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KNIGHTSOF DOOM

Fo. yearsthe brave Knishtr Templa.of th€ Demonkeepand lhe Citadelhdve kept the p;dce in Auddleston€,protechn; rl from the constdt ravasesof Ors ed BeastM€n. But now d mcimt evil has reawak;€d in the land. Th€ ,orce!€r Belqdorh ha' retumedfiom lhe dead lo Fdam lus throneat Caeiskaat.Hir aim ls simple:he will seltle for nothinc lessthan total domiruon of Ruddleione Hi. fdnatial Knishts;f Doom wlll €^sue that hi, evil planrdo not fdil One her;i. tnicht - YOU - mu\l sneal ihrcush a l&d Dldqed inlo war. peneiraterhe ,eemn8 dFn,y line, ;d ovqc;e de dddlixt foJ of them a rwo dice, a pmol ad m drser ar€ all you need to mbark on thF awesome adventue, which comes complete with its oM elaborate ombat s'stm ad a score sheet to record your pro8ress. Unc(Mtable ddgs lie ahead and your suc$ is anylhine bul certain.lts up to YOU to de

Stcvelacllo.t SORCERYI 1 THE SHAMUTANTI HILLS r KII,\R6 CIYPORT OF TRAPS ] THESEVEN SIRPEN1S 4 THECROWN Or KNCS

FIGHTINC FANTA-SY The Inhoductorv Role PlavinB Cme THE NDDUNG REAWR lou TlTillmg Adventues rFF rR-oirroarrH wAxs chros nlade. A0ansB DEMONSTEALER ChaddaD,ikmmeRetams SLLADOWMASTER Chadda Ddsan€ and Death

TI€ Advd@d fightinA Fant'sr SJBtd OLTTOtTH€ PIT F,ShtsgFdt:\Y Mon+fls PUFFINBOOKS TITAN Tle F,shti@ Imta5v Wo' d DlrN. oNLm: A;-n.r@j._ oa b'r" rao ld orFole p a ns C.n^ BLACKSANDI MoE Advm.ed FiBhting Fmtaev Iighting Fanlasy Cnebooks Steve 1 THT WARLOC( OF FMETOP 29. MIDMCHT ROCUE Jackson and Ian Livingstone MOUNTA]N ,o cllAsMs oF MALicE : THE CITADELOT CH,{OS 31 BATTLEBLADEWARRIOR present J IHE FORESTOF DOOM rA SLA!'E OF THE ABYSS + STAFSTIIPTRAVELLER tr s(Y LORD CITY OF THIEITs t4 STEALEROF SOULS O' DEATHTRA?DUNCEON ]' DAGGERSOF DARKNESS 7 ISLANDOF THELIZARD (INC J6, ARMJFJOF DEATH A SCORPIONSWAMP 9. CAVERNSOF THE SNOW ]3 VAIJLT OF THE VAMPIRE WlTCH ]O HOUSEOI HELL 11 TAIISMAN OF DE TH 41 MASTEROF CHAOS 42 BLACKVEIN PROPHEC/ .J KEEPOf THE LICH LORD 14 TEMPLEOF TERROR 4 LEGENDOF THE S}IADOW 1' THE RINCS OF KETHER 4' SPECTR.A!STALKERS APPOINTI,ENT WITH F EA R 46- TOWTR OF DESTIUCTION 13'7 REBELPLANET r' THECRIMSON TID! 19 DEMONSOF THEDEEP 46 MOONRUNNER 2O S!\'OID O} THE SAMTIMI 49 SIEGEOF SAXDATH 21 TRIAL OF CHAMPIONS RETURNTO fIRETOP I ROBOTCOMMANDO 'O MOUNIAIN 2] MASI$ OI \4AYHTM ISIAND Of IHE IJNDEAO 24,CREATURE OF TIAVOC 'r 2' BTNE{TH NIC}IN\,AIT SPELLBREAKER CASTLE " LEGENDOF ZACOR JonathanGreen 16, CRYPTOF THE SORCI]RER '4 !7 STARSTRJDER tuusrrBteaoV ionv Hough 23 PHANTOMSOF FF?1R

St.vc Jac*lont SORCERYI 1 THE SIIAMUTANn HILLJ z KHARE- CITYPORTOI TMPS J THESEVEN SERPENTS , THECROWN Of KJNGS FIGHTTNCFANTASY The Inkodlcrory Rolept ynlll cde THERIDDLINC REAWR Tqn Thrihg Adknhc

THCTRoLLTOOIH wARs chlc lrNlhs AlLtia DEMONSTEALER Ch.ddaDa*rune Rltms SHADoWMASTER- ch.lda Dar!.ranerd D.ath Th. Advrn.ert Flghtine lhtnsy Srrt€n OUT OF THE PIT . FUIIiNPFdirgv MOIIEG nTAN Th€ Fishhc-Fdl; wdld PUFFINBOOKS DIJNGEOMIR - An l.trcduction to theWorld oi Role-playmsCmes BIICKS,AND| More Advm.pd FiahrinaF,nrey CONTENTS

PUFF]N BOOKS Pubhhcd by the Pe.8uh Croup Pfler' SooL rd- wrAh\L'elo'don^3,'. Iredd llaLilB^NLsAk. 1i5P d.o-S c. N"s \o,1 \'s'o\ e a Us,A o"1s' u Booc A' hJ" t J P V,lor" qn au ' sw.oo Introduction PenAuin Books Cmada Lrd, rc Al.om Avenuq Tonntq Onlad., Cin:d3 M4v rr2 Penguin Book5 (NZ) Ltd, rs2 19o Wamu Road, Au.kland r., N€w Zealant 7 Pensuin sook Ltd, Reaiskrcd olices Hamondswo*h MiJdGs€& Insland AdventureSheet Fnsl Publhhed 4e4

!.rcppr .^pv.efl i n\ . L o' ddInLvinbrr" Background Tcrtoplnsht I onrlhanCFcn rma lll.\ ri., .ropJ isfr , Tor Ho' e5 99a Map coppsht O lonathan Gften, 19e,1 All righE i*erved Knightsof Doom The noml risht oi the authd h* been a$e*ed 27 Filnsd by Datir Int.mtional Lmlerl BuSay, s"ffolk Pukd n Ingland bt ClaysLtd, Sf lvespl. Filmsetln r:/1J pt MonophotoPalatno

Ex.ept n the United stale of Aneri.a thn book is sold sub,ed lo the ondjtion that lt sh:ll not, by way oI hade or othemi3e, be lent, od \.do ro o\es" 'epnor consentm any fom .l bindins'tunPd!nhoulrtPP'bl.\e.. ..vs .ther thm thal in r !r.l,. p blhted,n-hllou r 11', tond'oa \i " ,.'dr'orbrs rle\Loqqfrrp '.I-drdE P rpo "do' 1 Forthe spellbrealers INTRODUCTION

It has talOrcs and BeastMen whom you succeededin driving back inLothe mourtains. Before embarking on your latest advmture, you must LUcr score indicates how lucky you are. In all these fust discover your onm strengthsand weaknesses. cases,the higher the score,the betteC You use drce to det€rmin€your inrtial scores.On pages 2o-2r there rs an AduentuteSheef whi'ch you Battles may use to recordthe detailsof your adventure.On iL you will ffnd boxes for recording the scoresof your During yow advmture you will often encounterhostrle attributesYou areadvised either to recordyour scores creatues which will attack you, and you yourself may on lheAdoenture Sheet in pencilor to makephotocopies chooseto draw your weaponagainst an enemy you of the sheetfor usein futureadventures. chanceacross. In somesituations you may be given specialoptions allowing you to dealwith the encounter in an unusualmarmer, but in most casesyou will have Skill, Stirmina and Luck to resolve battles as describedbelow. Roll one dice.Add 6 to lhe numberrolled, then enter Enter your opponent'ssKrLL and srAMrNA this toLalin th€ sKrLLbox on lhe AdoentureSheet. scoresin the first ernpty Encounter Box on your Adoenlure Roll two dic€-Add rz to the numberrolled, then enLer Sreel You shodd also make a note of any special this totalin the sr^MNAbox abilities or inshuctions that are unique to that paftic1llar opponent.Then follow this sequence: Roll one dice.Add 6 to the nlrmberrolled, then enter [his total in the LUCKbox. r Roll both dice for your opponent,Add its sKrLL score For reasonsthat will be explainedbelow, yorrr scores to the totalrolled, to find its Attack Strength. will change constantly during the adventure. You z. Roll both dice for yor:rself, then add your cr.nrent must keep an accuraterecord of these scores,and for sxrr-r,score to find your AttackStr€ngth. lhis reasonyou areadvised to wrile smallin the boxes or !o keep an eraser handy. But never rub out your 3- If your Aitack Str€ngthis higher than your oppo- Initiql scoresAJthough you may be awardedadditional nent's,you havewounded iL: proceed to step4. If sKr!!, srAMrNA and Lucx points, thefu totals may your opponent's Attack Skength is higher than never exceed their lflifi;"/ scores,except on those very yous, it has wounded you proce€d to step 5. lf rareoccasions when the text specificallylells you so both AtbackShength totals are the sarne,you nave avoidedor parriedeach other's blows: start a new Your srrlr reflectsyour expe*ise in combat,your Attacl Ror:ndfrom step r, above. dexterity and agility. Your STAMINAscote is a meas ure of how healthy and physically fit you are- Your 4- You lEve wounded your opponent, so subkact 2 pointsfrom iLssrAMtNA score. You may use LucK additionalopponents you lhrow for AtLackStrengths here to do additionaldamage (see below). Proceed in Lheusual way. If your Attack Shengthis greater to step6 ihan your opponent's,in this instanceyou will noL inflict any damage;yor: can regard it as having parried 5. Your opponent has wounded you, so subtract z an incoming blow lf your Attack Strengt+ris lower points from your sTAMINAscore. You may use than your adversary's,however, you will be wounded (see LUcxto reducethe lossof srAMlNA below). in the usual way. Of course,you will have to settle 6. Beginlhe next AtLackRound, starting again at sL? the outcomeagainsb eadr additionaladversary sepa- 1 This sequencecontinu€s until the STAMINAscore rately. of eitheryou or your opponentreaches zero, which meansdeath. If your opponentdies, you arefree Lo Luck continue with your adventure.If you die, your adventureends and you must beginall over again Ai various times during your adventure,either in by creatinga new character. battleor when you find yourselfin anothersituahon in which you couldbe eiiherLucky or Unlucky(detaiJs of lhese are given in the relevant paragraphs),you Fighting More Than One Opponent may use rucr to makethe outcomemore favourable In some situations you may ffnd you'self facing more to you. But beware!Using LUc( is a risky business thanone personor creaturein combat-SomeLimes you and, if you are Unlucky, fhe resultscould be disas- will heat them as a single opponent,aL olher times trous- you will be ableto fight eachin tum, and then again, The procedure for Teslingyaw Laclcworks as follows: you all at the at other times will have to fight them roll two dice If the number rolled is less than or sametimel I[ they aretreated as a singleopponenl, the equal to your current LUc( score,you will have combat$ resolvednormally. When you arenstructed been Lucky and the ouLcomewill go in your favour. to 6ght your opponentsone at a time, Lhecombat is If the numberrolled js higher than your cunenf LUCK you again resolved normally - except that, once defeat score, you will have been Unlucky and will be penal- an enemy, the next steps forward to ffght you! When ized. you find yourself under attack from more than one opponent at the sametime, eachadversary will make a Each time you Test youl Luck, you must subtracf 1 separaleatta& on you in the courseof eachAttack point hom your current LUCKscore Thus you will Round,but you canchoose which one to fight Attack soonrealize that, the moreyou rely on your LUCK,lhe your chosenlarget as in a normalbaLtle. Against any morerisky thisprocedure becomes.

11 L)sihgLuck in Bdtfles From time to time you will be told to Testyow Luck, More About Your Attributes and you will thm leam the consequencesof being skitl Lucky or Unlucky. However, in batlles you always Your SKILLscore will not changemuch during the have the ophon of using your LucK eilher to inflict courseof your advenhue.Occasionally a paragraph more seriousdamage on an opponentyou have just may give instructionsto increaseor deqeaseyour wounded or to minimize the effects of a wound you sKrLL score, but it may not exceed its lnitial vaJue hav€just received. unlessyou arespecifically instructed to the contrary. II you havejust woundedan opponent,you r ay Test At varioustimes during your adventure,you will be your Luck,as describedabove. If you are Lucky,you told to Testvout Skil!. The procedurefor doing this is have inflicted a s€vere wound, deduct 2 extra points exactly the same as for Testingyour lt,t./c. Roll two from yow opponmfs sraMrNA score. If you are dice. If the number rolled is less than or equal to your Unlucky, however, your blow only sdatcies your crment SKILLscore, you have succeededin your Lest opponent,you may deducl only r point from your and the resultwill go in your favour.If Lhenumber opponent'ssrAMrN^ (so that, insteadof inflictingthe rolled is higher than your cunent EKILLscore, you usual: points of damage you now ffict only r). have falled the test and will have to suffer the conse- quences.However, unlike lcifirg your Luck, yan do Whmever you yourselfare woundedin combat you not have to subtractl point from your srrrr each may Test Luckto try to minimizethe wound. lf vour tnte you Testyour Skill. you areLucky, your opponent'sblow only grazesyou, deductjust 1 point from your own sraMtNA.II you Slafiina are Unlu&y, youl wound is a se.iour one and you Your srAMrNA scorewill changea lot during yow must deduct1 ,rtr4 srAMrNApoint (i.e.deduct a tolal adventure,IL will drop as a result of wounds gained of pointsfrom your srAMrNA). 3 through combat or by falling foul of traps and pitfalls, Remember:you must subtract1 point ftom your LUCK andit wlll alsodrop afteryou performany particularly scorc eachEme you Testyow Lu.k. arduous task [f your srevru score ever falls Lo zero, you have been killed and should stop reading the book immediately, Brave adventurers who wishto pursuetheir queslmustrollup a newcharacterand sfart allover again. You can restorelost sr^MrNA by eating meals or Provisions.You start the gamewithout any Provisions,

I but durJngyour advenLureyou will be able to obtain battle. Wiih youJ superiorexperience in mealsYou mustkeep kack on yoor AdoentureSheet ol the a of wartdre.a lorceted by you is all but unbeatable_ how many meals'worth of Provisionsyou have left. Eachfime you eaLa meal,you may restoreup to 4 Ride of srAMrNA,but at fhe sametime you musl Pornts You are an experl hoaseman,able to remain rememberto deduclr mealfrom your stocko{ Provi- in the saddleand guide your steedin even the most sions-You may pause[o eat Provlsionsat any Lrmq adverse conditions.lhis sUl mean.fhat exceptwhen you areengaged in a baLtle. tou arealso lilely to beable lo ndeother mounts. even udikely dnd unfamil_ lar ones. Luck Addrtionsto your LUCKscore may be awardedin the Target adventurewhen you have been particularlylucky or This skill allowsyou Lo useweapons that have createdyour own luck by someaction Details are thrown or fired Guch as bows. rpearsand fhrowing are given, wherc appropriate,rn the relevanLpart of knivesr wrthgreater accuracy thafl normal. the book.Remember that, as with sKrLLand srAMrNA, your LUcKscore may neverexceed its ,?ilialvalue Tracking As Iong as there is a trail to follow, you can brack Special Skills humanoidor.beast anywhere. your successin tracking dependson the natureof the traii andhow otd As part of your trainingas a TemplarKnight, you have it is. acquiredcertain Special Skills appropriateto both a Weapon wamor anda priest,and thesehave proved invaluable on many a perilousadventure. Choose /or.rr Special Skillsfiom the list below and malcea note of Lhemin the SpecialSkills box on your AdpenfureSheet. Yol trrrsfhave at leastone Wanior Skiliand one Priest Skill. sPear

tNarrior Skills priesLSkills Battle Tactics Arcane Lore As well as beinga hiSfJy skilledwarrior yourself, you Having spentmany hoursporing over ancrenf are also used to conunandingdozens of soldiersin tomes, vou are more knowledgeabrethan mo5l concemin6 a4

I of RuddlesLone,and you the hislory and legends Honour understandmany of Lhe secrel symbols and other myslerieso{ your order. As a Knight of Telak you are bound by HoNouR. Your HoNouR is a measureof your unselfishness, BanishSpirit your senseof duty and allegianceLo the path of By brandishingholy syrnbolsand using certain esoteric Goodness At the slart of your adventure your phrases,you areable to freeone ghosLlyundead spiril HoNouR scoreis 6 (you do not need to roll dice to {rom its earthlyconstraints at a time discoverthis). You may increaseyour HoNouR score by undertakingheroic deeds and destroyingespecially Commune evrl opponentsHowever, you can alsolose noroun pointsby actingin an evil or selfishway that is more benefitinSto your enemies,or by breakingthe Oath of the Templars.Keep track of your HoNouR in the appropriafebox on your AdoentureSheeL and do aII from higherplanes you cannot to dishonouryourself or your order

Holy Strike Time You are able to hiL evil creaturessuch as undeadand Demonswith a blast of holy power that will draln As you pursueyour quest,iL is importanLthat you keep theirevil energiesYor.r may makeonly one stiike at a trackof the passageo{ time.Regularly Lhroughoul the trme. adventure,whenever a day draws to an end, you will be instructedlo add r day to fhe Time ElapsedThis shouldbe done in the Time Elapsedbox which you wtll hnd,on your AtuentureSheet.

Equipment You start your adventurewrth the possessionsand uniform you would expectof a Knight of Telak:you aredressed in a fine chainmailcoal and a white tunic with the designof a goldensword embrorderedon it, and you carry a magicsword, a weaponmade of the

16 77

I fineststeel and castwith a mysticalencJuntment. This weapondoes not Bive you any bonusto your Altack Strength but it will harm the undead and Demons because of its holy nature- You travel through the kingdomof Ruddlesloneon your steedFiremane, ,r' l__: a dark roan with a blazing red mane. As yet you RuooLgsroNE.., do not have a backpackor any Provisionsor Gold Pieces. yJ You should record your magic sword in the Weapon ,",-.: Lwx on your AiloentureSrrsf everything else goes in the Equiprnentbox. During Lheadventure you may only ever carry and use one weaponat a time How- ever, for as long as you have your horse Firemane with you, you rnay alsocarry anotherweapon on his saddle.lf you do this, make a note of it in the a Eqrupmentbox. If you losea weaponand Firemaneis slill carrying the other, then you may use this one However you may do this only if Firemaneis with you aLthe Lime.For example,if you loseyour sword in a dungeoq until you get ouf of that dungeon(or you find anotherweapon there)you must carry on weaponless.While you are fighting without a weapoq you must reduceyour Attack Stren8thby z points.If ,1// you everwant to changea weaponduring combal and - j._l@ c-*"r, are in a position to do this, you must fo eil one '=Fi.-- '.,.,.. --. .., - : ,l AttackRound and suffer the consequencesAlso, when- ^- 7 ;! ,l) _uornwokhrrrrnwot.h ever you acquirea weapon (or armour)you should record on the AdoenfureShect any bonusesthat go .?=-*,h"*:- HILGi. with it andwhether or not it is magical 1-1--<-i' iS{r€

1E MONSTERENCOUNTER BOXES

SKILL STAMTNA LUCK 5&ilt=

HONOUR TIME ELAISED

WIAPON col,D ftEcEs it = st =

EQU1PMENTAND NOTES s&ili= throughoutthe land.lt was a truly leniiying spectacle BACKGROUND to behold.However, before the vortex closedagarn, somethingelse was deLected escaping from the Ethereal Plane- somethingof fhe utmost evrl ihat exuded comrphon RecenLlyreports have been coming fiom The kingdom is sick and I am mortally ill.' Gaspsof the southconceming a bandof dark warriorswho are dismay come from the crowd, the leadersoi all the terrorizingihe countrysideand carryingbanners that major religiousand secularorders of Ruddlestoneare bear the motif of a metal gauntlet holding a black assembledhere rn the hall that is bedeckedwith the sword.'You gazeat the old wizardin horror 'Yes,'he barnersof thoseorders You are standingin front of saysgravely, 'the armsof the ChaosKnights of Caer the king's ornately carvedoak throne You are sud- Skaal.' denly awarehow weak and tired King Rannorlooks. Having regainedhis breath, the king speaksagain, Every Templar knows about that feribLe period in 'My physicianstell me that I am sufferingftom no Ruddlestone'shistory. One hundred years ago, the ordinary illness,and thaf thereis only one cure.The krngand head of your orderat that time,Chivalras IX, land and the king are one and,becaus€ there is chaos had a brother, Belgaroth,who was also one of the in the land, I am dying- If the kingdom rs to su.vive, Knightsof Telak But Belgarothwas consumedwith then the sourceof Lhisdisruption musl be destroyed, lealousyfor his brotherand desired to be king himself for without a trueking the landitself will dre. Although Chivalraswas in kuth a wortny monarcn, '14hatis bhesource of thischaos?' you ask Belgarothconsidered him a weak lcng and thoughf ihat Ruddlestoneshould be ruled with an iron fist. As Aranandus, the court wizard and adviser to the king, the yearspassed, Belgaroth spent more and more time your 'Several answers question. weeksago, during a awayfrom the Citadelat his own castleon the edgeof Lerriblestorm over the BanaraskHills, a gateway the BanaraskHills. During that time, he becamecor- opened between our world and the Sprrit Planes, ruptedby his own hatredand lealousy, so that eventu- centredr.rpon the ruins of the fortressof Caer Skaal- ally he rejectedTelak and tumed to worshipprngthe My fellow sorcerersand I detecLedthe disturbarceit Dark Cods of Chaos,that they might grant him the was causingon the magicalether, and for kilomet.es power to destroyChivalras. As part of hrs serviceto aroundpeople saw a great,swirling vortex Formamidst hisdark masters, Belgaroth founded an orderof Chaos theboihng slorm-clouds. Eye-witness accounls say thaL Knightsto leadhis hordesof evil agarnstthe Citadel while the portal remainedopen, Lerriblescreaming However, Chrvalras'sspies uncovered Belgaoth's spirits could be seen flying acrossthe nighL sky plans,and so the Crusadeagainst Chaos began. The

22 'Yes,my Lege.'you reply.'lF my kingdomis rn danger then I must do a[ I can to slop fhese Knights of Chaos'

wereleft to the inhabitantsof thosewild lands 'BelgaroLhmust have retr_rmedfrom the Landsof the Deadand resunected his dark order,' Arananctus contin- ues 'His servant\strjve ior diiruption and confusion .o that Chaosmay hghten its gnp upor oru woflo. You There is talk of witchcraflin the noah; lhe dead are bow to King Rarnor and hun lo leave the rislng from fheir graves,and there have been many dark portenls seen acrossthe land There are even

soundsas if it was insrdethe hall, but you can see nofhing.Then rt stopsand, at Lhesame moment, the lernperaturein thehall drops. As you watch,a phospho- rescentgrcen glow beginsto appearIn fronl o[ yor.r. Sornethingis materialirin8in the audiencechamber. Somethingnot of thisworld . . Tum to paragraphr. chosen to be that knrght, for you are one of the Sreatestof ail the Knights of Telak. your courage, your prowessin battle, and your commandof the mystic powers taught by your order are known of throughoutthe kingdom.You will accepfthe quest

24 The phosphorescencerapidly rncreusesin size,making a recogrizableshape. Directly in fronl of you a ghostly armoured knight forms, surrounded by an eerie green glow and mounled on a phantom steed Inside lhe helmetthe knight'sface is Lhatof a fleshlessskull, its empty eye socketsstaring down at you. The ghost poinfs at you with ils sword;its jaw drops open and the dead knight lets out a ghastly moan: 'Beware, mortals-Bewarel' Before you canreact, the horserears up on its hind legsand tries to crushyou beneathits hoofs Testyour Lutk. If you are Lucky, tum to 97. If you are Unlucky, turn Lo 145.

If you have takenmore than six days to get bhisfar, fum to 159. If you have taken six days or less, fum lo 3jE-

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

Evmtudly your opponent falls. You have not even reachedthe door when the pressureof lhe sLeam inside the boiler becomestoo great and the iron chamber exolodes - with cataclvsmiceffect The t-5 ,

Juggernautis blown apat by the blast, as are you. deepblue, inset with sparklinggems to form a map of Your adventureends here the heavens Slumpedover a book on a desk is a skeleton,wearing a blue robe embroid€redwith stars 5 and moons.As you descendthe staircase,the skeleton The people of Assart bolt their doors and banicade remamsmotionless so you decideto takea closerlook themselvesinside their homesas you sel of{ aloneon at the book. The skeletonis that of Savant,a good Firemane,going west towardsMyrton. Dusk is falling wizard in the serviceof Belgarothbefore the Dread as you reachthe derelictruins lying undera thick pall Lord wascomrpted by his own Jealousyfo the service of mist. The air is heavywith the smellof deathand of Chaos When his masier tumed from the path of you can hear the tolling of a bell. Suddenlya great Soodnessand truth, Savant hid hrmselfaway and crowd appearsout of the mist, blockingthe way to beganwork on findinga way to sLopBelgaroth What Myrton- The undead villagers stumble towards yorr he discoveredlies here before you. However, iL is moaningand waving farm tools threateninglyin your written in a strangemagical short-hand If you have direction.You have no choicebuL to chargethese theArcane Lore SpetaI Skll, tum to 70 If you haven't, undeadranks in an attempf to yo.u Test Luct. If you are Lucky,tum to break through their 'J.ust Vour 70; lines Roll two dice io seehow many of the undead rf you areUnlucky, turn Loa89 skike you. lf you havethe Holy SlrikeSpecial Skill you may reducethis numberby :, andyou canalso do this if you havea lanceFor everystrike you sustain,lose 2 STAMINApoinLs If you surviverunning this gauntlet, the undead ignore you and instead make for Assart, leavingyou to go afterthe Necromancer. Tum to ja.

7 The speJl'lockeddoor opensand you gazeinto what Alreadyyou krow that thevillage of Assartis doomed. was obviouslyonce a wizard'slaboratory- You are at With the N€comancerstill alive,his army of undead the top of a starrcasethal winds round the wall of the wlllconlinu€ to grow unlil it is unstoppableYou have circularchamber to floor level. The room is fulI of noLeven lef! the graveyardwhen you are surrounded Lablesand benchesladen with bizarrepieces of equip, by a horde of Zombrelike creatures.You cut dolvn ment and scientificapparatus Around the top of the many of the evil undead,but rn the end you are crrcularwall have been painted picturesof strange overwhelmedand, once dead, you arereLumed to the myLhologicalcreatures, and the domed ceiling is a sePulchreto meetyour n€w master. E{o

I 11 Betweenthe kees at lhe edge of the clearing,the Gripping the Elf-Spear6rmly in your hand, you (eel its groundis thickwith bra(ie . TesL Luck.Il yon arc Vour power flowing into your arm, strengtheningyour Lucky,turn to :9r. I{ you areUnlucky, tum to 2r5 musclesFlinging your arm forward,you hurl Aelfgar throughthe air, aimingit straightat Belgaroth'schest. Testyour Skill,subtracting 2 from lhe dice roll if you The Paladin'sLance is the very weaponthat pierced have the TBryel Special Skill If you succeed,h.rrn to the heartof the Hell Dragonforty yearsago. It will be 4oo. Jf you fail,tum to r44. an invaluable weapon if you ever have to take part in a joust, however,it cannotbe used in hand to-hand a2 combal.If you ever given the option of usinSbhe are Having removedthe Banshee'stooth, do you want to Lance,Tesl your 5kill, addrng z to fhe number rolled if makeyour way back Lo the crone'scave so Lhatshe you do not have the Lance WeaporSpecial Skill. If you can concoctyour poLion(tum to 2q) or will you go aresuccessful, your opponentloses 2 poinLs. srAMrNA elsewhere(Lurn to 2o2I (Recordthe Lancein the Weaponbox on yout Adoen- Iwe Sheel.)Re|urr. to 356 Quickly you unsheaLheyour weapon,ready to fight the hellspawn.Being a denizenof LheEtemal Pit, the DemonicSlayer can be harmedonly by magicalweap- ons-If you do not have one, you will meel the same fate as thaLof Herluinunder the creature'sonslaught. Your adversary'sclaws are so sharpthal they will cut through armourand flesh aljke,so any bonusesyou may haveagainst damage will haveno effectl

10 DEMONIC SLAYER sKrLL10 STAMINA 8 The Giant roarsin fury at you for having avoidedhis If you destroythe horror tum to rzE. hazards.Bellowing, rt swingsits club at you Drawing your own w€apon,you engagein srnglecombat

HILL GIANT SKILL 9 If you deleatthe brute,tum to ryj- Ltt At the top of Lhest€ps you enLera long anLechamber, a[ the end of which is a set of double doors madeIiom a dark wood, inscribedwith mysticalrunes. Howevet at thismoment, th€ spectreof a womanis materializing in Lheroom Her raggedrobes and hair streamout behindher as she flies towardsyou acrossrne room, her clawlike hands nised, screamint insanely, Upon her headis a cown of Dragon'steeth and the manic look in her eyes tells you that the ghosl has been driven completelymad. The spectreis in fact fhat of Belgaroth's ffend-like queen, Morgwtm of the Dark Tower. A servantof Shekla,goddess of witchcraft,it was shewho, during the siegeof CaerSkaal, conjured terriblecreatures hom the Spirit World fo assaillhe crusaders'camp at night and deprive the warriors of precioussleep. Upon hearing the news of her husbands deathon the field of battle,Morgwyn took her own life, throwing herself from the highest lunet oi the fortress. If you have the BanishSpiit SpecialSkill and want to use it to dispel the specke, Lum ro 2o4. Otherwiseyou will have to figh[ Belgaroth'squeeq fum to 29

a5 The owl zuddenly larmchesitself from its perch and startsto buffetyou with its wings,forcing you towards the door. Wheneveryou strikeout at the bird, it flres up fo the ceiling, out of your reach.You try to carry on you. investigation of Herluin's cell, but fhe owl beginsscre€ching and continuesto hamperany move you make.You decidethat you have aLeadywasted a6-a, enough time here anyway, so you hastily leave the What he knowsabout the Elf-Spear celland the wood Tum to 49. Aelfgar? Tum Lo 206

a6 18 You noticeLhal, above each archway, a rune has been Thesemanlike crealuresare Wodewose, primal sPirits carvedinto the stone.From hours spent studying such of the forestitself, and from iL they draw lheir strenglh. secretsymbols, you can reco8nizeall of them.Above They will not be easy to defeaL,for you must fight the southemarchway rs the Runeof the Swordbearel themtogether over the northem archway is the Rune of Enkala SKIIL goddessof peace;and LhesLone above fhe westem first WODEWOSE 9 7 archwaybears the Runeof DeaLh.Which you way will SecondWODEWOSE 9 8 8o? If you win, the bodiesof the Wodewosedry up and South? Tum to j5a turn brown. Bewilderedby your encounterwith Lhese West? Turn to j9a strangecreatures, you continueon your way Tum North? Tum to ao9 to j6a-

19 you Il is early aftemoon when ride back into lhe As you and Torrin waiLin tensesilenc€, you canhear courtyardoI CleeveManor Lord Varenhurries out to the sounds of growling and sniffing coming from you, meet andwhen you showhim the boals tuskshe outsidelhe forge.The Dwarf bolls and bars Lhedoor 'At is overjoyed. last my peoplewill be able to live Lhenbegrns to securethe wlndow-shuttersT?sf yor without fearagarn. The GreatBoar of Leinis no more.' Lrlc If you areLucky, tum to 3ro. If you areUnlucky, (Add 1 to your HoNouRscore-) Lord Vareninvites you rurn ro 375 to spendanother night at themanor but you feelthat, if you leavenow you shouldbe ableto reachHavalok by nightfall However,Varen insists on offeringyou some Beforeyou evenmanage to draw your weapon,a dark servicein return for l

2T ugly brute, aL leasLsix mekes ball.The Hrll Giant is There are no traps hidden by Lheunnatural darlcress coveredin hair and is dressedin tatLy animal furs, but, as you slep thro'rgh it, the marrow-freezing cold while in its massivehands it holds a small tree as a drainsyour shength (lose 2 sr^MrNA pornts)unless club.Next to it is a pile of hee trur*s. On seeingyou you are carrying a shield bearing a crescenlmoon the Ciant gives the pile a mighty kick, sendinSthe whichprojects a glowing white barrierround you You treeirunks rolling down the valley, direcLlytowards soonemerge frorn the chilling darkness and find yourself you The sidesof the path are too sleepand Lhereis in a chamberfaced with slabsof sLone.ln it standthree no time for you to get out of lhe way of the speeding largestone coffins. Lying on top o{ thecenfral sarcopha- logs, so you prepareto jump them wrth your mount. gus rs an ancienlsword inscibed with interweavin8 Testyour Skill four times, subhacting z from the dice pattems.Do you want to risk takingit (tum to 2]a); or roll if you have the Rile SpecialSkrll. If you succeed willyou leavethe deadin peaceand quit this hmulus, on everyroJl, tum Loro. If you fail at all, tum bo88, passingthrough lhe pool of darknessonce more, for the loss of z further srAMrNApoints and 1 sKILLpoint 24 urlessyou havethe moon shield(tum to tr6! As the last Hellhounddies, dawn breakson another cold Close day; but at least you have survivedthe ni8hl to see rt (add r day to the Time Elapsed) The The force of the bLowsends you reeling,and you fall memory of that terriblenight will remainwith you to the floor The mercenariescheer and as you dimb for a long time Lookingacoss at the old Dwarf, you the stepsout oI the pit, Stronnexplains that he could see Lhathe is bleedingfrom many savagewounds, neverlet hjs men be led into battleby anyonebuL the buL at leasbis still alive, too. You realze that you best of warriors.Nothing you can do will persuade havebeen fighting alongsidea true veteran.Regain 1 Stronnto changehis mind,so you decidenot to waste LUCKpoinL for surviving the demonicpack's attack. your you any moretime at the Mercenaries'Guild Tum to 314. Having rested and tmded wounds, lead liremanefrom the stableand continueon your quest, but not beforeTorrin gives you sufffcienLProvisions For muchof Lheday you ride west and souththrough for 3 meals and his best wishes for the journey the BanaraskHills without seeinganother soul in the ahead. desolatetenain. It is late aftemoonwhen you cometo As Torln saidyou would,by mid-momingyou reach the bottom of a sheer-sidedincline. As you start to the lonely village of Ennox-A numberof farmsand climb the path to the top, a huge silhouetteappears on other buildings huddle together round lhe village the horizon.Standing at lhe top of the inclineis an square,in the middle of which standsa stonecross 27-24

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

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

COCKATRICE SKILL 7 STAMINA 7 If fhe Cockatncewrns an AtLackRound, as well as peckingyou andcausing 2 srAMrNApoints o[ damage, the creaLurehas porsonousbreath which may weJl pamlysepart of your body, and this could be fatal' Rollone dice to determinewhaL the eflectrs Dice Roll Effect 1-2 Nothng happens 3 Lose1 5KILLpoint 4 Lose2 sKrLLpoints 5 Lostj sKrLLpoints 6 DeaLh If you manageto kill the Cockatriceand you havethe word 'Enorc'witten on yow AdoetlturcSheet, fum to 22a;if you haven't,tum to 168.

