COMBAT LOG:
Killer Tadpole#1 7, John Constantine 11. KT1 is killed.
Killer Tadpole#2 10, JC 14. KT2 is at 1.
KT 11, JC 15. KT2 is killed.
Killer Tadpole#3 6, JC 12. KT3 is killed.
Killer Tadpole#4 8, JC 12. KT4 is at 1.
KT4 14, JC 13. JC is at 10.
KT4 12, JC 10. JC is at 8.
KT4 8, JC 9. KT4 is killed.
Killer Tadpole#5 11, JC 12. KT5 is at 1.
KT5 16, JC 10. JC is at 6.
KT5 12, JC 11. JC is at 4.
KT5 8, JC 13. KT5 is killed.
It started well for us, but then between them the 4th and 5th Killer Tadpoles came dangerously close to taking us down, but we just managed to survive at the end. Let's hope there're rewards to make it worth the cost of destroying the brood...
Having slain all the denizens of the pond, you search carefully about for anything of interest, taking care to avoid what you now know to be the eggs of the Horntoads. There are certainly plenty of weed-clad bones here, human or otherwise, so you can see what the tadpoles were being raised on. In the further reaches of the pond you make an incredible find. Still clasped in the skeletal hands of what looks like a Dwarf, is a war-hammer whose pristine and non-corroded condition suggest that it is definitely magical! Add the Enchanted War-Hammer to your Adventure Sheet. It adds one to your Attack Strength when used in combat. However, it is also imbued with the berserker nature of Dwarven war gods and you may never Escape when you wield it in a battle. Pleased with your find, you leave the hatchery and return to the junction.
Well, Attack Strength bonus is always welcome, although even this reward turns out to be a bit of a double-edged sword, especially with our current low STAMINA.
Back at the junction, there's only one path we'd hadn't yet taken from there:
As you wander down the corridor you hear the sound of running water, and soon enough you reach a cave on the banks of the subterranean stream. On the other side of the water is a beach, and from there a tunnel leading northwards. You are just pondering how best to cross the stream, when you are suddenly aware of something huge standing behind you. Too late, you try to turn around but a great clammy hand grab you around the throat and throttle you until you lose consciousness...
Well, since this is the only path that moves us forward from that last hub section, at least we can be fairly sure that the next section shouldn't be auto-death...
You awaken in a small cave at the end of a long tunnel. In the distance you can see a faint bluish light. Your throat is bruised and tender - deduct 1 STAMINA point for the effects of being strangled. Your equipment lies in a neat pile to one side, and your hands are tightly bound, so you cannot cast any magic spells. There is a large fire in the centre of the cave, and a thick wooden roasting spit that looks uncomfortably like it has been designed to bear your weight. You hear a sudden sound and look up to see something big and nonhuman stalking down the tunnel towards you. If you have a Knife as part of your equipment and wish to use it to cut yourself free, turn to 11. If you do not have a knife and wish to try and break your bonds using just your own strength, turn to 46. If you want to wait and see what's coming, turn to 134.
STAMINA is down to 3!
Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: John Constantine
SKILL 7/7
STAMINA 3/23
LUCK 10/10
Equipment: Warhammer, Lantern, Cloth SkullCap, Small Pebbles (x15), Sand (x5), Stone Dust (x3), Rope (x2), Galehorn, Lumps of coal (x5), Jar of Bees, Potion of Healing (restores STAMINA to initial value), Potion of Transformation, Giant Tooth, Enchanted War-Hammer (+1 Attack Strength, but cannot Escape if wielded in combat)
Provisions: 2
Gold: 11
Boons: Galehorn,
SkullCap, Giant's Tooth, Potion of Firewater
Notes:
1) Anyone entering the maze of tunnels that forms the Crystal Mine itself, must first turn left and then travel in a clockwise direction if they wish to remain safe.
2) The Horntoads' favourite food is the humble bee. If in future we find ourselves in the presence of a beehive and wish to try and catch some, deduct twenty to the paragraph number we have turned to, and consult this new paragraph number instead.
3) Xak may be the name of the Croaking Caves Salamander? If in future we have the chance to speak the name Xak, add twenty to the paragraph number we have turned to, and consult this new paragraph number instead.
4) Zared the sage dwells in a cavern full of giant fungi. If in future we find ourselves in such a place and wish to contact Zared, add fifty to the paragraph number we are on at the time, and consult this new paragraph number instead.
5) Caught a Wasting Disease - must lose 1 STAMINA every time we are involved in combat, whether we win or flee from it.
[/spoiler]
