auraof Goodnessyou announceyourself. 'And what is your pupose in seekingme?' he asks. Quickly you explain your quest to Lopar. When he looks up suddenly, by the flickering firehght you seethat his head is that of a dog. Woven into his fur are variousbeads and feathers,and his handsresemble paws. 'Knowledge canbe a dangerousthing in the handsof the ignorant,' the Shamansays sagely.'Having braved Spirit Rock you must prove that you are worthy to receivemy wisdom by solving my riddle.' Startled,you listen to Lopar'sconundrum: 'No army can standagainst my might, ' I am greaterthan the wind or sea. All succumbjust asday follows night. High mountainsturn to dust beforeme.' If you know the answer to the riddle, convert the letters of the answer into numbers using the code A = t,B = 2, C = j ... Z - 26.Addthe numbers together,then fum to the paragraphwhose numberis the sameas the total. If the paragraphmakes no sense, or if you cannotsolve the riddle,turn to 16r. ME 554-$6 531559

'The membersof thu lrif,L,rlt are led by the High Under Glantanka's r*Jlf,", gdze you travel on Priestessof Sitheraa deviousand cunningwoman through the heat of the day. The uneven path leads possessedof dark powersand cruel magics.Avoid you further into the wildemess that fringes the Desert them if you can.'Return to 286. of Skulls.You follow the route north-westwardsacross boulder-skewn hills and through n:urow valleys. As you pass through one rocky gulley you notice a large hole at its base leadingunderground. Do you want to The sorcerer'smagical slamsinto your body, (tum "itllu stop and investigatethis entranceinto the earth surroundingyou for a momentin vermilionftre (deduct to Sz+) or will you continue on your way without 4 pointsfrom yougsrevtNn). In agonyyou prepare hesitation(tum to zz6[ to defendyourself against these reptilian atiackers; tum to 5o. 35E Although you manage to cut down several of the 556 cultists, you are hugely outnumbered,and the rest Against all the odds,you havedone it - after countless soon have you under reshaint again.There is nothing cenfuries,Akharis is dead! Regain 1 LUcK point. All you can do now as the High Priestessdrains you of that remainsis for you to bum his undeadremains and your life-energies,which she will use to resurrecther then . .. A terrible groaning sound,coming from high master,Akharis! Your adventureis over. above you, and gaspsof terror from the cultistscauie you to look up at the statueof Sithera.fust when you 139 thought it was all over, the great statue'seyes are You give Cranno a brief outline of your mission glowing with a sinister light and the colossus is without revealingtoo many important details.'lndeed coming creakily to life. The stafue sweepsa taloned I may,' he says, removing the mask and revealing arm at you which you manageto dodge before it can himself to be middle-aged,grey-haired and balding. hit you. Your non-magicalweapon will have no effect He leads you through a doorway into the stone on the animatedstatue, so what can you possibly use building; you ftnd yourself in a long room, full of to defeatit? If you have an ankh among your posses- pieces of faded scenery and other theatrical props. sions,you will know how many preciousstones it has You know, I used to be one of the greatestactors set into it. Multiply this numberby twelve, then tum Allansiahas ever seen' Crannosays. 'l have played all to the paragraphwith the samenurhber. If you do not the great parts: Duke Merion of Kallamehr,Quor the have an ankh, fum to y5. Sorcerer,Vorga the PirateJord. You understandI mean trE 540 54a-542 no harm really, what with the mask and dramatic by pushing against it and using your sword as a lever, performance. I just prefer to spend my retirement but all to no effect. There must be some.hidden catc-h away from unappreciativeaudiences.'You are startled or lever that will open the secret door. Then you see to see a huge Sabre-toothedTiger pad over to the it: on the front of the slab, surroundedby hieroglyphs, actor and lick his hand.'Don't mind Cleomina,'Cranno three symbols have been carved out of the wall on squaresof stone that look as if they can be pressed inwards. The three symbols are a snake,a scarabbeetle and a vulture. If you do not want to take the risk of trying to open this door, you follow the original following: a BrassTelescope, a Healing Draught,some funnel, which tums to the right before coming to a Oil of lofus or a Crystal Pyramid.In retum, you may ftght of stone steps that take you deeper into the choosetwo items from the list below if you decideto tomb (tum to z16). If you do want to attempt to open trade.Having chosenyour items,fum to the paragraph the secretdoor, which symbol will you pressftrst: relevant to each object to ftnd out more about-your new possessions. The snake? Tum to 5r4 The scarab? Tum to r9 PapyrusScroll Tum to 74 The vulture? Tum to zEE CarvedBone Hom Tum to rz6 Old Lamp Tum to 554 Statuetteof a god Tum to 541 5ra The power of the pyramid convergeson the spot LargeBronze Key Twn to zz4 where you are standing, filling you with new strength SealedBlack Bottle Tum to a65 andrelieving you of all stresses.Restore your sTAMINA, When you haveftnished here, you thankCranno for his srlrr and rucr to their lnitial scores,and reduceyour helpand leave the ruinedTheatre of the Gods(tum to 6). porsoN scoreto zero. Under the effect of the mystic energy, the blade of your sword actually shalpens,so 540 that from now on you may add r to your Attack The cultist is busy doing something in front of the Shength in battle. With renewed determinationyou wall of the chambernext to the statue.Suddenly a leave.thechamber to continueyour quest;tum to 16. section swings open and the man steps through into darkness.You run into the room but, before you can 542 reach the secret door, it slams shut with a hollow 'I, too, :un on a quest of the utmost importance,'he boom. You ky to force the slab of stone open again says, grandly. 'l am Don Huan Femandez,a knight of Etr 545-54 345

