You must make haste for you sense it is not safe to linger by the smoking remains of the ruined monastery. The black-winged beasts could return at any moment. You must set out for the Sommlending capital of Holmgard and tell the King the terrible news of the massacre: that the whole lite of Kai warriors, save yourself, have been slaughtered. Without the Kai Lords to lead her armies, Sommerlund will be at the mercy of their ancient enemy, the Darklords.

Fighting back tears, you bid farewell to your dead kinsmen. Silently, you promise that their deaths will be avenged. You turn away from the ruins and carefully descend the steep track.

At the foot of the hill, the path splits into two directions, both leading into a large wood.

As you dash through the thickening trees, the shouts of the Giaks begin to fade behind you. You have nearly outdistanced them completely, when you crash headlong into a tangle of low branches.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

Staying close to the officer, you follow him through an arched portal and up a short flight of stairs to a long hall. Soldiers run back and forth bearing orders on ornate scrolls to officers stationed around the city wall.

A haggard and scar-faced man dressed in the white and purple robes of the Kings court approaches you and bids you follow him to the citadel.

It is a small one-man canoe in very poor condition. The wood has split and warped, and the craft appears to be leaking in several places. You quickly patch up the worst of the holes with some clay and bail out the water. This seems to stop the leaking for the moment. Stowing your equipment at the bow, you set off downstream, using a piece of driftwood as a paddle.

After a short while, you hear the sound of horses galloping towards you along the left bank.

After about an hour of walking, the track slowly bears round to the east. You reach a shallow ford where a fast-flowing brook runs on a steep rocky course towards the south. Just beyond the ford is a junction where the track meets a wider path running north to south. Realizing that the north path will take you away from the capital, you turn right at the junction and head south.

In the distance you can hear the sound of horses galloping nearer. You crouch behind a tree and wait as the riders come closer. They are the cavalry of the Kings Guard wearing the white uniforms of His Majestys army.

For what seems an eternity, the rush of the crowd carries you along like a leaf on a fast-flowing stream. You desperately fight to stay on your feet, but you feel weak and dizzy from your ordeal, and your legs are as heavy as lead. Suddenly, you catch a glimpse of a long, narrow stone stairway that leads up to the roof of an inn.

Gathering the last reserves of your strength, you dive for the stairs and climb slowly up to the top. From here you can see the magnificent view of the rooftops and spires of Holmgard, with the high stone walls of the citadel gleaming in the sun.

The houses and buildings of the capital are built very close to each other, and it is possible to jump from one roof to the next. In fact many of the citizens of Holmgard used to use the Roofways (as they are known) when the heavy autumn rains made the unpaved parts of the streets too muddy for walking. But after many accidents, a royal decree forbade their use.

After careful thought, you decide to use the Roofways, as they are your only chance of reaching the King. You have hopped, skipped, and jumped across several streets and you are only one street away from the citadel when you come to the end of a row of rooftops.

The jump to the next row is much further than anything you have tried before, and your stomach begins to feel as if it were full of butterflies. Determined to reach the citadel, you turn and take a long run-up to the jump. With blood pounding in your ears, you sprint to the edge of the roof and leap into space, your eyes fixed on the opposite rooftop.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

Your Kai Sixth Sense warns there is a fierce battle raging in the south. Your common sense tells you that the south is also the quickest route to the capital.

You cannot move: you are being held rigid by some powerful force. Your eyes are drawn towards the mouth of the skeleton. From deep in the earth you hear a low humming, like the sound of millions of angry bees. A dull red glow appears in the empty eye sockets of the dead King and the humming increases until your ears are filled with the deafening roar. You are in the presence of an ancient evil, far older and stronger than the Darklords themselves.

You are sweating and your legs ache. In the middle distance you can see a group of cottages.

You quickly dodge into the doorway of a stable and hide your surgeons cloak in the straw, for it would be better to be seen as a Kai Lord than as a charlatan.

Without wasting a second, you set off towards the Great Hall on the other side of the courtyard.

The bodyguard looks at you with great suspicion and then slams the door shut. You can hear the sound of voices inside the caravan. Suddenly the door swings open and the face of a wealthy merchant appears.

He demands 10 Gold Crowns as payment for the ride.

The path soon ends at a large clearing. In the centre of the clearing is a tree much taller and wider than any others you have seen in the forest.

Looking up through the massive branches you can see a large treehouse some twenty-five to thirty feet above the ground. There is no ladder, but the gnarled bark of the tree offers many footholds.

You reach the top of a small wooded hill on which several large boulders form a rough circle. Suddenly you hear a loud growl from behind a rock to your left.

You pass through a long, dark tunnel of overhanging branches that eventually opens out into a large clearing. On a stone plinth in the centre of the clearing is a Sword, sheathed in a black leather scabbard. A handwritten note has been tied to the hilt, but it is in a language which is foreign to you.

You may take the Sword if you wish, and note it on your Action Chart.

There are three exits from the clearing.

You manage to free a horse from the straps securing it to the caravan. It is frightened by the scent of the approaching Doomwolves, and the cries of their evil ridersthe Giaks.