2E Brandishingthe talisman,it is your hope that the creaturewill be repelled by iL. Rather than being t9 344

repelled,howevet the manifestationseems to be at viciousLeeth and daws (lose6 srAMrNApoints). After hactedto the amulet Suchtalismans are wom by the that, she will fight on with her clawedhands, If you Darkthom'sservants and cannotbe usedto harm the have Lhe Holy SLrikeSpecial Skill you may use this evil elemental spirit fhey worship- Black stems burst againstthe spectre,causing her to lose 2 STAMTNA through the 6oor, wrapping fhemselves rouno your pointsand I sKrrl point. armsand legs.There is nothingyou cando as,held in MORCWYN sKtLLg the Darkthom's grasp, you are lorn limb from limb by theroots. If you win, the apparibionof the fiendlike sorceress vanisheswjth a screamin a swirl of vapour. If the spechehit you at leaslonce, roll one dice Unlessyou roll a 6, you will haveto deductr point from your srr rr dueto Morgwyn's Lfe drainingLouch. Tum to 29o

3o SpurringFiremane onwards through the brackenand undergrowfh,you crossa sheam and lose the kack you were following. Undetened, you presson, hoping to pick it up again soon. However, the fu*her you proceed through the forest the denser the irees become,the canopyo{ branchesabove you letting in less lighL so lhal an unnaturalgJoom pervades the 29 woods.Between the treesyou suddenlycatch sighl of If you arenot ffghting with a magicalweapon, if will somethingglnting in a ray of sunlight.RememberinS be impossibleLo defeat the spectreand Morgwyn will lhat time is pressing,do you wanL to invesLiSate drain the life-force from yor-t body. If you do have a the source of this glinting (tum [o a12) or wil] magicalweapon, you may fight on as normal.For Lhe you continu€on your way through the foresl (lum hrsl two Attack Rounds,Morgwln will useher biack 6 ifin arts againstyou. l{ she wins the fust Attack Round, she will strike you with a bolt of black lightning, 3a An ururaLuraL hangs My on and the causingyou to lose4 srewrr,{ points.If shehas the stillness over higher Attack Strengthin the secondAtta& Round, whole villageseems to be deserted.\A4rat could have sheconjures phantasmal fiends to rend your fleshwith happenedhere all those yearsago? Much of it is in 55-31

ruins,with only a few stone buildingsstill standing, 53 envelopedin Fog Theseinclude the Elderc'MeetinS You awakenwith a starbjust as the fust rays o{ dawn House Lo the north-east,the village lock-up to the are peneLratinglhe depths of the forest. Restorez souLheast and a tall bell-tower,which has remained sTAMINApoints and add r day to the Time Elapsed. totally intact, to the north The tolling comesliom Lhe But what of your adversary?Was your battle with the bell-tower and a doud of bats is flitting about iLs loight all a dream? Looking arormd, you notice a eavesYou canalso see an abandonedgraveyard lying shield lying againsta tree: on iL is the image of a to the west,on the far sideof the village.l\here will flame If you want lo take this shield,in battle you you begin your searchfor the Necrornancer? may reduce any oppon€nt'sAtta& Strength by 1 The meeting house? Tum Lo 2a5 point. ryou may carry only one shieldat a time) You have successftrlly The lock-up? Tum lo 44 besbedthe Champion of the Shrine The bell-tower? Tum to 195 in combat and have eamed the righf to finish your The graveyard? Tum to j8a loumey. As you ride on, the ground graduallyrises andeventually you leavethe foresl.You find yourself at the edge of a chasmwhich stretchesas far as the eye cjm see to the east and west- It is loo wide even for Firellune to leap across- but there is no need for that,since a narow stonebridSe spans the gorge.On the end-pillarsoI the bridgeis engravedthe badgeo[ the Temp)ars:a cruciformsword inside a ring inscribed with the Oath Mist rises from the depths of the chasm so that you cannot see the bottom There is only one way to go and you guide Firemaneon to the bridge.Do you sufferfrom the Fearof Heights?If you do, turn to 169. Ifyou don t, Lumto 24!i.

J2 51 Weme tells you that the Griffin Shield used to be 'Of courser' exdaims Pyritees in sudden realization. granted to kniShtsfor acts of extremeloyalty and The watery eiementis the missingingredient. Now I bravery l\henever you are carrying lhe shreld in need only combinethese compounds and distrl the battle,you may reducean enemy'sAttack Strenglhby solutionthey produce It shouldn'ttale longer than a 1 point RefumLo j56 weekor two. Thankyou, my friend How can I repay 35 j5 you?'You decrdeyou have noLhingto losein tellinB only warrjon of which your atmy is composed, yor.l the alchemistabout your questand, as you relateyour soon fall, greatly outnumbered.Howevec it you have missionto him, P!.riLeesbecomes serious. When you other allies,you defend yourself against the traitorous mentionbhe Elf-Spear, Aelfgar, his facelights up with soldiers,engaging one in combat excitement'l know somethingof that fabledweapon,' SOLDIER sKlrL STAM]NA he says 'l heardit in a song once,the "Balladof Sir 7 7 Rhyaddanthe Crusader"Now how did it go? If lhe battle lasLsfor more than four Atiack Rounds, turn to 2o7 If you win in four Attack Rounosor ress, 'Stillriding throughthe forestold, ElvenSpear there to behold Valiantagainst the foe, j6 Everonward through the land, You both peerinto the pool while lhe MisLresspasses Neverfearing Death's cold hand' her handsba&wards and forwards over its surface Also, if you bought any potions from him, Pyritees Suddenlythe water grows cJoudyand the MisLress givesyou backthe gold you paid for them.Thanking says,'Reveal!' An imagebegins to form in the pool. lt Pyriteesfor his clue to the whereaboutsof Aelfgat seemsto be the ruins of a castlebut, as quickJyas il yoLrleave his laboratory.Now will you try to recrurt appeared,the imagestarts to fade.'Reveal,' the woman a small army (tum to a59) or leave Havalok (tum saysagain, bul now all you can makeout in the waier to 314)7 rsa swirlingmisL Thenyou seeit At first it is only a speckmoving amongthe drifting clouds,but asit gets neareryou seethat the thing has a ghoulishfac€ with monstrousfeahues, trailing tendrilso[ mist. Too late you realizethat the mistshave startedto pour from the pool into the room, as they sunound you, they chill you with their numbing cold. Wrth a hellish scream,the spectralcreature bursts into the chamber throughthe scryingpool. 'lt is a Wyrd,' the Mistress cfies,'an ethercal inhabitant of the Spi t Plane.Deslroy rt, qui&lyl' If you have the Banr'slSprrif Special Skll you can malcethe necessarysigns and retum the Suddenly,Lord Varen'ssoldierstum on your other Wyrd to ifs supematuralhome (turn to r54) If you do soldiers,siding with fhe BeastMen- lf they are the not have this SpecialSkrll, you must prepareto ff8ht 10 There is a fanfareon a trumDetand the Lord of Cleeve Manor entersthe hall,followed by noblesand landed gentry and lheir many retainers,all read {or the feasL. Lord Taris Varen is an imposingfigure. He is a tall, handsomeman, past his fortieth year,dark-haired and with a well-trimmedbeard. He extendshis hand in greeting.'l am glad that you could take the Limeto visit us here.I know that your questmust b€ pressing-' Thank you for the generousoffer of your hospitality,' you reply, 't'ut I understand Lhat there is anoLher reasonfor my beinghere.' 'Ah, yes.The boar,'Lord Varensays, almost casually. 'But that will haveto wait unlil the morrow Tonisht, re feastl He clapshis handsand the assembledguists take their piaces a[ the long trestle tables, whrle the minsLrelsslrike up again.You are seatedat the end of the high table,being one of bheguests of honour,and seltle down Loenioy lhe meal laid out before you The evening passesswiftly and pleasurablywith Lord Varen'sfool, Nuncle,entertaining the gueslswith his jokes,tumbling and jug8lins with lightedtorches. Suddenly the door of the great hall swrngsopen and a wolflike shadowfalls acrossthe rush-coveredfloor Standing in the doorway is a figure holding a staff and wearing a wolf-skin as a doak. Lord Varen rises to his feet. Awenydion of Bqm Du,'he says 'It must be a yearsince you visitedus here,soothsayer' Aye lor4 it is,' the gaunt old man replies.Now thaf Lheworld grows cold I seek only food and shelter at 3' 5a-39

the spirit-form.If you have the Holy sflik?Special Skill Skill you musl reduceyoUI Atlack Strength by r and use rt against the Wyrd, you may reduceits point If you def€atall threeopponents, hrm to 156 sraMrNAby 2 pointsand its srrrr by l point.For the duration of this you battle must reduceyour own 5A Attack Strengthby r poinl due to the chillingebhereal The man droppingout of the hee jusl missesyou and vaPows. landson the road nexLto FiremaneTwo more figures emergefrom Lhecopse in front of you, waving ugly- WYRD sKrLr9 STAMINA 6 lookrngcudgels Your first assailantpulls a long loife If you win, lum lo 164. from his tunic, and the three murderersrun at you. You must fight lhem all at the samehme, but for the dorationoF th$ battle you may increaseyour Attack You manage to follow the tracks left by the Wolf Skengthby r porntbecause you arestrll on horseba&- Riderssouth eastwards Lhrough lhe forest.you soss strcamsand jump bouldenin your puisuit of the Orcs SKILL STAMINA - until at lasL you find them. Mounted on their FirstMURDERER 7 6 snarlinglupine steeds,the Orcs, adomed with their SecondMURDERER 6 I ThirdMURDERER 7 7 As soon as you have dispatchedLwo of your oppo- nents,tum immediatelyto 29j one diceand divide the resuitby 2 (roundingfiactions 59 dom). This rs the numberof anows that hiiyou (lose The commolion causedby your fightinS alerts the 2 sraMrNA points for eachhit). Beforethey have a olher BeasLMen to your presencein th€ir camp.You chanceto fire again,you chargeLhe Orcs Fight each are overwhelmedby sheerforce of numbers Your Wolf-Riderin fum. adventureends here

SKILL STAMINA FirstORC WOLF-RIDER 7 6 secondoRC WOLF,RIDER 6 6 ThirdORC WOLF-RIDER 7 5 During this battle,if you do not have the RideSpecial 42-43

ground(regain 1 LUCKpoint). Hearing a terriblecrack ing sound, you are roused from your stupor and, lookingup, you seethat the roots coveringthe ceiling and walls are also dying now that the power of the Darkthomhas gone Buf the rools are lhe only thing that is keepingthe femplefrom collapsinglBlocks of When he has finished, he begins to go among the masonrystart fo fall round about you, and the mem- guestS,telling them their futuresfor a few Gold pieces. bers of the sect run, screaming,for the exit As the Soon he reachesyou. 'Noble knight,' he asks,,might others flee,you see Bryar,the Arch-Cleric,escaping Awenydion tell you your lutrlre for just three G;ld througha secretdoor at the backof lhe platform.You Preces?ard gives you d tooihlessgrin. Wi)l you give cannotlet him get away to contrnuehis evil schemes- the old soothsayer3 Cold Piecesto have your fu-tur. Roll one drce If you roll r 4, turn to ry7; if you rcll 5 revealedLo you (crossthem off yow AduentureSheel or 6, tum to 287 and tum to :58) or if you considerhim a fraud and don'Lwant to wasteyour money,will you ignorehim 42 (tum to c5, The guardiandead, you concenLrateon how you will open the Sreafblack gmnite door. The door has no 4a lock or handle and you cafftoL see any means o[ As you pull the bottle containinSthe potion from opening it. Above the lintel is an inscriplionwhlch your pack,a huge tendrilled,handJike growth grabs you canjust makeoui in ihe lantern-li8hl: you and begins[o squeeze[he life out of you (lose 4 Beyon.lthis portal lieslhe bodyof ffu loul Necronagewho braughldeaLh and sorrou lo Mwton. Lel floLany spedk hisnane hst hs atrocitiesbe remembered. Ifyou knowhow lo passbeyond the doorof skulls,do il Srasp weaken and you manage to skuggle [ree, wilh now.lf you do not, thereis no way you couldpossibly lhe monsterputting up no resistance.A foul shriek breakdown the imrnensestone door, so you have no risesfrom the cieature'smouth and,as you waLch,the choicebut to leavethe sepulchre in farlure.Tum to 7 roots thaLcomprise its body shriveland break apart. In mornenLs,all that remainsof the manifesfationis a 43 decayingmass o[ plant trssue.The Witherwell musf The Assassin'sDagger streal(s towards you, int€nt on have reachedfhe Darkthom's root slrucfure under the your destructionHowever as you wrll soondiscover, 4 45-41 the Imife-wieldingspechal hand is no ordinaryoppo- 45 nent.As it has no body of any sort, lhe hand carmot You arewithin sighl of lhe SouthGate when you find be destroyedin combat,only fendedoff. If you win an the way bemporarilyblocked by a processionof derics Attack Rormd€ainst the spirit,you will not do it any passing along the sLreet The priests are wearing long damagebuf merely keep it at bay. Whrle you are greenrobes and are chanfingin a low monotone.As doing this,the Assassin'sDagger will ky to stabyou you survey the scme before you, you overh&r a to death! merchanltalking to a servanL:'The Clericsof Lein are a ASSASSIN'SDAGGER SKILL 10 charitablepriesthood who do much[o help the poor and needy of this town, but they are also a very You are not going to be able Lo overcome this seqetive group. Only the initiated may enter therr opponent through combat,so you will have to try temple' If you have either or both of the words somethingels€. I{ you wn two consecutiveAttack 'Rellim'and 'Nroht'wriften o yo:u AdoenLweSheet, Roundsor olherwise,after four ALtackRounds, you tum to 77.If you haven'1,tum to 219. will have worked yourselfinLo a posilion from which you can try to escapefrom the spectralassassin Will jnto 45 you run the copseto hjde from it (tum to 575)or Apart fiom his ratherunusual weaporl the clericpos- will you leap on to Frremane'sback and flee on sessesnothing else of interestexcept a talisman,made horseback(tum lo zt)? in the shapeof interty/inedmelal bramblescast from somealloy, tied lo a pieceof vine As you hold the 44 talismanin your hand, you notice the surrounding The door to the srnallstone lock,up hangs half off its plantsbeginning to move in its direction You wave hinges Descendinga shortflight of steps,you seethal Lhecharm at them and they becomesLill again You the damp circular cell at the bottom is empty, with deducethat the talismannust be one of plant control. rusted manacleshanging, unused, on the wall. How- If you decideto takeit, add the Cleric'sTalisman to ever,you do nol noticethe rotLenhapdoor at the foot yow AdaehlurcSheel. Still harbouring suspicions of the steps TesLyour Luck.If you are Lucky,you pull abouLthe clericand his actions,you reh.rmto Fircmane yourself just back in timeas the wood givesway under andleave the Forestof Lein.Tum to ry your weight. If you are UnJucky,you fall into a lower dungeonwhose floor rs severalmetres lower down 1' (lose3 srAMrNApoints for falling),then you have Lo You hurry along the tunnel and, reachinganolher struggleoul again.FindinS nothing use6dhere, you woodendoor fling it open and run through.You are leavethe lock-up;retum to 3r andchoose again. standinginside a vast, pillared chamberA flight of 49 4a you and parts of it are on fire; it is being stepsIeads up the srdeof one wall to an iron-bound aheadof a force oF darkclad warriors (;urying door.The room is full of macabreLorture instrumenLs. besiegedby The warriors' activitiesaPP€ar Lo be In the middle of lhe room is a rack, an iron maiden black banners. a grim stoneLower on Lhesouthem slde stands against one wall and small con-ffning cages cenkedround Even at this distanceyou can hear the hang fiom chainsin the ceiling; and there are various of the town. as lhe Lownspeopledefend their braziers, bmnding irons and other devices used to clamour of battle inllicl pain lying abouL the place, all thick with dust and cobwebs.Several skelelons are still hanging from the lichen-coveredwalls by chainsand manacles,and a numberof grilled doors lead away from here to cells from the ranksof Belgaroth'sfanalical and deeperdungeons. However, you are convinced that lhey are Warriors. When lhe wind changesdirecbion Lhatwhat you seeklies beyond Lhat door at the top of Chaos rromenlarily, the smell of slaughLerand camage is Lhe steps On one side of the tofture chamber is a carriedto your nostrils.lncensed, you kick your heels large charrwiLh metal claspsattached to ils armsand into your steed'ssides and charge to the aid of Carass. legs Your head is suddenlyfilled with whispering The gatein hont of you hasbeen left unguardedwhile voicesseductively telling you to sit dorm and resl for their forces along lhe a while. You are sure that the voicesmean no good, the town militia concentrate stop the Chaos horde breaking but their suggesLionsounds so temphng Tesfyorr southem walls to However,one of the enemy,an ugly Troll, 5/ril1,adding to the dice roll i( youhave the Commune through. -z opportunityand is enteringthe town at SpecialSkill. I{ you succeed,turn Lo z4o. If you {ail, hasseized the Hearing your approach,the rum ro 155 Lhis undefendedspot. Trollhefls its pole-arminto Position,ready for combat You atLackimmediately. 4A You follow the road souLhout of Lhe ancientand TROLL sKrrl 9 STAMINA 9 mysteriousforest and enter a regionof openheathland. If you defeatthis membero{ Belgarolh'sforce, tlm In the distancehes the mmacing dark line of the to Chaos-riddenBanarask Hills From a point several 9E. kilometressouLh of you this side of the hills, a thick plumeof smokeis dsing,like a di y smudSe,into the 49 Iiremane carries you souLhwardsacross many kilo- sky The road seemsto be leadingyou strarghtto it bleakmoorland in the direcLiono{ Havalok Comingto the top of a rise,at lastyou cansee what is metresof you have been travellng for severalhours, you causingthe smoke The walled town of Carasslies Afler 50-5a 52

Llch. 'Good,' she says,'then you can collect the first ingredient,but you must do it nora, by moonlight' Retumingto the scaffol4 you gef the grisly job over and done with as quicklyas possibleForbunately lhe you conllnueal your presentspeed li you are happy Lich remainsdead while you car.y ouLthe task. to meel this rider.lum ho r47. ll however.you want At dawn (add 1 day fo the Time Elapsed)you leave to spur Fircmaneinto a gallop lo avoid the stranger, the caveand, following the crone'sdrections, set off turn Lo19a. in searchof a CockaLncethat hasbeen tenorizing the localarea recently. At the end of a sleeprocky gorge 5o you find the entrancefo the network of caves in which the monsterhas its lair Tetheringyour mount to a rock,you ligh[ your lantemand enter the gloomy hole Your (ootstepsecho rotud the wallsas you step warily down the tunnel, and water drips from fhe ceilng inlo pools on the floor with an eerieplopping ba5ea batlerinS-ram,fashioned like a:piked iron Fist. sound.A few metresfurther on, you come to a T- swingsrhythmically inandoutof anopening.demoLsh- junction.Do you vr'antto Bo to the left (tum to a82) ln8 anoLher5eclion oF wdll by it,i conslantbombdrd- or to the righf (Lumto 126)? menl.Under lhe Demoni headis a hugeshield wrth the mohf of a skul] over a blacktower: the crestof Caer 52, Skaal.From rnsrde the fuggemautyou canhear terrible Wrapp€din a piece of velvei you 6nd a triangr.rlar roars, groansard crealang_Maybe the thing is driven prismmade of glass.Reh.rrn to 274 by Demons.PuLting aslde such fears, you look for a way into lhis impregnablemoving fortress.A laddea fixed to the undercarriagenear the backwheels, leads up to a hapdoor in the tower'sbase you decideto makethis your target.TesL your Luck.If you areLucky, tum to zzo. lf you areUnlucky, tum to 146

Make a note of the word 'Enorc on yoor Adoenlure Sleet.You tell the hag abouLyour encounrerwiLh the 55

As you are led along the dark stone conidors of the guild, you passseveral doors fiom behindwhich you canhear the soundsof soldierspractising their fighting skills Stronnleads you into a circulartorch-lit room, in lhe cenhe of which is a pit severalmeLres deep The mercenariescrowd into the room as you are directed down a flight of stepsinLo Lhe brawl-pit.,r cneergoes up from the specfatorsas a portcullison the far sideof the piLrises and Lhemercenaries' chamDion enters the a.eni. The looks as tall as an Ogre and is built like an ox.-u.r The only armour he wears are leather crossbeltslooped over his musculartorso and a spiked helrnet which hides his face He is armed with a viciouslookingsword with a jaggedblade, and a long knife. Stronn raises his hands and a hush descends over the mob. This is not a fight to the deatb'he announces."The winner shallbe the first to knock the oiher to the ground Are the combatantsready?'You and the mercenarynod in reply. 'Thenlet the trial by combatcommencel' With an animalroar the champion chargesat you acrosslhe pit while his fellowsshout hisname in encouragement. MERCENARYCHAMPION srrrr-ro sraMrNA11 lf the mercenarywins an Attack Round,roll one dice On a roll of r-3 his jagged bladedoes the usualz pointsof srAMrNAdamage; on a roll of 4-6 it inflicts J STAMINApornts of damageon you. lf you roll a double-6when calculatingyour Attack Strenglh.and if you win lhat Attack Round, your blow hits your opponent with srch force that you knock him to the 54-55 sfi9 Sround (tum ta aa). ll the mercenary'sAtLack Strengthis ever 22, turn at once to z:. Otherwise,if You throw yourselfout of Lheway as Lhephantom you reducethe mercenary'ssTAMrN,{ to poinLsor 4 horse'shoofs crashdown on the 6agstoneswhere you less,tum to Iat if he reducesyour STAMTNAto 4 had been standing just a moment before. Ignoring pointsor less,fum to 22. yoq the ghostly knighl urges its mormf towardsthe king, raisinSits weapon,ready to strike.You must act 54 quickly.Will you: lf you have lhe ComfiuneSpecral SkiJl, lum to rz2 If you haven't,Tesl Vow Luck If you are Lucky,tum to Use the BlnishSpint Special Skill, if reu; if you are Unlucky, tum to 14. you haveit? Tum to ro5 Use the Ho,y sltlrd SpecialSkill, if you haveit? Turn to jo3 You lift the dragon shieldfrom lhe sLatues alm and Attack the ghost? Tum to 2j5 place iL on your own. If feels hght and, although damagedby time and previoususe, it shouldprove a 5E usefulmeans oI defenceWhenever you are involved The double raises its weapon and advancestowards in combat and you are carrying this shield you may you. l^rhat will you do now? Defend yourself (tum to reducean enemy'sAttack Strenglhby r point. If you f3) or stayas you are(tum to 2E6I want to tak€lhis shieldand you aheadyhave anolher, thenyou mustleave the firsl here.Turn to jjj 59 You come to on a cold stoneslab. You try lo move 56 but distover that your arms and legs have been tied to The Necromagegrabs you and lays one hand on an the stone with strong vines. Lookrng around, you see exposed area of your skin. At once disgusting that you areon a raisedplatform at one end of a vast maggot-likeworms burst from his putrid flesh and hall, the walls and ceiling of which are coveredwith start buftowrnginto you. Roll one dice and add r to thick root-likegrowths. The hall is filled wilh a great see how many FleshGrubs latch on to you (lose 1 throng of jnitiates while, surroundingyou, are the sTAMINApoint for each FleshGrub that is nibbling so called Clerics of Lein, one of whom has been into you). The flesh'eatingmaggots can easily be left holding your ba&pack (your weapon is missing). pulled off and cushed, but ffrst you will have to The Arch-Clerrc, a bald, bearded man wearing green destroy the Necromage.Retum to 116 and continue robes adorned twisting designs, the 6ght. with bramble-like then addressesthe crowd: 'Brothersand sisters,lhe 6a

DarkLhorn grows shonger with every passingday, S(ILL STAMIIi-I pumose and soon our will come to fruition. The FirstCHAOS CENTAUR 10 g ancientforest is we;kening and,with it, lhe elemental SecondCHAOS CENTAUR 9 10 powersthat control it. Soon it will poseno threatto ThirdCHAOS CENTAUR 10 10 our ally, the Dread Lord, and a Darkthom forest of lhe FourthCHAOS CENTAUR 9 11 shall rise up in its place!'The priest tums to you 'O, and raises his hands. great DarkLho.r! ancient If you do not have the Ri/z Special Skill you must spint,'he intones,'I surunon thee to take this sacri, reduce your Attack Strmgth by z points for the fice so that the Root of Evil may never witherl' durationof this battle,If a Centaurscores a hit againsl Suddenlythe flagstonesheave and thick black roots you, roll one dice; if the number rolled is odd, the burst through the platform.Desperately you suugAre chaotic'sweapon wounds you, causingj STAMINA your with bonds Roll four dice. If the total is less points of damage.If you strike a Centaut roll one than or equal to your sraMINA score,rurn ro 279, dice;if the numberrolled is odd, the chaotic'sarmour If the total is greaterthan your sr,,rMrNAscore, tum reducesthe severityof the damagefrom your weapon to io8. by 1 poinL. lf you are triumphanl in this titanic struggle,tum to jj2 6o Undera leadensky thesebleak moors look evenmore 6a desolate.Riding along undisturbed,you are almosL The door opens into a room full of great cogs and lulled into a falsesense of security.It is then that you wheelswhich are tuming, operalinghuge piecesof hearthe soundof poundinghoofs and catch siSht of a machineryand strange contraptions. Some of the work- dista.nt group of riders galloping towards you Irom ings here swing Lhebattering ram in and oub of an Lhesouth-east. There is no way that you can avoid openingin Lhetower to your left, while in hont of them, and as they draw rapidly closeryou see that you a great iron chamberfills the spacebetween floor they are not mounted soldiersat a.llbut four Centaurs, and ceiling. Attached to this are levers, dials and other (Teahrles thal are part man and part horse. As they fitments; the chamber itself has bem constructed to charge towards yoq the Chaos Centaus screama look like a garganfuanscaled beast. Everything you war-cry,proclaiming death lo the Templars.You must have seen here suggesfsthal the Juggemautis not face them all simultaneouslylYou have time to use controlledby some supernaturalforce but that it is eiLhera crossbowor a lanc€ against oae of these poweredby a colossalsteam-engine Destroyjng it may adve$aries before you engage in hand to-hand be easrerthan you had frrsl imagined.First of all, comDat. however,youmust get pastthe bald half-Giant in charge 65-6J here.The.man is stripped to the waistand, despite the SKILL STAM'NA sweatard grime coveringhis torso,you can)ee that he KNIGHT 7 hasbeen branded on his chestwith the markof Chaos. WITCH 6 6 Roaring,he chargesat you, his fists his only weapons. HORSEHEAD 6 7 PICKPOCKET WEAPONMASTER s(r!r 10 6 5 srAMrNA12 ODDFELLOW you 7 7 If defeat the half-Giant, tum to V6. If you defeatall the munmers,or after sixteenAttack Roundshave passed, turn to r5z.

65

62.

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

65 The holy blastbathes the Lichin a silvery li8ht, and it doublesup in a8ony. Roll one dice,this iq the number of srAMrN^points you may subtractftom the undead horrorbefore you finishit off wiLhyour weapon.Now retum to 283 and 6ght the corpse,

- 55-61

66 Stumbling over the pronr.mciation of some of the words,you finallymake it to the endof the page You pause,expecting something to happenat any moment andhappen it does A thin wisp of smokerises from the page in front of you and forms into a thick black cloud.The densevapour rapidly condensesinlo the shapeof a grotesquecreahfe with a lengthenedhuman' oid skull, bony lumps prohuding from its spine and two powerfulJy muded arms that end in huge dawed hands- althoughIrom the waist down the honor is no more than a smokytrail. You havejusL completed readinga spellfor summoningdemonic assisLance, and you ire not sLandinginside a protectivepentagram. The DemonicSlayer glares at you from the depthsof its glintin& midnight-black eyes and, snarling. flies at you with daws nised. What will you do now?

Use the Holy Shike SpecialSkill (if you haveit! Turn to :23 Use the BanisftSplrif Special SkiJl (if you haveit! T[IT. to 47 Try to reversethe spell? Tum to 521 Attack lhe Demon wiLh your weaPon? Tum lo 1i

67 Early on your men weakenunder the Chaosspawn's onslaught.Suddenly the ranksof BeastMen part anda monstrous,bull-like creahlre charges at you, snortin8. The raging anrmal has a blood red hrde and demonic blackhoms. A BeaslMan sits astrideits bade waving 5tH9

a battle axe in one clawed hand while gripping the TREEMAN SKILL 8 STAMINA E creature'sspiked mefal collar with the other. You must 6ght the ChaosSteed. Both branches(with 8 sr^MrNA pointseach) will lash ou[ at you eachAtLack Round, so it will be as if you CHAOSSTEED SKILL 9 STAMINA 12 are flghting Lwo opponents The Tree Man is far too If you win, deducfr poinLfrom the BeastMen's BaLtle strong to kill, but if you severits two main branches Strengfh, then Ehgogein Battle once again. If this time (reduceboth their srAMrNA scoresto zero) ib will you have the advantage tum to r49.1f you have the rehealbac-l( into the forest,leaving you to go on your disadvantagq tum to 25i4 way. Turn to 544.

