gorge.
Turn to 98 .
85
Sebb Jarel informs the partisans that he has agreed to guide you through the Hellswamp. He is careful not to reveal details of your quest, but he does tell them that your mission has royal approval and, if successful, will strike a major blow against the Drakkarim and their Darklord masters.
At dawn, after a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, you mount and ride along a hidden trail that leads to Pirsi. There you leave your horses, for the next part of your journey, through Forest Taintor, is too difficult to attempt on horseback. Following traces of a forgotten path, you trek through the blue-grey pines until twilight when you stop to make camp for the night. Jarel volunteers for the first watch while you settle down gratefully on a bed of leaf mould and drift off into a dreamless sleep.
It feels as if you have only just closed your eyes when you are awoken by the savage and desolate howl of a Taintor wolf.
Turn to 329 .
86
Your senses tell you that this man is both trustworthy and highly intelligent. There would be little to gain from trying to deceive him. It occurs to you that with his help it would be far easier for you to gain entry to Torgar and attempt the retrieval of the Lorestones. After careful consideration you decide to reveal your identity.
Turn to 290 .
87
Four men die before the shield-wall knits together and the lost ground is regained. The Hammerlanders reel back and the Brigandi surge forward, but they too cannot break through the Palace Guard. A trumpet sounds in the distance and the Prince's men cheer when they see their reserves streaming up the hill to support them. Two hundred Eruan pikemen press forward behind their bristling steel and take the enemy in the flank. The attack is devastating. The enemy are split asunder and swept from the slope. The pikemen halt and through their ranks a wave of archers moves forward to fire at the backs of the retreating foe. Retreat turns to rout as the Hammerlanders and Brigandi flee the field in chaos.
Turn to 66 .
88
Stealthily you follow Paido through the dungeons of Torgar, using the shadows to avoid being seen. Ragged columns of slaves stumble along the passages, dragging their tortured, half-starved bodies to and from the work pits. They are beaten, cursed, and whipped relentlessly by their Drakkarim guards, who seem to delight in their suffering.
Illustration V —Ragged columns of slaves stumble along the passages, beaten, cursed, and whipped by their Drakkarim guards.
You emerge from a corridor into the shadows of a circular chamber, where a staircase ascends to a pair of huge triangular iron doors guarded by a squad of crack Drakkarim Death Knights. A tingling sensation electrifies your skin as your senses detect the presence of the Lorestones somewhere behind these doors. Suddenly an alarm bell fills the chamber with a deafening clangour; the Death Knights begin to descend the stairs and your stomach churns with the fear that you have been detected.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 299 .
If you do not possess this skill, turn to 52 .
89
Curiosity overcomes your natural caution and you decide to investigate the fascinating structure. You discover that the undergrowth has only recently been chopped away to give access to the doors where gaping, fire-blackened holes are all that remain of the crystal locks that held them secure for centuries. Beyond the damaged doors a dry, dark tunnel slopes gently downwards. It twists as it descends to a chamber, which is huge and empty, and ringed by a score of openings. A green glow and the faint thrumming of discordant chanting draws you to one of these many portals. Beyond it a staircase delves deeper into the earth.
As you make your way carefully downward, the air becomes increasingly humid and chill. The stairs are slick with moisture and crawling with spiders and other many-legged creatures that scuttle away from your feet. You count sixty
Turn to 98 .
85
Sebb Jarel informs the partisans that he has agreed to guide you through the Hellswamp. He is careful not to reveal details of your quest, but he does tell them that your mission has royal approval and, if successful, will strike a major blow against the Drakkarim and their Darklord masters.
At dawn, after a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, you mount and ride along a hidden trail that leads to Pirsi. There you leave your horses, for the next part of your journey, through Forest Taintor, is too difficult to attempt on horseback. Following traces of a forgotten path, you trek through the blue-grey pines until twilight when you stop to make camp for the night. Jarel volunteers for the first watch while you settle down gratefully on a bed of leaf mould and drift off into a dreamless sleep.
It feels as if you have only just closed your eyes when you are awoken by the savage and desolate howl of a Taintor wolf.
Turn to 329 .
86
Your senses tell you that this man is both trustworthy and highly intelligent. There would be little to gain from trying to deceive him. It occurs to you that with his help it would be far easier for you to gain entry to Torgar and attempt the retrieval of the Lorestones. After careful consideration you decide to reveal your identity.
Turn to 290 .
87
Four men die before the shield-wall knits together and the lost ground is regained. The Hammerlanders reel back and the Brigandi surge forward, but they too cannot break through the Palace Guard. A trumpet sounds in the distance and the Prince's men cheer when they see their reserves streaming up the hill to support them. Two hundred Eruan pikemen press forward behind their bristling steel and take the enemy in the flank. The attack is devastating. The enemy are split asunder and swept from the slope. The pikemen halt and through their ranks a wave of archers moves forward to fire at the backs of the retreating foe. Retreat turns to rout as the Hammerlanders and Brigandi flee the field in chaos.
Turn to 66 .
88
Stealthily you follow Paido through the dungeons of Torgar, using the shadows to avoid being seen. Ragged columns of slaves stumble along the passages, dragging their tortured, half-starved bodies to and from the work pits. They are beaten, cursed, and whipped relentlessly by their Drakkarim guards, who seem to delight in their suffering.
Illustration V —Ragged columns of slaves stumble along the passages, beaten, cursed, and whipped by their Drakkarim guards.
You emerge from a corridor into the shadows of a circular chamber, where a staircase ascends to a pair of huge triangular iron doors guarded by a squad of crack Drakkarim Death Knights. A tingling sensation electrifies your skin as your senses detect the presence of the Lorestones somewhere behind these doors. Suddenly an alarm bell fills the chamber with a deafening clangour; the Death Knights begin to descend the stairs and your stomach churns with the fear that you have been detected.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 299 .
If you do not possess this skill, turn to 52 .
89
Curiosity overcomes your natural caution and you decide to investigate the fascinating structure. You discover that the undergrowth has only recently been chopped away to give access to the doors where gaping, fire-blackened holes are all that remain of the crystal locks that held them secure for centuries. Beyond the damaged doors a dry, dark tunnel slopes gently downwards. It twists as it descends to a chamber, which is huge and empty, and ringed by a score of openings. A green glow and the faint thrumming of discordant chanting draws you to one of these many portals. Beyond it a staircase delves deeper into the earth.
As you make your way carefully downward, the air becomes increasingly humid and chill. The stairs are slick with moisture and crawling with spiders and other many-legged creatures that scuttle away from your feet. You count sixty
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