wall. Cavalry wait in reserve while siege towers and catapults are hauled forward by lumbering ghorkas and muscular leathery zull.
At the foot of the wall, a unit of Salonese engineers are repairing the damage done to a bridge they constructed during the night. They have only one more plank to lay to make the bridge safe and enable a squad of Drakkarim assault-troopers to reach the West Gate. You see a soldier creep to the edge of the bridge and raise a large screen to protect the engineer who is laying this final plank.
If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 99 .
If you do not have a Bow, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 249 .
180
With a bony fist she raps loudly on the door of the hut. Inside, a croaky voice bids you enter and she tugs at your sleeve impatiently, urging you into the foul-smelling hovel. Seated on a threadbare carpet, and surrounded by what appear to be heaps of chicken bones, is a scrawny old man dressed completely in feathers. He has a long, pointed nose and a stubbly grey beard which grows to just below his beady bloodshot eyes. The crone kneels and whispers in his ear before bowing and leaving the hut. As the door swings shut the shaman scoops up a handful of bones, closes his eyes, and, with a sound like a flock of startled gulls, casts them in the air. After a full minute of chanting and waving his hands, the old man opens his eyes and looks down on the bones which lie scattered on the beaten earth floor.
‘You have many enemies, Northlander,’ he says, his hook-like fingers tracing patterns around the bones, ‘powerful enemies. They plot to prevent you from walking your chosen path, for that path will lead to their destruction. There is one who will tell you that he is a friend. You must not trust this one. There is treachery in his heart.’
Illustration XI —Seated on the threadbare carpet is a scrawny old man dressed completely in feathers.
The old man closes his eyes and lowers his head, as if he has fallen suddenly into a deep trance. You try to awaken him but he does not respond, and eventually you decide to take your leave. You feel unsettled by the encounter, but when you return to Banedon you make light of the incident and suggest that you continue without further delay.
Turn to 52 .
182
The net wraps itself around your legs and brings you down at the top of the stairs. You cannot prevent yourself from rolling forwards and, with a cry of fear and frustration, you tumble headlong down the hard stone staircase to land in a crumpled heap at the bottom: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Three soldiers are waiting for you. They clutch wooden staves in their sweaty palms with which they hope to beat you senseless. ‘Get 'im!’ they shout, and run forward to strike before you can disentangle yourself from the net.
Senate Guards: COMBAT SKILL 28 ENDURANCE 32
Because of your fall and your current entangled condition, you cannot make use of a Weapon or Special Item during the first four rounds of combat. As you are unarmed, remember to reduce your COMBAT SKILL accordingly.
If you win the combat, turn to 90 .
183
You notch an Arrow and let fly at a rider closing in on your left. The shaft pierces one of its eyes and lifts the loathsome creature out of its wolf-saddle, spinning him into the path of the following Doomwolves. His body brings down two of the ravening beasts and their riders, who are slammed into the ground as their mounts crash together in a tangled heap.
Your bow-skill has bought you precious seconds in which to escape from the settlement. Banedon gallops past, his loose robe streaming out behind him like a pair of blue wings. You dig in your heels and urge your horse after him, with the shrill clangour of Giak war-cries ringing ever louder in your ears.
Turn to 293 .
184
With Bow in hand, you crouch at the gap in the door and launch two Arrows in as many seconds. The shafts strike home with deadly accuracy, piercing an eye of each reptilian and
At the foot of the wall, a unit of Salonese engineers are repairing the damage done to a bridge they constructed during the night. They have only one more plank to lay to make the bridge safe and enable a squad of Drakkarim assault-troopers to reach the West Gate. You see a soldier creep to the edge of the bridge and raise a large screen to protect the engineer who is laying this final plank.
If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 99 .
If you do not have a Bow, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 249 .
180
With a bony fist she raps loudly on the door of the hut. Inside, a croaky voice bids you enter and she tugs at your sleeve impatiently, urging you into the foul-smelling hovel. Seated on a threadbare carpet, and surrounded by what appear to be heaps of chicken bones, is a scrawny old man dressed completely in feathers. He has a long, pointed nose and a stubbly grey beard which grows to just below his beady bloodshot eyes. The crone kneels and whispers in his ear before bowing and leaving the hut. As the door swings shut the shaman scoops up a handful of bones, closes his eyes, and, with a sound like a flock of startled gulls, casts them in the air. After a full minute of chanting and waving his hands, the old man opens his eyes and looks down on the bones which lie scattered on the beaten earth floor.
‘You have many enemies, Northlander,’ he says, his hook-like fingers tracing patterns around the bones, ‘powerful enemies. They plot to prevent you from walking your chosen path, for that path will lead to their destruction. There is one who will tell you that he is a friend. You must not trust this one. There is treachery in his heart.’
Illustration XI —Seated on the threadbare carpet is a scrawny old man dressed completely in feathers.
The old man closes his eyes and lowers his head, as if he has fallen suddenly into a deep trance. You try to awaken him but he does not respond, and eventually you decide to take your leave. You feel unsettled by the encounter, but when you return to Banedon you make light of the incident and suggest that you continue without further delay.
Turn to 52 .
182
The net wraps itself around your legs and brings you down at the top of the stairs. You cannot prevent yourself from rolling forwards and, with a cry of fear and frustration, you tumble headlong down the hard stone staircase to land in a crumpled heap at the bottom: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Three soldiers are waiting for you. They clutch wooden staves in their sweaty palms with which they hope to beat you senseless. ‘Get 'im!’ they shout, and run forward to strike before you can disentangle yourself from the net.
Senate Guards: COMBAT SKILL 28 ENDURANCE 32
Because of your fall and your current entangled condition, you cannot make use of a Weapon or Special Item during the first four rounds of combat. As you are unarmed, remember to reduce your COMBAT SKILL accordingly.
If you win the combat, turn to 90 .
183
You notch an Arrow and let fly at a rider closing in on your left. The shaft pierces one of its eyes and lifts the loathsome creature out of its wolf-saddle, spinning him into the path of the following Doomwolves. His body brings down two of the ravening beasts and their riders, who are slammed into the ground as their mounts crash together in a tangled heap.
Your bow-skill has bought you precious seconds in which to escape from the settlement. Banedon gallops past, his loose robe streaming out behind him like a pair of blue wings. You dig in your heels and urge your horse after him, with the shrill clangour of Giak war-cries ringing ever louder in your ears.
Turn to 293 .
184
With Bow in hand, you crouch at the gap in the door and launch two Arrows in as many seconds. The shafts strike home with deadly accuracy, piercing an eye of each reptilian and
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