Among the trophies are the expecteddeer, foxes, wolves and bears.However, there is also a sabre- toothed tiger, a unicom and a manticore.Looking at the unicom.the stewardsays.'My lord'slale father caught that in the forest using the usual lure and entrapmentof a young maidenand a wreath of flowers- The manticorehad its lair in the BanaraskHills and ibs captue won the huntingcompetition, held in celebra- tion of the Overlord'smarriage.' Tum to 4o.

69 ,o As you are hacking your way through the under. You are able to decipher the wizard s totlings and growth, a large hunl suddenly moves into your realize that his findings are huly incedible. Savant path blocking your way. Two branches reach [o- discovered five Words of Power which, when spoken you wards from the tree and, hidden in the thick backwardsin lront of somethingtainted with Chaos, crackedbarl, you make out a mouth and a pair of would counteractits power and bring backorder and small but incrediblyancienL eyes. You have diiturbed harmony; anything dnven by the power of Chaos one of Lhegardeners of the forest:a Tree Man. The would be destroyed.However, the use of sr.rchmagic plantlike creature lumbers forward on its splayed could prove to be equally hazardousto whoever roots,ready to dealwith you rs it dealswilh all tres- spoke the words. You can only guess why Savant oassers- was unable to use his discovery againsl Belgaroth. 7a ,2-?4

Pefiaps he hied but did not have the strength to completethe utteEnce.The Words are writlen on the And thm he is dead. (Write down the word ?onnoc' page in front of you: X Syte Nind NaderdNuheno_, on yow AdoehfweSheet) lI yott wish, you may take Corurot's Magic Sword which will harm urdead and Demons but confers no other bonuses,and his shiel4 which bearsthe motif of a rampanllion (whenyou use this in battle,you may reducean opponent'sAtta& Shength by 1 poinl). I+ving offered a prayer to Telal Lo 2t-2, for Conno/s soul, you Emount Firemaneand set off in pursuifof his murderets.Test yout Stil, subkacting 'ra z from the dice roll if you have the Trarl

74 The mill, a large stone building, is not hard to find: it standsat the edge of the village,next to the River Wende.The greatwheel groansas it is tumed slowly by the mrllstream,and you canhear the steadymechani- cal grinding of machinery inside the building The 75-""' ,H9

door to the mill swings open at your touch and you not want to waste any mote time here in Havalok find yoursell looking into an emply room, mofes of tum to 219, dust sparklingin the sunlightlrom the doorway.The placese€m6 to be deserted. you Do want to enterthe ZA mill (tum and explore further fo r8/, or will you Your reactionsare too slow andyou arecaught by the leave Wendefordaltogether (tum to 49! rope, throwin8 you baclorardsofF your mount You hjt the road painfullyon your back (loseJ sraMINA points and l sKrLLpoint) and sit up, dazed;tum to 205.

79 You let fly with your righLeousaltack iust as BelSaroth laundres u dark force bolt at you The two blasts of enercv collide and canceleach other out in a blaze of your weapon,ready [o 6ght it (tum to 43n yello'w sp-lo, tkowing you to the floor (los€ 2 srAMlNApoints). Turn to a62. 75 With a voic€ like the sound of rustling leavet the 6rst qeaLurespeal(s. You have trespassedin the forest,' it says 'lt is many yearssince a morLalhas wandered this far. You musbcome with us.'The bark-and-fungus humanoidtakes Firemane's reins and prepares to teave the clearing.Will you go wiLh theseshange creatures (tum to j68) or will you attack them now (turn to 294?

A charitablepriesthood? fie actionsof these'Clerjcs of Lein you have witnessedso far could hardly be describedas charitable.There is evil at work here.If wrsh -r'ou to investigatefurther tum to 9j. If you do ao Armed and ready for your quest, you hurry to the stables,where you find that Firemanehas already bem saddledand is eagerto be on his way,You arehanded a backpackand rnsideit you find enoughProvisions for live meals, a lanlem and tinderbox, and a purse containing zo Gold Pieces.There is also a flask marked with the Rune of Healing which containssom€ of Aranandus'sResLoraLive Potion- There is enoughhere for fwo tots, and eachtot wrll restoreyour srAMrNA to its Initial level. Urging your trusty sleedforh/ard you gallop through the main gates and leave the Citadel.Taking the mainroad south,towards the town of Havalokwhich lies two days' ride away,you pass lhroughwell-cultivated fields and pleasanthills How- ever as you travelfurther away from the caprtal,you begin to see sorne of the resrlts of the disruplion in the kingdom:a distincLatmospher€ of gloom is hang- ing over ihe hamletsand farmsteads,and you pass manybeggars on the road Thereis a sharpchill in ihe air as fhe month of Closetightens iLs grip on the land and you fear for those people whose crops have not beenas plenhitul as they mighthave hoped

It is early aftemoon when you catch sight of a skange-lookingprocession coming foraardsyou along the road It seemsto be composedof a motley crowd or peasantsand farmers,but at their head are bhree bizarrefigures The frrst is tall and dressedin a long blackhabit. In one hand he holds a scyLhe,its blade gleamingdully, and beneathhis hood yor.rsee that he is wearing a wolf-skull mask. The next is of average A1-62 83-E4 height but rs swathedin tom rags and bandages.As lhe satehouseand leaveCeeve Manor behinda< you he trudges alongthe road he rings a bell waming thal maki ForHavatol. ) ou arewithin sight oFthe wailsof he is undean a leper! The [hird 6gure is a gaunt the town when dusk falls Riding on in lhe fas ailing woman,her alnost skeletalbody coveredby a tatLered Lehl, lou passa copseoF treesat Lheedge of the cloak It looksas if shehas not eatenfor weeks. ro"ad.iuddenly a dorl shapedrops out oFthe brarche: Testyout Luck Il you The first man stopsand mises his handfor the proces- of one freeas you passunder it you Lumto sronto halt What havewe here?'hesays.'I do believe areLucky, tum Loi8- If areUnlucky, 546. it is a knight eranl, or should I say an errant knight?' The crowd laugh at fheir leader'sremark and begin to Ej you inhalea jeeryou. 'Enoughl'he shouLs.This is the epochof our Beforeyou realizewhaL is Soingo& Sreat sleepTum to damnation.\A+ile the'common people sta.ve, our lungfulof pollenand fall rnto a deep 59 blessedTemplars live rn splendor.rrand plenty! We three are the Prophetsof Doom, come to save the A4 the villagersmake people.The doom we prophesyshall be yours!' At As the flamesfrom the oil dredown, starting to climb Lhesewords the crowd aheersand sevemlraise pitch- their break for heedom You are when you hear forks and other rmprovised weapons, ready to ful6l care6..rllydorvn from the Wt&er Man Looking down, you their ieader's prophecy Some have already begun to the cackling of burning wood. Man hascaught aliSht edgeround you. You are going to have to acl fast to s€ewith ho;or that the Wicker get oul of this unpleasantsituation, Will you try to ride throughthe mob (tum to r4), attackthe prophets (furn to 154) or try to talk your way out (tum to r97)?

8a Kneelingat the altar,the tirednessand pain in your body easeand you feeljnvigoraledResLore both yor.rr STAMINAand SKILLscores to their Irilirl levels. Having been blessed,you leave Lheshrine. Tum to 2j forwardwhen Lhewooden supporls holding it up bum 82 through;with a tremendouscrash it collaPseson toP- you Before leaving, Lord Varen gives a parcel contain- of the crowd of BeasLMen, sendinga great flurry oi j ing enough Provrsions for meals.You ride through sparksup inlo the night sky You makethe mosi of a5 a6

your opporlunily and run back to Firemane,Ioowing you have preventeda terrible atrocity from Laking place and that you have saved the villagers from incrnerafion(add r pointto yourHoNouR score) Callopingaway throughthe darknessof the hills,yotr find yourself approachrngthe smouldering remains of a ransa&edvillage. A hasLilyerected wooden stockade slandsin lhe middle,and from your vantagepoint you can seeonly one guard at iLsehtrance. Do you want Lo tether Firemanehere and sneak into the Beas! Men s _campfor 6-rtherinvestigation, now thdt night hds lallen (tum to S4ot.or do you wanl to ride o4 awayfrom here(tum to 295I

E5 graduallyfade, and you and your host preparefor You perseveranceis rewardedwhm you cresta rise sleeP. and see the lights of a stone building beckoningto you throughthe darlmess.Torrin's forge You are woken by a blood-curdlinghowl which cuts through the niSht- 'That Seeingyou soakedto the skinand shivering with cold, was no wolft' Torrin says, looking anxiouslyat you. Tonin Silverbladehurries you into his home and sits It also soLrndedas if the beast you you down besidethe fire while he stablesFiremane. was quiteclose. Do want to l€avethe safety of the forge and investigaLe(tum You soon6nd a bowl of hot rabbrtstew in your hands to 295) or will you wait andsee what happens (tum to a9I and, Luckin8in, you feel a lot betLer(restore up to 4 srAMrNApoints).'It is a long time sinceI last saw any of the Order,' the Dwarf says,remembenng his days a6 as one of the Warriors of Telak "Tell me, how are To prove LoLord VarenLhat you havebeen victoiious thingsat lhe Ciladel?Have you heardfrom the Demon in your hunl, you decidelo lake lhe boa/s tusksback leep Oulposi of lalel And whai bringsyou here on lo CleeveManor, be{ore setting off north through the such a dreadfulClose niSht?''tou do your berr to foreston Lherefum ioumey. As you arending sedately answer Torrin's questionsand tell hinr about your throughthe leaflesstrees, you feel a gust of chill wind, questand what hasbefallen you so lar Having heard and you shrver.Nor canyou shakeoff the feelingthat 8188 a9-92 you are not alone and Lhat your progress is being a9 control at the weeds watched-It is Lhenthat you hear lhe distantsound of You wave the amLrletof plant you. your weaPon, chanhng in Lhe wesL, coming thtrough the ancient and they retreatfrom Unsheathing preParesto defend woodland The voice is far off, so you cafiroL make you rush at the Arch-Cleric, who out what it is saying. lf you want fo investigate the himselfwith hls twistedstaff. chanting, lum to 365. If you do not, turn to r7. BRYAR SKILL 9 STAMINA 9

a7 If you win, turn to 185. From an old herbal you recognizethat [he orange fungi are lronbane.The sporesof the plant corrode 90 Cockat cecatches siSht of rts metal on contact which would have been very You rememberlhat, iI the die . Easiersaid than donel dangerous for you if you had entered the clearing reflectionin a mirror,iL wrll or il you do not want to try Howevet the mushroomscould prove a valuabJe I( you do not havea mirror to 27, otherwise,TesL yout Luck weaponif you couldcollect some safely. Do you want this plan of attack,retLrm eitheroccasion, the beast lo try lo gathersome of the Ironbanefungus (tum to twice.If you areUnlucky on (retum and tight the rnonstel z5o),or will you ride round lhe cleaug lo avoid the attacksyou to 27 won the fusl fungi altogether(lum to 8)? rememberinglhat rt has automaLically AttackRound already); if you areLucky boLh hmes, Lhe and,seeing iLs reflection, 88 Co&atricelooks into themrror writtenon your You misjudgea jump and a treehunk smashesinto dropsdead.lfyou have Lhe word'Enorc' you haven't,turn to 168 Firemane,knocking him andyou to Lheground (lose 2 AdaentureSheel, a:tn to z zr, if srAMrNApoinls). You prckyourself up in time Lo see the Hill Ciant running Lowardsyou, angrily swinging 9a his dub andbellowing ferociously

HILL GIANT SKILL 9 STAMINA 11 If the Giant wins an Attack Round,roll one dice.If lamishedit. Retumto you roll a 5, the blow causesj poinls of damageto 556 your STAMINA.If you roll a 6 you are knockedoff your feet It takesone AtLackRound to gel up again; 92 'l the Lord of lhe Forest meanwhilethe Giant gels rn an unopposedstflke (lose have mademy ludgement,' 'Yor.r harmto thesearclent wood- z srautN,l points).If you win, tum to a7j intones. havecaused f 93-94 gfg6

lands and you are a danger Lo all who dwell here. no doubtwaming othersin the tomb oI your presence- ThereforeI pronouncethat you be given to the forest You must dealwith the Hauntswiftly. If you havelhe Lo pay for your crimes.'These words spoken,the BanishSpirit Spec\alSl,tll, and you wish to use it, lum Wodewosesurround you and dispensejustice. Your to r9o. Otherwise, you will have to fight LheaPPari- adventureis over, tion,tum to 576

93 95 Keeprngwell ouLof sight. you iollow lhe procession Entering the northem tumulus, you walk down a of clerics to therr innocuous-lookingtemple at the sloping passagecut into lhe mound until you reach ar edgeof the town \4hen all haveentered, you waiLfor area o{ darkness which the light from your lanLem a few moments before fo]lowing them rnside-You find carmot penetrate An rntense cold, even colder than yourselfin a long-desertedtemple. Ancient wall-hang- the Closeair, also radiates out of this pool of blackness. ings,covered in shange,plantJike pattems, still adom Do you want to risk enterng this sectionof the turmel the building, but any other objects of worship are (turn to zr) or would you rather retraceyour steps missing.At the far end of the room you 6nd a stone andleave the caim(Lurn to jr6! staircaseLhat ends at a large seL oI double doors Surrounding the doors are thick dark roots which 96 break through the walls in many places Carefully The bird disappearsthrough the archway,deserbng ils trying the doors,you drscoverthat they arelo&ed If master- or is il? You shuggle on, blo&ing blows you have anything wiLh whrch to disguise yourself, from Belgarotlls vrcious Runesword while trying to you could use it now. Do you want to knock on the [ind a chink in your enemy'sarmour Sudden]ya horde doorsto gain someone'sattention, as they look far loo of Chaos Kniehls nms inlo the chamber,wamed of thick and hea4i to be broken down (turn to r7a), or their leader's plight by the bird. You are quickly will you leavethe templeand Havalok alLogether (tum strrounded and overcome, BelgaroLhhimself dealing to 2.agl1 the death-blow.

94 You take one step towards the macabre edifice and there, directly in front of you, stands a terifying spectre.The apparilionmakes a grasp for you with decayed hands reachng from under its burial shroud, while its jaw dropsopen and lets out a raspinghowl 97 'Enter,'says the voice,and Lhedoors are opened.The initiates lock them again and, so as not to draw attention to yourself, you follow the passagethat leadseastwards for as far as you can see The tunnel seemsfo be endless.You must have walked several kilometresaway from the town beforethe passageway opens out into a small antechamber.Peering through ar archway,you Iind yourselflooking inLoa vasthall, the walls and ceilingof which are coveredwith thick, rool like srowths Ab the far end of the chamberis a raisedstone platform, standing on which are the Clerics of Lein,while a greatthrong o[ initiatesfil1s the ha]l in front of bhemYou are surprisedand shockedlo see that, as well as many commonersamong the iniLiates, Lhereare also nobles and high-ranking membersof the vadousrelidous ordersof Ruddlestone.As you mter thehall, the Arch-Cleric,bald and bearded and wearing green robes adomed wrth twisting brambleJikede signs,is addressingfhe assembledsectr And so,broLh ers and sisfers of the Darkthom, I, Bryar, Arch-Cleric o[ our order,thank you, for our purposeis coming Lo truition.The anoent foresLis weakeningand, with it, Lheelemental powers that conlrol it Soonil will pose no Lhreatto our ally, the Dread Lord, and a forest of [he Darkthom shallrrse up in its place.All praisefhe Darkthom!' 'All praisethe Darkfhoml'the throngreply So it is the derics who are behind the destructionof the forestwith fheir foul weedsand nutrient-slealins brambleslThey musbbe stopped but how? lt musl

L 9a 9a be the Arch-Clericwho holds the power here;if you to take you to his captain.'Captain Vair died this were lo defeal him, you might weaken Lhe power of moming,' the man says ?le was killed while trying to the Darkthom itself. Disguised as you are, you make defend the south wall aeainst [he Chaos Warriors' your way throughthe lhrong unhindered,as far as lhe attack.Since losing our leider, moraleamong the men stoneplatform. Drawing your weapor!you leapon to is low, and many haveresigned themselves to defeat' lhe dais,ready to grab the sect'shigh priesb.Seeing You carulotleL Carassfall to Belgaroth'sevil legion. you, the Arch-Cleric raises his hands and mutters a You tell the guard to galher together all those mem dark incantationThe ground heavesand thrck black bersof the tonm militia who canbe spared,and within roots bursl through the stonefloor betweenyou and half an hour you are addressingthe exhaustedand the priests.The fibrous sLemsgrow rapidly upwards baftle-wear-ysoldiers. First of all you find out what has for severa]metres, inte+wining unlil lhey have formed happenedhere. It was two days ago thal the Chaos into a gigantic, plant-like humanoid covered in vicious Warriors made their attack, the assault being led by thoms.Two emeraldorbs glow wiLhan evil awareness the the tower you saw on the south side and, with its trunk-likelegs still firmly rooted in the fuggemaut, of the !own. It is an awesomewar-machine, armed ground,the manifestationof the Darkthomreaches for wrth many siege weapons including a destructive you w:th knotted hands.You are going to have to batLering-ram,and the walls were soon breached.Some defend yourself against fhis dark elementalspirit. Will of the soldiersbelleve the tower to be driven by Demonsand will nol go neariL. You formulaLea plan: Draw your weapon and do battle? Tum to 14j lf you could break thror.rghthe enemy lines and board Use the Holy Shike SpecialSkill (if the fuggemaut,perhaps you could find a way to you canl Tun to 2r9 deskoy it andso removethe enemy'smain advantage. Use the BanishSpiriL Special Skill (if The soldiersall agreethat this is an excellentstrategy. you can)? Turn to 25o If you have the Battle TscLiaSpecial Skill and you Use a Cleric'sTalisman (if you have wanl to useit, tum to 2o1.Ifyou do not, tum to 582. oneF Tum to 28 Use th€ potion Witherwell(if you haveit)? Tum lo 41

9a Riding through lhe town, you soon reach the central Suard-posl Dismounting, you enter and ask a guard 99 heartwill burst with Lhe€xertion. You throw yourseu As you aredeciding what to do next, all of a sudden behindlhe remainsof a wall just as the pressureof fhe you hear a voice speaking inside your head Braoe steam,building up inside the boiler causesit to ex- kniSht,1t says, listen catdully, fot my spinf is suiftly plodelThe grim edificeis tom apartby the blastand a deparlinghon this world. The cleics arc in leaglaewilh great ball of fire eruptsfrom the siege-engine,flyinS lhe UsurpingSerpent TheJoresl is in danger Waste no hiSh into the sky. Buning wreckageand rubblefrom no/e timehere. Do not . Iwas foullyslain . a Demon lhe tower rain down all round you but, miraculously, Thenthe spiritof HerluinLhe SaSe is gone Tum to 156 you arc not hit. What is left of the devastatinswar- machineis now a raging infemo the lugSem.rutis aoo no more. With lheir siege€ngine destroyed.Belga roLh'stroops panic and, totally demoralized,flee in disarray. When you staggerback to the guard posr a grear cheergoes up ftom the crowd of citizensand militla- men gatheredbhere. Your vicLoryhas won them the day and savedCarass (regain r lucr point and add r point to your HoNouRscore). Undoubtedly you have also set Belgaroth'splans back somewhat.Unfortu- nately,you haveto Lurndo*.n the citizens'kind offers of hospitality as you had planned to get beyond the Skull.The placeis desertedand an eeriewhine fills Carassbefore nightfall, However, Lhe townspeople Lhefeast-hall as a draughtblows in throughcracks in insisl on givjng you a new sword if you have no the mortarholding the stonesof the walls together A weapon,as well as enough Provisionsior 5 meals broad flight oF stepsleads up out of the room, and and a purse contaimng 20 Gold Pieces.You also you make for this. If you have Lhe word 'Ronnoc' receivethe attentionsof a physician(restore up to 5 writlen on your ,4/trnirre Srrst tum Lo54 otherwise, poinLsof sr,AMrNA)Those rnembersof the militia rum io 14_ who ale left are more than willing to fight for you shouldyou want them to, if you are rccruitingyour aoa own force Lo take on Belgaroth'stroops (wriLedoim You burst out of fhe room and hurtledown the spiral the word Tcrof' on yow AdomtureShecl if you want staircasefo the hapdoor-Flinging it open,you drop to to takethem with vou). the groundand then run full pelt until you think your Leaving Carass,you Lum off the road and head south, ao5 following a trackinto the hjlls in Lhedirection of Caer A Bansheeis an undeadspirit thathas been trapped on Skaal.If you have Lheword 'Ecrof' written down on thisplane in suchahideousform as punishmenL for some your AdaenfureSheet, turn to If you do not, turn 3o5. horrific crime commitLedwhen il was alive. As you lo 2. pronouncethe incantation, the Cailleacftis ripped from this world to its 6nal resting placewith a hellish scream (Write down fhe word 'Eehsnab'on your Adoentwe Sleef.)Now, ifyou camehere from paragraph175, turn io 516. If you camefrom paragraph16j, tum to 2o2.

ao4 At the shaman'sdeath, the impnsonedvillagers sud- denly become aware of what is going on and in ao2 desperatepanic try to freethemselves. However, many The starLof lhe trackinto the woodsrs marked by two are exhausted or too weak bo be of much help to sLonepostsj rt doesnoLlook as rf thepath has seen much thernselves If they do not get fiee soon, either the trafficrecently. The landladyalso told you that the Wicker Man yvill catchalight or the BeastMen will villagersleave Herluin alone ard that somesay he talks breakthrough the ring of fire surroundingyou. Taking to the woodland creatures.As you gulde Firemane hold of a pole. you start to climb the precdfious alongthe pathbetween the trees,you becomeaware of struchue.If you sufferfrom the Fearof Heights,Ierl the fact lhaf the further you go, the less birdsong you yow Skill, adding z to the dice roll. If you hil, after canhear. At lasfyou entera clearing,which is completely climbing severalmehes you are overcome by dizziness silent,where you find the sage'ssimple round stone cell, and,losing your grip, fall from the funeralpyre outside built as two storeys.Disturbingly, you see that no ihe blazingbarrier (lum to 265) If you succeed,or if smokeis rising from the chimneyon a cold Closeday you arenol afflictedwith this fear,tum to 192. suchas this You lcro& on thecell's sturdy door but get no reply. You knock again and call out to the sage but ao5 to no avarl.Trying the door, you discoverthat it is Huniedly,you makethe necessaryarcane gestures Lo unlockedYou sensethal somelhingis very wronShere. bamshthe ghosL The dead knight lets out a baleful Will you enterthe cell (turn to 26) or leavebhe wood shrrek,and both it and its phanLommount fade away andWendeford as quickly as possible (tum to 49)? beforeyolrr very eyes Tum to 356. 106 thomy humanoid, several metres tall, whose emerald Dazed, you hrm as a figure drops Irom an opening in eyes glow with evil malevolence The manifestation the ceiling. It is a man dressedin the garb of a reachesfor you with great tendrilled hands. Your labourer and wearing a dyed green hood that coverc blood shallgive the Darkthomnew strengttr. his face completely, with ,ust two eye-holes cut in it. In one hand the man is holding a chain with a spiked ao9 ball on one end of it. Yelling,he alta&s you. For the The passageopens into a huge vaulted chamberin durationof this battle you mlrst reduceyour AtLack which countless cof6ns ate restins. You are horrified Strengthby 1 poinl becauseof the blow on your neao. Losee that everyone of the caskeishas been smashed HOODED ATTACKER SKLLI sr^MrNAI opm and desecrated-As you survey this scene of devastation,a glowing, ghostly shapebegins to materi- Every hme your opponent wins an Attack Ror.md,roll alizein the middleof the vault If you have the Banisft one dice. On a roll of 14, the spikedball does the SpinLSpe.ial Skill, and you wish to use it, tum to 65. usual : strvrra points of damage.However, on a Otherwjse, will you flee from Lhischamber (return to roll of 5-6 the weaponhits you hard and causes3 245 and choosesomewhere else fo explore),or will pointsof damageto your sr,rurr.re.If you reducethe you prepareto fight (tum to 5o4)? maris sraMINAto 2 points or lest you can eithertry to questionhim as Lo why he altackedyou (tum Lo 235)or finishhim off (turnto 354)

ao7 Suddenly your mind is 6lled with terrible thoughts and evil desires.Although you try to resist the comrpt- ing inJluenceof the ChaosRune, il is all in vain.Your armour blackensand Lamishesunder the rune's tainting power, as does your heart.You will becomeBelga roth s new champion and lead his inhuman hordes against the Citadel. Ruddlestoneis doomed!

108 You are rmableto breal

MURGRIM sKrLL10 9TAMINA 11 If you win, tum to z4z

114 Among a heap of scolls and charts you ffnd a piece of vellumwith a messagewritten on if in blackinl in an untidy scrawl.It readsas follows' The cleics continte fo pursue fheir dark designs, weakeningtlu elementallorces of the fotest by fheir aa'-at4

aclions,The They are upsetlinglhe natutal oder THE BOLD WHO DIED IN THIS THE FOURTH Iools! .l\lv in the land. I haoe iliscooeredthat lheir femple is N\t 1r11 N\t 1rt4 +{ J\t +}ti.l\ someaherenear ]laoalok BLt I fear that fhey haae a spy in Wendeford- Masler Gftye, tlo ftillel I nust YEAROF THE REICNOF QUEENVAXILLIA THE atmmonhelp to sLoptheir nil machinatiow. rlfA tl J\t at*|/{ vLifJ ,4flfA^tt J\t '4 This note grvesyou anotherline of enquiryto follow. Do you want to look for the miller (turnto 74) or wlll JUST.MAY THE DRAGONKEEP SAFE HIS OWN you ignoreHerluin's suspicions and continue searching fLVJoarr Jvt 1alv,{ vtt^ Vl^t \lV lt\Jo his cell (turn to 224)? Beforeconhnuing through the foresldo you wantto 142 try to tale th€ shield(tum to 55)or will you Leaveit HavinS dismountedand tetheredFiremane to a tree whereib rs (tu-rn to 35J)? stump,you makeyourway to the sourceof the glinLing Standingbetween the trees,half hidden in the under- aa3 growLh, rsthemoss covered stone statue ofan armoured You strikeout at the double,br-rt for every blow you warrior The quality of the stonelvo* has been slightly land iL lands one of even greater force. There is wom by you thepassage of trme,but canstillmake out nothingyor-r can do as the monstersteadily b€ats you ihe attenlion to detailpaid by the sculptor.The realism to the gror.rnd.The last lhing you ever see is your of thc warriols sword and armour,and the lensionin own face,horribly distortedand smiling,as the fatal themuscles you of thefigure, cor.:ld almost make believe blow strikesyou Your adventureis over thatthe statuewas once a realmanwhohad been tumed to stone.Resting on the warrior'sarm is a shreldwhich 414 catchesthe sunlighton its battle-scarredsurface; on fhe With a shout, you kick your heels into Firemane's shield Lsthe fadeddesign of a Dragon,painted gold flanks.The horsewhinnies ard leapslorward into lhe Pulling you awayweeds and tall grassesfrom ils base, crowd Driving your mount forward,you chargepast just can makeout two inscriptjonscarved into thestone the startledprotesters. As you flee,howevet you are The 6rstis in the Commonlongue but the secondis rn siruck by a pike (losez sr^MrNA points).Soon you somestrange nrnic script you do not recognrze. arewell past the angrymob, but you acteddishonour- ably towards the starving people (lose 1 HoNouR HERE STANDS A MONUMENT TO CANDRAZ point). Wasting no more time, you contrnuesoulh- \fA1 v,tfJlY I xr{r)cti] J, 1f{4AfY wardsiturn to zoo. fiz'r18

115 use his decayinghands as weapons.If you have lhe Hurriedlyyou help Torrin to secureand barricadeall Fearof Spiders,for the duration of this battle you the entrancesto the forge. Two windows are left must reduceyour Attack Sfrengthby r point because unprotecLed,so you take up positionsnexL to them of the Necromage'sarachnid form Roll one dice and add r to the mrmber rolled to lind CADAVER S(ILL 10 out how many Hellhoundstry to enter through the window you areguarding. Because you are defending It the Undead Lord wins two consecutiveAttack a smalJ opening, you may increaseyour Attack Rounds,tum immediatelylo 56 If you wilr tum to Strengthby 1 point during the Helihounds'assault, L99 and only one monstercan attackyou at a time. Each beasthas the attributes:sxrll 7, srAMrNA6, at the end of eachAttack Round,on a roll of 1 or u on one You standwrth your sword poisedmere centrmetres dice you are burnt for 1 additionalsrAMrNA pornt of from the champion'sthroat and claim victory as youn. damage.Before you 6ght eachof the demonicdogs, Very well,' saysSkorm. 'l would trust sucha warrior you may useone - only one- of the following(if you asyou to leadmy men into batlle I only askthat you have them): the Holy Sfrike Special Sklll (which does Sive us a little time lo ready ourselvesfor such an the monster2 sraMrNApoints of damage),on€ dose importantcampaign'You agreeto meet Stronn and of Holy Oil, fire a crossbowonce, or throw a dagger hrs mercenaryband at the dese*edoutpost of Harn- (Tnt vour Skill,deducting z from your sxrLr scoreif watchin one day'stime. (Write the word'Ecrof'on you do not have the larg.ef Special Skill; if you yout AdoenlureSheet.) Seclue in Lheknowledge that aL succeed,the dagger does 2 srAMrNA points of leastyou will now haveothers fighting for you againsL damage)This battlewill be a hard one.If you defeat the DreadLord's forces, you prepareto leaveHavalok all your opponents,tum Lo24. Tum to jr4

1a6 118 'Ssso,morLal You may be able to overcome my Taking Lheorb from your pack, you raise it above minions, buL yor.r wiil never destroy m€. I wasss your head, hoping somehow lo releaseils power exsspelledfrom my graveby the foul sssicknesssthat Belgarothgives a short laugh at the sight of the rsssin the larld Now none can ssslayme'You were arte[actand, raisinghis palmsin your drrection,un- righl It is the power of Chaoslhat has resloredthe leashesa dark bolLof en€rgyat you. The CrystalOrb Necromageand mutated his body while in the sar oncebelonged to a BlackSorcerer and it amplifiesthe cophagr.rsThe sorcererstalks towards you, ready to e[fectsof any dark magicksused in its presence.As a rcsult, Belgaroth'sbolt str;kesyou with devastating wood in the shapeof a raven,a bird of ill-omen On effect,charring the fleshfrom your bonesYour advm- the bodiesof the other two murderersyou 6nd 3 Gold Pieces.As nrghl hasfallen, you decidethat it is Lim€to headfor Havalok Tum to 241 419 The book is written in a languagethat you do not understand.If you have the Arcane Lore SpecialSkill, As you cross the hall, you hear a terrible moan; turn to zoj; if you do not, turn to 66. fearfully,you spinarourd to discoverits sourceSitting in the largerchair, slumped over the tablein a pool of blood, is a semrlransparent 6gure that glows with a Belgarothwhistles shrilly and the Nighi-maredesists faint phosphorescenceThe figure ralsesits head and from its attack.The beasLflres up Lo lhe flat Lopped sitsupnght Horrified,you recoSnizeyour deadfriend tower, the Dread Lord mounts his demorucwinged and fellow Templar,Sir Connor of Achenbury.The steedand, although you run up the staircase,you are lemble jnjurieshe sufferedat the handsof the Orc too late Lo stop Lhewarmonger taking to the air and Wolf Ridersare all too apparentand severalanows makinghis escape-By the time you reachthe roof he still protrude from his blood soakedLunic Connor's is out of rangeof bows and sp€ars.Belgaroth must be Bhosltums to faceyor.r and his deadeyes Sive you d fleeingin order to lead his army againstthe Citadel. piercingstare.'I bring you a warrung,'henlones You You cannoLlet him get away,but how on Tilan are standfrozen to the spot arrdlisten to what your dead you going to pursuehim now?If you have a Golden friendhas to say 'Thereis a traitot known only asthe Feather, you know what to do with it- Convert the Raven,among lhose who claimfealty to the king. The nameyou have to say into a number,using the code Ravenwill betrayyou- Speakthe traitor'strue nameto ' A = 1, B = z,C = 2...2 = z6 Add,the numbers reveal the truth Connor'sthosi fadesaway, his correspondingto the letters in the name together, messagepassed on. Regain1 LUCKpoint for recerving multiply the total by the numberof timesyou have to this waming and write down the word 'Rohart' on say the name,then turn to that paragraph.lf you do yo:urAduentute 9luet. then fum to r4. not have a GoldenFeather and do nol lcrow what to do here,Lum to 2ro.