Vastille,and this is my manservant,Gordo.'The tubby 345 man nods and wipes the sweatfrom his foreheadwith As the Giant Scorpiontwitches its last, you run over a grimy handkerchief.'l have swom to rid thesewild to help ferran.He is barely alive. 'This is the end for and desperatelands of the foul giantswho dwell here, me,' he gasps,but you must go on. Stop the Cult of preyrngon the honestvillage-folk of this province,'he the Cobia, and beware the Curse of Akharis.' With continues.'Tellme, have you seenany suchmonsters in that, the brave archaeologistdies. The next moming your wanderings?'When you shakeyour head Don you bury jerran Farr, marking the grave with his old, Huan looks downcastand disappointed.'Fear not. I am Lattered hat. Offering a Prayer to the gods for his sure that my quest will soon be over and, with its departedsoul, at the sametime you swear to do all completion,I shallwin my lady's hand.Fare you well!' you ."tt to stop the evil sect and prevent Akharis's With that, the eccentricknight gallops off again to- ietum. Taking J"tt"n't map with you, you set off wards the north-east,with the mule bearinghis man- again,heading north. servanttrotting along behind,leaving you to continue your path is becoming gradually your joumey on foot. Tum to 24. By mid-moming steeperas it leadsyou into the rocky foothills of the mountains which border the Desert of Skulls. You continue to follow the dusty trail as it tums towards You come to an abrupt fif againstthe sticky tangle the north-east.A few kilometreson, standing at the of a gigantic web. You struggle to free yourself from top of a ridge, you see that severalsemi-circular tiers the gelatinous strands but to no avail. Feeling as of stone t"itt hurr" been cut out of the base of the helplessas a trappedfly, you can do nothing whin a hillsidein front of a raisedplatform and a low, rectangu- shadowy black shapedescends from the roof of the lar stonebuilding. Closeto the seeminglydeserted site cave on to the web. The last thing you feel in this lie fallenpillars and the remainsof walls' Do you want world is the demonic Death Spider sinking its fangs the ruins (tum into your body. to descendthe hillside and investigate to zm) or would you rather continue on your way (turn to 8F The Evil Eye spell Uuinffit by the High Priesress drains the energy from your muscles;in desperation you try to force yourself to keep moving and reac-h the woman. Testyour Luck.lf you .re Lucky, tum to z66.lf you are Unlucky,tum to 5o9.

EE 346

546 All that remainsof the templeare sectionsof crumbling stone walls and the occasionalcolonnade of rounded pillars.Broken statues of strange,animal-headed deities protrude from heapsof drifted sand,whilb wom carvings adorn fallen stone slabs.An unnatural stillness pervadesthis placeand the only soundyou can hearis the desertwind keening through the ancientcolumns. Wanderingamong the ruins,you cometo a part of the temple that is not in ruins. Enteringthe building, you discover that its interior is dimly lit by daylight streamingin th,roughcracks in the roof. The walls of the temple are covered with stylized paintings of human and semi-humanfigures. A repeated theme appearsto be that of a king praying,making offerings, or conversingwith an assortmentof gods and god- desses. At last you come to a chamberin which, carved on one wall, is a map of the arearound the templeat the edgeof the Desertof Skulls;although it is recognizable as such, there are also several obvious differences. Picfuresof buildings and other siteshave been carved as part of the map and at the top of the wall there is a Djaratianinscription. You sfudy the illustration to try to work out the location of Akharis'stomb. If you can, you will know how many kilometresit is to Akharis's tomb (tum to the paragraphwith the samenumber to continue your adventure).Otherwise, your advenhlre endshere, as you have no idea where to start looking for the tomb. Soon you and many others will suffer the Curseof Akharis! Etr 547 gbyg

