Determining next move by random die roll (odd = loot, even = leave):
Die roll = 5.
Our urge to loot overcomes our caution.
Holding your breath against the spores, you walk into the tunnel. Before you even get close to the Dark Elf, however, several of the Elf Bane bust and you are enveloped in a cloud of spores. Remarkably, though, none of them settles on your skin; they burrowed into Liethif's body as soon as he entered, so humans must be immune to them. Even so, you hold your breath as you search through the Dark Elf's belongings. Since he was dressed in ceremonial robes, he has little in the way of equipment, although you do find a huge set of jailer's keys hanging from his belt (if ever you are asked "What is it?", add 10 to the number of the paragraph you are reading at the time and turn immediately to the paragraph with that number). By now, your lunges feel as if they are going to burst, so you run out of the tunnel. From what you have seen, you are sure that the slavers' camp has nothing else to offer you, so you decide to leave.
We could have taken minor damage for breathing in the spores earlier in the dwarves' tunnel, but the damage would be been caused only by breathing it in, not upon contact with skin, so this part isn't as inconsistent as it may appear. And we are able to be better-prepared in holding our breaths this time because we clearly saw what happened to Liethif, while we may have been less certain of what will happen in the previous encounter. I think it would have been slightly better design if players who received and read the Encyclopedia also gets an auto-pass for that test earlier, but it's a relatively minor quibble.
Just as you are leaving the camp, a young Dark Elf, breathless from running, comes up to you. "Thank the Whisperer I have found you, Lord Chaugh. Duke Pilea wants you to return to the castle immediately." Several other Dark Elves have overheard him, so you have no choice but to go along with this order. As you walk away from the slavers' camp, you try to act as naturally "Dark Elf" as you can, praying that you won't say the wrong thing. However, if you return to the castle, you are bound to give yourself away sooner or later, so you have got to get rid of this Dark Elf. Once you are out of sight of the camp, you attack him.
YOUNG DARK ELF SKILL 5 STAMINA 4.
If you win, you hide his body, then carry on down the track. If you weren't forced to kill them on your way in, the Obligaths just let you past - they are there to keep the wrong people out, not to keep anyone in. When you get back to the main track, you turn right, heading further into the city.
At least the doggies didn't seem to have died from the indigestion earlier...
COMBAT LOG:
Young Dark Elf 10, Quincey Stridermoore 18. YDE is at 2.
YDE 12, QS 20. YDE is dead.
After walking several hundred metres more, you reach this side of the cavern; it is like a huge cliff, with tunnels and caves where it as been quarried by the Dwarfs. As you watch, an open cart creaks towards you, fully laden with blocks of dressed stone. With a mixture of sadness and joy, you recognize one of the two Dwarfs pushing the cart: it is Ameggur Thugfist, a hard, experienced officer in Sardath's Fifth Hammer and Axe. You shout at them to stop and walk up to Ameggur.
"What is it?" he says in an exasperated tone...
(If we didn't didn't find the jailor's keys, Ameggur would have re-directed us to the slavers' camp to find it if we hadn't been there before. If we went but didn't loot the key (which was what almost happened), we lose the chance to free them.)
"It's me," you say, and give him your name. You then hand him the keys and tell him he can now take his revenge on the Dark Elves (regain 1 LUCK point).
"It will be a pleasure," he says grimly, then he smiles. "It is an old Dwarf custom to give a rescuer a gem or a piece of jewellery, but this Ring of Three Centuries is all the Dark Elves left me with." He removes a silver hand from round his finger and gives it to you. "May I suggest that you now seek out and destroy the Sorcerer who leads the Dark Elves. Unless he is removed from the arena, I fear that we will not be able to defeat them." He points along the road towards the port of the city where most of the building work is going on. "Go down there a good distance until you come to a fenced pathway on your left. Follow this to an archway in the cavern wall. Once you are through, keep your eyes down and follow the walkway, avoiding all turns until you come to another archway. Through there is the Sorcerer."
You promise Ameggur that you will do what is needed or die in the attempt. Then you leave him and walk along the road. When you get to the fenced pathway, you turn and follow it.
This takes us back to a familiar section:
The fenced pathway carries you right through the weirdly constructed city, past enclosed squares with towers standing at strange angles and streets whose only purpose is to confuse. Everything is carved with images of malevolent-looking Dark Elves. The fence is unbroken for the entire length of the pathway, so you have no access to the city - but you realize with some relief that this also means that the bizarre city has no access to you! Eventually you reach the wall of the cavern, some way beneath the balcony. There is an archway here, leading to a short tunnel. It is very low and narrow, and you have to stoop to get through. However, it soon emerges into the bottomless cavern, and you lower your gaze to avoid the wild architecture. The flimsy walkway you are no on is slippery with moss, so you walk very carefully; but it soon widens and becomes dry again. After a few more metres, you come to a junction. Will you go right or carry straight on?
Brief pause to see if anyone is against following the same route as last time for some reason...
Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Quincey Stridemoore
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 11/15
LUCK 10/10
Equipment: Sword, leather armour, bow, quiver, Council Signet Ring, 2: Condensed Mist from the Mithrir Forest, Four-leaf Clover, Potion of Fortune,
SevenFourteen-coiled Snake Ring, Brain Slayer Amulet (symbol 'XXIX' carved on its back, -2 SKILL when worn, currently not worn), Climbing rope, Brass Key, Fangnir's Encyclopedia of Subterranean Flora, Lightning Sphere, Red Gem, Small Crystal Ball (when looking at Dark Elf architecture, automatically Lucky from resulting Luck test, and does not need to spend LUCK point), 'S' key (x2) Diamonds (x3), Jailor's keys, Ring of Three Centuries
Arrows: 6
Bundles of Herbs: 9
Gold: 20 GP
Companions:
Istu (SKILL 12, STAMINA 1, can fight alongside us in combat, does not take damage from opponents, but lose 3 STAMINA per use)
Notes: Currently disguised as Dark Elf, subtract 10 from section number when encountering the phrase 'because you are human'.
Day of the Week:
Stormsday (3/3 extra lives remaining)
Moonsday (2/3 extra lives remaining)
Fireday (3/3 extra lives remaining)
Earthday (3/3 extra lives remaining)
Windsday (2/3 extra lives remaining)
Seaday (2/3 extra lives remaining)
Highday (0/3 extra lives remaining)
[/spoiler]