a2! Hunredly you searchthe man'sbody; howeter, you find nothing but a smallcharm carved out o[ a dark You pay the old woman (deducts Goid Piecesfiom yo:.jtrAdoefiture Sieef) and she gesturesfor you Lo go through a curtaineddoorway Al the end of a short corridorrs an omatewooden door, on it is the symbol of an eye insidea hiangle,made out of polishedbrass. You open the door and stepinto the chamberbeyond You find yourselfsbanding in a largeroom laid with a plush red carpetwith the sameesoteric symbols you saw outsidethe shop embroideredinto it, it is lit by candlespositioned at regular intervals iound the mahogany-panelledwalls Sitting opposircyou, on a gilded high-backedchair, is a beautiful,pale-skinned young woman with long blackhair, wearingflowing robesand a circlelof silverround her headas well as numeroussilv€r charms on necklacesHanging on lhe wall behindher chajrare two wall-hangrnSsr€present- ing two Cardsof Djvination:lhe Cup of Fortuneand the High Priestess,meaning hidden secrets.On the wall above the chair is a larger version of the brass hiangle and eye the sy.rnbolof the Third Eye Sweefsmeilingsmoke dses from two incense-bumers lhat hang from bheceiling on eitherside of the chait and to the woman'sleft is a stonebowl containinga pool of water. The effect of Lhe decorationsand objectsin the room is to creaLean atmosphereof mysferyand magic.'I havebeen expecting you, Tem plar,' the woman announceswithout warning. 'l am the Mistressof the Si8ht,a divinergranted lhe powers of clairvoyanceby the gods,just asmy motherbefore me and her mother beforeher. I know of your quest and may be able to help you gain vital information. Through the scrying pool you could try to spy on 125 the Dark Tyrart and his forces, or perhapsyou would The feast over, you rehre to a luxunous room for the prefer to see your own future in the cards The nighL,you wakeup at sunrise,rested and invigorated choiceis yours.' Will you spy on Belgaroth(tum to (restoreup Lo4 srAMrNApoints and add r day to the :6) or find out what the cardshave to reveal (Lurn Time Elapsed).A guideand escortof two soldiersare to 227)'l alreadywaiting for you when you descendfrom your room. Firemanehas been saddledand has alsorecov- r24 ered {rom the prevrousday's ride. It does not Lake You are inside a room that spansthe whole width of long for you to reach lhe edge of the forest and, the luggemaut.As you step through the door, you leaving tilled 6elds behind, you enter the ancient, are hit by a Lremendousblast oI heat.A numberof shadowytangle of trees-Your guidekeeps you on an chainedslaves are shovellingfuel into the huge, de- almostcompletely overgrown path until you reacha monic iron mouth of a fumace;lhey are encouraged fofk in lhe track,then he stops.'This is the last place Lo work harder by an armour-cladOgre overseer where the monsterwas seen,'he says.'lt lumed on a carryinga bullwhip.The sealng heat in the chamber soldierand left him tenibly wounded We will go no is so oppressivethat you breakout in beadsof sweat, further. From here you're on your own You stare at while severalof the plsonerslook as if they areabout the two soldiers,but they try to avord your gaze and to collapseftom exhauslion.You must do what you shift uneasilyin their saddles.With an exasperated can to help these poor people, so you atlack Lhe sigh you decidewhich route to take.If you have the Ogre TrackingSpecial Skill, tum Lo 5o9. If you do not, will you take the left (turn lo j85) or lhe right fork (turn OCREOVERSEER SKILL 9 to.!91)? Becauseof its armour,yolr must reducethe damage done to [he Ogre by your weapon by 1 point, ff the 12,5 Ogre wins an AtbackRound, roll onedice On a roll of Following the tunnel into the caves,eventually you 6 the whip wrapsround your weaponand, thoughit enter a low cavem As you make your way across does you no harm, it pulls the weaponout of your ii, you hear a loud hissing sound and your lantem grasp,you must fight on with your srrrr reducedby illuminaLesa mass of slithering bodies. Dozens of I Points lf-you win the battle,you may recoveryour snakescover the chamberfloor and mary look as weaponand, having freed the gratefulprisoners and if they could be poisonous.Do you sufferfrom the told them the way to escape,leave the fumace-room Fearof Snakes?If you do, turn to 252; otherwise, tum Tum to 3a1 to Joo. 429

429 'So youre the traitor, Lord Taris Varenl' you shouf Rememberingyour gifL from LheGuardian Elves, an beforethe bird has time to leavethe chamber.Belga- ideaforms in your mind.It is jusl a hunchbut, as the roth freezes,and you staggeraway from him to catch doors are made of rvood, maybe the sap from the your breath The raven lets out an agonizedsquawk myst€riousancient forest willhave someeffecL. Uncork- arrd drops fo the ground as i{ shrnned.What you ing the omate bottle, with ils glass reliefsof leafy wtness next is tenible to behold The ravenBrows in stems,you pour the oozing milky-whiteliquid on to sizeand changesshape, its Iegs becominglonger and lhe doors The sap slowly soaksinto the old dead rts tail rebractinginto its body as Lord Varenresumes planhsand, as it doesso, something incredible happens- his naturalhuman form. Belgarothgranted him the With a stretchingsound, fresh green shoots burst from Enchantmentof Transformation,giving him the ability the doors as the dark wood remembersthal iL was to shapechangeat will. However,because you have oncea living tree Creahngloudly, the doorscontort, brokenthe spell,Varen no longerhas conhol over Lhe individualplanks forrning into gnarledtrunks as the charmand the transformationdo€s not go assmoothly raw elemenlalenergy surSing from the sap gives the as it should Standingin front of you is a hideous ancientwood rene\redli(e. The growing doors split mutant. Varen has regainedhis human form except apart as they break tlfough the wal]s of Lhecastle, that, in place of his right arm, a huge black wing leavingthe way into Belgaroth'slhrone room, and the sproutsfrom his shoulderand his left leg is that of a innersanctum of the Order of the Knights of Chaos, bird, while his headis part-human,part-raven, with an oP€n ugly black beak 'l'll kill you for this, croa[l' Varen squawksas he stumblestowards you, consum€dby an The throneroom is circular,lit by torch€sround the enragedmadness As you preparelo fight the mutanl., walls,wilh the Runeof Chaoslaid into the floor of the you glimpseBelgaroth makinghis escapethrough the chamberin polished black Branite.Banners of the archway. Fortressof the Skulland the ChaosKnights adom the rvalls,and on the far sideof the room is a high-backed RAVEN sxrLL 7 STAMINA 8 lhroneof blackwood. In the cenlreof the room sranos If you kill the vile haitor,Ium to a76 a ring of black-armouredknights who are completely ,.ilentand motionlessAl fheir head,standing before r28 ihe throne,is a huge man clad in full, shining black Well now you lcrow what killedHerluin He musthave platemailarmour. His homed heimet has been fash tried to summonthe Demonin orderto find out more :onedto look lrke a skull,while bandsof metalacross aboutBelgaroth and the ChaosKnights Retumto 166- ris breastplateresemble a rikage The armouris also 130 a3a-a32

sraMrN-A.poinls unlessyou have the word ,Euga1p, written down o yolr, AduentureS/rerf, in which case

dead, tum as one and advance towards you acrossthe throne room If you know five Words of power and dare to utter them here, speak them backwardsnow. If you do not know such an incantalion,or if you do not want to use it, tum to 276

430 The ride soufh is uneventful srnce the road passes Lhrough cultivated fields, then on to barren moorland To lhe east lies the sprawlng expanseof ancient !1oodlandlhaf's so bound up in le8end.It is saidlhat objectsmade fromwood takenfrom its treesreLain some

rope iust in time, tum to zo5 lf you fail, turn to 78. 43-435 455 towards the edge of the clearing.Howevet more iarm, and she soon calms down. 'I thought you'd wonyingly, asthe sporescome into contacLwrth youl .ome 'ere to h]m me out of me 'ome,' she says,'but armour,th€ metal startslo corrode,tuming to rust s€eingas 'ow you 'aven't,perhaps you'd take shelter You have fallenfoul of a fungusknown as Ironbane ior the night' You gratefullyaccept the crone'sinvita- Roll one dice:this is Lhenumber of piecesof armour, iion, and she providesyou with a meal of spit-roast weaponsor metal objects,such as your lanlern (but rabbit (regainup to j srAMrNApoints). As you eat, not rncludrngGold Pieces),lhat both you andFiremane ihe old woman rambleson about her life in these are carryingthat tuJn to rust Crosspieces of equiP- :onelyhills and tellsyou thaLshe can concoctpotions menLtotalling that numberotf your A.rlomtureSheet. lo curealmost anything 'l couldrid you of your worsl Away from the sporecloud, you leadFiremane rourd tearseven, although for that I'd needspecial ingredi the edgeof the treacherousclearing Turn Lo8. ents, ihe moss from a dead man's scalp taken by noonlight, the tongueof a Cockalriceand a Banshee's 45 iooth' If you sL'fferfrom a fear and wani Lo take the Refusinglo help lhe peopleof Ennoxwas a selfishand o1dcrone up on Lhisoffer, tum lo 51 lf you do not, (lose dishonourableact 1 HoNouRpornt) Jeering,the i ou turn in for the night and,at dawn,leave the cave villagersdrive you ou! of town, wavlngpitchforks and and iLs slrange occupant(add 1 day lo the Time hurling roLtenvegetables in your direction Tum to Elapsedand turn to j79).

434 The landladytells you that yearsago the surrounding hamletsand farmsteads were tenorized by a monstrous wild boar which lived wrlhin the bordersof the Forest of Lein.Eventually it was trackeddown by lelder the Hunterand his packof legendaryhormds, was Lrapped in a stakedprt and slain Now will you askher where you canfind Herluinthe Sage(tum to j62) or askher about any local rumours(turn to 26a), or will you leavethe BristlingBoar and Wendeford (tum lo 49)?

You explainto the old woman that you meanher no t 13ra5a 439

least,not of your oran free will. A Lhoughtsuddenly crossesyour mind. Your eyes drop to Lhefloor and you realizein horror whereyou are sLanding:in your strugglewith the undeadChaos Knighls, you have strayedinto the paltem of the ChaosRune set into the tum Lo194. flagstones.BelgaroLh mutters a few words under his breath, 437 invoking its power. Roll one dice and add 7 (addz morepoints if you arecarrying a moon shield). The tra& that leadsrnto the southernmound looks If the total is less than or equal to your HoNouR both well usedand as i[ somethinghas travelled along score,tum Lo 218. If the total is greaLerthan your jt recently.Now. havinglit your lantern.will you HONOUR enterth€ moundto the: SCOre,turn tO 1O7. North? Tum to 95 439 South? Tum to r75 Having madea few discreeLenquiries, eventually you East? Turn to 5j9 find yourself outside the impressiveheadquarters of West? Turn to j5o the Mercenaries' Guild, the best place to recruit an army. The tall buildingitself looks a small 158 stone like fortress,the entrancebejng barred by a portcullis. His Elite Knights may be dead once more, bul the Affer you have rung the bell nexL to the door, a Dread Lord still lives. Standrng before his throne is hr-:nchbackedfrgure appears at the window abovethe Belgaroth,the Da* Tyrant, the UsurpingSerpent, the portculls and asksyou your businessYou explain Iron Fist,the Warmongerof CaerSkail, Lord of Havoc youl desireto assemblean army of bravefighters and are soon standing before the Cuildmaster,Nasra Stronn,and a crowd of rough looking, battle-scarred ruffians.'So, you want to hire an army, but you haven'fgot the money to pay us,'Stronn boonx. The Progressto my fortresshas beenobserved every sLep mercenadesburst into ralrcouslaughter. of.the way. Do not think that I am unprepared.you will merely be the 6rst of thousandsto die - or will 'But your bravery and heroismwould go down in you hrn from Telakand loin my Knightsof Chaos? legend,'you say 'This is no petty dispute betw€en Wha[can you he mean?ls Belgarolha fool? would rival lords but a batlle againstthe very forcesof Evil never betray your holy order or your kingdom- at and Chaos, the outcome of which will determine a35 You have avengedlhe death of your friend, Connor the Templar(add 1 to your HoNouRscore) The Orcs possessnothing of any use to you, so you set off again. With a thud, a white arrow embeds itself in a hee next to you. The shaft rs engravedwith runes that you cannot read but which you know are Elven in origin Six slender,white-haired figures almost melt out of the forest,their bows trainedon you. Theseare the GuardianElves of the Forestof Lein who palrol and lend the ancienlwoodland. 'Slranger,' says one of the Elves,'whatare you doing so far inlo the forest?' The GuardranElves of Lein are unerrings€rvants of Good so you have nothing to lose in telling Lhemof your encounterwilh the Orcs, your questand your searchfor Aelfgar 'Come with us,'says the Elf- Dis- mounting, you lead Firemanetluough the trees,follow- ing the Elves.

You havenot gonefar whenyou find yoursellslanding at the edge of a grove of trees which is beautiful beyonddescripLion On the iar sideof the lush lawn, which is coveredwith brighhflowers even at this time o[ year,stands a srx-sidedplinth of pure white stone, engravedwith what you susPectare Prayers. You are greetedby a female Elf who possessesan almos[ unearthly beauty, long flowing white hair, pale skin and large deep-greeneyes The leader of the Elf patrol relays to her whaL you have told him, then she addressesyou. 'Templar,I am Elaina,Sorceress Priesf ess of the GuardianElves of Lein- The hmes are troubledindeed and our beloved forest is sickening 142-45 the fate of the krngdom,if not of the Old Wond (regainr rucr point). The rest of Lhenight Passes itselflThink of the honour andpreslige. Such rewards without incident,and ab dawn you are on yorrr way areworth far morethan mere gold.' again(add r day Lo the Time Elapsedand rcstore2 srAMrNApoints). Tum lo 2E5 The mercenariesare silent.AfLer a momeDt'sthouSht, Slronnspeaks again: 'l still don't understandwhy the 742 Wamors of Telak aren't preparedthemselves but At the foot of lhe escarpmenton lhe easternside of thaL'snoL my concem.All right, we'll join your crusade the castle,hidden behind scrubby bushes and boulders, if you can prove your own skill as a warior You you hnd a smallcave mouth and,beyond thal, a ro&y must besLour championin combat' Will you agreeLo tunnel leadinginto the hill beneaththe fortress.Per- Lheseterms and fight (turn lo or will you leave 53), hapsthe tunnelwas madeby the crusade$,a century the Mercenaries'Guild, and Havalok ifsell and con- ago.Whoever dug it out, it shouldtake you inlo the Linueon your quest(tum to J14! castledungeons. Do you want to explorethe Passage- way fufther (tum to a57) or would you raLherretum 740 to the gatehoLrseand enter Lhat way (tum to 563)? At fust the creaturesrecoil at the sight of the talisman, but [hen their attitudeof fearbecomes one of fury and 143 the plant like humanoidsleap at you. You have no You rain blow afler blow upon Lhemonstet but to no choicebut to draw your weaponand de{endyourself. effect.a1l you manageto do rs preventit strikingyou Turn to i8. Suddenlysome of Lhethorns fly from its body drrectly at you. Roll one diceand add-l This is the numberof 4a thoms that hit you, each one inflicting 1 STAMINA Hurriedly,you male the signsand mutter the words point of damage.Unable to injure the creaturein Lhe Lhatwill banishyour supemaluralassarlant. As you usualway, will you now use: completeyour incanLatiorlthe ghosLlyhand drops Lhe dagger fo the ground and drssolvesinLo Lhe cold The Holy Sfn.keSpecial Skrll? Tum to :39 night air. If you wjsh,you may takeLhe dagger (if you The Bdnis,spiltl SpecialSkrll? Turn to 25o do so, add it to yow AdoenturcSlesf). The Assassin's A Cleric'sTalisman? Tum Lo 28 Daggeris a favourileweapon of vindictivepractition- The potion Witherwelh Turn to 41 ers of the occult Someoneobviously knows about If you can usenone of Lhese,the Darkthorngrabs you your questand doesnot want you bocomplete it, but wrth one huge tendrilledhand and cmshesthe life out you have halted their evil scheme,for now at least of you. Your adventureends here 144-147 144

144 rswithin ear-shoLhe reinsin his horseand callsout lo The srlver-tippedspear sails past Belgaroth'shead taughrngcruelly, he releaseshis darkboll of energy It slamsinto your chest,knocking you from your mount's ba&, inlo oblivion

145 mostgrateful of your help.The tenantson the manor,s You try to throw yourself ouf oF the path of the lands are behg tenorized by a rogue boar from the cmshinghoofs but are just too lat€. The horse hits iorest.Our best soldiershave tried to kill it, but all you in the back,kno&ing you to the floor (lose 5 havefailed Somesay Lhatthe beastrs enchantedand STAMINApornLs) Ignoring you, the ghostly knight cannotbe slain.Will you help us?'A nighf in a bed urgesrts mount towardsLhe king, raisingits weapon, would certainly be very relieshing.and you have readyio strike.You mustact quickly.Will you: pledSedto keeporder in the kingdom.However, su.h an expeditionwill tale up valuable[ime. Will you go Use the Brris, Slilit SpecialSkill, if wrth the messeng€rto CleeveManor (turn ro or you haveit? Turn to 1o5 525/ rvill you presson and try to reachHavalok before Use the Holy Strike SpecralSkill, if nrghtfall(tum ro 19a)? you haveit? Turn to 5o3 Aftack the ghost? Ium to 255

146 As you dashLrnder the Juggemautto get to the ladder thereis a rumbling sormdabove you and a massot red-hot ash drops dorama chut€,hitting the ground with a showerof sparks.Some of this wastefrom the t4a you you slege-enginehiis and cry oLrtin agonyas you The villagerscheer at your announcemenl.you must (lose are terribly bumt 5 srAMrNApoints). Tum to act tonight so as to savetime and proteclAssart from ihc cursedtwilight existenceof the undead If you havethe BalileTacfics Special Skill and wanLLo try to 147 orSanizethe villagersinto a smallfighting force,tum As the horsemanapproaches, you seethat h€ is wear :o 224.If you do not havethat SpecialSkill, or if you ing the Lvery of the Lord of CleeveManor. When he Jo not want to useit, turn [o 5. 149 Hacking your way among Lhe enemy, you suddenly break through their lines and are conFonted by a scme that mal

BEASTMAN CHAMPION sKrLL12 srAMrNA14 lf the Champion hits you with the sickle blade from the war-chariot, fhe rmplement will inflict 3 poinh of damageto your srAMlNA I{ you def€atthis terrifying adversary,tum to 136.

450 You explainto lhe villagersthal bheTemplars are not 'snooDers'butDrot€ctors of thecitizens of Ruddlestone. In faat, at th; very moment you are on an arduous rnission to defmd the kingdom and its people from an evil tlrant whose retum would bring bitter war and destruction. 455-455

Havalok. However, lime is pressingand you can i r€mainhere no longer Tum Lo45 453 1 Thecarvings on lhe wallsarormd you suddenlydrstort andtransfom into hundredsof screaminghuman faces Their anguishedfeatures fill your wision and theit rvailingall but deafensyou Theseare Lhepoor souls held in perpetualtorment by LheNeaomancer's dark powers to be his slaves Then everything is as it shouldbe agan- However,you are disturbedby this 154 experienceand while you remainin the Sepulchreyou mustreduce your srtLr by r point Tum Lo443.

454 You chargetowards the prophets,and immedrafely the crowd areupon you Roll one dice.If you roll r-2, tum to 18J; j-4, turn lo 2g8t 5-6, tvm to 64 move qujetly enou8hand the guard hearsyou (tum to 346) 455 You cannothelp but sit down in the chair and rest 452 your weary body. Claspsimmediately snap shuL, trap- ping your wlsts and ankles,while another closes ror.rndyour neckand one round your waist.)nstanLly you arejolted free from the mind dulling effectof the voices,but it is too late.There is nothingyou car do as hidden mechanismsin the chair are triggeredard whirr inio action. Sharpblades and pointed spikes emergefrom the deviceand move evercloser to your immobile body. You will soon drscoverwhy this Piecesand says that you will alwaysbe welcomein deviceis calledthe Throneof A8ony. V

a56-a5g

a56 demonicHellhounds and savageBeast Men. Aheadof You manageto keepyour seaLin the saddleand guide lhem ride the Chaos Knights of Caer Skaal,their your steedround the hazard.You soon catchr.:p wiLh steedsmighty war-horcesBehind them, riding a de the desperaternan and cut him down easily.Turn to monicwinged horse with blood-redeyes, is a shadowy tigure whom you loow to be the warmongering DreadLord Belgarolhhimself. Under lhe veil of night the UsurpingSerpent is leadinghis army towardsthe As you chaseafter the High Priest,a manic InitiaLe Citadel.You cannothope to overcomesuch incr€dible barsyour way. Armed wrth a long, blackthom, sheis odds.It will not be long beforeRuddlestone is crushed tntenton revenge.You mustfight her, beneaththe Iron Fist.

INIT]ATE SKILL 7 STAMINA 6 If the battle lasts six Attack Rounds or less, you continueafter Brya4 tum to 287. If it takeslonger, turn to 554.

156

a6o The strangeliquid fastesstrongly of wild garlic,but it alsoseems to hav€healing properties (restore up bo4 pointsof lost sraMrNA).Now will you readlhe letter 459 (tum fo 57) or leave the mill (turn to 49)?

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

a6z As yoll se to your feet, Belgarothstrides towards you acrossthe throne room. 'l shallcrush yoq Tem- plarl'he spitsvehemently. 'Then lherewill be no one to stop me and the prophecywill never be f,.i6lled!' You just have time to ready your weaponwhile the Dread Lord unsheatheshis great black Runesword. Chagedwith the powersof darkness,a blow from the Runeswordwill inflict J points of damageto your sraurre andit will alsodrain 1 HoNouRpoint as it taintsyou wrth the foul infectionof Chaos If your norour scorereaches zero, you will havebeen totally corruptedand will comeunder Belgaroth'scontrol, to becomehis new champion

BELCAROTH SKI LL 12 You must reduceany damageyou causethe Dread Lord by 1 point becauseof his heavy plate armour. \44renyou do strikehim, he does not bleed;instead his woundsooze a vile greenslime: every 6bre of hrs undeadbeing is corrupted.As soon as you reduce Belgaroth'ssrrwrr.re scoreto Z poinLsor less,if you have the word 'Reggad'writlen on youl AAoentur. Sfieei,turn to :j8; otherwise,tum Lo251.

a63 With a souJ-rendingscream, a hideousspectre flies aL you out of the darloess,tearing a deep gashin your sword-armwith a clawedhand (lose z srAMrNApoinLs and r srILL point). Standingin front of you is a ghastlyundead creature whrch looks like a shrivelled and stoopedold woman wifh long matted hair and, f

a64-1,6s 166-15, stranBely,only onelarge nostril and a singletooth As therrmouths. You must fight all the Fre Imps at the the hideouscreature howls moumfully,you look into sarnetime, wilh your Attack Strenglhreduced by z its red rimmedeyes which are iilled with blazingtury pointsbecause of yor.r verLigo. and indescribablesorrov/. You are now [acin8 the SKILL terribleBanshee, known as the Cailleach,that haunls lirst FIREIMP I 4 lhe Caims oi Dunar (Make a note of the numberof SecondFIRE IMP 6 thjs paragraph.)lf you have the Barisl SpiritSpecial ThirdFIRE IMP 7 t Slolland wish to try to useit now, tum Loao3. lf you you all three,turn to z:z do not haveiL, tum LoJ45. If defeat a66 a64 The owl continuesLo fix you with a piercingstare' Although you have stoppedthe etherealWyrd, the \ ou seetha{ a largebook has been lefL lying openon Mistresshds obviously been rhaken by the exPerience to it i. anothervolume, bound rn 'Dark powers are at work here Not only does the the desk,and n"*t red leather,that may be of inLerestYou mav now UsurpinSSerpent have physicalguards, he also has chooseto carryout two o[ the fol]owingactions (You servantsamong the other planes.I tha! you can Pray rvill be told to relum to this paragrapha{ter each overcomesuch terrible odds, but I am afraidthat there chorce.)However, once you have performedtwo of is nothing moreI can do for you.' The young woman them,you mustturn immediatelyto r5. Will you: sits down, shivering.'Now go.' You do not want to causeher further distress,so you leave The Mind's Readfhe largeopen book? Tum to 1a9 Eye'.Turn to 248 Tale a look at the red book? Turn to t9: Make a thoroughseach through the a65 wreckagein lhe cetl? Tum to 274 With a heavinggroan, th€ floor of the chamberfalls Leaveimmediately? Turn to 49 away into a now clearlyvisible fi€ry pit many metres deep, leaving only a pinnacleof rock beneaththe a67 badge of the Templarson which you are standinB The height makesyou feel dizzy and you have to concentratehard on keepingyour balanceThere is a beatingof wngs and three lmps fly out of fhe pit, they have barlike wings and barbed tails. As they swoop doltn to attackyou, jets of flameshoot from ri is blo&ed by a padlocked iron gate. Coming from

l_ 158 15fa7o

Lhedarkness beyond lhe gaLe,you can hear something ask if lhey can help you in any way in your quesL large moving about and grunting in the distance;there You realizelhat lhesefarmers are not greal fighLers is also a strong animal smell. Becausethe SaLeis and have recentlysuffered enough hardship, so you locked and you have no key, some other meansof ask lhem if they lnow anything conceming the Elf- opening it will have lo be found if you wanl to Spear, AelfSar. 'L€gend tells of a weapon of great proceed further. Ironbane, if you have some, will rust power lying in one o{ the burial mounds of the ancient the lock and the gate itself, letling you pass. A kings, the Caims of Dunar, half a day's ride south-west grenade,if you have one used successfullywill blow of here acoss the moors.However, I wam you, the lhe lock apart, allowing you to open the gale. Other- Caims are also said lo be haunted by the Cailleach,a wise, you will have to break the gate open with your tenible undeadmonster.'Do you want to rnakeLhis weapon-lf you have'a smashingweaPon, such as a addeddiversion to the burialmounds (tum bo3i:3) or, mace or a war-hammet you make short work of the knowing thal time is fast rurming out, will you stay on problem.However, a pointed or edSedweaPon re- theroad heading south (lum lo jj2F quiresgreater effort to breakthe lock (lose1 sTAMINA point through your exertions).If you use one of the a69 abovemethods to get past lhe gate, tum to 294. If The mistspart momenLarilyto revealjagged rocksat the you decideagains[ this route afLer all, tum to 353. baseo{ the gorge, hundredsof mekes below. Iesl yoar Skill,adding z to Lhedice roJl. If you succeed,you manage a68 to control your vertigo; tum to 245.If you fail, you panic Cuttins off one of the Cockatrice'sclaws to take back andyourheadbeginsto spinYou loseall sense ofbalance with you as proof of your vicLory, you leave lhe caves and topple fiom Firemane'ssaddle, over the ParaPeLof and retum to Ennox. Thers you ffnd the group of the bridge.Your death plunge lasts severalseconds, villagerswaiting outside the local tavem, the Wild beforeyour body is smashed topieceson therocksbelow. Goose, the sign of which depicts a farmhand drasing just such a fowl. They are slartled to see you wiLh 470 evidence of your conquest. "ilVe didn't think yodd You are unableto keepyour seatwhen Firemanerises actuallygo throughwith it,r saystheir spokesman,tut up on his hind legs. You land on top o( one of the you have our thanks. Maybe the Templars really are callhropsand its vicious metal spikesdig into your our guardiansafter all.' Add r lo your EoNouR score back (losez sTAMINApoinLs). By bhetime you have for ridding Ennox of the Co&atrice and restoring the recoveredyowself, the man has disappearedinLo the people's faith in your order. As a sign of their lhanls, encroaching darknessand you decide against fllrther the peoplegive you e meals'worth of Provisionsand pursuiL. Searching the murderers' bodies, you find 3 a7Fa73

Cold Piecesbut noLhingmore. As night has fallen, nofhing of interestor value, so you spu-rFiremane you decide that you must now make for Havalok onwards.Ii you have the word 'Ecro[' written down Tum to 241. on yorr A,lDehlurcSheef, fur to jo6 If you do not,

Ducking behind the mound, you can see your next 474 move.It is only a iew stridesto fhe cauldronfull of oil CenLlyyou fu8 at the stalk of one of the planls - and,putting all your weight behindit, you manageLo whenit snapsin your Braspand the mushroomsends tip the vesselover. Its contentsgush down the slope a cloudof sporesinto the air-Roll one diceand divide and collect round the base of the mound. In the the number by z (roundinghalves up) This is Lhe confusionLhat ensues, a torch fallsinto the river of oil; numberof piecesof armour,weapons or melalobjects, il goesup insLantly,forming a wall of 6re beiweenthe suchas your lantem,you are carying at the moment BeastMen and the mound and leavingyou and the (not includinSCold Piecesor any weaponscanied by villagers unharmed,but wrlh Lhe furious shaman liremane)that are destroyedby the lronbane.Cross trappedwith you With the oLherBeast Men roarrng piecesof equipmenttotalling that number off your encouragement/the shamanattacks. Fight the battleas AiloenLureSheel. You decideit is not worth tryin8 to normal but if he wins Lhe 6rst Attack Round, the collectthe lronbane,so you quicklyremounL and leave shamanblasts a bolt of dark energy at you wmcn theclearing. Tum to I causesj points of damagelo your srAMrNA.Afler Lhat,he hies to rakeyour fleshwith his talons BEASTMAN SHAMAN 5KILLE STAMINA7 If you win, hlm to io4.

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

Quickly searching the body of the Giant, you find I

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

176 Sprintingthrough the archway,you raceup a flight of stone stepsand on fo the crumblingbattlemenh of CaerSkaal after BelBaroth.Night hasfallen and light ning cracklesfrom raging stormcloudsoverhead You know that somethingof a supernaturalnatur€ is laking placeBelgaroth stands, not far from you, at the top of anotherflat-roofed tower wiLha staircaseascendinS it round its outside The warmongerhas his armsrarsed to the turbulenlskies as if in supplicationASainst the dark cloudsyou can makeout an even darkershape t

L7a-qg approachint at Sreat speed on feathery red+ipped g8 wings.The midnight-blackwinged horse is one of the Your opponenttopples backwards at your death-deal- demonicsteeds of lhe Wild Hunt a Night-marel ing blow and falls with a crashinto the gearsand Seeing you, Belgaroth shouts a command to the clankingmechanisms of the Juggemaut, ifs Night-mareard, beatingthe air wifh fierytipped )amminS hoofs, lvorkings-There is a terriblegroanin& then something i[ c]osesrn on you, ready to Learyou apart with its buckles,sending cogs and metal shafts flying fiom razor-edgedteelh There is time to use a crossbow theirmountings. In the confusion,warriors and guards once,if you have one.The Holy Skrte SpecialSkrll, if are running everywhere,bui ignoring you. just to usedagainst the beast,will cause2 points oi damage make sure that lhe Juggemautwill be completely to ih sr^MrNAand 1 point of damageto its sKrLL destroyed,you locatethe safetyvalve on the boiler NIGHT-MARE andjam it shut.Having begunthe destrLrctionof the rvarmachine you must flee Teslyour Luck.lf you are If you reduce the demonic Nighl-mare's srAMrNA to 6 Lucky,turn to 1ol If you areUnlucky, turn to 233. points or less,turn Lo 12o. ar9 Yor.rmanage to hold your brealh before the sleep rnducingpollen can affect you- Lunging at the man, you deliver him a fatal blow and he slumpsto the flooa CeadYou hurry outsideand wait for the pollen to dispersebefore re-enteringthe mill to investigale turther Tum to 354.