chantingan incantationin ancientDjaratian, and it is You find yourself in t#{ ,ntrance hall. In front of repeatedby the crowd of cultists who stand between you is a tall ^ archway and on either side of it is a you and tlie dais.You are also horrified to see that a carved relief of Sithera,Goddess of Evil, ten metres mass of Mummies, in various states of decay, are high! Two cultists,their red robesbearing the motif of blocking the way to the High Priestess.These must be a rearing golden cobra suddenly run through the the Mu-mmiesof those loyal to Akharis, retumed to archway,their curved swords drawn. As you prepare life by the evil cult. You must stop this ritual! Standing to fight, you feel somethingshike you in the bick'and slighily in front of you, on either side,are two cultists the world goes black. . . *io totally.u,rght uP by the ceremonyin front of you. "r"One holds your sword and the other has your Slowly you come to and take in your predicament. tackpack.But how are you to get free?In desperation You are chained betr,veentwo great pillars,your :ums yo., itug at the chainsand feel one give slightly' The stretchedout you on either side oiyour body. have .huit t must have been here for cenfuriesand they beencaptured you by the Cult of the Cobrat have no have weakened over time. If only you are strong idea how long you have been unconscious,but you enough . . . Roll three dice. If the total rolled is less have recovered in time to witness the ritual that will thanir equalto your sTAMINA,tum to zE9. If it is end in Akharis's resurrection!you are being held greater,fum to 5EE. prisoner at one end of a vast chamber inside the Temple of Sithera. At the other end is a huge, ten_ 548 metre tall statueof the snake-headedgoddess, f,er fou, Beforethe lizardscan react to your Presenceyou have talonedarms raisedmenacingly. Beneith the stafue,on run past them and through the dark portal. Regain r a raised dais, lies a large stone sarcophagusinside rucx point and tum to zo4. which is the mummifiedbody of AkharisiThl Mummy is huge and wearsan omate death-maskwhich .o.r"., 549 most of the deadking's rotting face.At the baseof the Having been granted the Wisdom of Khunam, you dais .stand two large brazieis, the magical fires of underslandpeiectly what the ghost is saying. ': which fill :' lf the chamberwith an unearthlyglow. Stand_ the first level of the pyramid is madeup of one block ing between the braziers is a striking-iy beautiful of stone, and the sicond level is made up of nine woman with black hair cut in the style of the ancient bloc-ks,how many blocks would be needed to make a Diaratians. She is dressedin the robes of a Djaratian pyramid six levelshigh? If the ftrst-level' . .' The ghost priestess, and in one hand sheholds a staff,the top of is repeating the problem over and over without ever which is carved to resemblea cobra,shead. She is arriving at the solution. If you know the answer,you trE 550-552 355-554 could try calling it out (tum to the paragraphwith the severalmetres, your light illuminatesanother corridor samenumber as the answer).If you do not know the Ieadingaway from you. Do you want to pull yourself solution, or if you do not want to waste any more up out of the shaft to investigatethis new Passage time here,tum to r54. (tum to zEr), or would you prefer to descendonce more to the tunnel below and follow that (tum to 2ggn Swingingyour sword, ;ff try to strike the High Priestessand so prevent her using her evil .*se-m"gi. againstyou again.To defendherself, the woman raises her cobrastaff, which suddenlytwists in her handsand comes to life! If the Priestesswins an Attack Round and hits you with the staff, as well as deducting the usualz pointsfrom your srAMrNAyou mustadJr to your porsoNtotal! t55 HIGH PRIESTESS sKrLLg srAMrNA 7 Your jump missesthe entranceto the tunnel and you it. As you fall towards If you win, furn to lgy. smashinto the rock-facebelow the river down the side of the crevasse,your headhits a projecting outcrop, which knocks you senseless. you drown. You decide against the Scarab'sburrow as Unconsciousin the fast-flowingriver, soon ",

354 Rubbing the lamp fails to surrmon any supematural Finding hand-holdsi^ tn"5llrrices betweenthe blocks spirits,but you do discoverthat there is still someoil of granite gives you no difficulty and, having climbed left insideit. Retum to slg. Etr 555-56 55155E

You unstopperthe bottleSiridgulp down its contents. The stonehits you ,r.r*ltf on the sideof the head. The water is cool and refreshing and has incredible The blow leavesyou dazedand with a painfulbruise revitalizing effects on you (restore srAMrNA points on your temple(deduct z points from your STAMINA equivalent to half your Initial score, 2 srrlr poinis and and reduceyour Attack Strength for the next battle 2 LUCK porsoN you the mutated ant- points, and reduce your totil by half ). fight by r point). Meanwhile, Cross the Waters of Life off your AdoentureSheit, then men move in to attack.Will you draw your sword to retum to the paragraph you just came from. defend yourself (tum to arE) or will you look for sornething else to use against the Xoroa (tum to rysY.

35E You are surethat you can seean imageforming in the centreof the orb: it is a ftgurewith beadsand feathers woven into its fur, and the dogJike faceconfirms that you have contactedLopar, the Shamanof Spirit Rock! You call out to Lopar, and he looks in your direction. Somewhatsuqprised, he greetsyou and you hurriedly tell him of your successin your quest and of your present predicament.'Then we must get you out straight away,' Lopar says anxiously. 'l will try to teleportyou out - but I must wam you that you are a long distanceaway and I may not have the strength 556 to lift and carry you over such a distance.' The Shaman's expression changes to one of deep concentrationand the world round you grows hazy. Testyour Luck.lf you areL.t.ky, tum to 4oo.lf you are Unlucky,fum to zE5.

