Your hands relax and the sharp claws retract into your fingers. You clumsily fumble through the Dwarf's dirty vestments. Your fingers will not fit into the pockets, but you do succeed in snapping the thongs of a large leather pouch which the creature has around its waist. As the ties break, the pouch spills its contents on the ground in front of you. It contained several circular pieces of shiny metal and a piece of hide, which unfolds as it drops out of the pouch. It is light in colour and has markings all over one side. You pick it up awkwardly and look at it, but it makes no sense at all. You become quite fascinated by this piece of leather. You turn it round, rub it with your hands and throw it in the air. You place it on your arm and on your head. You decide to take the leather with you. Unknown to you, the message on the hide may be useful later in your adventure.
'Swjnfb fbrd apfo yprf. Ypvuh bvf ebffne fpv ndugvj ltyi pfot hf ecr j mfep fowjlf vlub ndab lj cjpvs ub rsp no bamps to sfrjp vsupff fncfej n it hfed ryerf gj pnsop fo sblbmpnjs. Bsap vnjsh mf nte ypvu br fesfnt fncfde tpovnd frt bkfebap frjl pvs umjss jpn opfo rfcpvfry. Y pvum vstut rbv flen prthwbrds abndaf ntfreth fev nd frgrpvnd ud pmb j nip fozhb mb dbriam brra thfr fetpos ffkep vtubn darf cp vfref lbsks a cpnt bjnjng is wjrlj ngivbp pvrs. Th fsfeb rfeth fevbp pvrs upfost jttlf ewpbd. Y pvum vstuf jnd i thf ethrff eflbsk sacp n tbjnjngi thfs fevb p pvrsu bnda rftv rn uthf me tpoth jsic pvrt. PNON POB C CPVNT UMVST UT HFYEB FEP PFNFD. T hjs ijsi t hfe sfn tfncfe pfot hf ecp vrtu bnda thfe gfbs a hb sa bf fnecb st. Th jsij si ypvru pvn jshmf nt. Yp vumvs tusvc cf fde jni vpvr umjs sjp noprod jfe jn i thfeb t tfmpt.'
Underneath this is writing is more, but written in a different style: 'Vb ppvr upfoknpwlf dgf / - Flb xfnmb nfe p fosj lvfrtpn =/- Wjngfdeh flmft.
That's not Welsh, but a rather devilish cypher, specifically designed to defeat all the techniques that might be found in
A Young Spy's First Codebook or similar tools available to the target audience. Once I could read it by eye, but those times are long gone. If/when we find the key, I'll come back and translate any such text we've passed.
As you may have realized by now, your own wishes have little effect on your reactions as a creature. You have only glimpses of what you are like and what you are capable of. Although this will change as the adventure progresses, at this stage you are at the mercy of your own whims and instincts. You are standing at a junction where you may go either east or west.
(At this point, we roll a die to see what happens next. The die is a 2, which means...)
You travel west along a twisting passageway. Several times you bump clumsily into the walls and grunt in annoyance. But your tough scales protect you from damage. The temperature drops noticeably and each breath sends steamy snorts from your nostrils. After narrowing slightly, the passage widens as it leads towards a chamber. A sound from ahead and a flickering light warn you to take care. But rather than making you stop to listen, the prospect of an encounter seems to excite you! You bare your teeth and your claws and stride forward into the chamber.
Roaring like an enraged Demon, you rush into the open chamber, ready to take on whatever is inside. Terrified shrieks come from the small party of adventurers huddling round a makeshift campfire in the center of the area. Three figures are warming themselves by the fire. One wears shiny clothes that clink as he moves. Another is dressed in red and also grows long dark hair from his chin. The third is a tiny creature with polished hide on his chest. He has no hair on his chin, but has plenty on his feet, which he has been holding up to warm at the fire. Your eyes fix on the smallest of the three. Your breathing gets heavier and a feeling of pure hatred grips you. Without hesitating, you stomp across and grab the miserable Hobbit with your claws. The other two are caught off balance and are slow to react. The Hobbit has no weapon and should be an easy victim:
HOBBIT: SKILL 5, STAMINA 6
Yes, totally an actual infringing hobbit. No idea how they got away with it, but I'm pretty sure it was a choice intended to disturb the reader.
Round 1: Creature rolls double 3s, instant death!