This breastplatehas saved many a warriorfrom olher- wisecertain death. While you wearit you may rcduce by r poinl any damagcdone againstyou in battle However,lhis pieccof armouris alsoqurre neavy, so you must alsoreduce your Attack Strengthby 1 point duringcombat. Now returnto 356 aao-a82 aE3-aA4

a80 a83 As the 6nal word begins to form on your lips, sweat Feeling a sharp pain, you look down to see the breaksou! on your brow and you realizethaL you prophel represenLingthe threat of death pulling his cannoLcontain the eldrilch power writhhg within scythe ftom yoru leg (lose 2 9TAMINA Points). You you. A surge of elemen[alChaos, generaLedas a cannot hope to 6ght off all the mob, so you male reaction to your charm,rushes mto your body as yor.r your escaPe-Turn Lo a14 stumbleover the last word. In a searingexplosion of pa;n, tensedmu'cles go into spasmand sinewssndp Your adventureends here.

Gasping for breath and exhausted by your slruggle, you dimb backinto the saddleand presson through the nighl and the torrentialrain. To the eastyou can makeoul a low rangeof hills,but thereis sLillno sISn of the villageor the forge Do you want to try to ffnd a84 shelterin the hills (tum lo j."7), or will you pushon in Dusk falls as you come in sighL of the smouldering hopeof reachingyour desireddestination (tum Lo85)? remains of a ransackedvillage In the twiliSht haze you canjusL see that a hastilyerected wooden sto&ade slandsat its centre.Howevet asyou nearthe siteyou hear a terrible din Coming over lhe hill towards you a massof beasL-headedceatures suddenly aPPears.The noise is made by them banging weaPonsagainst shields and making animal hootings, grrnts and bel lows.Firemane snorts in excitementat the prospectof a82 baltle. Driven by a maniacalbloodlust, the bestial You walk for several kilometres along the uneven your small force. The Beast Men's Lunnel floors until you reach a large cave chamber warriors charge Battle is ro. (lf you Lookfour daysor lessto wiLhno other exits:a dead-end.By the time you have Strength z pornts 6om the BeastMen's hudgedback lo the junction,you are quite tired (lose 8et this far, deduct Battle 1 srAMrNApoint). Having restedbrie{ly, you takethe Strength.) righL-handpassage (tum to a26). Now Engagein Battle To do Lhis,roll two dice and add L85 aA6-a8, your army's Battle Shength. Now roll two dice and were captured by Master Gnye the Miller, tum to add the BeastMeris BattleStrength. If the tofals are t4 If you were not, having composedyoursell you the same,deduct r poinbboth from your aimy'sBattle now lake stock of your bearingsuntil, after walking Strengthand from that of your opponents,lhen Er8rg, severalkilometres westwards, you reachthe outskirts in Battb again.lf the Lolalsare not the same,the side of Havalok and retum to the desertedtemple's enhance. which is at a disadvantage(has the lower tobal)must Turnto zi9. deduct 2 points ftom its Battle Skength, then you retum to lhe bop of Lhisparagraph If your Battle at6 Slrengthever falls to zeroor below,turn al onceto 2o7 Kneelingbefore the altat you feel a surgeof energy (make your a note of this)-If enemy'sBattle Skength passclean through you. Regain up to 4 sraMrNA ever falls to z, or below, turn at once to r49 For now, points,1 skrrt point and r rucr point. For a mommt however, iI your force has the advantage,hrm to 49. your hands are $rrounded by fue but you feel no lf your forcehas the disadva.ntage,tum to 67. heabthen the flamesvanish. You have been granted Kldzat's Giftr you may conjurea smallmagical ball of a65 6rewhich will do 4 srAMrNApojnls of damagewh€n The evil servanl of the Darkthom falls to his kneesat aimed against an enemy However, you may use this your fatal blow and grabs your tunic. 'So, this is how gift only once. Having been blessed,yor.r leave the il ends,'he gasps.'You may have thwartedthe Clencs shrineTum to 25. of the Darkthorn,but Belgarothlives again.You and all your order are now as good as dead.Curse you, a8, Temolar! From this moment onwards, fear and dread Cautiously you ceep across the lloorboards towards shall rule your life!' fien he is dead. another shadowy doorway in the wall opposite- As r-ou peer into the gloom there is a swishrngsound A suddenchill overcomesyou and your mind rs filled hom above and someLhinghard and heavy hrls you with irrationalfear Roll one dice lf you roll 1 or 2, on the backof your head.lf you arewearing a helmet, record the Fearof Spide$ on yow AdltentureSheet; on tum Loz5; if you are not, Lurn[o j7o- a to17oI 3 or 4. write down the Fear of Snakes;and on a roll of 5 or 6, record the Fear of Heights, You may havedefeated an ally of the evil warlord,but you have paid deaiy for it. (Add 1to your HoNouR score.) Next lo Brya/s body lies his bwistedstaff; it is a curious object and you may take it iI you wisll If you 188 Themummers are alldressed in the tradihonalcolor,rrful rag robesof their professionand are re-enactingLhe popularstory of a kniShfs battlewith a fue-breathrng &agon anda spitefulold hagin theirown comicalstyle.

wrtch-mask.The mosl remarkablecosLume, however, is lhat of thedraSon. It is wom by lwo peopleoperating a nechanrsmthal makesthe dragons wings flap and its ;awssnap open and shut.A short blastof flarnebursts from the creature'snostrils, causing the crowd to gasp onceagain. Caught up in ihis display,the audiencedo not notke anotherof the mummersdancing among them, relieving them of their purses- but you do. You cannotlel lhis felony go unchallenged,so you shout out, 'Stopthief!' The pickpocketlooks around in horri- fied surprise,ihen makesoff through the crowd. You follow in hot pursuitbut 6nd your way blockedby the dragon.The thing spinsaround to faceyou anda jet of frre shoots from is nostrlls. TesLyour Luck If you are Unlucky,turn lo :o8. If you areLucky, the flamesmiss you,but onlyjust,and you findyourself in combatwiLh the mummers'dragon(turn to j28)

189 You are unable to make any senseof the wizard's joftings and so, decidingnot to wasteany more time searchingrn Savart'slaboratory, you leave and take the tunnelback to the po cullis Tum to 212. a9o-493 495

190 chamber.'Oh, excuseme,' he says, 'just a minor Without ev€n thrnking, you make the appropriate techmcalhifch. I'm sure if I heat the cruciblebefore gesturesand utter the words to dismissthe Haunt addingthe ... Oh, but you don'twarL Lo hear about The evil guardianspirit screamsin pain as it is sucked ihat The man beamsat you jovially. 'Now, what can into the earthat your feet.Tum lo 289 Ido for you?'You mentionthe sign you saw on the door. Ah yes, of course,'says Pyritees. 'Follow me' a9a Leadingyou into his laboratory,the alchemistshows You are within srght of the walls of Havalok when you the potions he has for sale.Those you are mosl dusk is falllng.Riding on in the fastfalling light, you inter€stedin arelisted below; if you buy any potions, passa copseof treesat the edgeof the road.Suddenly amendyour Adt:entureSleel accordingly. a dark shapedrops out of the branchesof one lree as you your you areLucky, passby urdet il Test L ck If Wilheruell- This concoctionacts on any plant like tum to If you areUnlucky, tum to 38 346 acid,causing:t to witherand die CosL4 Cold Pieces

192 AnLilorin An antidote to the poison o[ venomous Clinging on to the Wicker Man with one hand,you creaturessuch as snalesand spidersThere is enough start to open the cagesand free the prisoners-As you for two dosesCost: 3 Gold Pieces climbhigh€r, a volley of spearsand olher projectilesis HealngDrautht This elixn hasthe €ffecto[ restoring launchedat you from the seethinglhrong of Beast sraurra pointsequal to haLfyour lnifialscore (round Men, who arehowling with rage Roll one dice.On a ing fraclionsup) Gold Pieces roll oF | 1. d spearihuds into yoLubacl. cdusinS you Cosl:3 to fall from the structureand land outsrdethe ring of Reoelation- Drrnking this polion briefly heightens {ire(turn to :65). On a roll of,tr 6, lum to 84 your psychicand spiiLualawareness as if you had the |mm"flp SpecialSkill Cost: o ColdPrece:,. 493 Beyond lhe door you 6nd yourselfin a room filled Whenyou havemade your purchases,Pyritees says, 'I wrth what is undoubtedlyfhe clutter of a scholar don't supposeyou could help me with a probleml'm There is a loud bang, and a cloud of dirty smoke having?It won't take long' )f you raant to help the billows through an archwayon the far side of the alchemist,Lum lo 2:7 Alternatively,you could leave room CouShingand spluttering,a thin, middle'aged the laboratoryand iry to recruita smallarmy (tum to man,wearing scorched and well-wom robesand with 1j9) or leaveHavalok without any furtherado (turn an untidy beardand shocko( hair, slagSersinto the to J14. 1,94-1,96 a97-194

494 497 You cannot prove to the Elves that you mean Lhe fiail, good people,'you call out over the hubbub. forest no harm. They wish you well in your quesl but fihat is it thal you want?' swiftly escort you away from their sacred grove, before vanishing again among the trees You know 'l,Ve have havelled from village to village, Sathering that you will nof be dble lo find the grove again thoseworthy oI our causeto us,'saysthe first prophet becauseof the Elven magic lhat protects it, so you fie seekto petrtionthe king, that he may give food hurry on your way. Tum to 278. to the starvingand healng lo lhe sick,for is he not the divine represenLativeof our gods on this Earthly Plane?The end is nigh. Our priest-krngneed only see 495 the truth, and the land shallbe healed.But it is the You enLer the bel-tower ttrough a small door at its liles of you who keep the truth from hrm!'You are baseand climb a spiral stone slaircaseto lhe top. Here going lo have to say somethingquite amazingLo you find a square room with an arched opening in deter the mob. Testyour Skill, addtng r to the dice roll. each its frame in wall. A large rron bell is swinging on Ifyou succeed,tum Lo34A.11yo.u fajl, tn to 26a. the centre of lhe chamber,tolling sombrely. The only occupantsof Lhebelfry are severallarge bats, hanging upside down {rom the rafters. Do you want to try lo stop lhe bell tolling (tum to zg4), or would you rather leave the tower and searchelsewhere (retum to ja and chooseanother option)?

a96 YoLrr heart pormding in your chest, you utLer the terrible syllables of the incartaLion-As you speak the hve Words of Powet you feel their awesome might twisLing Lhrough every fibre of your being. BuL do a9a you have the physical strength to control the energles The door is unlocked and, once through, you slam it you are about to release?Roll three dice If Lhe total shut behind you You walk along a short passageway rolled is less lhan or equal to your srAMrNA score, unLil you come upon a T1unction To the left, after a turn lo 229. If the Lotalis greater Lhanyour srAMrNA few metres, the corridor ends abruptly. To the right score,turn Lo a8o, you can see a heavy iron portcullis, beyond which a flighl of stonesteps l€ads upwaids. Do you want to powers,powers which may be ableto helpyou in your tum left and male a thorough investigation of the quest.There is alsoarother option opento you, to find dead-end (tum to 35i), ot will you tr.rm right and the legendaryElf-Spear, Aelfgar. Storiesabut this mysu- inspect the portorllis (tum to lrf cal weaponpre-date the Crusadeagainst draos. Forged by the Elvesof l-ein centuriesago, it is rumoured [o be 499 imbuedwith the power of the gods themselves.lcgends The Necromagelets out a deathly shriek as,with your tell how it has been wielded many times against the killing blow, his rotten flesh drops fiom his bones, forces of darkress and has saved the land fiom etemal which dissolveinto slime.Soon all thal is left of the tu8ht. To find AelfSar would be a momenLousundertak, diabolicalrmdead sorcerer is a pool of felid sludge. ing but couldprove to be the way lo victory. With Cadaverdead, the tormmted souls under his control are free, and his undeadarmy stops in its Night falls and, having tetheredFiemane Lo a tree tracksand cmmblesto dust. You have won this victory stump,you settledown for the night in bheshade of a for the peopleof AssartlR€gain 2 LUCKpoints and copsejusL off the road.With a gentlebreeze blowing add r to your HoNouR score. Now all that remains through the leaves of the trees you are soon lulled to for you [o do is to leave the sepulchreand retum to sleep.If you have the CommunzSpecial Skill, hrm to you Assart. [f have the word Reggad' $,riften down ,5. lI yolr do rl.ot, Test youl lact If you are Lucky, yolur If you haven't, on Ailoefllure Srrtrt, fum to 249. tum to 7t if you are Unlucky, tum to 226. twrr to 574,

too The aftemoon winds on aB you and Firemane head south. While you ride along, undisturbed,you consider the differenl palhs that you could take that may lead to successin your quest. The most direct form o{ action will be to make your way to Caer Skaalas quickly as possible. However, if you are going to have to face BelgarothlsChaos Knights and Warriors, it may be wise to try to rcquit your own small force as you proce€d. Aranandus'swords atout the Forestof Lein alsointerest you; you hrow that the vastexpanse of woodlandis a mysLeriousplace, prolected by ancienLelemenlal 204 Rallyingthe tonn's militia,you lead them out againsL the enemy.On the otherside of a greatgaping hole in lhe south wall stands the forbidding edifice that is the Juggemaut.Scrambling over pilesof debrisand rubbie, you run up a flight of steps to the batllemenLs, followedby your band of brave soldierswhom you deployalong the walls. The Chaos Waniors are swarm- ing up tall laddersto the top of the walls. With a stifledcry, a beleagueredsenlry falls at the handsof a black-cladhuman. The ChaosWarror stepsover Lhe sentry'sbody and preparesto swing his two-handed swordat you. CHAOS WARRRIOR srcrrrro srAMrNA9 On a successfulhit, the warrior'sweapon will causeJ srAMrNApoints of damageVr'hile fighting in sucha resLricLedposition on the battlements,you musLreduce your Altack Strengthby 1 point If your aoversarys Attack Strengthrs ever zz, the force o{ the blow he landscauses you lo loseyour balanceand knocksyou over the batllementslo your doom If you win, tum to 50.

202 Dusk has fallen by the trme you leave the burial mounds.If you do not havethe word 'Eehsnab'written down on yout Aiaenlure Sheet,turl:. to 165. If you do, you spendthe night in peacenot far from the caims, and next day you sel off feelingrefreshed (restore 2 srAMrNApoints and add r day to the Time Elapsed) Ratherthan retum to Ennox,you set off eashvards aaoss the moors to rejoin the road leadingsouth, in 205 an altemptto mal(eup for lost time(tum to 5o) You are immediately sunoundedby a band of n:ffians, &essed in rough clothes of brown and green They are 203 armed with an assortment of weapons, ranging from Although you do not understand the actual words, staves lo daggers, and lhey look a motley bunch. your hows spentstudying ancimt heatisesover the There is a one-eyed cut-Lhroal, a woman wearing years mean that you can work out the gist of whaL metal sfudded leather armour, a renegade monk and you are reading- It appear Lo be a spell, and there is therr leader a tall man whose face is hidden by a somethingaboul tummoning and 'assistance'.If you hood. 'A Templar, eh?' he says in a refined accent wanL to keep reading, fum Lo 56, otherwise, retum to 'Rich pi&ings indeed.'And with lhat the outlaws a65. attack.If you are still mounLed,you may fight the outlaws one aL a Lime and add r to your Attack Strength for lhe duration of the battle. If you have been unhorsed, you must fight all your opponents simultaneously

SKILL CUT-THROAT 6 5 BANDIT 7 6 RENEGADEMONK 6 7 WOLFSHEAD 8 7 If you defeal lhe robber band, tum to 246 204 Swiftly you male the proper arcane holy signs and ulter the words of banishment The spectre slops, a miasma of dark energy playing about her insubstanfial form, then she stads to laugh cruelly. Morgwl'n is using the power of dark sorcery to prolect herself.A jagged bolt of black lightning sLreaksfrom one taloned hand and slams into your body (lose 4 sraurre points). If you are slill alive, you draw your weapon and preparefor combat.Tum to 29. 206 208 The scorchingflames hit you fair and square,sending you staggeringback in agony(lose 4 sr,{MrNApolnts). While you are sLunned,the dragon - or, rathet lhe peopleinside the costume- chargetowards you. Tum whereaboutsof Aelfgarbecomes a mystery However, io J2E. I do believei heard once of a weaPonfrom legend reslingin the Caimsof Dunar I am afraidthat is all I know.'Tum to E2

209 Firemanelakes a flying Ieap over a parLicularlylarge boulder and lands awkwardly on lhe far side. As the horseslumbles, you are unableto keep your seatin the saddle You are thrown over your mount's neck andhiL the groundpainfully (lose 2 srAMrNApoinLs) You remolmt quickly so as not to lose your quarry andcharge off aILerit. Tum to 256.

207 One by one,your bravefighters fall beforelhe savage ChaosKnights and Warriorsare stormingon to the BeastMen's attack.You dispatchmany of the foul battlementsfrom all directions.You watch in desparr Chaor cpawr uriil. eventually,)ou loo are over as Belgarothvanrshes into the nighl and you are whelmedby the enemy.Although you die he'oicallv sunoundedby hrs army You are soon overwhelmed Ruddlestoneis still doomed andyour crushedbody is hurledfrom thebattlemenls zaa-ta5 245

taa Your steed must have followed you and your captors As you leap into the saddle your ghost\ attacker hom Wendeford to the derics' tenpte. Thankine the makes a (inal lunge at you. Test your Skill. II you gods for such a loyal companion, you show Firemane succeed,you parry the blow and escapewithout iniury' your appreciation.Having remounted,you decide that lf you fail, the dagger sinksinLo your back (lose z ther€is no time to visit Havalokitself, so you presson with your quesl. Two roads leid away fiom Havalok. The westerly roadeventually forlcs, one branchleading south to the villageoI Ennox.You lcrow that the Dw;f bhcksmith Tonin Silverbladehas his forge near Ennox. In his you on your on yow Adomlure srerf.) At dawn are youth, Torin was a \ /arrior of Telak, but now he is way agairytum to 2E5. renowned for the quality of the armour he makes which,some say, has magical properties. He couldweJl provide you with a vdluabledefence against the attack ot your enemies-F{owever, to 6nd his fotee would mean maki^g a long detour to the village ;f Ennox- Do you have hme [o make such a joumey?If you think you have, and you want to visit Torrin, fum to :t3 If you would rather head more directly south towards Caer Skaal, skirting the Forest of Lein, tum to 15o.

The portcullis,although very heavy-looking,does not appearto be lockedin position-You couldus€ Ironbane on iL,if you havesome (tum to i72), or try raisingthe portcr:lliswith your barehands (tum to zsg).

245 Walking westwards through the forest, you soon emerge close to the outskirts of the town of Havalok. And standing near by, qoPPing the 8rass,is Firemane 214 You push €ainst the heavy stone lid and with a graling noise it slides open Lying in the sarcophagus is whal remainsof a Lallman Drapedover his skeleton is the uniform of a knight, bearinglhe insigniaoI a GoldenDragon. An unpleasantgrey mould cove$ the bones;when you openedthe coffin,a cioud of spores flew into lhe air-You cannoLavoid inhalinga lungful, and you start coughingviolenLly The sporesof the poisonousmould affectyour breaLhingano you mus! losej srAMrNApoints. If you have Lheword'Eugalp' written on your AdoentureSAes, you musL lose 6 sravtNe porntsand r srrrr point inslead,because the leper'swasting diseaseis agSravatedby the spore- cloud 144renthe cioud has cleared,you look into the sarcophagusto see if the dead knrght has anything l,\t1!{\la1 l\lv!v\ \\1 that may be of use to you His weaponsof war have v^I\a$fi ^\I Iong sincerusted and are of no use lo you However, {i .Ntr'{Atil'l\1 on one bony finger you notice a gold nng inscribed l/lltl \tY\1'! \!^1 \\1{$ with the piclureof a shield.Do you want to take the A1\\ \iv\ !^!i \ l\aell ring, at the risk of releasinganother cloud of spores ai,\1\ $ N from the asphyxiatingmould (lurn to r5r), or will you -'j\\ $N.AN\ leavelhe crypt and searchelsewhere (tum to :4g and 111Vl1\o chooseagain)?

245 Searchingthe rooms o{ the Elders'Meeting House, you come upon somethinginLeresting in what was once the treasury.Under a thicklayer of dust,an old lournal lies open on a desk.The last entry in it is dated'The Third day of Lo&ing, Two Hundred and Sixteen YearsAfter Chaos'and reads as follows, 2aa

It is hoo nofihs sinceLhe L)ile Nee,oltlage, Cadaoer, was ready- Wilhout hesitation you gulp down the foul- lsid Lo rest, buf sfill we are besetby all manner of smelling, thi&" black liquid The potion males you feel toruents and egonies.Creaf rcs of the night stalk the slightly sick, buL at the same time it fills you wilh streetsof our onceproud aillageand the Grent Bell has rmewed confidence and delermination. Lose z begunfo LolIagain. I fear our doomto bedecreerl There STAMTNApoints, but resLore1 LUCKpoint and 1 sxrll is no hopefor usnow point, and cross off a y tear you may have recorded on your Ailomhre SherLThanking lhe old cronq you by a long-dead Disturbedby Lhismessage, written mormLFiremane and head soufh. Tum to 5ga hand,you leave the meetinghouse to conLinueyour exploraLionof the village Refum to 3a and choose anotheroption.

2a5 It is the densely growing brackenthat sLoPsyou spotLin8a foresLer'shap, constructed,no doubt, to catchthe rogue boar The coveringof branchesgives way underyour horse'sweight and you boLhfall into the pit. FortunatelyiL rs not stakedbut, as he falls, Firemaneknocks you into Lheside of lhe Pit and traPs your leg underhis body (lose3 sr.rvlr.repoints and r SKILLpoint). Your mount pullshimself {ree of the trap wilh easeand you clirnb up after him, slightly less easily.Once you have remounLed,you ale on your way again through the forest. Tum Lo 29a

Dusk has fallen by the time you leave lhe buriai 2a8 mounds-You spendthe night in Peaceand the next Your inherent goodnessand the purity of yow purpose day set off refteshed(restore 2 sraMINA Points and protecl your will from the comrpting power of the add r day to the Time Elapsed).You reach lhe cave ChaosRune. Belgaroth hesiLates for a moment,sensing after sevemlhours' riding, and the cronequickly sets thathis own supremarymay be threatened.The Dread about brewing your potion In another hour il is Lord now appears to be concenlrating. What rs he preparing? You had betLer make the most of this dark chamber at the base of the tower. There is an opportunity to aLtackBelgaroth. lA/}rat will you use to iron-bounddoor in the wall of the room and a sprral attackhim? staircaseleads upwards into the fuggemaut.You can feel heal coming from behind the door and you hear a A Black Crystal Orb? Tum to 118 deep roaring sound-Do you want to open lhe door Aelfgar, the Elf-Spear? Tum to 252 (hrm to rz4) or ascendthe (lum jarl Turn lo 299 staircase to The Holy Stnke SpecialSkill (if you Tum to 79 Turn to 20 Culting out the Cockatrice'stongue, you returnto the crone'scave- 'A tenible Banshee,called the Cailleach, ' 249 hauntsthe Caims of Dunar, half a day's lde south- Remounting yoru lrusty steed, you male yoUI way wesl of hereacross lhe moors.You'll have to k l it in through the South Gate out of Havalok Two roads the flesh and gel the last rngredrentfor yer potion,' lead away from Havalok. The westerly road eventually the old hag cackles.If you want to go afLer the has a branch leading south to the village of Ermox Bansheeand its tooth, turn to gzg. lf you would ralher You know that the Dwarf blacksmithTonin Silverblade forget the whole rdeanow, you decideto waste no has his forge near Ennox.In his youtb Torrin was a more time in this areaand to head southwardsagairy the Warrior of Telak, but now he is renorvned for rum ro 3J2. qualityof the armourhe makes which,some say, has magrcalproperties. He couldwell Provideyou with a valuabledelence against the blow' of your enemies However, Lo find his forge would mean making a long Once agarrleveryLhing $ as it was when you entered detour Lo lhe village of Ennox Do you have time Lo lhe chamber.You move towardsthe gildeddoors, but make such a journey? I{ you think you have, and you thereis yeLanother surprise in sLorefor you. Hearing you want to visit Tofln, tum to 285 If you would rather foolstepsbehind you tum lo seeyourself standing headmore directly south towardsCaer Skaal, skirting on the other side of the mosaic However, as you theForesl of Lein,tum to lio watch, yor-r double undergoesa honifying transforma- tion First it beginsto grow in size,then lerriblesores appearon its skin,they burstopen, revealing decaying You reach the ladder withouL further mishap and, fleshbeneath. Its handsbecome cmel talons and unholy unnoticed,climb quickly up it The traPdooris not fires bum within its eyes At the same trme your locked;pushing it open,you find yourselfin a small double'sarmour and weapon larnish, and its tunic 225-224 2ts-zz5 becomesa grave-shroud.Whal will you do?Will you lead your army againstthem in an altempt to break at[ack the honor (tum to 11j) or wait to se€ what thror.rghtheir lines.Roll one dice.If the re;utt is odd, happens(turn lo 58)? tum to 358;if it is even,toll]. to z7j.

225 The hellspawnreels under the force of your righteous Power and, as it recoversfrom your blast,you draw your weapon,ready to fight The DemonicSlayer can be harmedonly by magicalweapons. If you do not haveone, you wiil soonmeet the samefate as Herluin underthe creaLure'sonslaught. Your opponent'sclaws are so sharp,they will cut through armourand flesh alike,so any bonusesyou may haveagainst an oppo nent'sdamage will haveno effectl

DEMONICSLAYER sKrLL9 srAMrNA 6 If you destroythe honor tum to c8-

You give the foresteryour insfructionsand by the lime dusk is falling you have your makeshrftarmy ready,armed with crudeweapons and farm impJements - your old commanderat the DemonkeepOutpost would have beenproud of youl Carryng Lorchesand singrnSto keep their spirits up, the villagersfollow you west to M1'rton,while you ride at therrhead on i,2,6 Firemane,who is excitedat the prospectof battle You soon come in sighl of the derelict ruins which are Jyingunder a thickpall of mist The air is heavywith the smell of deathand you can hear the tolling of a bell. Emergingfrom the enshroudingmist are the bodresof the deadretumed to lrfe.With a shoutyou 22'

Pyriteestakes you over to a workbenchon which is laid out a pieceof parchmentwith a grid drawn on it. ln the squaresof the grid have been placed the various solulions and compounds needed for an alchemical experiment. At the end of each row and column a number has been written, except at the bottom of two columns:there is also one empty square.Pyritees explainsthaL a friendof his in Shekinhas sent him the formulafor a life-exLendingelixir, includingdetails of the ingredientsrequired and their respectivequantities. UnfortunaLely,as a resultof one of the alchemist'sall too ftequent'accidents', the letter thaLcame with the formula was destroyedbefore the experimenty/as fully sel up- Now all Pyritees has are Lhe weighb of the combined compounds in each row and column, except for two, and one missing ingedient. (Take a look at the illushation opposite this par€raph.) The ingredients- ether-misttrapped in glassspheres, dew from the Forestof Lein,volcanic ash from Hellsbreath Peak,and lumpsof sulphur-rock- eachrepresent one of the four elements.If you couldwork out the weight of each element,from the combinedweights, you might be able lo work ouL the missingingredient If you coulddo this,you would alsobe ablelo work out the two missing numbers from Lhe two columns If you managethis, add the two missingweights lo- gether, then tum to the paragraph with the same number.If you cannotsolve the problenr"you leave the alchemist'slaboratory and either try to recruit a small army (tum to 1j9) or leave Havalok (tum to 314) 228 in their armour which startsto drssolveRoll one drce Feelinga sharpparn rn your side,you wakeup with a andadd 5 to thenumber rolled (add r furtherpoint ifyou start Hoveringabove you is a dagger,its hilt glinting havethe Holy StriLe SpecialSkill) to seehow manyof the in Lhemoonlight and its blade dripping wth blood ChaosKnights succumb io your atlack(there are rwerve your blood! Lose z srevlr,l points A thostly in a1l) The words spoken,lhey lose their power while handclutches lhe daggerand is poised,ready to andmay not be usedagain. You will haveto fight any strike again What will you do to deiend yourselfl knighLsnot destroyedby the charm,onc at a time.Each Will you usethe BqrishSpirif Special Shll, if you have ChaosKaight has srrrr ro and srau:Ne rz When it (turn to t41), or unsheatheyour weapon,ready to fightingthe knights,you musfrcduce any damageyou fighl it (tum to 43)? do by r point becausethey areprotected by theirblack armour.If a kmghthts you. roll onedice. If the numbcr rolledis odd,the knight'sweapon causes I srAMrN^ poinLsofdamage rather than z.Ifyoumanage to deslroy or defeatall your knightlyoppon€nts, ium to r5s.

230 At the close of the monfh of Dark in the year r85 After Chaos,the battleweary crusaderslaid siegeto the fortress of Caer Skaal Among them was the younS warrior-priestess,Shamar With her frnely craftedcrossbow she shot down many of Belgaroth's nightmarishflying creahuesthai were preventingthe bravewariors from rcachingthc casllewalls until shewas hit by a darkbalefue, launched from a catapuit insidelhe fortr€ssThe crossbowhas six bolts that go 229 t ith it, three oi which are made from a blessed As you declaimthe finalword of lhe charm,the knighLs magicalalloy so lhat they will alsoharm undeadand droptheirweapons and clutch their heads wrth Sauntleted Dcrnons.When you are gtven the option of usjng the hands They staggerabout, reelng under the eldritch crossborr'r',Trsl your Skill, adding 2 to the number forcesthat are assalling their undead bodies Some fall to rolled rf you do not have the la6et SpecialSkjll. If thefloor ard lie perfectlymotion less. As you watch,foul you succeed,the bolt will hit, doing 2 srAMrNApojnts greenslime oozes of theirhelmetsand through gaps out of damage.lf you farl,it mrsses.Now retqrnto f56.

l. 212-734

232 As you lift the sword from the slab the dead do not Insidethe box is an orb of black crystal Such rare awakenand nolhing elseuntoward happens. You are crysLalsare sometimesused by sorcerersLo store holding the ancienL magical blade, Shadowbane,a spells Having bem locked away, it could be very weaponwoven with a blessedenchantmenl [o harm valuable or very dangerous Return Lo 274. the undead.If you lake the sword,whenever you are in combatagainst one of the undeadyou may add 1 poinLto your Attack Strengthand inllict srAMrNA 3 As you makefor the door In orderto leavelhe boiler- pointsof damageupon it afLera successfulhiL (against room, a black

254 You haveno tror.rblesilenong lhe bell,you smashit to pieceswith your weaponrby doing so you have slightlyweakened the evil powersat work here From now on, while you arein Myrton, you may reducethe srrlr- of any undeadcreature you have Loconfront by 1 point Regain1 LUCKpoint for this good fortune. However,somelhing else is lesshappy at your stop- ping the deathknell. One oI the bals &ops from ils roost and,exposing two elongatedfangs, attacks you. You are going Lo have to kill the VampireBat before you can leave the towerl

VAMPIREBAT SKILL 7 sraMlNA 6 255-232 234-259 If you defeat the bloodthirsty guardian of the belfry, right throughyour armourand inb your body (losej you notice a battered,but usable,lantem standingin srAMrNApoints) Tum to 11. one comer of Lheroom. If you do not have a lantem, you may tale this one; then you descend the tower 254 safelyand leaveit, to searchelsewhere. Retum to 3r andchoose another option.