EE u,ri:n, You cannotbelieve h"* richesthere are in this chamber.With half of what is hereyou could probably buy the whole of Rimon!It is only at the last moment that you hear your attacker's approach. Spinning around and drawing your sword in the samemotion, you confront your would-beassailant. Standingbefore you is a terrifying apparition:it is the corpse of an old man, clothed in scarlet and gold robes,but there is not a single drop of moisture left within it! Sunkeneyes stare at you from a face dried tight over the man'sskull. In placesthe desiccatedskin has tom so that yellowed bone is visible, making the undead horror appear even more dreadful' Amentut was Akharis'sVizier, so loyal that the king demanded he be buried dive with his master,so that Amentut might servehim in the afterlife.One such duty is the protection of his lord's treasure-rooms- and you have beencaught red-handed!

AMENTUT sKrLL7 STAMINA 7

If the undeadVizier wins an Attack Round, roll one dice; if you roll a 6, Amentut clutchesyour skin and drains part of your life-force away. Deduct r point from both yow Initial and current suutxA scores and r point from both your Initial and,current srtn scoresls you physically age! Amentut feedson this life-forcehimself, so add r to his sTAMINAscore if he managesto do this. If you defeat the horror, tum to zzt EE 5b56s t64-165

564 As soonas Lopar,.", ,riutloldenT-shaped cross, he The great beastslumps to the ground and breathesits last. You are sure tlat beyond the omate door lies Akharis's burial chamber,but do you have a key to fit the golden lock? If you have, tum to the paragraph with the same number as that of the hieroglyphs inscribedon the key. If you haven't, nQ amount of Now retumto r.g4. force will makethe great stone door budge, so at the last hurdleyou have failedin your quest. 56a You_lie!' the Sphinx roars and leaps at you. your 365 weaponhas no'effect on this igent able to destroy "TtlV of the gods You ask Rhehotephow you may be of Djarat. You are knocked flat by the beast,*:hi.h the mummified body of Akharis. 'Such undead are then.proceedsto tear you limb from limb so that you susceptibleto fire,' the architect explains.'lt is also perishquickly, if honiblyl rumoured that his death-maskis imbued with life- giving energies.Destroy that, and you may destroy his earthlybody.'Retum to 286. Test your Luck md r*:l:r, Skilt.tf you are borh Lucky and succes#ul,tum to tz7. Oiherwise, you cannot stop.the relentlessdescent of the spiked roof, and you suffera horribledeath in the FangsLf Sith"r".

565 You manageto get to your feet before the cultists attack.Separated, Farr takes on one of the red-robed assassins,while the other two advanceon you. you must fight them both at the sametime.

SKItt STAMINA First CULTIST 7 7 SecondCULTIST 7 6 As soonas you havekilled one of thecultists, tum to zt4. EM 56-56E 56trl71

566 569 Constantly wading through waist-high water while holding your light and sword aloft is very tiring (deductr point from your sreutwe). The tunnel veers sharply to the left and then left again. At the next junction, will you go left (tum to 5t5), right (tum to Arf if he can aid you in your quest? Tum to 559 r95) or keep straight on (tum to t4z[ Ask him what he knows of the- Shaman? Tum to 5E9 Attack the man? Tum to r54 Not far down the tunnef?"ou ar.o.rer that the roof Leave the ruined theatre? Tum to E has caved in, blocking it completely and smashing a hole through the floor of the passageinto a chamber 567 below. What.will you do now? If you have a rope and last Mummy falls,you find yourselfat the foot $ lhe grapple, you could lower a light do*n through the of the raised dais - in front of you standsthe High hole (tum to or climb down the rope yourself Priestessof the Cult of the Cobra! Most of the cilt lEl) into the chamber(tum to zoz).lf you do not have a have been left confusedby your attack and are running rope, you could risk lowering yourself through the around in panic and chaos,but their leader remaini hole (fum to Altematively, you can retraceyour cold and calculating.You have intemrpted the Rifual 5rr). stepsand fum either left, if you have not already done of Resurecfion and now must prep:lre to face the so (tum to r5o), or right (tum to 6gF fury of Sithera'sacolyte. Are you wearing a Mala_ chiteAmulet? If so, tum to zz5-.If yo, arent, fum to t-2t. The corridor gradually ,tt;"., upwards until, ducking 568 under a low archway,you emergein a high, pyramidal The image of Cracca, Lord of Rivers and Ferryman of chamber, its four walls coming together at a point the Gods, falls at last and instantly changes back into a severalmetres above you. In the wall opposite is the thirty-centimetre-tall statue. Now drainel of its magical entrance to another tunnel, but in the centre of the e1lqies, the golden image is harmless and you iray room a few stepsgo up to the top of a small, squat add- it to your possessions if you wish. There is pillar. Do you want to climb the steps to the top of nothing else of value in the shrine, so you leave; fum the pillar (tum to 485) or would you rather leave this to zE4. chamber(fum to 16[ EE 372-375