(The fight did not last more than 3 rounds)
As the creature dies, you sink your teeth into its arm to taste its juicy flesh. But then you remember the other two adventurers. The red-robed figure is facing you, pointing the little finger of each hand at you and mumbling. The shiny human has grabbed a sword – similar, you remember, to the Dwarf's, but larger – and is shouting to the other: 'Cpn tr plojt simjn dishbmbn! Jtim by abfeb blfe tp olf bda vsu
Unfortunately, at this point my pdf seems to be missing a page, so I don't have the precise text. I guarantee the rest of the gibberish is not relevant, though. It ends with a prompt to
Test Your Luck. (6 succeeds.)
Your reaction is immediate. The red-robed human is deep in thought and looks an easy target. You step forward and swipe viciously at him with you claws! He screams and fall to the ground, clutching at his face. You look down at the undefended wretch and prepare to deliver the death-blow. But at that moment, you feel a terrible sting in the back, which causes you to bellow and swing round. The remaining adventurer has lunged at you with his sword and succeeded in piercing the scales and flesh on your back! You must lose 2 STAMINA points for the wound, and then you can face the Knight in plate-armour.
ARMOURED KNIGHT: SKILL 8, STAMINA 9
Creature 13, Knight 11; Knight at 7
Creature 18, Knight 15; Knight at 5
Creature rolls double 3s, instant death!
You deliver the death-blow and the Knight drops to the ground. With the danger now over, your thoughts turn to food. The smell of the still-warm Hobbit reaches your nostrils and your mouth begins to water. You snatch the creature in one hand and eagerly sink your teeth into its sweet flesh. But this will merely provide a snack for you. Inside his armour, the Knight is an impossible meal, but the red-robed Wizard groaning on the floor may be a new taste for you to savour. You silence his miserable whimpers with a single deadly slash from your claws. For the tasty meal you may restore your STAMINA to its Initial level.
Yep, that's what we get instead of Provisions.
After you have eaten, you rummage through the adventurers' belongings. Their packs have little to interest you. The Hobbit carried a miniature sword and you find a rolled up piece of thin parchment in the Wizard's robe. All three humans carried odd-shaped lumps of a doughy substance – perhaps food, although it smells of nothing to you. They all also have small hide pouches containing round, flat objects of shiny metal. You cannot think what these may be for, so you toss them aside. You must now continue your journey. Passages lead off from the chamber to the north, east, and west.
You decide to take the passageway to the west. You leave the chamber, your way ahead lit by the flickering fire. Eventually, the fire's light becomes too distant to help and you are groping your way in pitch-blackness. Suddenly a high-pitched twittering sound comes from above you, followed by others. You have disturbed a group of flying creatures, which are now squeaking in alarm as they dart about around you! You swipe at them blindly and catch one or two of them as they dive at you and scratch you with sharp claws. But your scales protect you from any serious harm and you are soon further along the passage, where these creatures evidently do not venture. The passage turns north. You follow it around the bend to the right and stop in front of a wooden door. There is no other way forward. Will you heave at the door with your shoulder, or is there something else you wish to do?
Another die roll. A 5 sends us to...
The door cracks under the force of your blow. A hole appears and you rip the timbers away until it is large enough for you to pass through. Torches are mounted on the wall of the room inside and there are two doors, one to the east and one to the west. There is no furniture to speak of, but some remains – perhaps of a table and chair – litter the floor among a thin covering of dirty straw. The wood has been broken in what appears to have been a furious battle, the result of which lies before you.
In the centre of the room is a familiar sight. Casting your mind back to the battle you have just won, you recognize the figure of an armoured Knightlying face down in the straw. His face is hidden under an elegant helmet decorated with wings coming from above each ear. A dark-bladed sword has entered his body through a gap in his armour between his arm and shoulder. Lying next to the Knight are three other figures. One is similar in stature, but wears a tough leather tunic and helmet. A bloody stain around his belly indicates how this adventurer came to grief. The other two figures are not so familiar. They are shorter than the others, and are dressed in armour of scaly brown hide. They have gnarled, pug-nosed faces with vicious teeth set in their lower jaws. All four bodies are long dead.
You step forward to get a better look. Suddenly you hear a chomping sound coming from somewhere in the room – in fact several places – but you cannot see anything which might make such a noise. Your eyes pass over the adventurer in leather armour and you suddenly freeze: while you are watching, a chunk of flesh disappears from his thigh! You watch incredulously for a few moments more. Not only does more flesh disappear from the adventurer's leg, but you also notice the body of one of the pug-nosed creatures twitch as its forearm suddenly loses a fleshy lump. The scene is worrying and you must decide what to do next. Roll one die.
• 1, 2, or 3; you decide to investigate the bodies further.