You pull the hood off the man'shead and demand lhat he tell you why he attackedyou. 'Curseyou, Templarl, caughtup with you andfulfilled its purpose. he shouk. 'l shallnever bekay the secu'And withthat he pulls somethingouf of a pocket and flings ib in your face.The air is suddenlyfilled wibh a cloud of sweet-smellinSSleeping Grass pollen. Tesf gour Luck.lt you are Lucky, tum to q9. II you are Unlucky, tum io 83

256

and strengLhto defeattheir opponents.It looks as if you are winning. If you have Lord Varen,ssoldlers among your force, turn to f5. If you haven,t,tum to So2. 259 The beastreels under your ghteousblast, givinS you timefo performanother action Wrllyoul

Afta& it with your weapon? Tum to r45 Use the BanishSpirii Special Skill? Tum to z6o Use a Cleric'sTalisman? Turn to 28 Use the potion Witherwell? Tum to 4r adventuring you 240 fratemity. Having eaLer! retire lor the Shoutrngaloud the baLtle-cryof the Templars,you night. As you are preparingfor sleep,through your you hear the voices in your head tum to screams,then window suddenlycatch sighl of a blazing ball they aregone Relieved,you sLartto leavethe macabre o{ light shootingacross the blackenedsky, a 6ery tail lorture-chamberWith a clang,a branding-ironstrikes trailingbehind it The cometsoars onwards until iL a pillarjust in ftont of your face You spinaound as a disappearsover the hills on the distanthorizon. It is a (act length of chainrises from the floor inlo the air. This well-known that a comet is a sign of impending disasler, you just canmean only one thing;you arebeing alta&ed by a and have wrtnessedsLrch a portent.IL is some Poltergeist.Spiteful and malevolenl spjnts, Polter8eisls timebefore sleep eventually overcomes you. are invisibleand immatenaland so cannotbe hrt by You rise early, feeling refreshedafter an untroubled weapons If you have lhe BdnishSpitif SpecialSkill, nlght's rest (resLoreup to 2 points of STAMTNAand you canuse your talenLto sendthe PoltergeistLo the add r day to the Time Elapsed)Having left the Red EtherealPlane (tum lo 198) If you do not, you will Hcrring,you geLready to explorethe town Havalok have to defendyourself againsL the ghost as it hurls rsnot a larte town but, astime is pressng,you still do toriurermplemenLs at you. nol want to spend loo long here ln Havalok yor.r shouldbe ableto lind someuseful equipment thal you POLTERGEIST SKILL 9 may need later rn your quest,and surelyhere would Il will lake you five Attack Roundsto reachthe door be a good place to try to recruLta smallarmy with exiting the torture-chamber,during which lime you whrchto opposeBelgaroth's forces, if that is what you will haveto fend off the Poltergerst'saLtack When the intendto do If you want to visit Lhemarkets, tum to five Attack Roundsare up, and if you are still alive, 554.If you wanLto hy to recruitan army,tum lo aj9. lum to a9E.

244 You find that the gatesof Havalokhave been securely shutfor the night However,as soonas the guardsees that it is an eliLeTemplar Knight of Telakwho seeks entry to the towru he hunies down and unbarsthe tat€, lelting you into Havalok.You find a room and a hot mealfor the night, at a cost of 5 Gold Pieces,at the Red Herring, a large inn, popula among the Hastily you free the prisonersand usherthem out of the hall At that momentyou heara voiceinside your head: Braoewanior, lrce me Something is speaking to you telepathically, in a calm warm voice that fills you with a senseof well-being. You tum your attention to the drapedcage. Taking on€ comer of the bla& clolh, you pull il away For a momentyou are blindedby a dazzlinglighl and fling uP an arrn to shield your eyes. Wl€n you grow accustomedto lhe bdlliance,you peer between the iron bars Trappedinside the cageis a Brganticbird looking somewhatlike an eaglein shapeand form, but far larger and with a crestof feathersrising from its head and along its neck Each of the bird s feathers glows with a golden radiance which lights up the entire hall, and you can feel the creature's powerful auraof goodness- Thank you, goocl knighl, lt says I am fhe CeLashit, perhapsyou haoe heard of rne fron yo r leger.ds?lou nod, awe sLruckThe Celastrix,so legend says,is a messengerof the gods,a magicalbird of divrneorigrn In fimes past, uhen peoplewere closerto their gods, I Disiledthis Eafthly Plane regula y, rcl^Ving messageslo andfrom try masfefi.Centuries haoe passed in your utarld sincelatt I camEhere, but now lhe sihnlion demandsit. Dinrder and Chaosare on lhe riseand so I uas sent to this planz to offu dioine aid. Houeoer,I was mught by lheseoile BeastMen lhrcughdark sorcery,far lhe Dark TyranLfears lhe dead king'sprophecy If vau releasene, I wiLloffer you my help. 243 244

SearchingMurgrim's body, you find a bunch of keys 244 and, sure enough,one opens the lock on the cage.Free The men are playing a game called 'Dragon's Hoard'- of its prison,the Celastrixshefches its wings then flies As you watch, you soon manageto work out the up to the ceiling, picking you up in its talons. Nozo/et rules.The board on which the game is played has 'lhe r,rs leaoe thts place. bird smashes tlrough lhe beendivided into a grid of z5 squaresand on someof woodenroof of the hall and,beating its grear wrngs, thesesquares have been placed Gold Pieces.There are soarsaway from the campacross the night sky. Your alsotwo playing pieceson the board,one carvedand aerialjoumey is soon over when the Celashixdrops painLedto resemblean arrnouredwarriot the oLhera to the ground and deposits you near Firemane.Before fearsome-lookingRed Dragorr The labourersroll two it flies off again, the huge bird plucks a featherfiom its dice,then consulta tableon one srdeof the board:it breastand drops il at your feeL.When you needmy tells them how many squareseach prece can move in help, simply bum fhis featheraftL call mv name thrce thal ror-rnd.They then move the wanior, while the flrres.With lhat, the divine messengerflies away over soldiermoves the dragoncloser to try andcatch them. the hills and disappearsbeyond the horizon.Taling Eachtime the labor.rrersland on a Gold Piece,they the bird's golden feather you remount Firemaneand removeit from the board and add it to a pile in {ront ride oIf to the south. Regain r rucr poin! and add of them- However as a result of the dice roll, bhe 1 to your HoNorrR scorefor defeatinganother of soldieris ableto move his dragonso that it landson Belgaroth's allies and for releasinSthe C;hskix. Tum the samesquare as the warrior The labourersgroan to 2o6. and hand over lheir pile of coins, and the soldier removes the othe$ [rom lhe board. As the Lwo men 243 slouchaway, the man-at-armsasks if you would like a you A passageleads from lhe stepsinto a squarechamber 8ame.If do not wanLto play 'Dragon'sHoard', which has the same omarne;tation as tie exterior of the sepulchre. Tluee archways lead further into the lf you fomb- If you have the ArcafleLorc SpecialShll, tum to do, the man explainshhe rest of the n es to you 16. If you haven't,you mustdecide which passageway The warriorand dragonstart at opposifecomers to follow. You haveentered {rom the eastso will you of Lheboard- The aim of Lhewarrior is to collect as many Gold Piecesas possibleand then escape.Escap' rng can be done at any time by moving back to the South? Tum lo j61 warrior'sstart square.Howevet any coinsleft on the Wesl? Turn to 39r board then go to the dragon. Also, if the dngon lands North? Tum to to9 on the warrio/s square,the dragon wins and claims all 245 246

hjlls. This boulder strewn wildemess makesa compleLe /a DRn

245 Having crossedsafely, you follow lhe trackthat leads hom the gorge south-eastwardsthrough the rocky 24r244 249

247 lnside the stockadeis a wooden hall, decorated with human heads impaled on stakesround the edge of its roof. Is there no end to thes€ creatures, barbarism? Chained to a post in Iiont of fhe doors of fhe hall js a fwo-headed, wolf like creature which at present is suckng the marrow from a hurnan leg-bone However, restoreup to 6 points of lost srAMrN^. Vvhileusing the war-hdmmerin combdt you must reduce your Attack StrenSLhby r point, but ary successfulhil

248

ft on y our Adaen| ure SheeL).

Rope r Cold Piece Lantem 1 Gold Piece As you are leaving the market.you passa building 6 Crossbow bolts f Gold Pieces whichhas a brassplaque inscnbed with the M/ords ExtraProvisions r Gold Pieceeach meal 'AureusPydtees - Alchemist.Purveyor of polionsand Breastplate 5 Gold Pieces Flixrrsattached to the door.Do you want to: Mirror 2 Gold Pieces Enterthis buildingl Turn to 19j Healng Salve Cold Pieces 4 Now try to re0uit an army? Tum to r59 War hammer 6 Gold Pieces LeaveHavalok altogether? Tum to j14 flask oi Holy Oil 7 Gold Pieces Spear j Gold Pieces 249 ZiddianCharm 4 Cold Pieces As you dimb the steps leading out of the sepulchre, 249 you smse an evil presencedose by What can it be? 250 Surely all the Necromage's crcatures have been de You dismount and tear off a squareof cloth from your shoyed?Hovering at the top of the steps is your tunic to put the mushroomsin. BendinSdown at the nemesisThe Assassin'sDagger has Lracked you down edge of the clearing,you reachgingerly towardsthe al 1ast,following the psychictrail yor.rhave left like a fung| Testyout Skill.Il you succeed,lurn to 266 If fingerprinlon the ether.The bladeglints dully in the you fail, tuln to ry4. moonlight in the grasp of the ghostly hand If you havesome Holy OiJ,you castit over your supematural assailantand the sprrit dissolvesinto the night air, droppinglhe dagger(cross the Holy Oil and the word 'Reggad'off yoll AdoentureSierl; you may alsotalce the daggerif you wish, and then turn to 374) If you do not have any way of banishingthe speclralhand, you must6ght rt onceagarn.

ASSASSIN'SDAGGER SKILL 10 Afler four Attack Rounds,or if you win two consecu tive Attack Rounds,you work yourselfinto a position in which you canescape from the sepr-rlchreRacing up the last few steps,you slam the heavy stone doors bchind you, trapping lhe Assassin'sDaSBer inside T.ulr. to j74

254 Belgarothis beginningto weakenunder your attack; oul of the corner of your eye you notice thal the large black bird ihal was sitting on the back of lhe DreadLord's Lhrone is flappingfrom its perchtowards an archwaythab leads out of the throneroom. I{ you have fhe word 'Rofiart' wntte down onyour Noenl rc srsef,tum at onceto t6o. II you haven't,tum to 96. 255

lowersas it runsat you with fhe inlentionof goring

GOREHORN SKI(L 8

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

252 At the.sightof all thesesnakes you start to panic.T€sl Drawingyour_magical. blesed sword you prepdrero your Skill, addingz to the dice roll. you I[ succeed, clelend)ouJ.elFdgrinst this gho.tll adversary. SPECTRAL KNIGHT SKILL 9 STAMINA 8 If you defeatthe spirit,turn to j56. remountingFrremane, ride away from Ennox (lose 1 HoNouRand 1 LUCKpoint for your cowardlybehav_ rour andtum to J32). the crossbowzips through the air, straightinto the ilceing,scoundrel'sheart. His lifelessbody dropsto the s_oJndrrcltatn r rucx poinl).Turn to 12L

254 One of the warriorsstanding next to you dropsdead cnd \u,. turn on \i. lijler ,: harry.goar_hcadid .rea. :t--, Ore Innqhom protrudesirom irs.kull whrchir 255-258

256 You manageto sLayin lhe saddleas you and your sLeednegotiate diffcult tenain. Suddenly,in a small clearing,the boar stops and tums to face you. The roguebeast is at leastthree metres long from snoutto tail; il is covered in short, dark harr, wilh darker bands along its back. It snarls,revealing iLs huge yellow tusksand sharpteelh. With a bestialroar the animal runs at you. If you have a crossbowor a lance,you may use one of theseweapons once be{ore having to draw your weapon.Deduct from Lheboar's srrvrr-l scoreany damageyou have alreadyinllicted upon lt, thenfight lhe baltlewhich lollows in the usualway.

GREATBOAR SKILL 8 STAMINA 8 If you krll the beast,tum to 86

The voice addressesyou, saying,You arenot worthy LoenLer Lhis place. Only the bravestaIld most honour- able may share the secretsof the Templars' You know that there is nolhing you can do to enLer the shrine and so, greatly disheartenedand having wasted a day's travel geiting here, you tum Fire maneLowards the west andset off at a gallopthrough the hills towardsCaer Skaal(lose I rucK point and tun to 2j)

258 AwenydionstarLs feeling the bumpson your headand tellsyou how you willhave a largefamily andbe well loved by the ciLizensof RuddlestoneThen, suddenly, t- 25ft6o 25a-r55 he freezesand his eyesglaze over. It is as rf he has 26a gone into a tranceWhen he speaks,you sensethat rt You try lo calm the crowd by lelling thernthat you is not he who is conLrollinghis tongue:'Brave knighl, are on an urgenLmission, but your omtory skjlls are lhe forces oF darknessand Chaos seek your ruin. not good enough to appeaselhe seething mob. Bewarethe beash that are men, and heed well the 'Avenge yourselves with the dealh oI this accursed words of the warrior of sLone.Time is rurming ouL. Templarl' the incensed prophet yells. You have no Hurry now to the Fortress of the Skull.' Awenydion choice bul to try to escape.With a shout, you kick has been granted the Third Eye by his gods, and they your heelsinto Firemane'sflanks. The horsewhinnies havegiven you a waminSthrough him rreSainr t ucK andIeaps forward into the crowd Driving your mount point),Turn to 125 forward, you chargepasl lhe startledprolesters. As you flee,however, you are struck by a pike (lose z 259 sr,AMrNApoinls). Soon you are well away from the Unfor[unately,this methodcreates a lot of noisewhen angry mob; but you acteddishonourably Lowards the the portollis rattles up inbo the walls, rvilh rnetal sLarvingpeople (lose r noroun point). Wasting no more time, you conlinue southwards;tum to 2oo, Sratingon stone,and it is not long beforeyou hear the soLrndof armouredguards running down Lhesleps in front of yotr Several ugly Orcs and black clad 262 Chaos Warriors appear at the portcullis, which is As you grip the Elf"Spea/s shaft you feel its power huniedly raised,and you are soon overpoweredby flowing into your arm, str€ngtheninSyour muscles the guards.You die quicklybut valiantly. Belgarothscreams upon seeingLhe weapon that caused his deatha centuryago, Beforeyou canhurl it at him, the Dark Tyrant raiseshis handsand unleashesa dark 25o bolt of energy at you. It slams into your body, Your mystic talenthas no effecton the seaLurelThe throwing you back acrossthe room (iose srevru Darkthom is an elementa-lspirit, not an undeadone. 5 poinls).If you arestill alive,tum to 162. The thing lashesout at you with a vine-like growth, which hocks you off your feeh (lose z sreurN,t 26j points).What will you do next?Will you: The sm is low in the sky by the tine you reach the Attack wrth your weapon? Tum to 43 Caims of Dunar, and you can sensethe pres€nc€of Use the Holy Shits SpecialSkilh Tum to 259 evil in the area.The site is made up of four tumuli Usea Cleric'sTalisman? Tum to 28 constructedround a centralring of stoneswjLh one at Use the potion Witherwell? Tum to 41 roughly eachpoint of the compass.A dark hole in the 264 265-266 side of each mound providesaccess to whaLeveris 265 'rvaihng inside. II you do not wanL to searchthe The Chaos spawn are on you in an instant Driven by barows - which you can do only if you have a insanebloodlust, the BeastMen do not evenbother to lantern - you can leave the Caims of Dunar by add you to lhe fmeral pyre but simply cut you down Lumingto 2o2- If you have the l/ar:[irg SpecialSkill, whereyou stand,before selting a lorch to the Wicker tum lo aJZ If you do not, having lit your lantern, Man and its prisonersThe Dark Gods will be well whichmound will you enter6rst? The one to the: pleasedlonrght. North? Tum to 95 South? Tum Lo v5 Turnto fl9 WesB Tum to 55o

266 Taking great care you push the soil away hom a 264 cluslerof the fungi and gently lilt themfrom the earth Severalvines suddenly shool out of the urdergrowlh inlo your ready-madepouch With the cloth securely andwrap thcmselvesround your ankles,dragging you tred with a preceof vine, you put the fungi in your to the gromd with a thump (lose r srrvlrn point) backpack.If you ever use the Ironbaneagainst an You hack al lhe plants until you manage to free armoured opponent, roil one dice before combat I'ourseltbut now the man rs nowhereto be seen,and begins.On a roll of r or z, Lhespores desLroy your fhc surroundingbrambles cover up his lracks.Puzzled adversary'sannour so it losesany Prolectionlt may b-vwhat you have lust seen,you return to liremane have againstyour blows On a roll or i or 4, your andleave the Foreslof Lernbehrnd you. TLrrrrc, 17. opponent'sweapon, provided it is madeof metal,is ,57-268 269 destroyed, so your enemywill have to fight you with is upset in the land,'she tells you conspiraforially hrs sxllc scorereduced by 3 points.On a roll of 5 or 'Only last Earthday,Serlo, the gravedigger,saw the 6, Lhe lronban€destroys both the armour and the ghost of a pnest in lhe graveyard,and at the end of weaPon,However, this new w€apon may be used Hiding the moon itself was the colour of blood only once.Tum to 8 There'salso talk of druids carryingout dark rites rn lhe forestand robberbands roaming the colrntryside. 267 It's not safeany more' Next, will you ask her where Connor manageslo swallow the liquid and recovers you can find the sage(tum to j62), askher aboutthe 5ulficientlyto tell you whal has befallenhim,'l was lnn's name(turn to 134),or will you waste no more ambushed... Archers. There - were three of lhem timehere and leave Wendeiord (tum to +9)? riding wolves And their bannersbore the gaurtlet and sword symbol of Belgaroth'sforces...' 269 \ou tell your Connor quickJyoi questdno swearoy The conosive spor€sof the fungus begin to work Ielal.i golden sword that you will do all you can to shaight away.(Cross the Ironbaneoff your Adoenfure avenge him, The knight managesa weak smile and Sreel)The iron body of the Golem rapidly turns to then,although his breathis comingin short bursts,he rust and falls apart before your very eyes Soon all 'Yesterday speaks again: I encountered two draos that is le{l of bhisulhmate killing machineis a heapof Warriors raiding a fann on the southem edge of fhe red powder.Now roll one dice.On a roll of r or -2, Iorest. Before I slew rhem, I overheardpart a of lum to j4z oth€rwise,tum to 50. conversation.They saidthat Belgarothhas garned the supporlof the ChaosBeasl Lord, Murgrim the Cruel, and his horde of ChaosBeast Men. One of Lhemalso said that the BeastMen have capturedthe Bird of Light and mentionedsomething about a prophecy.' Connorsuddenly cries out in pain 'l'm afiaid thereis nothing more you can do for me .. Co now and do your duty.'Tum to 72.

268 The landlady makesthe mosLof any opportunity for a Sood gossipand readilytells you all the rumoursthat aregoing aboutin theseparLs. 'They do say that there You whisperCadaver's name and the greatblack door swings open. A blast of air escapesfrom the tomb chamber beyond, causjng you to gag at the reeking stench.Stepping through the grim portal,you oesceno a night of steps into a hi8h-ceilinged,cavemlike chamber.Stalactiles hang down and lhe alcovesin the walls hold gruesomestatures of Demons and the undeadStandlng in the middleof the room is a huge stonesarcophagus. its ld coveredin skangeglowing writing As you step towards the tomb, green fire beginsto play about the crackof its lid. Slowly the heavy stoneslab rises into the air, then slidesto bhe floor with a hollow boom What you witnessnext is like someLhingout of your worst nightmare.A decom posingbody. sfill wearingthe robesof a sorcerer,sits up in the stonecoffin and fums fo faceyou. A sinister smile forms on its decayinglips and a raspinghiss risesfrom its throat.Howevet morehorribly, you see, protruding Fom the corpse'storso below rrs :mns, are four huge spide/slegs, covered in bristly blackhairs. Trailing strandsof a thick gelatinoussubstance, the Necromage dimbs out of his sarcophagus,while yor.r remainrooted to the spot, petrified.'Well, Deathsss head,it sseemsswe havea vissitor.'When lhe rurdead sorcererspeals, a human skull, glowing wilh faint phosphorescence,rises from lhe coffin and slaresat you with two laundice-yelloweyes, its jaws clicking lncessanuy_ 'Bibeand tear,biLe and bear,'the snappingskull jibbers as il flies towardsyou. The Holy StrikeSpecial Skill 2rr-275 274-275 will infict 2 srAMrNA pointi and 1 s(rLL point of betwe€nits fangedjaws, damageupon this adversary,Whether you use this and Lwo horns sprout from ih head.You power or not, you are going to have to 6ght the must6ght bhismonster but with your Necromage'sservanL, DeaLhshead. Attack Shengthreduced by 2 points becauseof your pnonla, DEATHSHEAD SKILL 9 STAMINA 5 HORNED SERPENT sKrLL6 srAMrNA13 If you win, h.rm lo 116. If you destroythe slilheringhorror, tum to :zl. 2ra You keepto fhe mainpassageways and staircasesthat 214 rrddlethe wallsof the tower trying to avoiddrscovery, Underfhe gazeof the owl, you startto searchthrough in order to find the UsurpingSerpent himself. Tuming Lhedebris oI brokenbookcases and scaLteredpapers. a comet you come face to face wilh a Chaos Wanior Rollone dice- On a roll of r, tum lo:os; ifyou roliz, tum patrol You prepareto ffght, but one of the waniors to 5r; rI you roll g, tum to u; andon a roll of 4, tum lo hasalready sounded the alarmand soon the patrol is r6r. If you roll5 or o,y ou ffndnothing oF value. Repeat joinedby a hordeof Orcs,Goblins and other soldiers. thisaction lwo moretimes. If you roll a numberthat you You aresoon overwhelmed. Ruddleslone rs doomed! have rolled before,you fud nothing. After three rolls of thedice, you canfindnothing else, so youconclude your search,Takrng any objectsthaL you have found and As you move lo atta& the Arch-Cleric,the weeds want to keep,yotr decidewhat to do next (retum to a55) wrap themselvesround your legs, hampenngyour

Charging out of the mist come three temfying Undead Horsemen,waving srythes.The flesh is falling from their bodies and lheir steedsare skeletalcreatures, BRYAR SKILL 9 sTAMIN^ 9 their skin shetchedtaut over their bones Thereis no If you win, tum to 165. time to usea crossbowor a lanceor any mystic skills beforethey all attackyou at once SKILL STAMINA First Materializing in the middle of the chamber is a large HORSEMAN 7 Z Second coiledserpent- A long forkedtongue tlicks in and out HORSEMAN 6 7 ThirdHORSEMAN 7 6 216-z7a 279 for the duralion of this battle you must reduceyour travel the strongergrows the senseof mystery that Atla& Strengthby 2 pojnts unlessyou do have the pervadesyour consciousness.You alsofeel increasingly RideSpecial Skill. If you are victorious,Lhe villagers thaf you arebeing wahched, which js quite unsetLling. continue to battle against lhe dead army while you go Everytime you look aroundyoLr detect a siight move- afberthe Necromancer-Tum to tl ment in the rmdergrowthbut nothing to be seen causingit. It is then that you hear the soLrndof 276 somethinglarge moving amongLhe hees, a little way Courageously,i{ somewhatfoolishly, you engagethe off to your left It couldbe a forestcreahrre, such as a ChaosKnighLs in combat,Each of thesefoul undead bear.Do you want to try to discoverwhat is making warriorsis alnosLyour equal,and theseare not crea- the noise (turn to 69) or will yor.r ignore it and ir.rresof honour They surroundyou and the mighty continueon your pr€sentpath (turnLo j24)? blowsof theirweapons smash yor:r body to the floor

27' The Mistress lays oul her elaborately decoratedCards of Divinatior! face down, in a rnystical pattem, lhen tums lhemover one by one to interpreltheir mearing. 'Darknesssh;ouds your paLh,death surrounds you and fhe way rnay be perilous.Dark powersare comtngLo fhe fore, but there are those who would help you The Lord of the Forestawarts your comingand lhe prison- 279 ers of the WickerMan requireyour aid. Do not tarry, With a gargantuaneffort you manageto snap lhe for lhe Dread Lord rncreasesin strengthn'ith each vinesand flrng yourselffrom the slab,snalching your passingday and creahresof Chaoscome to join his backpackfrom the surpriscdderic holding it Rapidly evil horde'The consultationover you decidenot to the fibrous slems Brow upwardsfor severalmetres, delay here any longer and so leave the divinels intertwininguntil they have formed into a gi8anLic, abodeTum to 248. plantlike humanoidcovered in vicious thons. Two emeraldorbs glow with an evil awarenessand, with its tnrnklike legs still ffrmly root€d in the ground, the 2rE manifeslationof the Darkthom reachesfor you with The day drawson as you ride throughthe ancient knotted hands You are going to have to deiend woodlandHaving crosseda river the furtheryou yoursclfatainst thisdark elemental spirit Will you. 2aa-242

Draw your weaponand do baltle? Tum to 143 fly from ils hools You must face the fiery warrior in Use the Holy Sfn[eSpecial Skill (if combat you can)? Turn to 2j9 KNICHTOF Use the Banishfuirit SpecialSkill (f THEFLAME SKILL 12 you can)? Tum to 260 Use a Clerrc'sTalisman (rf you have If you are hit by the fire sword, you must lose 5 one)? Turn to 28 sTAMINApornLs raLher than the usuaiz If you are Use lhe potion Witherwell(if you victoriousin yourstruggleagainsl Lheknight, turn lo55 Turn to 4a 28a The band of mLrsiciansare playing The Balladof Sir '2Eo Rhyaddanthe CrusaderThe song lells of the heroic 'Although you have commrttedcrrmes against the knight'sadventures at the time of LheCrusad€ againsL foresl, your intentionsare of the grealestgood and ChaosThe minstrelsare very skilledand you pauseto ullimatelyyou seekpeace for theseancient woodlands,' listento the lilting meiodyand words, says the Lord of the ForesL'Therefore I pronounce thal you may passfreely lhrough theselands in your 'Then firm was his resolve, searchfor the Elf Spear.'Forest maidens retum your His will strong,his spiril lrue. weaponand hand back Frremane'sreins to you. The Ridingl'wards the smrise, Wodewosewatch you depart,then dissolveinto the Fve.onraard ttuough the land. undergrowthHowever you know that they will still Everonward, sword in hand' be keeping an eye on your movemenh while you remainin the greatforest Now tum to 4o. When night falls you are still wjthin the confinesof fhe foresl of Lern. Havrng tetheredFiremane, yoLr 282 seltLedown to sleep.You are wokenby lhe soundof Buffetedby the wind, the Celaslrix suddenlyrises poundinghoofs Gallopingshaight towardsyou and almostverLically. You tip over backwards,Iosrng your dearly visrblein the darknessis a laight, riding a fiery grip on the bird's crest. The next secondyou are steed.The wanior is dressedin ora;rgeand carriesa clutchingat thin air as you plummeLearthwards. The ihield bearingthe image of a flame In one hand he Celastrlxtums and tries bo catchup with you as you rrields a blazing6re+word The horse'smane and tail fall, but it is not fast enough.Your adventureends seemlo be on 6re, while wisps of scintillatingflame here 245

245 Galloping along the road that leads westwards across the desolate rnoorland, it is s€veml hours before you reacha signpost directin8 kavellers south to the village of Ennox. Taking this route, you passno one else on the road, and the sky Srows overcast with heavy grey clouds Dusk fallsand still you arenot in sightof Ennox or Tornn's forge You ride on, determinedto find shelterbefore it startsto rain,and soonyou come uPon a gibbet,a macabrelandmark in this otherwise banenwildemess The corpsehanging from it looksas if il hasbeen here for severalweeks: its fl€shis rotted and in placesits skin has split, exposingyellowed bone. The gibbet creaksominously as the body hang- ing from its tsayed noose swings in [he breeze.There is a rurnble of thunder overhead and the skies opert. catchingyou in the downpour.After a suddentud crack a bolt of lightning sheaksdown from the clouds, hitting the gibbet just as you are pa$ing undemeath it. In a vivid explosionof light, Lherope snapsand the body falls on top of you, knocking you {rom your mounl on to the soddenground (lose 1 STAMTNA Point) Horrifi€d,you push the corpseaway ftom you and pick yourselfup out oI the mud. Suddenlylhe body springsto its feet and its diseasedyellow eyes flick open The Lrchhas been animated by the corrup tion that is infecLingthe land and you must 6ght it f you have the Holy SbiLe SpecialSkill and wish to use It, tum to 65. If you do not, you draw your weapon andengage in combaLin the driving rain.

LICH sxrrL8 STAMINA 9 244 2A5-2a6

After three Altack Roundr if the battle is not over 245 you musLreduce your Attack Skength by 1 poinL It is mid-momingwhen you entera pleasanlvalley, aL becausethe road has tumed to mud and you are the bottom oI which nestlesthe settlementof Wende Eghtingin it up to yolrr ankles.If you wi& Lum to ford To the west lies an areaof woodland,whrle on 161 the distanlhorizon you canmake ou[ the darkedge of the Forestof Lein.The road on which you are Lravel ling nms on southwards,out of the village,to Havalolq but you feel you may Sleam inforrnationhere that couldbe of useto you on your quest For a srarr,you know that the reclusivesage, Herlurn, lives not far from the village Do you want to try hofrnd out more herein Wendeiord(turn to 3an or, astime is precious, w l you ridestraight through (turn lo 49I

284 Dismounting, you tether Firemaneand quickly formu- late a plan to rescuethe villagers lt must be the shaman'sChaos magic thaL is preventingthe pdsoners ,!romsaving lhemselves, so, if you couldstop him,you could breal

out in silver,surround the shaft,and as you takethe spearrn your handsthey glow with divine energy II 288 you havethe SpearWeapon Special Skill, you may use 'Gladly,'Varensays.'lf Lhatrs how I canhelp deshoy Aelfgar rn combatand add r to your Attack Strength the conuption thaLis infectrngour land, then that is whiie wreldrngrt The Elf-Spearwill alsoinjure undead what I must do However,my men will need time to and Demons-Offering a prayer of thanks to Telak, prepare,so it would be best if you conLinueyour you feel that a greatweight hasbeen lifled from you. quest,and my soldierswill join you later' You agree (Crossany fear you may have olf your Arloeftwe Sheet to meei at the desertedoutpost of Hamwatch,Lwo and regain r LUCKpoint.) Do you have a shield?ff days lrom now OVrite Lhe word 'Ecof' on your you have,tum to j44 if you haven'|,tum Lo23. AdomtureSheet)'fum to 8z 249-292 293

269 Strengthby 1 point for this combat),before lurgint at The flickeringlght f;om your lantemcasts eene shad you with her bone dagger. ows on the morbid carvingsthat adom the walls of CRONE SKILL lhe sepulchrewhen you descendinto its depths If you 6 STAMINA 5 have |he CommuneSpecial Skill, tum to 93.If you do not, Teslyour Luck If you are Lucky, tum to 245; if you areUnlucky, fum to 1j3

290 crone's sorcerous brews and possessiors well alone, Standingin front of the largedouble-doors, the ar.rraof but you do 6nd two rabbrtsharging up (enoughfor Lhe enchanlmentsbi4ding lhem is langible and fills onemealea(hrand you takethem-wiih you. Remourt- you with dread You are suresomefhing of a magical ing Firemane,you rejoin the road and ride towards nahte will be requiredto open thesedoors and that Ennox Turn to 579. without such an item you will be unable to pass through them As you do not carry any Chaotic artefactsyou will need somethrngelse. If you have somesap fiom the Forcstof Lei4 now may be the time lo useit (turnto 129).If you haven'tany, turn to J8E.

29r You come acrossclear srgnsthal the boar travelled lhis way not long ago, in the direclionleading away from you and further into the ancient woodland. Quickly you set off aft€r yow prey. Testyour Skill, adding r to the dice roll if you do not have the 293 TratkingSpec;'al Skrll, buL sublractingr from the drce roll if you havca Hunting Charm.If you aresuccessrur, tum to j4j. If you fail, fum to 50.