572 Scramblingover the rocks, you come upon an open spacein the boulder-strewnwildemess. Lying on the ground on his back is Don Huan Femandezand standingover him is a grotesque,three-metre-tall humanoid.Its lumpy skin is coloureda sandybrown and it is nakedexcept for a loincloth madeof animalhides. In one huge hand it carries a great wooden club embeddedwith chunksof flint, but it is its face that fills you with dread. The monstrosity has just one large eye in the centre of its foreheadand an ugly hom sprouting from the top of its skull. Femandezis fending off the Cyclops with what remains of his shatteredlance. Lying closeby is the motionlessbody of Femandez'ssteed, while you can see his cowardly manservanthiding in a crevice in the rocks. You do not give muchfor the old knight's chancesof surviving thisbattle. Will you: Draw your sword and run to his defence? Tum to z4E Try to distractthe Cydops? Tum to rEr LeaveFemandez to his fate? Tum to rr4

The sarcophagus,L"tt"rl? an explosion of stone shards.Some of the lumps of rock hit you (lose 3 sTAMINApoints) but Akharis comes off worse. The sarcophaguswas what partly restoredthe Mummy's strength,but you have robbedhim of thoselife-giving energies;reduce his sreurNA scoreby 6 points when you come to fight the weakenedAkharis. However, your adversaryis now almost upon you. Will you trE 374-575 5zG57E attack him with the Waters of Life, if you have them If you defeat the animals,you manageto get a few (tum to 64), or with your sword (tum to g7), or will more precioushours of sleepbefore dawn, when you you try to remove his death-mask(tum to zgg). set off to the north for the temple.Tum to 5.

576 As you makeyour *^, ffithe tunnel,you become Pushing with all your strength against its lid, you aware that the temperatureof the air in the tomb is open the sarcophagus- only to discover that rising rapidly until you begin to feel uncomfortably Akharis'smummifted body is not herel However, his hot. After descendinga short flight of roughly cut guardian spirit or Ka' is. Like a glittering silhouette steps,the corridor orves to the right and now is lit by of a man, with no distinct features,the Ka sits up in an orangeglow, so that you no longer needyour light the otherwiseempty stone coffin and reachesfor you, to seeby. As you tui"n the corner you have to shield determinedto acquireyour life-forcefor Akharis. your face from the light and heat! Ahead of you the KA sx.nl8 STAMTNA passageenters a squarechamber, where it becomesa 7 bridge over a fiery pit. Roaring flames leap up on Despite its insubstantialform, the Ka can still be either sideof the path and you seeeverything through injured by your weapon. If you defeat the guardian a heat-haze.However, this is the only way ahead,so spirit,tum to z5z. you must brave the Path of Flames.Walking across the stone bridge, you begin to feel dizzy as the heat intensifies.Roll three dice. If the total rolled is less The floor of the ,r.r.,"itf,"gins to slope gradually than or equalto your srAMrNAscore, tum to rrS. If .it downwards, while the ceiling remains at the same is greater,turn to goo. height. There are no steps and the tunnel is getting steeper,the loosesand covering the stonefloor making it treacherouslyslippery underfoot.Suddenly you lose A low growling in the middle of the your footing and tumble, head over heels,down the "*"t"r,3tiou night, and in secondsyou are on your feet, your slope.Iesf your Luck.lf you are Unlucky,tum to 545. sword drawn. With a snarl two jackals,athacted by If you are Lucky,tum to z6E. the light of your ftre,leap at you. Fight them together. 378 SKITL STAMINA Brandishingthe statuettein front of the Golem has no FirstIACKAL 6 5 effect,but can you invoke its power?If you know the SecondIACKAL 5 ) name of the deity whose image you hold in your EM ,7\reaa 5Ez-5E5

MUMMIFIED MONKEY sxrn 6 srAMrNA4 If you win, looking inside the sarcophagusagain you find a large golden key, its head inscribedwith thirty- four hieroglyphs that spell out the royal names of your sword,since the Golem is upon you (tum to Ul). Akharis. Taking the key, and any other items you fancy,you leavethe hiddenroom; tum to a54.

582 'How disrespectful!'the creaturesnarls angrily. You humanshave no mannersat all. Clearly I shallhave to teach you a lesson.' With a tremendousheave, the Dracon drags the stakesout of the ground and frees itself from the net. Roaring,the monsterstalks towards you, ready to slashyou with its huge claws and bite you with its oversizedteeth. 580 DRACON sKrLLg STAMTNA 14

The Dracon deridesyour skill and mocksyou as you engagein combat;as a result, you must reduceyour Attack Strength by r point for the duration of this rejoin the trail heading north-westwardstowards the battle. If you reduce the creature'ssrAMrNe to 5 temple.Tumto 357. pointsor less,tum at onceto 6r.

