Eventually you come to the edge of a fast-flowing icy stream. The white water cascades over the mossy rocks and disappears towards the east.

Running across the room, you lash out at the skulls, smashing them to fragments. You notice that inside each skull is a bubbling grey jelly that seems to writhe and change its shape, sprouting bat-like wings and suckers from its glistening form. In horror and loathing, you race for the exit corridor and escape just as a heavy portcullis falls with a crash, completely sealing off the chamber.

You fly in an arc through the air towards the opposite roof. Everything seems to be happening in slow motion. You see the teeming crowds below in the street, and a nest of callysparrows in the eaves of a roof to your right. You hear their startled cries as you land with a crash on the other side. But it is the last sound that you will ever hear. The tiles splinter and collapse and you fall through the four floors of the Green Slipper Inn breaking your back in several places.

The only thing under the carpet is dirt!

You quickly take aim and hurl the rock at the Giaks head as hard as you can, but to your horror the creature ducks and the rock arcs harmlessly over its back. You must act immediately to save the wizard.

Only a few minutes after leaving the junction, you see in the distance a small log cabin and stable. On arrival you check the interior through a side window. The cabin looks deserted.

Suddenly, the large rock you are hiding behind is rolled aside and you are faced by two snarling Giaks intent on your death. The cave mouth is a narrow entrance and you can only fight the Giaks one at a time.

You have been walking for over half an hour when your eye is caught by some bright red flowers growing near to a mossy bank. You recognize the plants to be Laumspur, a rare and beautiful herb much prized for its healing properties.

Kneeling down, you pick a handful of Laumspur and place it in your Backpack. You may eat this herb to regain lost ENDURANCE points. Each Meal of Laumspur will restore 3 ENDURANCE points, and you have gathered enough for two such Meals. Closing your pack, you continue your mission.

You coax the horse to lie down and begin to cover him and yourself with branches and dead leaves. You hear the wings of the Kraan as it passes over the trees. It returns and circles above you, but soon retreats back across the lake.

You decide to leave now, in case it returns with some of its friends.

You stumble into the first building and fall to the floor exhausted. You can smell cooked meat. You notice a small cauldron hanging over the embers of a dying fire, and a large oak table that has been set for a meal. Whoever lived here must have left in a great hurry this very morning. There is water in a jug and a loaf of fresh bread on the table.

As you climb out of the muddy water, black arrows fall all around you. Quickly, you dash for the cover of the trees and wait for the Giaks to leave the opposite bank, before continuing on foot towards the capital.

The man is badly injured and near to death. If you have the Kai Discipline of Healing, you may ease the pain of his wounds but he has been so seriously hurt he is beyond repair by your skills alone. He soon lapses into unconsciousness. You try to make him as comfortable as possible beneath a large forest oak, before leaving and pressing on through the thick woodland towards the northeast.

You spur your horse to a gallop and race down the long straight path. In the far distance you can just make out the silhouette of Holmgard on the horizon, its high walls and tall spires glinting in the morning sun. Your path joins a highway running from north to south. It is the main turnpike road between the northern port of Toran and the capital. You set off towards Holmgard, your eyes peeled for Kraan in the clear morning sky.

The gallowbrush tears your cloak and scratches deep into your arms and legs as you slowly force your way through. Fifteen minutes later you emerge from the briars and stagger onwards between the trees.

Deduct 2 ENDURANCE points from your current score for the wounds you have sustained.

You feel a little dizzy as you push on, and your eyelids seem very heavy. You suddenly find yourself at the edge of a steep wooded slope.

Behind you can hear the blood-crazy Giaks killing the caravan horses. You risk a quick glance over your shoulder and see a Kraan start to climb high into the air. Will it attack you or is it interested in something else? The dark shadow that is gradually getting larger all around you tells you that you are its intended victim. The Kraan is diving full speed at you!

After a few minutes walking you see a stranger, clad in red, standing in the centre of the track ahead. He has his back towards you, and his head is covered by the hood of his robes. Perched on his outstretched arm is the black raven that you saw earlier.

Immediately the horse senses your communication. He calms down. You walk towards the beautiful animal and stroke his head reassuringly. You sense that he is frightened and confused. Mounting him, you lead him off to the path and head south once again.

As the creature dies, its body slowly dissolves into a vile green liquid. You notice that all of the grass and the plants beneath the smoking fluid are beginning to shrivel and die. A large valuable looking Gem lies on the ground near to the decaying body.

Further along the track you can see a large war party of Giaks running towards you.

Inside the box you find 15 Gold Crowns and a Silver Key. If you wish to keep the key, remember to mark it on your Action Chart.

The path opens out into a large clearing. You notice strange claw prints in the earth. Kraan have landed here. By the number of prints and by the size of the area disturbed, you judge that at least five of the foul creatures landed here in the last twelve hours.

You see two exits on the far side of the clearing. One leads west, the other south.