292 its use,turn to 25j. If you fail,or if you oo not navea The wickedhag throws somedust in your eyes that crossbow(or you do not wish to useit), you will have makesyour reactionssluggish (reduce your Attack [o pursuelhe felon on Firemane,tum to j 294 295

295 Opmint the door you step into the night. Everything is still, with nothing seeminglyout of the ordinary. Walking further. you suddenly freeze,hearing up ahead soundsof panting that are approachingrapidly Then 294 you seethem: scores of blazingred eyesappear out of Making your way cautiouslyalong the passage,it is the darknessas in horror you see Lhepack of huge, not long beforeyou sLepthrough an archwayinto a rnidnightblack dogs bearingdown on you acrossLhe hrgh-roofedchamber. The stonefloor is litfered with moor. It would be foolish to try to face the whole shaw and bonesof many creatures,some human. Set Packin suchan exposedposiLion, so you rum on your rnto the ceiljng,some metres above your head,is a heelsand run backtowards th€ forge.Torrin standsat large grille through which you can see the deep blue the open doorway yelling for you to hurry. Roll iwo of the night sky. A smal wooden door in the wall dice;the total is the distanceyou haveto coverbefore oppositeleads out of the chamber-Howevet as you you reachsafety. Now roll two diceagain. If the total sLepInto the pit you disturb its occupant.With a roar is less than the dislance you have to cover tum to a giganlic, DragonJike creature emerges fiom a 159; if it is grealer than thaf dislance, tum to j98. If gloomy comer o[ the pit. lt is winglessand its rough the two numbers are the same, Testyour Luck: I yol hide is scaly Its enormous jaws are lined with razor- are Lucky, turn to j9a; if not, tum to j59. shalp teeth,but the monster'seyes do not hold the glinLof intelligenceof dragonkind.lls great tail lashes around,blocking the way back If you want to avoid having to fight the beast,you can make a run for the far door. If you do !his, Teslyour Luck.If you arc Lucky,you dashacross bhe pit and,opening the door, nn through it (turn to 329); if you are Unlucky,the monsterstrikes you with a greaf clawedfoot (losez suvrr.,t,r.points) and you haveto tum andfight.

REPTILIAN SKILL 10 ST,{MINA 15 If you slay this mighty beast,you stepover its prone body and. opening the wooden dooa leave the pit. TLrmto j29. 295

296 After you have put several kilometres beLweenyou and lhe ChaosBeast Men's camp,you stop to rest. When you wake up agai4 you find Lhat you have sleptwell into the next day (restorez STAMJNApoints and add r day to lhe Time Elapsed).The desolate landscapeof the BanaraskHills is unchangingas you ride on underthe cold grey sky for severalhours.And Lhenyou see it: on a hrlltop stand the dark rurned towersoI CaerSkaal, the Fortressof the Skull.From hereyou cansee its grim keep,still intaclafter surviv- rng the onslaughtof the besregrngcrusaders a century ago Bla& flags fly from its crenellatedturrets, the siShl of which fills you with uneaseBefore you can reachthe forbiddingcasLle, you must firsl cross the ancient battlefieldon which the final battle of the Crusadeagarnst Chaos was fought It was on this field lhat Belgarothwas felled rn battleby SirRhyaddan the Crusader,along with hrsChaos Knights The battlefreld is shroudedin a thick pall oI mist, and hereand there you can male out Lhe indistinct shapesof broken weapons,war-engines and the skeletalremains of ar moured warriors You half expect ihe bodies of the fallento riseup againstyou asyou nde ouf acrossthe ancientbattle-site-

A large raven sits perchedon the branchof a lone gnarledand leafless tree near by. Seelngyou, rt givesa hoarsecroaking oy then flaps off through the mists towards the forlress.A moment later you hear the somd of hoofsgalloprng towards you. Trailingtendrils of vapour,a bla& horsewiLh its rider emergesout of 29' 29&-Joa the mists. The loight is covered from head to foot in 298 shinrngblack spiked plate armour. His helme!is homed and decorated with weird patteris inlaid with red kacery,as is the restof his armour.The ChaosKnisht Ievelshis black lanceand spurshis qteedon towaids you without saying a word You must overcome Belgaroths champion in a deadly joust. If you do not lvith[he leper's terrible wastingdisease. (Lose sr^MrN^ havea lance,or if you do haveone but don't havethe f points,r sKtrLpoinl and 1 LUcxpoint: also write down Lance Special Skill, you must reduce your Attack theword'Eugalp'on your Mucntwe Shect.)Tumlo 114 Strength by I point for the duration of this battle and by r filther point if you do not possessthe Ride SpecialSkill. 299 CHAOS KNIGHT CHAMPION sKrlr 12 STAMINA 12

sraMrNA poinls). Tum Lo 162.

500 Drawing your weapon,you defendyourself against these vmomous adversaries.Fight lhem as if lhey Attack Rounds before the ChaosKnight does, you were a single opponent. unhorsehim and may increaseyour Attack Shength SNAKES by 2 poinls. If you win this deadly contest,tum to SKILL 8 STAMINA 11

297 What will you use to defend yourself against these strangecreatur€s? a way across the cavem. Tum to 27. A Cleric'sTalisman? Ium Lo i4o The potion Witherwelh Tum to 304 J49 Your reactions are not quick enough and you are hit Your weapon? Tum Lo 18 by one oI the cart'sshafts (lose 3 srAMrNApoints). By 302-304 5o5-3ob the time you have picked yourself up, your quarry are was once the priest of Myrton. I have been deadfor long gone and not even the lraci

304 306 Just as you are unsheathingyour weapon, the appari- Ii is noL far fiom here to lhe ruined outpost of fion cries out,'Nol'You pause,then see that the ghost Harnwalch,where you have araIlgcd to meet your is that of an a8eing priest SensingiLs goodness,you army.The oulposthas been deserted since the Crusade Listenas it speaksto you: 'My name is Guildas and I againstChaos, a centurya8o All lhat remainsof it 5or3oa 309

now is a crumbhngsLone stockade Waiting, hrdden whereit is but do you know how to get there?If insideits walls,is your forceof bravewarriors. Before you do, you will havefound threeclues thal gve you you engagethe enemyin battle,you must delermine directionsto lhe Elf-Spear'sresLing place There is a your army'sBattle Strength, which at presentrs zero numberhidden somewhere in eachclue. Put the three Consultthe tablebelow and lotal up the porntsgiven nr.rmberslogether in seq.rence,in the order in which for eachfighting unit you havecomprisng your army: you found them, to give you a fourth lhree-digit number,and turn to that paragraph.If you do not LordVaren of CleeveManor's soldiers 4 poinLs have all the clues,you will have to abandonyour NasraSLronn's Mercenanes from Havalok 5 poinls queslfor Aelfgarand head south (tum Lo48). . hevillagers oi A'sarl I po'nls Caass'sTovm Militra 4 points This total rs your BaLtleStrength. you have Lhe BaLtleTacLics Special SkJll, you may add z more points lo your BattleStrength. Thereis no time to lose,so, your army ready,you set off into the BanaraskHills towardsthe Fortressof the Skull.If you havetaken more thansix daysto get thrs fat tum to 555 If you have takensix days or less, h.lm to 1E4

307 'Passwordl' a voice hisses from behind Lhe doors. If you lcrow the password, convert it inLo a number, using the code A = 1, B = 2, C = 3 .. Z = 26- 309 Add the number corresponding to the letten in Lhe Although the track is severaldays old, you can still password together then tum to the paragraphwith the lell that a very lage animal has passedalong the same nunber as ihe tofal. If you do not know the nght-handpath However along lhe path to the left Password,Lurn to 225 you canjust makeout somefarnt hunanoid footpflnts leadingboth towardsLhe fork and awayfrom it Now, (lum j85) Jo8 will you take the le{t to or the right track If you are going to searchfor Aelfgar, you must know (tum to 291! 3ao-342

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

HELLHOUND SKILL 7 STAMINA 6 As well as its savagebiLe and sharp claws, Lhedemonic creaturehas another aLtack: il can alsoshoot gouts o[ flameout of ih mouth After eachAttack Round,roll one dice.If you roll 1 or 2, the monster's6ery breath bumsyou for 1 additionalpoint of sraMrNAdamage. If you kill the Hellhound, turn Lo a15

3aa The staircasetakes you up to anoLherchamber with anoLheriron-bound door. From behind this door comes a steadyrhythmic clankrng and grating.Do you want to open this door (turn to 6a) or will you climb the staircaseLo the next level(tum to j57)?

Seeinghis crealiondestroyed, the priest panicsand trieslo flee You want Loknow what hasbeen going on here,so you chasealier Lheman. Testyour Luck.If you are Lucky,lum to 594 If you are Unlucky,tum to 2,64 514-345

If you can work out whaLihe numberis, tum to the You 6nd a crackbetween one secLionof wall and the paragraphwith that number.If you are unablc to floor, and a loosebrick When you pushthe brick,the break the spelllock, you will have to return to the wall swinSs open to reveal a short passageway,which Portcullis;turn to 212. endsin an omatelycarved oak dooc inscribedon it is a strangernagical symbol, but is no there lo& or 314 handle.You haveheard of suchspell loes ano you LeadingFiremane towards the South Cate, you pass know lhal you will be unableto forceentry here.The througha squarewhere a crowd of peopleseem to t'e only way throughis to decodethe numberhidden in enjoyingsomc spectacleor ofher As you get closer, the symbol. you see that a crude stage has been sei up in the squareand over fhis s stretcheda molh-eatenbanner with the words'Oddfellow's Mummers' painted across it. Occasionalgasps of amazementand pealsof laugh tef rise [rom the crowd as lhcy watchlhe show being put on by lhe travelhngplayers. Do you want to pauseior a moment Lo watch Lhemummers (Lum fo r88) or do you prefer to make For the SouLhGate (turnto 45I

ShowrngElaina the Arch Cleriis staff, you tell her how you vanquishedthe Darkthom and its sewants 'By this heroic aciion you havc helped in part to restorcfhe elemenfalpowers of the forestand halt the sicknessaffecting it. Erillia,the Elf Mother, will bless you for this, and you certainlydeserve our aid'The sorceress-priestcsstakes an ornatebotflc from an Elf and handsit to you 'This bottle containssome o{ the very life-bloodof Lein'sap taken from thc treesin this ancientforest Kcep il safeand use it wiscly, and the prophecywill bc fultilled' Beforethe ElvesIead you away from their sacredgrovc andvanish back into the

A 5$-5aA 549 undergrowlh,they also give you an Elven Amulet hear the Dread Lord's evil laughter in your earsas you Filledwith hope oncemore, you hurry on your way plmge to your death Turn to 278

3a6 Which of the mounds will you explore now: the northemmound (tum to gs);the southemone (tum to ry5), the east€mone (tum to 359) or lhe westemone (tum to :so); or will you leave the Caims of Dunar(tum io zozl

547 Wendeford'sonly inn is the Bdstling Boar,and you decidethai this would be as good a placeas any in which to acquireinJornation Inside,the bar is dark and musLy, although the clienLeleseems friendly enough.'Well, what can we do for you?' asks the 549 roLundlandlady. If you want to buy a drin-k,a tankard The villagersare very understandingoI your reasons of alewill cosl you r Gold Pieceand will restoreup to and they wish you well in your quest,but you leave 2 pointsof srAMiNA.What will you asklhe landlady? Assartunder a verl of fear and despair.Undoubtedly you have doomed the village to death and just as Where you can find Herluin the surely you have broken the Oath of the Templars, Sage? Turn to 362 bringingshame and infamyon your holy order(lose z About any localrumours? Tum Lo258 HoNouR points) Al the edge of the forest,not far About Lheinn's name, if you are from the village,you drscovera woodmant abandoned cu ous? Tum to aj4 hul and decidelo sleephere for the night. If you have the word 'Reggad'wrtlen down on your Atluenture 3a8 Srrel tum to 371 Otherwise,thal night your dreams You have no time Lo prepareany other defenceas areff1led with imagesof horific undeadYou wakeup Belgarothunleashes the dark bolt at you. It hrts you lhe next moming only partially refreshedand set off squarelyin the chest,knocking you from the back of quicklysouthwards. Regain 1 srAMrNApoint and add the Celastrix Over the rushingof Lhewrnd you can 1 day lo the Time Elapsed.Turn Lo48. 32,0-322 525 Hamwatch.The exhausted 5:o chaoticsfollow onLya short As you draw your weapon,you feel a tingling sensa- way beforestopping and raising a greaLhooting cheet tion in the fingeron whrchyou are wearingthe ring believingthey haverouted your Lroops.You ride in a Distracledfor a mom€nt,you look down and see a wide circleround lhe BeaslMen's camp,avoiding any shieldof golden light flicker lnto exisLenceon your unwanLedaLtention. From your vantagepoint you can arm;thrs is powelul magicindeed. Whenever you tind seethe stockadequjte clearly among Lhe ruined houses. yourselfin combat,while you are wearingthe Shield You cannot see any people, and there appears to be Ring thrs magicalshield will appearand protect you only one guard at the stockadds mtrance Do you from an enemy'sblows (reduce your opponen!'sAttack wanf Lo telher Firemanehere and snea] into the Beast Strengthby :t point).Add 1 LUCKpoinf and relurn to Men's campfor fixther invesLigation,now thabnight j91 to fight the skeletaldog has fallen (tum to 34o), ot do you want to ride on, awayfrom here(tum to ,95!

321 Reversingthe Demon SummoningSpeJI will not be easywhile lhe raging DemonicSlayer is in the room A bitterly cold wind is howling over the moorsas you with youl Testyour Skill ard add r to the roll. If you and Firemanejoumey acrossthe desolateheath. After are successful,you manaSefo read part of the spell two hours' ride you see a single standing stone rising backwardswhile avoidingthe creatLrre'sattack If you up out of the otherwisefeatureless landscape Known fail, the Slayerhits you while your guardis down (lose as the Maiderr the stone once had the carvinc of a young I STAMINApoints) You mustrepeat ihis processuntil womanon it, bul this has beenalmosi com- you havemade the roll successfullythree fimes. If you pletely erodedby time and the weather.If you have achievethis, lurn to 128. If you fail two conseculive the CommuneSpecial Skill, turn io j8o If you haven't, rolls, the Demon knocksthe book out of your hands, Testyour Luck, if you areLucky, tum to j8o, if you are lum io Ij- You can abandonthis line of defence not. tum to 251 wh€neveryou want to by turningto rj.

With a shout, you kick your heels into Firemane's sidesand rush strarghtat thc cnemy lrnes.You fell severalof the BeastMen in your chargeand break through their ranksbefore thc rcrnforcementsarrive Your soldiersscaLter and flee sor.rthwards,fowards 324-525

324 The sun is sinking towardslhe horizon as dusk ap- proaches,and under the treesa grey twilight permeates every nook and hollow. Firemanesteps warily over tree boles and exposedrooLs and you start lo think about making camp for the night You bring your steedto a hall in a smallcleanng that is litteredwith fallenleaves and wilh a funguscovered log lying al ils edge-As you dismount,you heara rustlingsou,ld and slarein startledamzvemenL as the leavesdraw them- selvestogether into a shapeLhat lhen sLandsupright; the figurenow looksLke a man coveredfrom headLo toe in leaves-AL Lhe sametime, the 'log' sLartsLo mfold with a crealing sound and, looking like a humanoidnith barl folkin andwith frrgu.8ro!\ing out of it, getsto its feet Thc leaf'manslretches out an arm towardsyou and you recoveryour amazedstate Will you move to defendyourself (tum to 2e7) or wart for thesestrange humaaoids to make the 6rst move(lum to 76I

CleeveManor rs servedby a smallhamlet, including a smithy,,nd is surroundedby a numberof smallfarms. You arrive at dusk and, as soon as you have dis- mounted,you are taken to the great hall by lhe slewardof the manor,whrle Firemaneis led away to be stabled Inside,the hall is a picLureof bustleand actlvity. Long trestletables are being laid with food and &ink alld a large woman is supervising the cook urg of venisonon a spit in the middle of the room, whrlea minstrelband startsplaying a populartune In 326-52' 324-329 one comer of the hall, a man-at-armsis playing some towardsit, however,you seethat the cavemouth has kind of board game with two labourers Larte tapes- been crudely decorated by someone, or something, triescover the walls of the hall;above the lord's Lable with animalskulls and skins.Then an old hag appears on the raised dais at lhe end of the room hanS ai the opening, she is wearing ragged robes and decorativeshields and Lhe coats-of-armsof several necklacesof teeth and is yelling at you angrily and noblefamilies, while at the oppositeend of the cham waving her arms frantically.Do you want to altack ber are mountedthe trophiesof hunting expeditions the crone(tum to 292), or do you preferto speakto The sLewardexplains lhat the feast to be held here her and calm her down (tum to 1j5)? will begin very shortly-Before it does so and while you you arewaitinS, he will be happy Loshow round 324 the hall Do you want Jo, Usingup fhe lasbof its fire-breath,the dragonlets out a blast of flame at the Sludy the tapeshies? Tum Loi41 directly crowd, who flee in Watch lhe boardgame? Turn to :44 panic, so Siving the oLher mummersa chanceto Look moreclosely at the lrophies? Turn lo 58 escape.The dragon-coshrmedplayers then run aLyou, Listento the minslrels? Ium to 281 trying to batteryou with its wings and bite you with therather too realisticjaws, 325 MUMMERS' DRAGON sKrLL8 srAMrNA7 Reachingthe edgeof bhestockade safely, you hide in the shadowsThe Beast Man on gtard hasthe head of a If you win, yor.rdo not actr.rallykill the peoplein the boar,and spittledrools over its largeyellow tusks It is costumebut merely disablethe contraptionthey are armedwith a halberdard roundshield, and torchesare wearing and leave the mummersunable to escape (turn bumingon eitherside of theentrance it is guarding.The to j67) sharpenedstakes of the slockadelook far too tall and treacherousto climb,so how will you get in?Will you: 529 You find yourselfwalking along the stone-facedcorri- Attack the guard? Tum lo i86 dor Wrth a suckingsound, something drops on to the Try to distractit and sneakpasfl Turn to 151 ground behind you and you recognizethe jellyJike Bluff your way in? Tum to 2z6 creatureas an lron-EalerThese amoeboid animals are not camivoresbut inslead,as their name suggesLs, 327 ieed on metal. Moving carefullyforward, you hear \ot far into the hllls,you find lhe enkanceto a large anoLhercreature detach itseif from the ceiling of the cave:the perfectplace to shelter.As you leadFiremane passageabove you. IRON-EATER sKILL4 Honified,you now seeLhat Lhe monsler is foamingat Roll as usualfor the first Aitack Round.If the lron- bofh of its mouths - il is rabidl Slaveringat the Eaterloses the Attack Round,it missesyou, hittrnt prospectof having you as a tasty meal, the Chaos the floor, and caneasily be dispatchedwith one blow Houndsprings at you, skainingat its chain- l{ the creaturewins, ii landson top of you and start! RABID CHAOS HOUND sKrLL srAMrNA to feed, cross off one piecc o[ armour from you: 7 z AtlxentureShee|, and loseany bonusesthat 80 with ii Dunng every Attack Round, each of lhe monsleas ThentiShl fhe bdrtlei.l tl'e us.ralnay li you win Jr headswill attack you, so you must treal rt as two Altack Round, you manageto knock the Iron-Eatei opponents.On lhe fffth Aitack RoLurd,tum to 39. If off; if not, it destreysanothcr iLem of armour.Once you win the 6ght beforethe fifth Attack Roundand if you havedefeated the giantamoeba, turn to 47 you were biften at leastonce by the hound,you must -osean additional2 srAMrNApoints from its rabid 'orte(4 'Eugalp' 550 pointsif you havethe word wntten on The voice addressesyou, saying srmply,Tnter' The ;ovr AdoentureSheet). l( you are sLillalive, you erter great stonedoors swing open and you step betweef :hehall (tum to lro). them inio ihe shrine You walk along a pillaredcom dor, lit by a goldenglow from the ceilng, paststatues of knighls and warriors,standing to attention or a: prayer, your footstepson the stone floor the onll sound The corridor endsat a largc circularchamber the floor of which is a mosaicshowurg the badgeo: the TemplarsIn fronl of you is anotherseL of double doors,but thesearc platedwith gold andadorned will' two hugedragoncarvings The beauty andmajesly oftha place6tl you with awe and wonder-Even as you arr marvellingat the intricaciesof the decorationo[ th; shrine,somelhing ishapp€nin8 in thecentreof theroorr lf you suffer6om theFear of Spiders,turn to 366 If yo- areafflicied vliLh lhe fear o[ Snakcs,turn lo :7i Ifyo- havelhe Fearof Herghts,turn io 165.If you sufferfror noneof Lhesefears, turn to 222 335

certainly does, but you cannot help thinking that Belgarofh'scorruption and Chaosmay be the source of this problem 'Everyonein Assart's afraid,' the woman continu€s,'and no one daresto to Myrton itself,not evenduring the day. Will you help us?'Will you help the peopleof Assart (turn to 48) or, still havingseveral days' travelahead of you, will you go vrllaSeyou seea grouPof Peoplein 6ercedebale 'But if w; don't do somethingwe're all as good asdeadl' a directlyfor what you thinl is the rooi of the problem young,scholarlyJooking man is sayingdesP€rately- tum lo 519! 'What can we do?' a burly foresterreplies. 'There are loo many of them,ahd more comeeach night. There are thosewho would be willing to fiShi if we had a strongleader to takeus into batlle' 'Failingthat, we needsomeone who would be PrcPared to go there alone and krll the Necromancet'ar oJd *omun decla."s She suddenlycatches sight of you andadds, 'someone like a TempLar'You askthe group what the problemis, and the old wrsewomantells you aboutthe Necromancerand the ghostvrllage 'Not far ChaosKnighk and Warriorsare stormingon Lo the from here,to the west,lies what's leit of the villageoi battlemenlsfrom all directions.Using your lantcm, Mlrton lt's beendeserted for yearsand mosl of it's in ;-ou set tire to the featherand call the name of the ruins now but no one'sever been fherebecause of Celastrjxthree times A brilliant liBht immediately appears the sforiesA Necromancerlies buried there and People on the southemhorizon and soarsacross the do say that the placers haunted But now it look as if ;ighl sky towardsyou The dazzlingbird, its rad;ance ihe talesare true,ior last Moonsdaynight the deadof .ightingup the battlements,alights on the roof of the :ower and allows you lo climb on to its back,while Myrlon rosefrom theirSraves and attacked our village, carrying oif three people.They've been back every Belgaroth'shordcs cower in fear- ITohl on Light,my 'rietd, nrght since,lheir numberncreasing all the Lime,so we you hearrts warm tonessay within your mrnd Crippingon to the divine brrd'screst of feathers,you have to lock ourselvesin our homes Fourmore were 'rang takenlast nighf It seemsas if the Nccromanceris back on when the Celastrixbeats its greafwings and and is building himself an army of the undead' Il rsesinto the sky Ridingon fhe backof a hugebird is

t 334-336

noLeasy, as if climbssteeply inlo fhe wind. Iesf yorr Still adding 2 to the dice roll if you sufferfrom the All the openedgraves seem to be empty; no doubL thei occupanh Fearof Heighlsbut subtracling-:, from the drcerol] if are amongthe undeadarmy atiacking you havethe RidsSpecial Skill If you succeed,turn Lo Assart.However, you find that the rotLed wooden 596 Ifyou fail,tum to 28: cofffn at Lhe bottom of one grave has been left mdisturbed.The epitaph on the tombsLonereads: 334 Cuildas,Priest ol Myrton Lelt this liJeaged 75 VearsAs As you leadFiremane along the main streelthat leads you are reading thrs inscripLion,there is a ierrible lo Havalok'smarket, you passa shop decoratedwith sphnteringsound and a grotesquemandibled head esotericsymbols An elaboratelypainted sign over the burststhrough the lid of the coffin This is followed front informsyou that lhis is 'The Mind's Eye' Would by a slime-covered,worm-like body which swiftly you like to enler Lhisunusual establshment (tum to rvrapsitself round your legs as the rreaturetries lo j67), or wjll you go to the market(tum to 248)? brte you with its mardrbles.Normally restrictedto eatingthe femainsof the dead,the smellof hol blood and livrng flesh has drawn the Grave-Wormout to Testyour 5ki1l,subhacting 2 from the dice roll if you hLrnt. have you the lrncting Spec;alSkill If succeed,tum Lo CRAVE-WORM SKILL 8 STAMINA 6 5r3 If you iail, you 6nd noihing,so you doubleback to the portcullis,tum Lo2i2 If you kill this feederon the dead,you decidenot Lo rvasteany more hme but headfor the sepulchre.Tum 336 to 94. Havgar was a legendaryhero from the times before the founding of your order.Single-handedly he van quisheda tribe of Giants,kiliing the chief with one blow from his huge,spiked club. Havgar's mace breaks boneand sione wiLh equal ease and will do j sr^MrNA pornts of damage.However, becauseof ih weight unlessyou have a WeaponSpecial Skill in using a Mace you must reduceyour Altack Strength by 1 point when fighfing with it (makea note of this in the Weaponbox of yoor ldoentureS/leet) Now reium tc ts6 33&-339

,54 Dusk falls as you ride south tkough the bleak high- lands.However, just as you are considedngmal.jng campfor the night, you breasta flse,to seea bizarre ritual taking place. A horde of beast-headedinhuman aeatures is gathered at the foot of a small mound on whichstands a hugewicker slruch.rre, it is madeoul of cagesof woodenpoles, lashed together in the shapeoI a giant man. The Wicker Man isi packed with Ii human prisonerswho are doing nothing to try to escape,as if they were under a hypnotic spell,The BeasLMen are malcing a tenific din, brayin& roarin& bellowing and banging weapons against their shields. Somehold torchesaloft andall arewabchine a smaller 6gl:re who is chanting and carrying oul a peculiar dance between the feeL of the wicker structue This 6gure is dressed in weird-pattemed robes and has a pairof anLlersgrowing out of iLshideous, bestial skull. It looks as if lhe caphrredvillagers inside Lhe funeral pyre formed by the Wicker Man are about to be sacriticedby the shamanto the Dark Lordsof Chaos Will you try lo rescuethe villagers(bum to ,E4) or will you ride on towardsCaer Skaal (turn to j99)?

359 lnsidethe barrowis a crcular chamberwhich contains nothingof any use to you. Howevet it is home to a nest of Giant Spidels eggs which have just hatched- The Spiderlingsdrop on you from the roof of the chamberand bite you beforeyou can brushthem off and escape.This strain oi spider also happens to be venomor:s.Roll one diceand add 2. This is how many 340-342 343-545

poinls of damageLo your sr,{MINA the Sprderlings' 345 injectedpoison does. If you havesome AnLitoxin, you Your slcrllsdo nol fail you. You burst inLoa clearing mayhalve the damagedone (rormding hacfrons down). where a monshousboar is rooting among Lheleaf If you have a FearofSpiders, you run from the mound, debris, doubdess iooking for acoms. This creature screamingin terror, ready to flee the cairns altogether must be the Great Boar of Lein. Seeing yot! it turns (tum to roz)- If you do not have sucha fear, tum to jr6. and flees into the forest; however. before it leaves the dearing you have time to use a crossbow once, if you 540 have one. Then you are olf after the beast. As you You mter the villageunnoticed and makesilently but gallop through th€ trees in pursuit of your quarry, swiftly for the sLockade,Isif your Lu&. It you ate your sLeedjumps over fallen branchesand rocky Lucky,tum to 326. If you areUnlucky, tum to j9j. moundsI{ you havethe RideSpecial Skill, lum lo ,56. lf you haven'1,Test your Skill, If you are successful, 344 tum to 256,if you fail,tum to ,o9. Most of the tapestriescany the usual designsof fabulousbeasts and loights on horseback but there is one that stands out ftom all the others. It covers half l{hat design does your shield carry?Is it that of a, of one wall and shows a man with a pack of hounds fighting a huge wild boar. The steward explains Lhat Criffn? Tum to 569 the tapestrydepicts paft of the legmd of the Great Goldm Dragon? Tum to 395 Boarof Leq when the monsterwas ffnally caught and Rampant Lion? Tum to 6a killed by a brave hunter.Almost hidden among the Flame? TUIn to 186 embroideredtrees oF the forest,watching the scene, lf your shield does not bear any of theseemblems, you pick out a group of menand women who seemto noLhingmore happens,so you leave the shrine(tum be coveredfrom headto to€ in leavesTurn to r'.o ro 2t)

t12 34s You throw 2 portions of your Provisions,one for each Screaming, the ghastly spectre lunges at you with head, as far from the doorway as possible buL still frightening speed and tries to slash you with ih within reach of the chainedbeast (crossthese off your dawed hands. Aluenfure SheeL).The creature pounces on the food and starfsto gulp it down. You run pasLiL, through CAILLEACH SKIIL t2 STAMINA 12 the doorsand into the hall.Tum to to. The Banshee'sspine-chilling howl proves a very off- v

346-347 344-349 putting distractionto you during thrs combal At the lou turn to see a greaLWar horse,iis black armour start of each Attack Round you must Tes,yoar Skill If bearingthe devrceof Belgaroth'sChaos army, charging you fail in the dice roll, the creature'ssoul rending iowardsyou. Although riderless,the beast'sevil intent shrieks transfix you with fear and you will auto rs th€ sameas that of its masLers.Neighing, the horse malically lose the Attack Round If you defeat Lhis rearsup on its hind legsand tdesto skikeyou with its grisly undeadhoaoa tum to j8j. iron-shodhoofs. Once again you areforced mto retalia-

546 1\iAR.HORSE sKlrL I sTAMINA 9 A pair of feet slam into your chest,knocking you from the saddle,and you Iand awkwardly on the road with It you win, tum to 50. yotr assarlanton top of you (losez sravrre points). For a moment you wrestlewith the man beforeyou 344 'Have I am on a manageto throw him off. Quickly you jump to your faith,'you say.'At this very moment feei and draw your weapon as two more figures questto rid the kingdom of this sicknessand to save emerge from the copse,holding cudgels.The frrst Ruddlestonefrom bitter war and certaindestruction atta&er pulls a long krife from his tunic and advances The Knightsof Telak arenoL petfy roguesand sabo- towardsyou 'We'regoin' to slit yer throat,Templarl' teurs-We seekonly peaceand hope for the peopleof he spits,then the murderersare upon you. You must Ruddlestoneand, with courage,we shall overcome fight themall at the samehme. thisthreat to the securityof our country' You continue ior severalminutes n this vein, your speechslowly SKILL STAMINA restoringLhe people's confidence in your order When FirstMURDERER z 6 at lasl you stop talking,lhe crowd cheersand parts to SecondMURDERER 6 I Iet you pass,while the prophetsbow and wish you ThirdMURDERER 7 7 tvellon your qu€stTum Lozoo. As soon as you have dispatchedtwo of your oppo- nents,Lum immediately io :95. 149 You lhrow the potion over the two plant-likehuman- oidsand they a shriekas they instantlybegrn io 347 emit While Belgaroth'smen are distractedby having to dissolve.Soon nolhing is left of the bizarrecreatures fight Lhetown militia you scrambleacross the wreck after the wind dispersestheir dry and brown residue age between the ruins of the south wall and the acrossthe forestfloor Freenow to 8o, you continue Iuggemaut Hearing a shrill whrnnying behind you, on your way Turn to 568, 35c351 354

350 rde on acrossthe sterileplain towards Caer Skaal, A blood'curdlinghowl suddenlyrings out over the liremane'sbreath appearing as cloudsof steamin the cairns,making you freezefor a moment-t\4ut or :old air. As you near the casLle,you notice lhat the Titan couldmake such a moumtulcry? Without waiting rrokenbatilemenls are in lhe courseof being rebuilt. to ffnd ouL,you huny into the lumulus.A serieso: fhe Dread Lord is sLrengthenmsihe fortresss cle- stoneslines the sidesof lhe tunnetleading into the inces, preparingfor warl Scanningthe forbidding burialplace and, because of ihe occasionalbone break- 1"alls,you seeno signof any guards.Perhaps Belgarolh ing throughlhe ear1h,you guessthat they marklong- jrd not expect to be challengedon his own soil, or forgottengraves. Te4 your Luck.If you are Unluckr -raybehe jusl did not exPectany enemy to get this you trip over a partiallyexposed ribcage and hil yoLr :ar CaerSkaal rs surroundedon threesides by a steeP (1ose headon one of the stones z sr.rvrr.r.rpoints) I: :scarpmentand the otherapproach is protectedby ihe you arc Lucky,you sufferno suchaccident Al the enc .:nposinggaLehouse. However, on closer inspectron of the tunnel,a pyramidof humanskulls half hides: :he gate has beenleft wide open,wilh the gatehouse circularblack shreldbearing a white crescentmoo: :self seemingly compleLelydeserted. A half-6lled, mofif If you takethis shreid(remember you can carr, :renchlikeditch, a relic,no doubt, of lhe hme of the only one shield at a time), you may reducc anr n:ns almost straight !o the gale. Do you -rusade, opponent'sAttack Slrength by :Lpoint in battlc.Retur" r,ant to use the ditch as cover and enLerthe fortress ing to rhe..one.ir.le ror decidcnl-crc ro go rc : :ris way (lum to j6j), or do you want to look for ji6. Tum to nolher way in (turnlo 142)?