5Et 5Ej You eventually ftnd yourself back at the stepswhere you entered the flooded maze!After all your efforts you have not got anywhere (lose r lucr point.) Tuming back towards the maze,will you now go to the left (tum to n4), to the right (tum to 254) or keep going shaight ahead(tum to zr7[ Etr tE4-l,Es

5E4

Will you grant her request (fum to 274) or, fearing that time is running short, will you tell her that yoi must leaveat once(tum to 5aa)?

5E5 Io* light illuminatespart of a large, rubble-skewn chamber,the sand-coveredfloor of which is at least ten mehesbelow you. You will be able to climb down your rope safelyinto the chamber,if you wish (fum to zoz). lf you do not want to, you must retraceyour stepsback to the original tunnel and tum either left, if you have not alreadydone so (fum to r5o), or right (tum to 65).

trE SE6-'1EE 5E9-590

breakthem. The ritual reachesits climax and the High You hit the water *idEi hemendoussplash and, Priestesstums to face you. 'And now, Lord Akharis, momentarilystunned by its chill,are carried along by Destroyerof Cities and Favouredof Sithera,'the High thefast-flowing underground river. Tum to z8o. Priestessintones, 'take this mortal's life-energiesand live again!'Youradventure ends here.

5E9 'The Shamanof the Wilderlandshas his abodeat Spirit Rock, a leagueto the east.But be wamed, the lands beyond here are home to all mannerof primitive and inhumantribes.'You thank Crannofor his information (makea note of Cranno'sWaming on your Adoenture Sheet).Now will you ask him whether he can aid you on your quest (turn to 55g), or will you leave the theatrewithout further delay (turn to 8F

You half walk and ,,tjf, towards the cliff-tops.In a few places you ^",,slip, sending a cascadeof stones down into the gorge,butevenfually you reachthe top safely.You must now eat a meal or lose 2 srAMrNA points.Looking down at the landscapefrom your lofty 590 vantage-point,you can seeclearly as far as the.edge of Wedging the paper package in the middle of the the hills to the Desertof Skullsand as far south as the blockage,you light the fusethen run for cover towards Bay of Elkor. If you have a BrassTelescope and wish the tuming in the passageway.Before you can even to useit, tum to z96.Otherwise, fum to 255. reach it, the Firepowder explodes with a deafening boom. Dust showersdown from cracksin the ceiling 5EE and the walls shudderunder the force of the explosion. You strain againstthe chainsbut your arduousadven- Testyour Luck.lf you areLu&y, fum to grg.lt you are burehas exhaustedyou too much for you to be able to Unlucky,fum to 264. trE 594-594 395-596

594 crowd, you see a tradey'scage swing open and, with Choosing a route up the side of Spirit Rock which a roar, its occupant leaps into the crowd. As the seemsto offer you the greatestnumber of hand- and throng of people vanishes,you and Farr ftnd your- foot-holds,you climb towards the cave entrance,fifty selves alone in the middle of the square,facing the metresabove you. Testyour Skill three times. If you newly escapedBlack Lion. A.gry at having been are successfulevery time, fum to 53S.lf you fail any locked up in a confined spaceand confusedby its of the rolls, turn at onceto z7g. unnaturalsurroundings, the beaststrikes Farr with one great paw, knocking him to the ground. You have no 592 choicenow but to try to stop the enragedanimal. Restoreboth your srAMrNAand srln to their Initial BLACK LION sKILrg g scores,and regain 2 LUcKpoints. You can also reduce STAMTNA your porsor.rtotal by I points.Feeling refreshed and If you win, tum to 28. rejuvenated,you leave the room along the new corridor; fum to 16. Beforeyou. stands tf," f"rf,i?saingblack pyramid that is 595 the Temple of Sithera!Your quarryrand your fate lie You enter a long room which is lined on both sides within. At the foot of the pyramid,an avenueof pillars with the statutesof Djaratiankings. At the end of the leads up to a large dark opening, in front of which room is a raised platform on which rests an omate you can seetwo guardsdressed in Djaratiangarb. Will gilded cirest,its lid adomedwith falcon headsat each you boldly walk up to the entrance(turn to tgz) or comer.You can seenothing else.If you want to takea look for anotherway into the temple(tum to zoEF closer look at the chest,tum to 556. Otherwise,you leave the chamberand are faced with the choice of going through the other door (tum to ry) or along the new passageway(tum to 259).