• 4, 5, or 6; you head quickly for the door to the east.
(3, investigate)
You approach the smaller of the two pug-nosed creatures and prod it with your foot. Its lifeless body shrugs and lies still. But a similar prod on the leather-armoured adventurer's leg produces a startlingly different result. A shrill screeching sound shocks you to attention! As if this were some kind of signal, something starts to happen in the room. Three shapes begin to materialize in front of you.
Your eyes widen as three scrawny creatures form before you. They are thin and angular and move in quick, jerky motions. Although their bodies are covered in a scraggy dark fur, their bony faces are bald, with tiny eyes. In the centre of each face is an oversized, protruding mouth, rimmed with sharp teeth. These vicious little Flesh-Feeders live on carrion. While feeding they make themselves invisible to avoid being caught unawares. But in between meals they are both visible and quick-tempered. They now face you, furious that their meals have been interrupted, and you must battle the creatures. They attack together:
First FLESH-FEEDER: SKILL 6, STAMINA 6
Second FLESH-FEEDER: SKILL 6, STAMINA 7
Third FLESH-FEEDER: SKILL 6, STAMINA 6
Focusing on 1st first, 3rd second, 2nd last...
Creature 18, 1st 11, 2nd 10, 3rd 13; 1st at 4
Creature 15, 1st 10, 2nd 13, 3rd 12; 1st at 2
Creature 18, 1st 17, 2nd 15, 3rd 13; 1st out
Creature 16, 2nd 11, 3rd 11; 3rd at 4
Creature rolls double 4s, instant death for 3rd! 2nd 16
Creature 19, 2nd 13; 2nd at 5
Creature 17, 2nd 15; 2nd at 3
Creature 16, 2nd 13; 2nd at 1
Creature 15, 2nd 10; 2nd out
You rest for a few moments to catch your breath and then you survey the room. Your curiosity overcomes you, and you begin to investigate the seven bodies in the room. The pug-faced Orcs are dirty and smelly. You try a mouthful of flesh, but
spit it out in disgust. Around their waists they carry small bags which, when ripped open send a shower of small bones flying across the room. The two adventurers are not much more interesting. Similar pouches contain those round pieces of shiny metal which you came across before. They scatter on the floor and you ignore them. The pack on the back of the adventurer in the winged helmet is decorated and attracts your attention. One of the straps breaks as you rip it off his back and grope clumsily inside: you feel something solid. As you fumble angrily with the rucksack, a hard wooden casket drops to the ground and falls open! Inside is a clear smooth flask which contains swirling purple gas. Your curiosity is captured and your huge clawed hand tries to grasp the delicate flask. But this turns out to be hopeless. Eventually, you pick up the casket and drop it on the ground. As luck would have it, the flask jumps in its cradle and lands in such a way that the stopper flips out of the flask! The purple gas within swirls tempestuously and its vapours seep slowly from the neck of the flask.
The gas drifts from the flask, but rather than spreading out, it pulls itself together into a purple cloud and billows up before you. You watch open-mouthed as a shape begins to form in the cloud, and eventually turns into a face, which stares deep into your eyes. The face is human-like, but thin and with jagged features. The pupils of its eyes are not round, but are instead serpent-like. Its thin-lipped mouth opens and speaks: 'Jib mar flfbsf defr pmo myorf st. Fpv lucrb tvrf ewhbtadpo ypv uk npwop fothfe fprcfsew jthi w hjchiy pvutb mpfr. Bvt unpnf thfl fssemye pvr ppsfe jsipr db jnfd. Jibfstpwop n oypv uthfe ppw frepfo rfbs pn. Frp monp wo pnoyp vubr fej nicp ntr plop foypvr upwnodfs tjny. Bnd anpwemby ajir ft vrn utp omyo pfbcf fv lurfste vntj lip ncfem prfethfeh fbv fnsetb kfeth fj ri ppsj tjpns.'
Your anger mounts and you swipe at the cloud. But your hand passes right through the gas without even disturbing it. The mysterious face blinks slowly and the colour of the cloud flashes momentarily from purple to white, and back to purple again. Then the face disappears and the cloud is sucked down back into its flask. Once safely inside the flask, the stopper replaces itself in the neck and the bottle settles into its cradle in the wooden casket. An instant later, the casket and its contents have faded to nothing!
You decide you have had enough of this room, but you may add 2 LUCK points for your find. Will you leave through:
• The door to the west?
• The door to the east?
SKILL: 10
STAMINA: 17
LUCK: 11
marked piece of hide