You hide behind some thick bushes so that the Doomwolf and its rider will not see your white horse. Luckily it worksthe beast lopes past and vanishes down the track that you have just come along.

You search all of the cupboards in the small cottage but do not find anything of use or value. You decide that you have wasted enough time here and must press on without further delay.

Your skill enables you to recognize the boots and leggings of a Kings soldier. You can sense that the man is wounded and in need of help.

You have been spotted by the guards who level their crossbows at you.

They see you raise your weapon, and they instantly attack you.

If you decide to fight them, you must fight them one at a time.

Instinctively you duck, and dive to avoid the crossbow bolt. The bandit fires and you feel the sleeve of your jacket tear as the missile grazes past your left arm. You thank the gods for your good fortune and sprint on.

None of the other bandits have bows and they soon give up the chase. As you sprint off into the distance, you leave them all far behind.

You stop just long enough to strap up your wounded arm and then continue along the road towards the outer defences of the capital.

Three rangers gallop past the river bank, closely followed by the Giaks on their snarling mountsthe Doomwolves. But your Camouflage skill has saved you from being spotted. The pack of evil Giaks continue on their chase without even glancing at the river.

The officer orders his men to halt and asks you your business. You tell him who you are, and how the monastery has been destroyed. He is deeply saddened to hear your news. He offers you a horse and asks you to accompany him to Prince Pelathar, the Kings son.

The caravan is out of control and is bumping wildly through the rough ground that borders the highway. With difficulty you eventually steer the frightened horses back onto the road and halt the caravan.

A quick search of the interior reveals 40 Gold Crowns, a Sword, and enough Food for 4 Meals. If you wish to keep any of these items, mark them on your Action Chart.

The fatigue of your ordeal finally catches up with you. You must eat a Meal after which you fall into a deep sleep.

You narrow your eyes and scan the trees for some sign of the hidden archer. Your wait is not a long one, for a moment later a sharp pain tears through your chest and you are thrown back by the force of three arrows. Two of the black shafts have sunk deep into your rib cage, and the third has pierced your thigh.

The last thing that you see is the canopy of fern trees above and a large green dragonfly as it settles on your belt buckle.

The Kakarmi disappear into the dense undergrowth and you soon find yourself lost. After nearly two hours of walking you hear the sound of running water. You decide to investigate a little closer.

Two furry faces appear over the top of the trunk. Both pairs of eyes stare at your weapon and the two creatures let out a shriek of fright. Leaping from the trunk, they disappear into the forest.

You can see the shadow of the Kraan getting larger all around you. It suddenly strikes, pitching you forward onto your face with the power of its attack.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 06, the Kraan has ripped away your Backpack. You have lost the Pack and all the Equipment that was inside it.

If the number picked is 79, your Backpack is intact but you have been wounded in both arms. Lose 3 ENDURANCE points and run to the trees.

You thank your Kai training and your quick thinking, for that bog could have proved as deadly as any Drakkarim or Kraan.

You are worried about losing time, and push on further into the trees towards the south. Ahead of you, you see a wide path that also leads south.

You walk for three miles along the waters edge until you chance upon a wrecked river barge. It appears to have served as shelter for someone, as you can see a bed and some cooking utensils through a hole in the deck.

The bodyguard unsheathes a large scimitar and strikes at your head.

You see the razor-fanged mouth of a Doomwolf and hear the hideous cries of the Giaks. Two of them are coming straight for you. You are saved from certain death when your horse jumps at the approaching beasts, knocking them both to the ground. You lash out at the Giak and open a large wound in his headand then suddenly, as if by a miracle, youre through and racing on down the highway, clear of the rest of the pack.

But a shadow follows you. It is a Kraan and it has started to dive. Its target is you.

The beast and its rider lie dead. You notice a Scroll tucked into the Giaks belt. You may take this if you wish, but remember to mark it on your Action Chart. The other Doomwolves are charging along the path towards you.

You sprint towards the wagon. People are running everywhere in panic as the Kraan make their attack, carrying their poor victims off into the darkening sky. A large Kraan is hovering above the wagon and three snarling Giaks drop from its back onto the startled horses. You must fight them or leave the wagon and run to the safety of a nearby farmhouse.

Wiping the bears blood from your weapon, you notice the mouth of a cave hidden behind the rock from which the bear attacked.

You follow the man into a small library off the main hall. He pushes one of the many books on the shelves which line all four walls, and you hear a metallic click. One section of the bookcase slowly slides back to reveal a hidden passage.

The Drakkar lies dead at the bottom of the ferry. He has a Short Sword and 6 Gold Crowns which you may keep if you wish. You push the body into the water where it floats for a few seconds before disappearing into the icy depths.

Grabbing the pole, you steer to the other side of the lake and abandon the ferry.

You can sense that there is someone else behind the screen. There is a lingering aura of wickedness around this shop. Be on your guardsomething is wrong here.

Most of the cupboards and drawers are empty. Whoever lived here took nearly everything they owned with them, but you do manage to scrape together enough fruit in the cellar for one Meal. You may mark this on your Action Chart.

Night is starting to close in. The shadows of the forest are growing longer and darker. Just as you are about to stop and rest, you see through the trees a line of people moving south along a wide highway. Moving closer, you notice a large merchants caravan in the centre of the dusty turnpike. It is drawn by six large horses and is moving much faster than any of the other traffic. This could be your chance to reach the capital as quickly as possible.

You follow the rough track for nearly an hour when you notice ahead of you another wider path branching off towards the south.

Urging your horse forward, you gallop down the long stretch of highway towards the capital. After only a few minutes your horse suddenly slows and finally limps to a halt. You dismount and examine its raised right foreleg. You curse your ill luck, for you see that it has thrown a shoe and injured its hoof quite badly. You will have to leave him here and proceed on foot as quickly as you can.

You suddenly feel a searing pain shoot through your chest as something explodes against you in a shower of red sparks.

You lose 10 ENDURANCE points. Through the smoke, the Sage is preparing to throw more explosives at you.

After an hour of walking you arrive at a junction. The path continues south and another path joins it from the west. You realize that the west path will lead you back to the marsh, so you continue southwards.

Their leader picks up your discarded Equipment and ushers you along the road ahead. (You must now erase all Weapons and Backpack Items from your Action Chart.) An evil grin spreads across the face of the other two men, and you suddenly realize that they are not soldiers after all. You make a break for it and run away from there, sprinting towards the distant capital.

Behind you, the ominous click of a crossbow being primed sends a shiver down your spine.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

The path soon joins a highway where a signpost indicates Toran to the north and Holmgard to the south. You turn south towards the capital.

The track soon reaches a larger road which crosses the stream via a stone bridge. A signpost at the bridge points north to Toran and south to Holmgard. The road itself is jammed with people moving south, some pushing their possessions along on handcarts. You join the refugee column and head towards the capital.

The ghoulish creatures thrust their spears at you and attack. Fight these creatures as a single enemy.

You see ahead a corridor sloping upwards, and as you reach the top of this slope, a stone portal slides across to reveal another passage ahead.

You step through the opening which then quickly closes with a crunch.

Just inside the door, you are stopped by a journeyman of the Guildhall and asked to explain your intrusion. You calmly inform him of your urgent message for the King, and he hurries you into the Guildmasters chambers.

A distinguished old man in deep purple robes turns to greet you and listens to your story. Taking you by the arm, he leads you into an adjoining library and closes the door. Pressing one of the many thousands of books, he releases a secret panel in the wall and beckons you to follow him.