The great southern walled city of Salamonis is the capital of the kingdom of the same name, and controls all trade into the fertile Vale of Willow. Ruled by the wise King Salamon LVII, its mighty walls are built from massive blocks of ancient stone and look like they could hold back an army of Giants. Beyond the city gates is a skyline of grand houses and towers with red-tiled roofs and shady pillared colonnades, and towering over all is a statue of Titan, Father of the World.
"So this is Salamonis," breathes Nharog, in awe. "The White City. The Seat of Learning. We would truly set down a mark of greatness were we to take this city, chief…"
If you want to attack the city of Salamonis, turn to 167.
If you want to leave instead, turn to 131.
Passing by again...
You and your horde are departing from the white walls of Salamonis, greatest of the southern cities. Wary sentries watch your warriors leave behind these rich farmlands that straddle both banks of the Whitewater River. A few disinterested bearsheep also observe the passing of your horde while chewing grass, but for the most part this rustic scene is rather too quiet, with not a soul to be seen. Perhaps the peasants are all hiding in their huts and hovels, not daring to breathe lest they attract the attention of your Barbarian army.
"Bah! Civilization! Who needs it?" spits Nharog. "By Grapthar’s hammer, give me a roaring campfire, a fast horse, and an
endless horizon any day of the week! Let us leave this wretched den of justice and learning far behind!"
Where will you venture to next?
If you want to go west to the Forest of Yore, turn to 20.
If you want to go north to the city of Chalice, turn to 120.
If you want to go northeast to the Forest of Spiders, turn to 170.
If you want to go east to Trolltooth Pass, turn to 50.
If you want to go south into the Craggen Heights, turn to 80.
Back to the Pass...
Trolltooth Pass is the true gateway to Allansia, connecting the Windward Plain to the Flatlands, and bordered by the Moonstone Hills to the north and the Craggen Heights to the south. It is a dangerous place, only three leagues across at its narrowest point, and dotted with the ghost-haunted ruins of watchtowers, fortresses, walls and gatehouses. Scavengers such as bandits, Goblins, jackals and hyenas scrabble among the rubble.
"Eyes open and axes ready!" bawls Nharog, clouting a Barbarian with the flat of his blade. "We shall not be surprised by
the weak and cowardly!"
Roll one die to see what you and your horde encounter:
1-2 Turn to 68.
3-4 Turn to 37.
5-6 Turn to 23.
Die roll = 1. Finally a different result!
You are at camp one night, next to a crumbling ruin that may have once been a fortress, when the glowing green form of a man rises from the rubble and floats towards your horde, moaning hideously. Several of your warriors attempt to slash out at the apparition, but their weapons pass harmlessly through its body.
Screaming now in rage, the SPECTRE hurtles straight towards you. If you have the Code word Storm, turn to 74. If you have the Code word Dust, turn to 66. If you have neither of these Code words, read on below.
The Spectre can only be harmed by magical weapons. If you do not have a magical weapon you will have to Escape, as you will die otherwise (see below for further details on how to do this). If you do have a magical weapon you can attack the Spectre. It flies towards you, screaming
with hatred and slashing at you with icy, taloned, claw-like hands.
"Die!" it howls. "Die and know the pain of nothingness that I feel!"
This will be some battle!
SPECTRE SKILL 10 STAMINA 14
If you wish to Escape, you sound the retreat and your horde flees; deduct 1 point of HONOUR and turn to 41. If the Spectre reduces your STAMINA to zero or less, turn to 13. If you defeat the Spectre, turn to 58.
Turns out that new encounter isn't necessarily a better one.
Once again, we were checked for 2 codewords that were also checked when we battled the forces Balthus Dire and a Zagor. Something that may provide aid against magicians and magical entities? We might want to find a way to get at least one of these 2 soon...
Fortunately, I'm pretty sure our warhammer is a magical weapon, which we now throw at the Spectre to knock its STAMINA down to 12 before it closes in on us.
COMBAT LOG:
Spectre 18, Grom 19. Spectre is at 10.
Spectre 21, Grom 20. Grom is at 10.
Spectre 18, Grom 21. Spectre is at 8.
Spectre 16, Grom 21. Spectre is at 6.
Spectre 14, Grom 21. Spectre is at 4.
Spectre 18, Grom 22. Spectre is at 2.
Spectre 16, Grom 23. Spectre is defeated.
Add 1 point to your HONOUR score for your victory over the Spectre.
With a final blow from your enchanted weapon, you banish the Spectre back to the infernal undead dimension from whence it came. Victory may have come at a cost, however. If you were wounded by the Spectre, roll one die. On a roll of 1 to 5 you must deduct 1 SKILL point from your score as the Spectre drained away your life energy. If you roll a 6 there is no effect.
Having defeated the ghostly fiend, you search the ruins that it sprang from; perhaps the creature was guarding treasure! Roll another die and if you roll a 6, you can add 1 talent to the Gold box on your Adventure Sheet. There is little else to do here other than leave Trolltooth Pass. Turn to 41.
Man, that's a nasty penalty! We were hit exactly once!
Die roll = 5. We fell just short of avoiding that penalty.
Treasure roll = 6 (damn, would have been better to get this for the previous roll). We find some treasure to compensate.
You and your horde have braved Trolltooth Pass and its potentially menacing distractions. The canyons echo eerily with your fading footfalls as you leave its claustrophobic confines far behind. Nearby, disturbed by your presence, a flock of crows and other carrion birds take flight into the sky, abandoning the corpse of some unfortunate creature upon which they were feeding. An omen perhaps, you think. But for good or ill?
"Where next, chief?" asks Nharog, shading his eyes with his hand to scan the horizon.
Indeed, where are you going?
If you want to go east to the Flatlands, turn to 10.
If you want to go south into the Craggen Heights, turn to 80.
If you want to go west to the great city of Salamonis, turn to 140.
If you want to go north into the Moonstone Hills, turn to 100.
If you want to go northwest to the Forest of Spiders, turn to 170.
Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Grom the Dark
Tribe: Fire Axe
SKILL 11/12
STAMINA 10/17
LUCK 7/11
HORDE STRIKE: 12/12
HORDE STRENGTH: 10/19
HONOUR: 16
Equipment: Sword, King Gilibran's Warhammer (+1 Attack Strength, can be thrown before combat for 2 STAMINA damage if SKILL test is passed), Diamond, Horned Helmet (+1 Attack Strength), Dragonscale Shield (reduce damage taken by 1 if we roll 5 o or 6 on 1D6 when taking a blow in battle), Green Metal Ore
Gold: 14 talents
Codewords: Trollslayer, Dwarfslayer, Ravager, Slayer, Raider, Looter
Blessings:
Doman:
1) City: Stonebridge / Garrison Strength: 5
Notes:
1) Some claim that Chadda Darkmane, who guards Salamonis, is an avatar of Libra, the Goddess of Justice, and unbeatable in combat. Only weapons forged from Green Metal can harm agents of the gods. Green Metal can be found in Craggen Rock.
[/spoiler]