screams a madman's yell of delight, his evil eyes twinkling through the slits in his visor, as he steers his horse straight towards you.
Drakkarim Horselord: COMBAT SKILL 22 ENDURANCE 28
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control, add 2 points to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of the combat.
If you win the combat, turn to 144 .
163
Paido leaps to your side, his hands weaving a strange pattern in the air. ‘Anun-kadrusa!’ he cries, and a wave of shimmering heat courses from his open palms. The club explodes, and the dwarf reels back in shock as slivers of glowing wood set his hair alight.
‘Agh! I'm on fire!’ he screams, and scurries on all fours through the door like a frightened boar.
‘Sorcerers!’ exclaims the startled tavern crowd as they stampede towards the main door, overturning benches and tables in their desperation to escape. In the ensuing turmoil, the innkeeper is nowhere to be seen.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 341 .
If you do not possess this skill, turn to 122 .
164
Your speed and accuracy with a bow puts paid to the hunting dogs in a matter of seconds. They fall and tumble dead at your feet, your deadly Arrows sunk deep in their chests. Then through the archway come their masters, a dozen angry monks each clutching a sword. You have not enough Arrows to dispatch them all as they charge headlong down the central aisle.
Monks of the Sword: COMBAT SKILL 22 ENDURANCE 36
If you win the combat, turn to 328 .
165
The dwarf stops hammering. ‘Is that you, Filcher?’ he asks, squinting along the tunnel. When he realizes you are not Filcher, he curses and hurls his mattock at your head. You duck aside, but the pick-like weapon spins past and catches Paido full in the chest. He screams and falls, dying, at your feet. Desperately you try to save him, but the wound is fatal. Anger wells up inside, and you turn to confront his killer, only to find yourself staring into the muzzle of a Bor musket. The dwarf pulls the trigger, and you are decapitated by the blast.
It may be some consolation to learn that your killer did not escape unpunished. The shock wave of the blast brought down the tunnel ceiling and buried him alive.
Your life and your quest end here.
166
Trost swallows the last drop of ale and turns his head to see what is attracting your attention. He catches sight of the new passenger and begins to choke.
‘By the stars!’ he hisses. ‘It's him … it's Kezoor the Necromancer!’ He pulls a crumpled scroll from within his tunic and unfurls it on the table. On it is a picture of a man's face — the cruel features bear an uncanny resemblance to those of the stranger. Beneath the picture you read:
Notice of Death
Kezoor the Necromancer
Renegade Shaman of Mogaruith.
Leader of the forbidden sect of Dazudskul.
It is hereby proclaimed by lawful authority that in just retribution for vile acts of black sorcery perpetrated throughout the Freelands of Talestria, a bounty of TEN THOUSAND LUNE is offered for the head of Kezoor the Necromancer.
By order of Queen Evaine of Talestria
MS 5060
‘This could be our chance to make a fortune,’ whispers Trost. ‘Help me take him and we'll split the reward. Agreed?’
If you wish to help Trost attack the necromancer, turn to 65 .
If you refuse to help him, turn to 224 .
167
Reluctantly the great snake accepts defeat and slips silently back to its murky lair beneath the vines and floating vegetation.
Turn to 62 .
168
The building turns out to be a bowyery, stocked with some of the finest archery equipment you have ever seen. Myriad types of arrows, quivers, bracers, wrist and finger guards, bowstrings, and bow cases fill the racks from floor to ceiling. A colourful ringed target hangs on the wall behind the counter, and on it are painted the prices of the goods for sale. You read:
Arrow — 2 Lune
Bows — 32 Lune
Quivers (empty) — 12 Lune
Wrist and Finger Guards — 8
Drakkarim Horselord: COMBAT SKILL 22 ENDURANCE 28
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control, add 2 points to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of the combat.
If you win the combat, turn to 144 .
163
Paido leaps to your side, his hands weaving a strange pattern in the air. ‘Anun-kadrusa!’ he cries, and a wave of shimmering heat courses from his open palms. The club explodes, and the dwarf reels back in shock as slivers of glowing wood set his hair alight.
‘Agh! I'm on fire!’ he screams, and scurries on all fours through the door like a frightened boar.
‘Sorcerers!’ exclaims the startled tavern crowd as they stampede towards the main door, overturning benches and tables in their desperation to escape. In the ensuing turmoil, the innkeeper is nowhere to be seen.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 341 .
If you do not possess this skill, turn to 122 .
164
Your speed and accuracy with a bow puts paid to the hunting dogs in a matter of seconds. They fall and tumble dead at your feet, your deadly Arrows sunk deep in their chests. Then through the archway come their masters, a dozen angry monks each clutching a sword. You have not enough Arrows to dispatch them all as they charge headlong down the central aisle.
Monks of the Sword: COMBAT SKILL 22 ENDURANCE 36
If you win the combat, turn to 328 .
165
The dwarf stops hammering. ‘Is that you, Filcher?’ he asks, squinting along the tunnel. When he realizes you are not Filcher, he curses and hurls his mattock at your head. You duck aside, but the pick-like weapon spins past and catches Paido full in the chest. He screams and falls, dying, at your feet. Desperately you try to save him, but the wound is fatal. Anger wells up inside, and you turn to confront his killer, only to find yourself staring into the muzzle of a Bor musket. The dwarf pulls the trigger, and you are decapitated by the blast.
It may be some consolation to learn that your killer did not escape unpunished. The shock wave of the blast brought down the tunnel ceiling and buried him alive.
Your life and your quest end here.
166
Trost swallows the last drop of ale and turns his head to see what is attracting your attention. He catches sight of the new passenger and begins to choke.
‘By the stars!’ he hisses. ‘It's him … it's Kezoor the Necromancer!’ He pulls a crumpled scroll from within his tunic and unfurls it on the table. On it is a picture of a man's face — the cruel features bear an uncanny resemblance to those of the stranger. Beneath the picture you read:
Notice of Death
Kezoor the Necromancer
Renegade Shaman of Mogaruith.
Leader of the forbidden sect of Dazudskul.
It is hereby proclaimed by lawful authority that in just retribution for vile acts of black sorcery perpetrated throughout the Freelands of Talestria, a bounty of TEN THOUSAND LUNE is offered for the head of Kezoor the Necromancer.
By order of Queen Evaine of Talestria
MS 5060
‘This could be our chance to make a fortune,’ whispers Trost. ‘Help me take him and we'll split the reward. Agreed?’
If you wish to help Trost attack the necromancer, turn to 65 .
If you refuse to help him, turn to 224 .
167
Reluctantly the great snake accepts defeat and slips silently back to its murky lair beneath the vines and floating vegetation.
Turn to 62 .
168
The building turns out to be a bowyery, stocked with some of the finest archery equipment you have ever seen. Myriad types of arrows, quivers, bracers, wrist and finger guards, bowstrings, and bow cases fill the racks from floor to ceiling. A colourful ringed target hangs on the wall behind the counter, and on it are painted the prices of the goods for sale. You read:
Arrow — 2 Lune
Bows — 32 Lune
Quivers (empty) — 12 Lune
Wrist and Finger Guards — 8
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