Votes counted; continuing along the west tunnel won over going south along the new tunnel by a 1.5-1 vote.
73
The stench of the sewer begins to fade and the water becomes less polluted the further you explore in this direction. The sound of Maouk’s men has faded and now only the constant gurgle and rush of the fetid water fills your ears. Suddenly your foot is caught by something, and you are thrown off balance. Half-buried in the sludge of the tunnel floor is a rusty suit of armor.
Turn to
94.
94
You fall face first into putrid water. The oily slime fills your ears and nose and chokes in your throat. Quickly you break the surface and struggle onwards to a narrow walkway, but upon reaching this place you find that your arm no longer functions. Your wounded shoulder, injured by the falling trapdoor grille, is stinging painfully, but the whole of your arm below the wound is numb and useless. Fright turns to horror when you realize what is wrong.
To continue, turn to
81.
81
You recognize the symptoms of Limbdeath. The wound has become infected by thousands of Limbdeath microbes, one of the many strains of deadly bacteria which can be found in the Baga-darooz. None of your Kai skills can be used to prevent the eventual loss of your arm. There is only one cure for this dread disease: the infected wound must be treated with the herb Oede within twenty-four hours. Unless you find some Oede by mid-afternoon tomorrow, your arm will become gangrenous. You will then have to choose between losing your arm and losing your life.
This dreadful realization renews your determination to escape from this terrible place, for you can be sure of one thing: you will find no Oede herb in the hellish confines of the Baga-darooz.
Turn to
166.
166
You knead your numb arm in an effort to massage some life back into it, but it is useless; the muscles are limp and nerveless. The only consolation is that it is not your weapon arm, but as long as you are suffering from this disease, you cannot use a shield of any sort.
Deduct 3 points from your COMBAT SKILL. These lost points may be recovered if ever you should regain the use of your arm.
You turn your attention to your surroundings in an effort to find some way of escaping from this nightmarish sewer. The passage ahead winds and curves like the bowels of a giant snake, and the foul air that drifts towards you is hot and humid. You have shaken off your pursuers, but you now have the problem of your paralyzed arm to resolve.
To continue, turn to
55.
55
The temperature rises steadily until you are bathed with sweat. Ahead, you see a chamber filled with steam that is rising from its bubbling floor. You are about to enter the chamber when you catch a glimpse of the danger awaiting you there. The stone walkway comes to an abrupt end just a few yards into the chamber. Ten feet below, lying before you like the surface of a huge bubbling cauldron, is a tar-sorkh: a Vassagonian mud geyser.
These geysers are common in the northern part of the desert realm. Much of Vassagonia is geologically unstable, yet although the land is subject to constant earth tremors, these rarely result in much destruction. The Vassagonians call these tremors ‘Tasa-Dophiem’, which, when translated into Sommlending, means ‘the Wrestling Gods’.
This particular mud geyser has been put to a practical use. It provides a constant source of heat for the dwellings built over the chamber. The steam from the tar-sorkh rises into a pair of huge, circular chimneys in the domed ceiling, which in turn feed heat and power to the buildings above. Your only way out of this chamber is by climbing one of these great chimneys. Although there are no ladders, the rock-hewn chamber wall offers you many footholds.
If you choose to climb the left chimney, turn to
162.
If you decide to climb the right chimney, turn instead to
23.
Here’s the recap: Lone Wolf trips into the sewer water and gets his arm infected with Limbdeath microbes. Until he can cure his infection with the Oede herb, Lone Wolf loses 3 COMBAT SKILL points and cannot use his Kai Shield. He also needs to find the Oede herb within 24 hours, or risk losing his arm or life. Lone Wolf arrives at a pair of steam chimneys that offer him a way out of the sewer and seem climbable. Please make your votes on which chimney to climb (and which political ideology to support) before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.
ACTION CHART
KAI DISCIPLINES:
1. Sixth Sense
2. Healing: +1 ENDURANCE point for each section without combat
3. Hunting: no need for a Meal when instructed to eat
4. Mindblast: +2 COMBAT SKILL points
5. Mindshield: no points lost when attacked by Mindblast
6. Animal Kinship
7. Mind Over Matter
8. Tracking
9. Camouflage
WEAPONS:
1. Dagger
2. Sommerswerd (In sections where it is specifically mentioned, +8 COMBAT SKILL and double damage against undead)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur Potion (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Alether Concentrate (+4 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
3. Rope
4. Laumspur Potion (+4 ENDURANCE)
5. Concentrated Laumspur Potion (+5 ENDURANCE)
6. Meal
7. Brass Key
8. Meal
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
• Silver Helm (+2 COMBAT SKILL)
• Ticket
• Red Pass
• Padded Leather Waistcoat (+2 ENDURANCE)
• Firesphere
• Blue Stone Triangle
• Scroll
• Dagger of Vashna (+3 COMBAT SKILL, -3 ENDURANCE)
• Sash (does not count towards 12 item limit)
BELT POUCH: 24 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 12 (3 points lost from Limbdeath, cannot use Kai Shield)
ENDURANCE POINTS: 21/21
RULES:
• When in combat, stop to ask whether to use any items or abilities if ENDURANCE is less than 11 or Combat Ratio is less than -4
FASCIST KILL COUNT: 42
RESURRECTIONS USED: 1
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas
• Survived the perils of the Graveyard of the Ancients
• Visited Gorn Cove
• Bridge password is ‘sunset’
• Applied Baknar oil
• Visited a hut on ‘Raider’s Road’
• Visited the Ruins of Maaken
• Read the Barakeesh proclamation