Fire on the Water (11 page)

The training that you received in the art of Hunting has taught you to recognize most of the poisonous and non-poisonous fruits to be found in northern Magnamund. These purple fruits are larnuma, a sweet and nutritious food. You quickly eat your fill and then store enough of them in your Backpack for 2 Meals.

Beyond the larnuma trees, you notice a wide coast road that disappears towards the east and the west.

If you wish to head east,
turn to 27
.

If you wish to head west,
turn to 114
.

Both guards stare at the Seal in awe. The legend of the Seal of Hammerdal is well known to all the people of Durenor. It is said that of all the lost treasures of Durenor, the Seal of Hammerdal is the one they would not wish returned. The anxious faces of the two guards show they clearly realize its significance.

One of the guards escorts you across the Rymerift and along a forest road that eventually ends at a junction. A signpost points to the east.

‘I must leave you now and return to the Rymerift. I fear that war will soon cast its black shadow upon this land and I shall be needed at the border. Godspeed to you Sommlending, godspeed.’

You watch for a few minutes as the soldier returns along the forest track before you set off eastwards. You should arrive in Port Bax within the hour.

Turn to 265
.

As the mast smashes into the deck, a splintered beam hits your head and you are knocked overboard. Gasping for air, you fight your way to the surface and catch hold of a hatch cover. You are half-stunned. You lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

You pull yourself onto this makeshift raft and cling to it with all your strength. If you are wearing a Chainmail Waistcoat, you must discard it now or otherwise you will be drowned for sure.

You feel dizzy and sick. As the heaving sea buffets you relentlessly, you gradually slip into unconsciousness. When you awake many hours later, the storm has passed. By the position of the sun, you judge it to be late afternoon. In the distance you can see a small fishing boat and beyond it, on the horizon, land. The only trace of the
Green Sceptre
is the hatch cover on which you now sit.

If you wish to use your cloak to try to signal to the fishing boat,
turn to 278
.

If you wish to ignore the boat and paddle towards the shore,
turn to 337
.

The man takes your money and hands you a White Pass that is valid for the next seven days. (Mark the White Pass on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item.) You thank him and leave the building. Outside you turn left and walk towards the guards at the end of the street.

Turn to 246
.

You head south and follow the quayside until you come to a junction where the street heads off towards the east. Most of the shops in this street are still closed except for one to your right. There is a sign above the door.

If you wish to enter the shop,
turn to 289
.

If you wish to continue on your way,
turn to 186
.

A large Noodnic, wearing a brightly coloured cloak of patchwork silks, orders several of his people to arm themselves and drive you out of the hall. When you speak to them in their own language, a hush of astonishment fills the cavern. Never before have they encountered a human being who could actually speak their tongue. For some of them it is too much to grasp, and they stare at you open-mouthed, their furry little arms hanging loosely by their sides.

Then the large Noodnic addresses you, saying he is the leader of this colony. His name is Gashgiss and he welcomes you and invites you to join him on top of a raised platform in the centre of the chamber.

Illustration IX
—The large Noodnic, wearing a brightly coloured cloak of patchwork silks, addresses you.

‘Yooze notta Dureneeze man-man, eh? Whereza yooze come za from, eh?’ questions Gashgiss, in his strange Noodnic accent.

You tell him that you are a Sommlending on your way to Hammerdal. He looks at you nervously, and then asks, ‘Yooze notta Blackscreamerz, eh?’ You realize that the ‘Blackscreamerz’ that Gashgiss refers to are Helghast. You learn that two of them arrived in Tarnalin over two hours ago, and caused quite a panic in the main tunnel. Gashgiss knows where they are lying in ambush, waiting for you to appear.

‘Iza show yooze z'way past zem, eh?’ he offers. You nod your agreement and follow him down the steps of the platform, to the hall below.

The Noodnics seem to have overcome their shock and react to you now as if you were one of them. Before you leave, a pretty female Noodnic offers you some food for your journey ahead. There is enough for two Meals. You thank her for her generosity and then follow Gashgiss along one of the many passages leading out of the cavern. After an hour of trekking through the dark, he stops and points towards a shaft of light that is pouring through a crevice in the far distance. ‘Yooze goez left, yooze be zafe,’ he says.

