Votes registered; Belushi Jackson will try to gather some of the Ironbane fungus.
250
You dismount and tear off a square of cloth from your tunic to put the mushrooms in. Bending down at the edge of the clearing, you reach gingerly towards the fungi.
Test your Skill. If you succeed, turn to 266. If you fail, turn to 174.
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]
Rolling the dice yielded a 9, which is obviously less than Belushi Jackson’s Skill.
266
Taking great care you push the soil away from a cluster of the fungi and gently lift them form the earth into your ready-made pouch. With the cloth securely tied with a piece of vine, you put the fungi in your backpack. If you ever use the Ironbane against an armoured opponent, roll one die before combat begins. On a roll of 1 or 2, the spores destroy your adversary’s armour so that it loses any protection it may have against your blows. On a roll of 3 or 4, your opponent’s weapon, provided it is made of metal, is destroyed, so your enemy will have to fight you with his SKILL score reduced by 3 points. On a roll of 5 or 6, the Ironbane destroys both the armour and the weapon. However, this new weapon may be used only once. Turn to 8.
8
Between the trees at the edge of the clearing, the ground is thick with bracken.
Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 291. If you are Unlucky, turn to 116.
Rolling the dice yielded an 8, which means that Belushi Jackson was Lucky.
291
You come across clear signs that the boar travelled this way not long ago, in the direction leading away from you and further into the ancient woodland. Quickly you set off after your prey.
Test your Skill, adding 1 to the dice roll if you do not have the
Tracking Special Skill, but subtracting 1 from the dice roll if you have a Hunting Charm. If you are successful, turn to 343. If you fail, turn to 30.
Belushi Jackson has the
Tracking Special Skill, but not a Hunting Charm. Rolling the dice yielded a 4, which is obviously less than Belushi Jackson’s Skill.
343
Your skills do not fail you. You burst into a clearing where a monstrous boar is rooting among the leaf debris, doubtless looking for acorns. This creature must be the Great Boar of Lein. Seeing you, it turns and flees into the forest; however, before it leaves the clearing you have time to use a crossbow once, if you have one. Then you are off after the beast. As you gallop through the trees in pursuit of your quarry, your steed jumps over fallen branches and rocky mounds. If you have the
Ride Special Skill, turn to 256. If you haven’t,
Test your Skill. If you are successful, turn to 256; if you fail, turn to 209.
Belushi Jackson has the
Ride Special Skill.
256
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]
You manage to stay in the saddle as you and your steed negotiate difficult terrain. Suddenly, in a small clearing, the boar stops and turns to face you. The rogue beast is at least three metres long from snout to tail; it is covered in short, dark hair, with darker bands along its back. It snarls, revealing its huge yellow tusks and sharp teeth. With a bestial roar the animal runs at you. If you have a crossbow or a lance, you may use one of these weapons once before having to draw your weapon. Deduct from the boar’s STAMINA score any damage you have already inflicted upon it, then fight the battle which follows in the usual way.
GREAT BOAR SKILL 8 STAMINA 8
If you kill the beast, turn to 86.
Belushi Jackson does not have a crossbow or lance.
The fight:
[spoiler]Round 1: Great Boar Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 15;
Great Boar Stamina: 8, Player Stamina: 22
Round 2: Great Boar Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 20;
Great Boar Stamina: 6, Player Stamina: 22
Round 3: Great Boar Attack Strength: 13, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Great Boar Stamina: 4, Player Stamina: 22
Round 4: Great Boar Attack Strength: 14, Player Attack Strength: 17;
Great Boar Stamina: 2, Player Stamina: 22
Round 5: Great Boar Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 20;
Great Boar Stamina: 0, Player Stamina: 22[/spoiler]
Belushi Jackson kills the Boar, which manages to land a single blow of 2 Stamina damage before it expires.
86
To prove to Lord Varen that you have been victorious in your hunt, you decide to take the boar’s tusks back to Cleeve Manor, before setting off north through the forest on the return journey. As you riding sedately through the leafless trees, you feel a gust of chill wind, and you shiver. Nor can you shake off the feeling that you are not alone and that your progress is being watched. It is then that you hear the distant sound of chanting in the west, coming through the ancient woodland. The voice is far off, so you cannot make out what it is saying. If you want to investigate the chanting, turn to 365. If you do not, turn to 17.
Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a 4-vote majority is reached to be sure that they will be counted.
Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Belushi Jackson
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 22 Initial Stamina = 24
LUCK: 10 Initial Luck = 12
SPECIAL SKILLS:
Battle Tactics
Ride
Tracking
Arcane Lore
Banish Spirit
HONOUR: 6
TIME ELAPSED: 2 days
WEAPON: Magic Sword (can harm undead and Demons)
GOLD PIECES: 17
EQUIPMENT AND NOTES:
Chainmail Coat
Horse named Firemane
Backpack
5 Provisions
Lantern
Tinderbox
Purse
Aranandus’s Restorative Potion (two tots, restores STAMINA to
Initial level)
Griffin Shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength)
Helmet of Ventarc
Assassin’s Dagger (weapon in Firemane’s saddle)
Ironbane (Roll 1 die against armored opponent before combat, 1-2 destroys enemy armor, 3-4 reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon, 5-6 destroys enemy armor and reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon)
Great Boar’s Tusks
RESURRECTIONS: 5[/spoiler]