Preparing your weapon, you spur your skittish horse towards the oncoming beasts. They are less than fifty yards away and they are lowering their lances at you as they get nearer and nearer.

You raise your weapon to strike at the beast as its razor-fanged mouth snaps shut just inches from your head. Buffeted by the beating of its wings you find it difficult to stand.

Deduct 1 point from your COMBAT SKILL and fight the Kraan.

If you kill the creature, you quickly descend the far side of the hill to avoid the Giaks.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

You are awoken by the sound of troops in the distance. Across the lake you see the black-cloaked figures of Drakkarim and a pack of Doomwolves and their riders. A Kraan appears from above the trees and lands on the roof of the small wooden shack.

It is ridden by a creature dressed in red. The Kraan takes off and begins to fly across the lake to where you are hidden.

Just ahead through the tall trees you can see clumps of dark-red gallowbrush, a thorny briar with sharp crimson barbs. The common name for this forest weed is Sleeptooth, for the thorns are very sharp and can make you feel weak and sleepy if they scratch your skin.

It seems that whoever lived here left in a great hurryand they must have left quite recently. A half-eaten meal still remains on the table, and a mug of dark jala is still warm to the touch.

Searching a chest and small wardrobe, you find a Backpack, food (enough for two Meals), and a Dagger.

If you wish to take these items, remember to mark them on your Action Chart. You continue your mission.

You have ridden about two miles into the tangle of trees when the ground becomes very marshy.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

Knocking aside the leader, you sprint off along the highway. Then behind you the ominous click of a crossbow being cocked sends a shiver down your spine.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

The corridor soon widens into a large hall. At the far end, a stone staircase leads up to a huge door. Two black candles on either side of the stone steps dimly illuminate the chamber. You notice that no wax has melted, and as you get nearer you can feel that they give off no heat. Ancient engravings cover the stone surfaces of the walls.

Anxious to leave this evil tomb, you examine the door for a latch. An ornate pin appears to lock the door, but there is also a keyhole in the lockplate.

The merchant shouts to the driver of the caravan to jump. Were under attack! he cries, disappearing through a circular window.

You land with such a crash on the opposite roof, that the wind is knocked out of you and you lie flat on your back with your head in a spin.

It takes a minute or so for you to realize that youve made it and are perfectly safe. When you are sure you are all right, you jump up and let out a shout for joy at your skill and daring.

Quickly you find a way across the roof and climb down a long drainpipe to the street below. You see the large iron doors of the citadel open, and a wagon drawn by two large horses tries to leave. The horses are frightened by the noisy crowd and they both rear up, causing the wagon to smash a front wheel against the door. In the confusion, you see a chance to enter and quickly slip inside just as the guards slam the doors shut.

Cautiously, you move along the corridor until you come to a sharp eastward turn. A strange greenish light can be seen in the distance.

You walk along this path for over an hour, carefully watching the sky above you in case the Kraan attack again. Up ahead, a large tree has fallen across the path. As you approach, you can hear voices coming from the other side of the massive trunk.

After a few hundred yards, the path joins another one running north to south.

You stride out to the waters edge and prepare yourself for combat. The Kraan and its rider spot you and begin to speed across the lake barely inches above the surface.

The rider lets out a scream that freezes your blood. He is a Vordak, a fierce lieutenant of the Darklords.

He is upon you and you must fight him. Deduct 2 points from your COMBAT SKILL unless you have the Kai Discipline of Mindshield, for the creature is attacking you with its Mindforce as well as with a huge black mace.

The people look tired and hungry. They have come many miles from their burning city. Suddenly, you hear the beat of huge wings coming from the north.

Kraan, Kraan! Hide yourselves! the cry goes up all along the road.

Just in front of you, a wagon carrying small children breaks down, its right wheel jammed in a furrow. The children scream in panic.

You try to comfort the injured man as best you can, but his wounds are serious and he is soon unconscious again. Covering him with his cape, you turn and press deeper into the forest.

You have ridden about three miles when, in the distance, you spot the unmistakable silhouette of five large Doomwolves. Riding on their backs are Giaks. They seem to be going on ahead to where the path leads down into an open meadow. Suddenly, one of the Giaks leaves the others and begins to ride back along the path towards you.

The floor of the cave is quite dry and dusty. As you explore deeper in the half-light, you detect the stale odour of rotting flesh. Littering a crevice are the bones, fur, and teeth of several small animals. You notice a small cloth bag among these remains which you open to discover 3 Gold Crowns. Pocketing these coins, you leave what appears to be the lair of a mountain cat and carefully descend the hill.

Without warning, a terrible apparition in red robes swoops down from the sky on the back of a Kraan. Its cry freezes your blood. The beast is a Vordak, a fierce lieutenant of the Darklords.

He is above you and you must fight him.

Deduct 2 points from your COMBAT SKILL unless you have the Kai Discipline of Mindshield, for the creature is attacking you with the power of its Mindforce as well as with a huge black mace.

The forest is becoming denser, and the path more tangled with thorny briars. Almost completely hidden by the undergrowth, you notice another path branching off towards the east. Your current route seems to be coming to a prickly end, so you decide to follow the new path eastwards.