Flaving used all your skills of horscmanship all; r cJpon .o defealBelgarorhs,Fampion. yo. 'n;\rery are 611edwith new hope (regain 1 LUCKpoint) Yo, 352-353

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

IHORNBEAST SKILL 8 II you defeat the creaLure,write down the word Nroht on your ,4luentarcSheet an.d tum to jD.

Hearinga movementin Lhe r-:ndergrowthahead of 1ou, you suddenlycatch sight of the boar. It is a honsLrousseature with viciouslookinetusks and stiff bristlesrunning Lhelength of its back.Then it is off Urging liremane forward, you set off afheryour quarry- .{s you gallop throuSh the trees in pursuit of the boar. loLr steed jumps over fallen branches and rocky 551-355 356 mounds.If you havethe Rid, SpecialSkill, tum lo 255 drem,riding a demonicwinged horsewith blood-red If yon do not, Testyour 9kill.It you aresuccessfr.:1, turn eyes,is a shadowy figure whom you lcrow to be the to a56; if you hil, tum to ro9. rr'armongeringDread l-ord Belgaroth himself. Under $e veil of night the Usurping Serpent is leading hrs 554 army towardsthe Gtadel. You cannothope to over- At your fee! lies the body of MasterGraye, the miller comesuch incredible odds It will nol be long before of Wendeford You caruroLunderstand why he tried Lo RuddlesLoneis crushed beneath the lron Fist ambush you, so you set about searciing the mill to find some answers.In the miller's living quarters you 355 find enough food for two meals,a pouch containing 6 As the ghost is senl on its way to its ffnal astral destination,it cries out, 3€ware! Belgaroth livesss. . .' Thenit is 8one. The king lhanks you for delivering him from the spirit but, once you have recovered,he urges you to be on down the word 'Relllm' on your AdomtureSfuet.) your way. 'fie dead knight was a portent, maybe of Having decided what you want to take with you, will what was, what is, or what is to come. SinceBelgaroth you now read the letter (hrm to 3;7), drink some of himself has refumed to our world, your mission be- the liquid in the bottle (fum to 16o), or leave the comesof the utmost urgencyand importance.Equip Wendemilland the village(tum to 49I yourselffrom the armoury,but go with all haste,' Bidding the king and his council farewell, you leave Dusk falls as you march into the hills. Cradually you the audience chamb€r and ma&e for the Ctadel's an- cient, and much renownd, armoury. Inside the vast cellarbeneath the castleWeme the Amourer and his teamof weaponsmilhs,metallurgists and engineers are busymaking and repajring weapons for lhe Knightsof you see them coming over a ri:e: Belgaroth'sarmy. Telak. Weme, a broad, well-built man shipped to the Chargingtowards you andyour smallforce is a horde waist and wearing a leather aproD puts down the of Orcs, some mounted on wolves; also Trolls, Ogres, tongs he has been using and leads you to a large iron black-clad warriors, demonic Hellhounds and savage door at one end of the armoury He unlock it with a BeastMen. Aiead of them ride LheChaos Knights of key selectedfrom a largebunch hanging 6om his bell Caer Skaal,their steedsmighty war-horses.Behind andleads you inside.'This,' he says,'is wherewe keep 556 the rnore precious weapons. Some once belonged to t57 lhe m.rsadersand heroes of the pasf.' The stone st€pswind upwardsfor quiLesome way. \44ren at last they come to an end, you find yourself Looking aroundthe vault, you seerow upon row of standinginside a large guardroom Fortunately,most racks,heavy with gleaming weaponsand polished of the wan:iorswho would normally be here are armour,With Weme'shelp you pick out severalweap- outside 6ghting- However, two Chaos Warrion are om and pieces of armour that may be of use to you, still here. They immediatelyrush at yoa wielding From the list of items below choosea maximumof theirdeadly weapons two to takeon your quesL(record lhem in the appropri- ate boxes on yout AdaenfuteSheeL), then hrm to the SKILL STAMINA paragraphslisted by them Lo ffnd ouL more about your FnstCHAOS WARRIOR 9 8 choice.(Remember:'you can only us€ one weapon at a SecondCHAOS wARRIOR E 9 fime and carry another on your sLeed,Firemane. If you If you win, you surveythe guardroom.A plainwooden wish to tak€ lwo weapons from the armoury, you door on your righLgoes out of here,and a shortflighl musLdrscard your owrrmagical sword.) of stepsleads up to a Lrapdoorin lhe ceiling.Judging ftuvgar's Mace Tum to 3j6 by how far you have already dimbed up the lower, Paladin'slance Tum to 9 you guessthat the kapdoor opms on to the roof, and The Crossbowof Shamarthe you have no reasonfor going up theretSo, will you Shield-Maiden Tum to zgo descendthe sDiralsLaircase and ooen the door on the The Axe of Lothar of CrLrn Tum lo 71 floor below (lum to 61) or op".r the plain wooden The GrtffinShield Tum to 52 door in this room(hrm !o 39o)? Dwarvm Breaslplate Tum to r77 The Helmetof Ventarc Tum to 91 Iron Gauntlets Ttrm to j89 Once you have c-hosenyour equipment,tum to Eo- j6eJ61 554-559

354 J60 Suddenlyyou find yourselffacing a skeletalwarrior ,Vhat was it Connor'sghost said abouf the traltor? dressedrn remnantsof chainmailarmour and wielding The Ravenwill betrayyou-' Of course,the blackbrrd a barbedlongsword The warrior has retainedall its rs a huge raven Could it be that lhis is in fact lhe fighting knowledgeeven in death Thereis no time tc irailor in anotherguise? 'Speak ihe trartor'stme name use a crossbowor lance or any myshc skills before :o revealthe truth.'If you think you know the identity you engagein combat. Di the Raven,conveft the traitor'sname into a number, using lhe code A = 1, B = 2, C = j and so on, to UNDEAD CHAMPION SKILL9 STAMINA; Z = 26 Total the numberswhich correspondto the 'etlers lf you are using an edgedor pointedweapon against in ihe trailor'sfirst andlast names,then LLunto the skeleton,a successfulstrike will be tumed by its :he paragraphwith that number. lf the paragraph bonesand do only r point of damageto its sTAMINA lakcs no sense,you are wrong in your assumpLion; Smashingand crushingweapons, such as an axe,mace lum fo 95 If you havcno ideawho lhe Ravenis, turn or war hammer,will do normal damage.If you van to 96 quish this opponenl,the villagersfight on while you go afterthe NecromancerTurn Lofa

361 Enlering a chamber at the cnd of the h.rnnel,you behold a scene of dcstruction and desecrafion The Although you run asif the DemonLord Myun himseli crypl is fr-rllof stone coffins but cvery single one of were after you, you cannol outrun the Hellhounds them has bcen broken open, and the bodies inside are The hellishcreatures leap on you and pull you to the missing - every one, thal is, except for a sarcophagus ground Your adventureends here. rcsfing on a plinth at the end of Lhechambcr Do you j52-563 354 wdnt to open and searchthis last coffin (tum lo 2r4l bestialwinged creatureswhich seemto leer at you as or wouldyou ratherledve this crypt and search else' you passbeneath them. Entering the outer courtyard wherein the sepulchre(tum Lo 245 and makeanother of the forLress,you seethe rotLingskeletons of caLa pulls andballistas used against the besiegingforces of the Warriorsof Telak.Disused stables and out-houses standin ruinsas they havedone for years.There is no 'That old redusel' the landlady exclaims,sr:rprised sign of life . . . or is there?Hearing a graLingsound 'What do you want wiLh him?'You tell her that vou behind yoq you tum in fime to see several of the arejust seekinghis adviceon a certainmatLer. 1 if 'fell, gargoylesfrom the gatehouseanimate and launch iL's about curing warts or when the next eclipseis, fhemselvesinto the air on great leatherywings You donf bother.He s gol no paliencefor time-wasLe|s manageto draw yorrr weaponjust before Lhe Gar, \ ou persist.and she iells yoLr Lhat Herluir l-as his , el goylesswoop down to altackyou with rendingdaws in the woods to the west. If you want to follow her andLalons. If you do not havea magicalweapon, you directionsand go in searchof the sage,Lurn to 1o2 will be unableLo makeany impressionon theseevil Olherwise,you can eitherask the landLadyabout any rreatures'stony hidesand will quicklypensh honibly Iocalrumours fhat may be around(Lum to 268), Eoing If you do have such a weapo4 you must fight the ask her about the im's name (tum to r34) or leave Cargoylesfwo at a time with your AhtackStrength Wendefordand continue southwards (tum Lo49) reducedby 1 point as Lhecreatures can fly out of reachof your blows.

SKILL STAMINA FirstGARGOYLE 9 ao SecondGARGOYLE 9 a1 ThirdGARGOYLE 10 s 353 FourthGARGOYLE 9 10 If you destroyall your ferociousaLtackers, tum to J84.

564 lVith a tremendouscrash ihe roof of Lhetemple caves clear,you swiftly move from cov€r towalds the oPen in,buryrng alive all thosestill trappedinside, induding archway.The darktowers and parapet of the gatehouse ,!ou,Lmder tonnes of rubbleand earth. Your advenLure are decoratedwith grotesquestatues and carvingsot j6fj56 567

365 VERACNA SKILL 9 STAMINA 10 You guide Firemane through the undergrowth as Ifyou arevictodous, hrm to 222. quicklyas possible.As you geLclos€r Lo the ownerof the voice, you notice that the numberof briarsand j67 weeds growing round the trees is increasingand that A bell rings as you open the door and step a the other plants of the forest look unhealthy and into crampedroom, fumished with drapes. stunled in their growlh. Eventuallyyou reach the Standingbehind a counLerrs a wizenedold woman 'You'll be source of the chanting.You dismor.rnLand crouch wanting to see the Mistressof the then?' says.'lt'll down, hidden by the undergrowth. A man, dressedm Sighl she costyou 6ve Gold Piecesfor a consultation.' you long greenrobes, is lcreelingin the middleof an area Are willing to pay this fee and meet the of clearedground, hls handspressed flat to lhe earth. Mistressof the Sight (bum to ru3), or you leave As he continueshis strangechanl, cracksbegin to would rather and continueon your to (turn appear across the gound as if the very life-giving way the market to ,44)? nutrien[sof the soil were beingdrained away. At the sametime, you can almostsense the weedsgrowing round the edge of the clearing.What is going on here? Do you want to burst into the cleanng and intem.rpt lhe man, who may be a priest of some kind (!um to :sz), or will you leave the forest and head back io CleeveManor (tum to a7P

366 A huge, grotesque,bloate4 black body, sprouhng eight hairy legs, materia[zes in the middle of t]re chamberand, clickingits mandibles,scuttles towards you. You are tumed almost to stone as you stare into the cold black orbs that are the deature'seyes. A monster from legend has retumed to challenge you - Verama,Queen of Spiders.Dunng this battle you must reduceyour Attack Strengthby z points becauseof the terror you feel al confronling the Gant Spider. 564

56A You find yourself in a large clearing wilh a roof & formed by a canopy of branches Emerging fiom among the Lreesand out of the undergrowthcome moreof the strangeplant like peopleyou havealready encounteredThey look as if they are clolhedentirely in leaves,moss, bark brackenand fungus,but you know now that theseare not clothes,Some of the men andwomen have long greenhair plaitedwith ivy and other plants They are a1twatching you intently,and you feel the samescalplingling sensation you had in the forestwhen you thoughtyou werebeing watched Theseman-like creatures are the Wodewose,also re ferred to in folklore as the Green Men They are primal spirits of the woods, ancientelemental beings of nature. Two of Lhe Wodewose hold your arms while your r,r.eaponis taken from you You are then led to th€ far sideof the clearinBand madeto lmeelon the ground in fiont of a screenof branchesThe branchesare drawn apartand you find yourselffacrng a huge figure,seated on a greatchair Lhat seems to be rooLedin the earth The 6gure is a giant of a man, wearing.rfobe of leaverHis beard and hair are green and matted with moss, and his skin is grey and crackedlike bark, coveredyrilh knotly brown verns. Thegiant's eyes are ringed like bhestumps of branches, and when he speakshis voice is like lhe creakingof branchesin the wind.'I am the Lord of ihe Forest,'he says. 'You have trespassedin the forest and your progresshas been observed.This woodland comes under my protecLionand I cannot allow it to be harmedby carelesshumans. However, before I pass 554 tof5ra judgement on you, you may speakand defendyour 359 aclions.'Quickly you relatethe evenLsthat have taken As you kneel at the altar, the tirednessand pain in place so far on your adventure and explain the nahle your body easeand you feel invigorated. Restoie your of your quest, srAMrNAscore to its lritral level Havingbeen blesse4 you Leave (tum Read through the following list of actionsthat you the shrine to 2J). may have carriedoul lo date in the forestor posses' sions you may have acquired,and bobalthe number of 370 The pointsfor all thatapply: sharp crack on your skull sendsyou reeling (lose 2 srAMrNApoints). Roll four dice,If the Lotalis Iess For trespassingin the forest + 3 poinLs than or equalto your sraMtNA score,tum Lo 106. If + Forhunting a wild boarin the forest 2 poinLs your lotal is greaterthan your srAMtNA,fum to 59 For having someof lhe fungus Ironbane + 2 poinLs For havingd Cleric'sTdlismdn - r point Forhaving a twistedstaFf - I point For havinSthe potion WitheMell + 4 points Forhaving dn ElvenAmulef - 1 point For fighting Orc Wolf-Riders - l point For fighfinga TreeMan +4 points Forkilling oneof the Wodewose + 5 points Roll two dice.If the fotal is lessLhan or equalto the number of points you have scored, tum to If the 374 92. You total is higher,tum to 2Eo. awalen with a start when the moon is high in the sky, convincedyou heard the hut door criak. The door is indeedopen and therein front of you . Oh 372 373-314

,7' You sprinlinto the clumpof heesand duckdown in a fem-coveredhollow, hardly daring to breathe.Crouch- ing amongLhe bracken, you wait until you decideit is lf you do not have any way of banishing the speckaj saieto leave.You iump up with a sy as the dagger hand,you must6ght iL oncemore. sinksinto ) our sword-arm(lose 2 srAVrNApoints and .r skrll point). You are going to have to escapeon ASSASSIN'SDACGER sKllL 10 horsebackbut before you can reachyow steedyou will haveto 6ght the Assassin'sDagger again. After four Attack Roundg or if you win two con_ ASSASSIN'SDAGCER SKILL 10 A-fter four Attack Roundt or if you nrin two consecu-

are on your way again; tum to 285i

574 376

Provisions enough for 3 meals, while the local wise- sight 0ose 2 srAMrNA points and r sKrLLpoint). woman tendsyour wounds,Restore srAMrNA poinLs Tlrowing the Hellhomd from you, you get to your equalto half your /rifial score(rounding fractions up). feet as the monstersprings at you aga|n.There is no Thenit is time for rest time to use your powersagainst it. Once againyou Not many hours have passedbefore you are woken arefighting for your life, whrle Tonin briesto secure by cockcrow, and you prepareto set off again(add I thewindow day to you the Time Elapsed).As mount Firemane, HELLHOUND sKrLL7 STAM]N^ 6 Ben. the forester,oFfers the villagers' thanks once more and adds that, if there is anylhing they can do Lo help, As well as its savagebite and sharpclaws, the demonic you need only ask.If you wish to, you can recruit creahrehas anotheratta&: it can alsoshoot goutsof someof the villagersto figlt with you againstBelga, flamefrom its moubh After eachAttack Round,roll rolh's forces;you agreeLo meet them at Lheruined one dice lf you roll 1 or 2, Lhemonst€/s fiery breath outpost of HarnwaLchthat mght, so that they have bumsyou for r additionalpoint of sTAMINAdamage Lime Lo recover from Lhe prevrousnight's shuggle If you kill the Hellhound,tum to t5. (wriLethe word 'Ecrof'down on your AdaenLuraSheel if you have not done so already) Now, if you want to follow the road southtowards Caer Skaal, tum to 48 However,if you preferto set off in searchof Aelfgar, the legendaryElf-Spear, tum to jo6.

37s With a trem€ndous splintering crash, a huge black shapesmashes through a window and hurtles straight into you, showerintyou with brokenglass and krock- ing you fo the ground.The midnight-blackdog is as largeas a wolf andits cavemousrnouth rs jusL centjme, fresfrom your face.It snans,and the smellof its fetid breathmakes you gag Wilh a roar,a ball of fire br.tsts 376 out of the monster'smouth inlo your face.You sceam In order to harm this undeadBuardian spirit you will in pain as the flamesburn you and, opening your eyes, have to be wielding a magically charged weapon. If you 6nd that the savage attack has darnaged your you are not fighting with such a weapon, the Haunt 5n 374

tears through both flesh and armour with its skeletaj Will you now drink someof the liquid(tum to 160) or wiu you claws,draining away your very life-force.lf this is not leavethe miJldnd Wendeford (tum to 49)? the case,_once again you find yourself opposing a se.vanf powers of [he of Evil. If vou use the Hoir 374 ShrkeSpecial Skill againstthe spirit. you mry redr." its srAMrN scoreby 2 pointsand its srrrl scoreby r point.

HAUNT SKILL 9 STAMINA E The spectre'sinsubstantial lorm 6nds your armourno resislanceso, unlessit is magical you must ignore any bonusesyou receivefrom wearingif. If you defeatthe Haunt,Lum to 289 easlwards;'Through the forestold,, sureiyLhe ancien! Forestof Lein;and 'High upon a barrenpeal<,' rn the 371 hills somewhere.Beyond the forest lies the eastem You unfoldthe letterand begin to read, edgeof the BanaraskHills . that musf be wherethe Shrinelies. cf[aotet Qccge, LeadingFiremane away from the road,you set off into r,/y.we br. flccbcd 06 al.. .h. hr!,E Templo.s the greaLuntamed expanse of woodland$aL is older ecDt r r^,orclo. ao ddccr our alll rr? n uat than Ruddlestoneitsell Leaflessbranches like skelelal oc! to p.seert !bi. eom heppaing."d cA.eus.in'. Oa\gq h,,. beco diepctched"/o bqr, rboqld ahi. Lrigbr sqrviva 6qch rr attrc!, l|ra .cl8 or tou ao irfotD or of atralr p.ogre.E cnd to rtop tbc rccrfsad finplot, lt gou can. 7hc acca ficct ot tfic clloated ai|t|s bua ^gain the ra,ord of eDrrt brs bc.n cbaoged,jt is oow 'WlolJlbon '.

€.rA.., cA.t]h,C',.ic of rhe lacyltho.'' Knighls of Telal. His tunic rs tom and bloodstained 3rr'ao 5aa and s€veralarrows protrude from his chest.Hearing voicebecomes more audibleand a shimmeringfigure you approach,Connor danages to lift hrs head and beginsto malerializenext to the standingsLone. Sens- 'Ah, open his eyes a friendly face ... It has beena ing a strong aura of goodness,you waLchas the long time I only wish we were meelrng agdir n apparilronof a beautifulwoman. almost Llven in appear- happiercircumrfarces.. Orc Wolf Rrders...carrying anceand swathedin flowers,spealcs to you: 'Before the bannerof Caer Skaal .' Connor is failing fasl dark magic imprisoned me wrthin this stone, I was a If you have a Healing Draught or a tot of Aranan- Fey Sorcaressof some power. It is nol my destiny to dus's ResfomLivePotion that you would Iike to gire be releasedby yo4 worthy knight, but for now the your to dying fiiend, tluJnlo 26r.If you haven't,tunl paths of our fates cross and I may offer you aid. The to Jz. Bjrd of Light must be fr€edif you are to defeatthe UsurpingSerpent, and the Championoi the Templars musLbe overcome.,,' Having spoken,the ghostly By mid'momingyou reachbhe lonely village of Ennor woman fadesfrom sight. Ponderingher words, you A numberof farmsand other buildings huddle togetha rideon oncemore Tum to 26j roundthe villagesquarc, in the middleof which stands a stone cross.You can seethat parts of the surroundint tEl 6elds are blackened and bhghted. As you ride into Of coursq where else would you look for the deceased Ennox,a group of villagerstums to look at you with Necromancerbut the graveyard! Many of the graves 'So, hostileexpressions on their faces a Templar,'one are open,and the c€meteryis dominatedby a grim- 'What'ave of them sneers we done to deservethe looking sepulchrethat is decoraledwith carvingsof attentionsof the likesof you?As if thingsweren't bad skeleLonsand has the image of a huge skull on its enough wrth the blight. We don'L need your sori granite doors. These doors stand open, revealinga 'ere' snoopingaround The man'sfellows mutter their flight of slonesLeps that leaddown rnto the gloom of agreemenLSomethin8 tells you thaL your presenc€ the mausoleumOf course,you would not dreamof rsn't welcomehere. You have no quarrelwith Lhese descendinginto the darknesswiLhout some means of people, so will you ride on through and leave Lhem,r: lighting your way, would you? If you do not own a (tum peace to 1j2), or will you stop and argue in lartem. you leave the graveyard to searchfor one in defenceof your order (turn to r5o[ the village;tum to lr In the mausoleum,you sense,is whereyou wrll find the NecromancerDo you want to 5Eo enter the sepulchr€straigh[ away (tum to 94) or Justat the edgeof hearingyou delecta sofL tinHin8 would you prefer to examinesome of Lhe opened voice calling to you. When yor-:strain to liste4 the gravesfusL (turn lo jj7)? 302

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

IRONCOLEM srAMlNA 16 Any damageyou inflict on the Colem will be reduced by r point becauseof its sturdy construction.However, on a successfulhit, its metalfists will por-rndyou for 3 srAMrNApoints of damage.If you ever roll a double when calculatingyour Attack Strength,you brcak your weaponagainsl the Golem,such is lhe force of yow blow and the hardnessof its body, you must fight on with your Attacl Slrength reducedby ; points. If the Golem wirs two consecrtiveAttack 543-zai 3A6-5Aa

Rounds it managesLo pick you up and throw you wiLh a deep senseof unease.You are sure lhaf you are against a wall; roll one dice and Iose thaf many being watched and, when you tum your head to look srAMrNApoints. If you are victoious in this mighty around,you spot a suddenmovement in the dense contest,roll one dice.On a roll of r or z, Lurinrc 34f brackenEventually Lhe trees part arrdyou find yourself otherwise,tnm to 50. at the edge of a smalldearing. The floor of Lhedearing rs coveredwith orangemushrooms. If you havethe ,4r.dre 3aj lorc SpecialSkill, tum to Sy.Ifyou do not,Tesl your Lrck. Write down yovr the word 'Eehsnab'on 'Tnorc'Aloenture If you are Lr.rcky,tum to 87. If you areUnlucky, to go on Sheet.Now, if you have the word already you will either have to ride round the edge of the wriften on your Adpenlwe Sheet,fum fo 12. If you dearing(tum to E) or straightacross it (tum ro 1j2). haven't and you cape here from paragraph ry5, tum to ja6. If you camehere from paragraph 15j, tum to 545 You have time to use a crossbow once here, before attackingthe ChaosBeast Man 584 You hurrlz through an archway and beneath a raised CHAOS BEASTMAN sKrLLI srAMlNAI portorllis into the inner courtl'ard of CaerSkaal. This area If the battlelasts more thansix Attack Rounds,tum to 39. If you defeatthe guard in six AbtackRounds or less,tum to 242.

547 You chaseafter the other mummersand catchsight of the group running down a narrow back slreet. You tum the comerjust in time to seethe mummerspush an empty wagon, thal was sLardingin the road, in times,tum to roo.lfyou areUnlucky at all,turn lo z7r your direction.The cart comesthundering down lhe alleyway towards yolu. Test your S[ill If your are 5E5 successful,tum to 62 If you fail, tum to 5oa. Guiding Firemanethrough the undergrowm,you en- (ourter a large fallen tree, blockingthe path. By ihe 5t8 time you havetaken a detour ro,rndit, you ha.relost Your attempts to break open the doors are enhely the path. You ride on through the ancientwoodland futile and only servelo summonCaer Skaal's gr:ards. 349-39o 394-392

Trapped in Lhe antechamber,you finally succumb to 594 Lheironslaught. You were so dose to lhe completion The sickly-sweetsmell of decaygrows sLrongeras you of your quest,but at the lasLstage you havefarled. makeyour way alongthe passageand LheLunnel soon opensinto a small,bare chamber,liltered with bones 349 of bolh human and ammal origin On the opposite Weme explainsthat lheseiron gauntleLswere made side of the room is a huge door of black granite,its by his tutor, the armouer Rastin.Every joint in the surfacecovered with skullsthat have been carvedrn gauntlets matches those of the human hand so that high relief on the stone This is all you have time to they will not restrictmovement in any way Retum takein beforeyour attenlionis dislracledby a ratLling to 356 sormd Some of the bones covenng the floor are starlinglo movejerkily towardsone another. Suddenly join 390 the bonesleap into the air and logelher,forming Opening the door, you enter lhe JuggemauL'sarmoury. the completeskelelon of a large dog. Snarling,the Dark-bladedswords and pole-axesrest in racksLining chamel-houseguard springsat you. If you have the the walls,along wiLh bows andblack-feathered arrows. Holy Shib Special Skill, you may use lhis (ghteous You decideagainst taking arry weapons that belongto aLtackagainst the dog (reduceits sraNarNAby 2 an army of Chaos,but somethingelse does catch your points and its sKnL by 1 poinL) If you have a Shield eye A wickerbaskeL rn onecomer is full of spikediron Ring,tum to 32o sphereswith wicksprotruding from therrmetal casings, SKELETALDOG sKlLL 7 STAMINA 6 grenades.These vicious explosive devices have been developed by alchemists and are knov/n for Lheir Edgedweapons, such as swords,will be deflectedby destructivepower not to mentiontheir unreliability. the skeleton'sbones and wrll do only r pornt of If you ever want to use a grenade,you should light the damageto rls srauINe. Smashrngand crushingweap- fuse wiLh your linderbox, or a nearby fire source,then ons are not affectedin this way- If you destroy lhe hurl it at your tarSet-When you use a grenade,roll one undeaddog, tum to 42. dice: on a roll of r, the grenadeis a dud and will not go off; a roll of z-5 meansthal rt hits ils target,doing r 392 dice worth of damage;however, on a roll of 6, the thing The volumeis a bestiary,Lhumbing through ils Pages, explodesprematurely, causing yo, r dice worth of you comeacross a sechonabout the raremythological damage!You can carry up Lofour grenadeswith you beastcalled the CockaLriceYou readon wiLhinterest. Leavingthe arnoury, you descendlo the floor below Also known as the 'king of seryents',lhe Cockatriceis andopen the heavyiron-bound door lhere(tum to 6r). saidto comefrom a hen'segg hatchedby a toad It is 593 394-395

a strangecombination of a largecockerel, a bat and a 394 snake,and is a learlesscamivore A distantrelative of When you are just within arrrr's reach of Lhe maf, the Basilisk,the Cockatriceis renownedfor rts poison- severalvines suddenly shoot oul of lhe undergrowlh, ous breathwhich paralysesanyLhing it touches.How- ;ust missing your anlles, and procced lo tie lhemselves ever,lhe monslerdoes have one major weaknessif rt in hots. You grab the hem of the man's robe and he shouldcalch sight of ils own reflectionin a mirror the spins around to faceyou. The cleric preparesto defend creaturewill dre The text is accompaniedby a wood himself with a long, black thom. cut of oneof thesemonsters Now relum to 156. CLERIC SKILL6

If you win, lum to 46

As you kneelat the allar,you hear a deep,rumbling voiceinside your headsaying, 'Truly you area Knight of Telak.'Youfeel filledwith new life andhope, ready for whatever the remainderoF your lourney may bring You have receivedTelak's Blessing Restore your srAMrNA,sKrLL and LUCKsco.es to their l ifiiTl levelsand add l point to yoLLrHoNouR score. Having beenblessed, you lea"c Lheshrrne. Turn io 2J 393 Romding ihe comer of a stone building, you come upona patrolscoutirg rhrough rhe ruinr for survivor- The two Ral Men have large eyes and ears, and beneaththeir leather armour you can seethat they are coveredin short fur, while rallike tails lrail bchind them.Drawing lherr short swords lhey run at you.

SK]LL STAMINA FirstRAT MAN S6 SecondRAT MAN 65 If you win, turn to 526 t96-594

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

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

597

278.

394 Reaching lhe doorway, you fljng yourself through it Torrin slamsthe door behind you, quicHy bolting and barirr.g it. TesfyoLt Luck.If you are Lu&y, tum to 3ro If you areUnlucky, turn lo 375. 399-400

399 ground buckles and cracks and the enLire fortress is For consigning the villagers lo lheir faLe, lose z dragged inlo the air. lA4rile the Celastrix is flyng (roNouRpotnts and 2 rucK poinLs!Riding away from away from lhe spiralling vortex, you look back over lhe scene through Lhe twilight, you 6nd yourself your shoutderand witness the final deshuchonof approachingthe smoulderingremains o{ a ransacked CaerSkaal as it is drawnLhrough the gaLewaybelween village.A hastrlyerected wooden stockadestands in the planesard you catch sight of the nightmansh the middle,and from your vanLagepoint you can see drmensioninLo which it hasbeen drarnm, jagged black only one guardal iLsentrance Do you want to tether mounLainsrising from plains covered entirely with Firemanehere and sneakinto the BeastMen's camP bones, volcanoesspouting columns of lire inLo a for futher investigabion, now thal night has fallen blood red sky and the pitiful screamsof losL souls (hrrn Lo j4o), or do.you prefer lo ride on, away from rrnging out acrossthe Realmsoi the Damned You here(turn Lo 296! Lumaway in horror,and the vorLexcloses with a deep resoundingboom whrchechoes across the hills.Noth- 400 ing has been left ertherof Belgaroth'sFortress or of The silver-tippedspear sheaks tluough lhe air and his evil hordesto show thal they ever existed.The piercesLhe Dread Lord'sbreastplate, sinking inlo hls spot where Caer Skaalslood has been cleansedo[ blackheart. Belgaroth lets out a blood-curdlingscream every haceof Chaos You suddenlybecome aware of of horror and surpriseas a silvery glow envelops an insubstantialfigure, floating in lhe sky in front of Aelfga4theq with a teniblesucking sound, Belgaroth's you The manhas a long grey beardand on lop of hr body collapsesin on ilself His deaLh-soeamis lost regal head he wearu a crovvn, while hrs tmic and beneath the sound of a rushing wind, a vortex rs kingly robesbear the holy emblemof the Knighls of formingin the sky at the point wherethe DreadLord Telak. His voice is powerful arrd rcsonatesin your died, drawing air into its centre and opening a doorway mind: demonic Night to another world With a shrill cry the 'Whenlhe earthin sicknesshes now, lhe Celastlix mare disappearsinto lt. Let us leaoe And the year,in twilight,dres, says in your head then, beaLing ils powerful wings, The UsurpingSerpent's iron hand begins to you away from Lhe cenlre of lhe drag Shallcrush the life from thisfair land rapdly wrdeningvortex. Beneathyou, the Lowersand baltlementsof the dark fortressare being lom apart Everwill his vengeancebum by the force of the vortex, greal lumps of stoneand Till the Bird of Lrght'sretum masonry are hurtlng upwards {rom the caslle into the And LeinWood the fortresssee - heart of lhe whirlwind. With a deafening somd, lhe The DreadLord will thenvanquished be 'Thanks to yoq brave lnight, the prophecy has been fulfflled,' says the ghost, 'and, with my evil brother's death the source of the coEuption in the kingdom is gone. Ruddlestone and the king are safe once more andall will soonbe madewhole again.You area truly noble and honourablewarrior. My blessingsgo with you' With that, your vision of King Chivalras X dissolvesinto the night. Riding on your winged mount lowards the Citadel you know that, thar*s to your bravery,your homelandhas been savedfor a second time from the tyra4ny of Belgaroth, the Dread Lord, and his Kniehts of Doom.