You and Farr chaseutorijln" back sheet after the 596 cultist but lose him among the hustle and bustle of an You cannothave gone more than twenty metresalong animal market. Then you catch sight of a red-robed the passagewhen you feel a slab shift under your foot figure, on the opposite side of the square,moving as you take your next step. Testyour Luck.lf you are away from you. As you elbow your way through the Lucky,turn to zor.l( you areUnlucky, fum to 5rE. EE 597

The High Priestessof tn"?it of the Cobrafalls to the dais with a dying cry: 'Oh Sithera,aid us now!' Then shebreathes no more.You have succeededin prevent- ing the Priestessfrom completingthe Ritual of Resur- rection (regain1 LUcKpoint)! Hearingmgry shouts, you tum to seethe now reorganizedcultists advancing towards you. While you are wondering how you are going to get out of this situation alive, the cult suddenly stop, their attention focused on the dais behind you. With a lump in your throat, you tum to seethat the eyesof the great statueof the goddessare glowing with a sinisterlight. A bandagedhand then rises above the lip of the stone coffin and grips the edge,followed by another,and the decomposingbody of Akharis rises from the sarcophagus.The Mummy stands, almost two metres tall, and the long-dead Djaratianking piercesyou with a look of pure hatred! Akharis'sevil goddessmust have intervenedand used her dark powers from the Demonic Planeto complete the resurrectionof her loyal servant.You must stop this honor or Akharis'scurse will still be fulftlled.The Mummy moans balefully and lumbers stiffly towards you. You are going to have to act quickly to deshoy Akharis.Will you:

Use fire against the Mummy? Tum to 55o Use the Watersof Life (if you have them)? Tum to 64 Try to use someearthenware jars (if you have anyf Tum to uE Use some other charm? Tum to E5 trtr 5gh1op 400 Try to remove Akharis'sdeath-mask? Turn to 295 EventuallyLopar speaks:Your bravery,skill and quick Try to deshoy the sarcophagusfrom wits have foiled ALharis's retum to power and, for which he was raised? Tum to 257 that, hundredsof unknowing people owe you a debt Attack the Mummy with your that can never be paid. But now you must rest. Lie sword? Turn to 97 down beside the fire and sleep.'And sleep you do, securein the knowledge that you have thwarted the nefariousplans of the Cult of the Cobra and savedall Allansiafrom the Curseof the Mummy.

400

You are suddenlyovercome by exhaustion,now that you :ue able to relax properly for the first time in days. More Fighting Fantasy by Wizard Books Deathtrap Dungeon lan livingstone The Warlock of Firetop Mountain Down in the dark twisting labyrinthof Fang,unknown horrors Steve /ackson and lan livingstone awaityou. Devisedby the devilishmind of BaronSukumvit, Deep in the cavernsbeneath Firetop Mountain lies an untold the labyrinth is riddled with fiendishtraps and bloodthirsty limit wealthof treasure,guarded by a powerfulWarlock - or so the monsters,which will test your skillsalmost beyond the rumour goes.Several adventurers like yourselfhave set off for of endurance. FiretopMountain in searchof the Warlock'shoard. None has Countlessadventurers before you havetaken up the challenge ever returned.Do you dare follow them? of the Trialof Championsand walkedthrough the carvedmouth Yourquest is to find the Warlock'streasure, hidden deep within of the labyrinth,never to be seenagain. Should you comeout a dungeon populatedwith a multitudeof terrifying monsters. of the labyrinthalive, you will be wealthybeyond your dreams. You will need courage,determination and a fair amount of luck Do YOU dare enter? if you are to surviveall the traps and battles,and reachyour 1 84045388 0 goal - the innermostchambers of the Warlock'sdomain. 1 84046 387 2 Creature of Havoc Stere /ackson The Citadel of Chaos Evilis festeringin Trolltooth Pass.The necromancerZharradan Steve /ackson Marr is closeto stealingthe secretsof Elvenmagic which would of Deep insidethe Citadelof Chaos,the dread sorcererBalthus makehim invincible.Nothing could then preventhis legions Dire is plotting the downfallof the goodfolk of the Valeof Chaosfrom takingover the wholeof Allansia... Willow.His battle plansare laid, his awesomearmy equipped, But what do you knowor careabout all this?ln this unique and attackis surelyimminent. adventure,YOU are the Creatureof Havoc,a monstrousbeast you Summonedby a desperateplea for help,YOU are the Valeof with a taste for fighting. Ruledonly by hungerand rage, lfyou survive,you Willow'sonly hope.As star pupil of the GrandWizard of Yore haveno knowledgeofyour past or destiny. and a mastersorcerer yourself, you must strike at the very may begin to control your bestialnature and learnyour true heart of BalthusDire's nightmare world. Though you command purpose,but successis by no meanscertain, for the trapsand many powerfulspells, the quest may be deadly,for who knows terrors of Trolltooth Passare manv ... what creatureslie in wait in the Citadelof Chaos? 1 84045391 0 1 84045 389 9 City of Thieves House of Hell lan Livingstone Steve/ackson Terrorstalks the night as ZanbarBone and his bloodthirsty Strandedmiles from anywhereon a darkand stormynight' your Moon Dogs hold the prosperoustown of Silvertonto ransom. only hope of refugeis the strange,ramshackle mansion you can YOU are an adventurel a swordfor hire,and the merchantsof seein the distance... Silvertonturn to you in their hour of need. But enteringthe Houseof Hellhurls you into an adventureof Your missiontakes you along the dark, twisting streetsof Port spine-chillingand blood-curdlingterror. The dangersof the Blacksandto seekthe help of the wizardNicodemus. But torrential storm outside are nothing comparedto the Blacksandis riddledwith thieves,assassins and foul creatures. nightmarishcreatures that awaityou within its gruesomewalls' Shouldyou survive,you mustjourney to the most terrible place Be warned!You must try to keepyour fear under control - of all - the towerstronghold of the Night Princehimself, manyFEAR points and you will die of fright' Can ZanbarBone! collecttoo you makeit through the night without being scared- to 1 84045 397 X death?

