- Healer.PNG (175.28 KiB) Viewed 1783 times
Peering into the cave, you see that it runs deep into the side of the hill. Torches cast an eerie light inside the cave, illuminating wooden carvings and masks that are hanging on the walls. You step inside and see a robed figure sitting on the floor with its back to you. Without turning around, the mysterious person says, 'I am the Healer. If you have come to be healed, stand before me now.' Your heart beats faster as you walk over to stand in front of him. Before you is a man who is horribly disfigured; his body is terribly twisted, but he sits there proudly, although pain registers on his face. You tell him that you have been cursed with a Death Spell and have come to be cured. The Healer nods his head and says, 'The power of a Death Spell is difficult to destroy. I have only managed to break it once, and it wasn't easy. A ritual has to be performed which you might not survive. Still, you must try. I will help you as much as I can. First, you must place a Mask of Life over your face to halt the spread of the Death Spell. If you survive the initial battle between life and death, you will be able to face the second stage of the reversal process.' The Healer than takes a strange mask off the wall, carved to symbolize the sun. As you place the mask over your face, you feel as though your body is being torn apart. Roll 1 die and take that much damage; your roll is 6.
The Healer walks over to you and puts his hands on your forehead. He mutters some strange words and stands back, saying, 'Later stages of the reversal process are also dangerous, but that danger can be reduced if you possess certain things. My help from now on will be limited as you will have to journey to another place to break the Death Spell completely. Please follow me.' The Healer walks further into the cave leading you to the edge of a pit. There is almost no light and you have to strain your eyes to see the outline of the Healer moving about. 'A log spans the pit before me and you must cross it to reach the inner cave. It will obviously be easier to cross it if you can see where you are going. Do you have a candle?' the Healer asks.
You do have a candle and tinderbox.
You light the candle and look across the pit. It is about 15 metres wide and the log is quite narrow. The Healer tells you to walk across it as soon as you are ready.
Test your Skill; a 9 succeeds (and would have failed if you had no light and were rolling at a -2 penalty).
Walking slowly and carefully, you reach the other side of the pit, much to your relief. The Healer walks casually across the log as though the pit was not there. 'Good,' he says, 'now you must prepare yourself for the next stage. In order to survive, you must be totally calm. If you have a dragon's egg, I can make you a relaxing concoction.'
You do have a dragon's egg.
The Healer takes the egg from you and breaks off the top of the shell. He takes some powder out of a pendant hanging round his neck, and pours it into the egg. After stirring it with a stick, he hands it to you, telling you to drink it. You swallow the raw egg concoction, trusting the Healer's knowledge. He then tells you to walk ahead of him.
- Banshee.PNG (175.33 KiB) Viewed 1783 times
You suddenly hear a woman howling terribly in the depths of the cave. Her mournful wail rises to a horrible, bitter scream. The Healer whispers to you that the cries come from a BANSHEE, a hideous spectre whose face and hands are shriveled and who only has one large nostril and a single tooth. He tells you that if you walk by her without fear, you will come to no harm. 'Do not speak to her, touch her or even acknowledge her presence. She cannot harm you if you obey my instructions. I will be right behind you, but do not worry about me,' the Healer says calmly. You walk further into the cave until the dreaded Banshee comes into view. She looks even worse than the Healer's description with her red-rimmed eyes and stooping posture. You try to remain calm but feel the blood racing through your veins (apparently her presence is enraging). She stands immediately in front of you as you try to walk by, letting out the most doom-laden howl you have ever heard in your life (in which howls are apparently doom-laden). You are tempted to look into her face and cut her down with your sword.
You have drunk the dragon's egg concoction.
You instinctively clutch the hilt of your sword, as the Healer's words of warning echo through your mind.
Test your Skill; an 8 succeeds. (You auto-fail that test outright without the concoction.)
Between her screams the Banshee tells you that you are going to die. However, the Healer's concoction enables you to resist the temptation to draw your sword to silence her, and you manage to pass by her unharmed.
The Healer is right behind you, urging you to hurry through the cave. You walk on in silence until you see sunlight streaming through a crack at the end of the cave. You see that the crack is just wide enough for you to squeeze through, and you ask the Healer, 'What will happen next?'
He calmly replies, 'This is as far as I go. The final part of your ordeal you must face alone. Wearing your mask, you must be at the summit of Firetop Mountain before dawn to watch the sunrise. You must sit cross-legged facing east--you will be totally cured the moment the first rays of sunlight come up over the horizon. If you have something made of silver, we will be able to attract a PEGASUS to fly you there.'
- Pegasus.PNG (154.78 KiB) Viewed 1783 times
You hand the Healer your silver flute. He throws it through the crack and whistles loudly through his fingers. A few moments later you hear the noise of flapping wings outside and see the Healer smile briefly. 'Tie the silver to its mane and command it to take you to Firetop Mountain,' says the Healer. 'A Pegasus will fly you anywhere for silver. This is where we say goodbye. Good luck, I hope you make it.' You shake the Healer's hand, thanking him over and over again. Then, waving goodbye, you squeeze through the crack into the daylight. Before you stands a magnificent beast. It looks like a white stallion but it has wings. You tie the flute to its mane and climb on to its back. You shout your destination and suddenly you are flying through the air, clinging on to the neck of the mighty Pegasus. It is not long before you reach the mountain and land safely on the summit, which is covered in strange red vegetation. You jump down from the Pegasus and watch it fly off into the distance. You sit down to rest and wait for sunrise.
The red leaves all around you emit a sweet smell which you find very pleasant. You feel very relaxed and suddenly have trouble keeping your eyes open, even though it is only early evening. You are unaware that you are lying on SLEEP GRASS. You sink into a deep sleep, full of vivid and exciting dreams. Night falls and time passes by, but you cannot wake up. The moon drifts slowly across the clear night sky until dawn is only minutes away. A tiny image disturbs your dreams but it is difficult to make out; it grows steadily larger, until the flashing image fills your mind. A bird with a long beak and fine plumage is trying to fly out of a circle of flames. The Healer is trying to wake you. If you can focus your mind and remember the name of this bird, which is the symbol of the Healer's power, you will be able to rouse yourself.
Well, what is it?
Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 10/11
Stamina 4/16
Luck 5/11
Provisions 0
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Sling
1 iron ball (sling-sized)
Star-shaped disc
Square-shaped disc
Boots of the elder elves
Shield
Candle
Tinderbox
148 Gold Pieces
Air elemental protection spell
Deaths: 9 (chomped by white dragon, blasted with magical energy by the spirit of the Snow Witch, blasted with magical energy by the spirit of the Snow Witch and then mauled by zombies, converted into Provisions by a hungry werewolf, slaughtered by two Hill Trolls, slaughtered by a different two Hills Trolls, killed by a Death Spell, bashed head in a dark cave, drowned in river)