You ride deeper and deeper into the forest. Silently you thank the Prince for such a fine horse, for although the ground is a tangle of briars and roots, he never once falters. The Doomwolves are soon left far behind and you bring your horse to a halt. The light has faded fast and it is almost night.

After an hour of marching, the Drakkarim suddenly halt as a large, grey scaly creature approaches along the track. As the beast draws closer, you can smell its fetid breath on your face. It lets out a roar and grabs your head in its powerful webbed hands. The last thing you hear is the sharp crack of your spine snapping.

Carefully parting the dense foliage, you are horrified by the sight that meets you. In a small clearing ahead, three Giaks have tied a man to a wooden stake and are setting fire to a mass of brushwood bundled at his feet. You recognize his tunic as that of a Border Ranger, one of the Kings men who police the kingdom near the Durncrag Mountains of the west. He has been badly beaten and is nearly unconscious.

You reach the main gates of the capital, and stare in awe at the height of the citys walls. Two hundred feet high, the walls of Holmgard have withstood the ravages of both time and the Darklords. You and the officer race through the tunnel of the inner gatehouse, one hundred yards in length, and finally halt outside the doorway of the main watchtower. Great crowds of soldiers and civilians are running to and fro.

You soon reach a small clearing in the woods. A bench, carved from a fallen tree is set in the centre of the clearing. You are hungry and must now eat a Meal here.

You have covered about a quarter of a mile when you hear shouting and a noise like thunderclaps ahead. Edging nearer, you soon make out a clearing that you recognize to be the site of the ruins of Raumas, an ancient forest temple.

A war party of Giaks, some twenty-five to thirty strong, are attacking the ruins from all sides. Many more of the Giaks are dead or dying among the broken pillars of marble, but still they assault whatever is hidden inside. Suddenly, a bolt of blue lightning rips through the front rank of Giaks sending the armour-clad creatures tumbling in all directions. A Giak, taller than the others and dressed from head to foot in black chainmail, curses at his troops as he whips them forward with a barbed flail.

With weapon ready, you move to the edge of the clearing, under cover of the thick foliage, and try to catch a glimpse of the defenders. To your amazement, the ruins are being defended by a young man no older than yourself. You recognize his sky-blue robes, embroidered with stars. He is a young theurgist of the Magicians Guild of Toran: an apprentice in magic.

Five Giaks charge forward, their spears raised to stab the apprentice as he hurriedly retreats deeper into the ruins. You see him turn and raise his left hand just before a bolt of blue flame shoots from his fingertips into the snarling Giak soldiers. Close to where you are hidden, you see a Giak scuttle past and climb one of the pillars of the temple. He has a long curved dagger in his mouth and he is about to jump on the young wizard standing below.

The bodyguard looks at you with great suspicion and slams the door. You can hear voices chattering inside the caravan. Suddenly the door swings open and the face of a wealthy merchant appears. He recognizes your Kai cloak and apologizes for his servants behaviour.

He says that they have been attacked several times since they left Toran: by Kraan, by bandits, and by robbers. They thought you may have been a bandit. Inside, the caravan is full of silks and spices. The merchant offers you food which you gratefully accept. After your sumptuous meal, the fatigue of your ordeal finally overcomes you and you slip into a deep sleep.

As you approach the statue, several cracks appear in its stone surface. It suddenly explodes before you as a real Winged Serpent breaks free of its stone mantle and attacks you.

You must fight the creature.

(This creature is immune to Mindblast.)

Using your skills, you detect Giak tracks around the perimeter of the clearing. The prints are fresh and you can tell that these cruel minions of the Darklords were in this area less than two hours ago.

Peering over the steep undercut of the river bank, you can see a tangle of driftwood along the waters edge. A large tree trunk has grounded on the clay bank next to a small canoe.

The Giaks get nearer and then crouch down as if preparing themselves to pounce. You can see the sharp serrated points of their spears and hear their low guttural speech. The larger of the two creatures screams, Orgadak taag! Nogjat aga ok! and attacks you.

You must fight each of the Giaks in turn. Add 1 point to your COMBAT SKILL during this fight, as you have the advantage of the higher ground in your favour.

As the last of the foul creatures die, so the greenish light starts to fade. You notice that in each of the broken skulls lies a Gem. You take these 20 Tomb Guardian Gems before darkness engulfs the chamber. Remember to mark these on your Action Chart as a single Backpack Item.

You quickly leave the dead Crypt spawn and press on.

You prepare your weapon and advance to meet the enemy. There are two Mountain Giaks and you must fight them one at a time.

The inner courtyard is a bustle of activity. Cavalry scouts are waiting beside their nervous horses for messages from their unit commanders inside the Great Hall. They take orders with great speed to the defenders of the outer fieldworks. No sooner do they gallop off, than other scouts return, many of them breathless and wounded.

You have taken less than a dozen steps across the courtyard when you hear a deep voice boom out. Stop that man!

You are in a clearing where several trees have been cut down to make a rickety watchtower. Below the tower are three paths leading off in different directions.