1 84045 4178 Crypt of the Sorcerer lan Liringstone Sorcery! l: The ShamutantiHills An ancientevil is stirringin the bowelsof the earth,and the Stere/ackson land is blighted.After being entombedfor one hundredyears, Basedon the best-sellingFighting Fantasy gamebook system, the necromancerRazaak has been re-awokenand is poised to The ShamutantiHills is Book One in SteveJackson's Sorcery! fulfil his promiseof death and tynnny. His army of undeadare series.Your epic quest will take you acrossthe mysterioushills at largeacross Allansia bringing death and destructionto all Khar6,but only if you outwit the creatures' who resist. to the cityport of traps and wizardryyou encounteralong the way. It is up to YOU to find the only weaponto which Razaakis vulnerable- his own magicsword! Only then might you survive the dangersthat awaityou in his evil lair - the Crypt of the Sorcerer!

1 84046395 1 adventurersalike. 1 84045 430 5 Eye of the Dragon Sword of the Samurat lan liringstone Steve /ackson and lan liringstone In a tavernin Fang,a mysteriousstnnger offers yOU the The landof Hachimanis in gravedanger. The Shogun'scontrol chanceto find the Golden Dragon,perhaps the most valuable is slipping.Bandits roam the landfreely and barbarianinvaders treasurein allof Allansia.But it is hiddenin a labyrinthbeneath havebegun to nid acrossthe borders'All this becausethe DarkwoodForest and is guardedby the most violent creatures Dai-Katana- the great swordSinging Death - has been stolen and deadlytnps. from the Shogun. To begin your quest YOU must drink a life-threateningpotion, YOU arethe Shogun'schampion, a youngSamurai' Your and to succeedyou must find maps,clues, artefacts, magic missionis to recoverthis wondroussword from lkiru,the items,jewels and an imprisoneddwarf. Masterof Shadows,who holdsit hiddendeep in the Pit of 1 84046 542 1 Demons. 1 84045 732 0

Talisman of Death Stere /ackson and lan liringstone Bloodbones Stere and lan livingstone The once-peacefulworld of Orb is in terrible danger.Dark /ackson forcesare at work to unleashthe awesomemight of the Evil BloodbonesLives! One - and only YOUcan stop them. The dreadedpirate-lord Cinnabar; scourge of the twelveseas, YOURmission is to destroy the Talismanof Death beforethe plaguedthe seafarersof the Old World in a bloody reign of Dark Lord'sminions reach you. But beware!Time is running terror until a braveadventurer put an end to his evil' But now out... he is back from the dead, seekingrevente, with the dark 1 84045 555 2 powersofvoodoo at his command' YOU haveyour own scoreto settle - Cinnabarmurdered your family when you werea child. Only YOU can end the horrific slaughterby destroyingthe pinte captainand his crewof cut- throats. Come hell or high water Bloodbonesmust be stopped!

1 84046 765 7 The Official Fighting FantasyWebsite www.figh t in gfa n ta sy. co m

Visitthe websitefor... o Latestnews on FFgamebooks and events r The Adventurers'Guild, the official FightingFantasy Club! . Competitions,Monster Gallery and gamebookmaps . Downloadscreensavers, wallpaper, bookmarks and much more... r Exclusiveinformation on all forthcoming FFgamebooks, includingpreviews of cover art The Official FightingFantasy Website www.figh ti ngfa nta sy. co m

Visitthe websitefor... r Latestnews on FFgamebooks and events . The Adventurers'Guild, the official FightingFantasy Club!

r Competitions,Monster Gallery and gamebookmaps . Downloadscreensavers, wallpaper; bookmarks and much more... . Exclusiveinformation on all forthcoming FFgamebooks, includingpreviews of cover art The Official FightingFantaqr Website www.fighti n gfa nta sy.co m

Visitthe websitefor... r Latestnews on FFgamebooks and events . The Adventurers'Guild, the official FightingFantasy Club! o Competitions,Monster Galleryand gamebookmaps . Downloadscreensavers, wallpape6 bookmarks and much more... . Exclusiveinformation on all forthcoming FFgamebooks, includingpreviews of coverart {y,;;;ffi{r'{iN^ff,:{orJ"

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