You thank Gashgiss for his help and silently thank your Kai masters who taught you the skill of Animal Kinship. The many years of instruction have probably saved your life. You squeeze through a fissure in the rock wall and drop three feet to the pathway below. You are thinking how kind the Noodnics were when you discover that they have stolen all your gold! You will have to mark this on your
Action Chart
.

Continue along the tunnel and
turn to 349
.

You are becoming weaker and weaker. After what seems an eternity of painful struggle you find the Laumspur and force yourself to swallow the dry leaves. Within seconds you are violently sick, after which you drift off into a restless sleep.

It is nearly an hour before you awake and you still feel dreadfully ill. Deduct 5
ENDURANCE
points.
⁸

As you slowly regain your strength, the shock of what has happened soon turns to anger. You grab your equipment and stagger out of the room, intent on confronting your would-be assassin.

Turn to 200
.

You were right. The cloud is made of huge Zlanbeast and many Kraan, a smaller species but one that is just as deadly. Hanging below their black bellies are nets full of Giaks. As the Zlanbeast descend on the
Green Sceptre
, a net of shrieking Giaks crashes onto the deck behind you. Some are crushed in the fall, but many more have survived and waste no time attacking you. You must fight them as one enemy.

Giaks:
COMBAT SKILL
 15   
ENDURANCE
 15

If you win this combat,
turn to 345
.

Your senses reveal that the path is a dead end. The only way that you can cross the Rymerift and reach Port Bax is via the bridge.

Turn to 47
.

You wrap yourself in your Kai cloak and raise the hood. The driver shouts and whips the horses and soon you are on your way along the tree-lined coast road to Ragadorn. During the journey, you talk to the driver and learn some useful things about the seaport of Ragadorn.

Ever since Killean the Overlord died three years ago, Ragadorn has been ruled (or misruled according to the driver) by his son, Lachlan. It seems that he and his men are nothing more than pirates. They tax the people heavily, and murder all who oppose them.

You are hungry and during the coach ride, you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

At last, in the distance, you can just make out the city wall of Ragadorn. A bell is tolling — it rings twelve times. Eventually the coach passes through the west gate of the wall and pulls to a halt.

‘If you want to get to Durenor, you can catch a coach from the stable at the east gate. Best hurry mind, it leaves at one o'clock,’ the driver tells you.

You thank the driver for the advice and jump to the cobblestones below. For the first time, you suddenly notice the awful stench of this dirty seaport. A rusty sign nailed to a rot-infested house says ‘Welcome to Ragadorn’.

If you wish to go north along Westgate Lane,
turn to 122
.

If you wish to head south along West Bank Walk,
turn to 323
.

If you wish to head east into Axe Lane,
turn to 257
.

You can sense that this guard is a loyal Durenese soldier. If you were to attempt to bribe him, he would be likely to consider it a grave insult and attack you.

If you wish to show him the Seal of Hammerdal,
turn to 223
.

If you would prefer not to show it, if you do not have it, or if you wish to pretend to be a merchant on your way to Port Bax,
turn to 250
.

You spur the horse along the twisting village street across a wooden bridge and up a steep path towards the crest of the cove. In the light of the moon, you catch a glimpse of a signpost pointing eastwards.

You ride all night without sleep. As the dawn breaks, you are greeted by a startling change of landscape. The barren Wildlands have given way to moors and waterlogged fens. And a dark shadow runs the length of the eastern horizon for as far as the eye can see. This is the Durenor Forest, the natural frontier of the mountain kingdom where it borders the untamed Wildlands. It is indeed a welcome sight.

You are no more than a day's ride from Port Bax, but you are tired after your night ride and you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
Points. If you have the Kai Discipline of Hunting, you may use this skill to trap a wild moor-rat or marsh-bird for your breakfast. (You are leaving the Wildlands and heading into the Durenor Forest and may once again use Hunting to hunt for food.)

After an hour's ride you come to a fork in the road. There is no signpost.

If you wish to take the left fork,
turn to 261
.

If you wish to take the right fork,
turn to 334
.

Using your skill to mimic the gruff Ragadornian accent, you bluff the guard, saying that there is a fight in Tomb Square. You say that the city watch have been overpowered, and that he is needed at once.

To see if your bluff has been successful, pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have chosen is 0–4,
turn to 262
.

If it is 5–9,
turn to 110
.