You walk along a dimly lit corridor which opens out into a large square room, with an oak door in the far wall.

When you awake, the pain is but a memory. Restore all lost ENDURANCE points to your original score. A tall man dressed in white robes stands before you, a bowl of herbs in his hands. Placing the leaves into a kettle of boiling water, he then turns to greet you.

You have passed close to death and have seen his face, Kai Lord, but the Grey One has not claimed you for his flock. You are healed in body but I sense that you are wounded in spirit. What is it that troubles you so?

You recognize the man to be one of the Kings senior physicians, for the gold embroidered emblem of a dove upon his sleeve is the sign of his respected vocation. You tell the aged cleric of the events at the monastery and of your perilous journey to the King.

Raising you gently from the bed by your arm, he bids you follow him. You notice that you are in a lavishly decorated room which leads out through a long corridor lined with tapestries. It slowly dawns on you just where you are.

This is the citadel of Holmgard and you are about to meet the King.

You have been trudging through the forest for nearly two hours. The nagging fear that you are lost begins to seem a reality. Apart from the occasional cry of a Kraan in the far distance, you have seen or heard no evidence that the enemy is in this part of the forest. As you descend a rocky hillock, you see something unusual in the tangled woods ahead.

The path gradually narrows until it disappears completely into a mass of dense vegetation. You cannot go any further on this route and therefore you must return to the clearing.

You emerge into a small clearing. In the centre you see the skeletal remains of a large animal. To the south a narrow track leads off into the distance.

Placing one hand on his forehead and the other on his wounded arm, you feel the warmth of your healing powers leave your body and give strength to the injured man.

He tells you his name is Trimis and he is a soldier in Prince Pelathars army. The Prince and his troops are engaged in battle to the south, where a large force of the Darklords creatures are attacking the bridge of Alema. During the fight, he had been snatched into the air by a Kraan, and dropped into the forest.

You make the soldier as comfortable as possible before continuing on your mission.

You quickly escape from the madman and dodge along a dark alleyway where the houses are small and cramped together. At the very end is a green door with a sign above it that says:

Your senses reveal that more than just horses are heading towards you. You can just make out the very high shrieks of Giak war-cries in the distance. By the number of cries and curses you estimate that there are over a dozen Giaks, and probably Doomwolves as well. You decide that advertising your existence is perhaps not quite such a good idea after all!

All that remains of you now is embedded five feet into the stairs on which you were standing, beneath a vast granite block.

The bodyguard unsheathes a scimitar and lunges for your head.

Cautiously, you approach the base of the log wall. The tree trunks are rough-hewn and afford plenty of footholds for your climb. As you reach the top of the wall, you come face to face with a crossbow. The soldier holding it in your face motions for you to descend a wooden ladder to the ground. You do not argue with him. Slowly you descend the ladder.

As you go on you discover a forest path that divides at the point you join it.

After quite a struggle, you manage to free the heavy trunk from the river bank. Gathering your equipment in a bundle, you stow it on top of the log and then slowly wade out into the river. The current soon takes you and you drift slowly downstream.

After twenty minutes you hear the sound of horses along the left bank.

You have ridden several miles and have seen no sign of refugees or of the enemy. You race on towards a high ridge in the middle distance. You should be able to see the capital from there.

As you reach the peak, the sight that meets you on the far side is one of hopebut there is still one challenge you know you have to face.

You recognize the language to be that of the Kakarmi, an intelligent race of forest animals that live in, and care for the forests of Sommerlund. You have nothing to fear from these creatures as they are very timid and gentle in their behaviour. Using your skill of Animal Kinship, you call to them in their strange native tongue.

At first the descent is quite easy, but you soon find it difficult to see clearly and your legs feel very weak. The Sleeptooth scratches are affecting you, and suddenly you pitch forward and slip head-first into darkness.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

You are now up to your waist in slimy water. The air is thick with small insects that sting your face and clog your nose. Something wraps itself around your leg. It is a Marshviper and you must fight it.

The path continues eastwards but soon disappears into thick undergrowth.

The Kraan hovers above you, raising dust with the beat of its huge black wings. The dust gets into your eyes and nose, and you start to cough. Now the beast attacks.

You must fight it to the death. Because of the dust, you must reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 1 point.

If you win you have a choice.

In the far distance, you can make out the silhouette of soldiers on barges that are strung out in a line across the river. You can hear the low growls of Doomwolves returning along the opposite bank.

For once you throw caution to the wind and sprint along the river bank towards the barges in the distance.

You are about to ask the price of the potions when the bamboo screen crashes down and a young man leaps at you. He has a long curved dagger in his hand.

He is upon you and you must fight for your life.

The rough-looking leader approaches you and says, Our needs are simple, kind sir. Your money or your life!

After nearly an hour, you catch up with the horse and succeed in calming him down. You are now north of the cabin, but you are confident of finding your way back.

Mounting the horse, you ride back past the cabin, and press on towards the south once again.

You jump clear of the speeding caravan but land very badly and break your ankle. The pain is terrible and you soon lose consciousness.

Unfortunately you never wake up, but it may be of interest to you that your head is now adorning the saddle of a Kraan.

The Princes horse is indeed a magnificent animal, fast and sure of foot. You gallop along the twisting track as if it were a straight highway, until the noise of battle has disappeared far behind you.

You are hungry and must eat a Meal during your ride.

After several miles, the path stops abruptly at a junction. There is a signpost, but it has been hacked down.

The Gem hovers above the mouth of the skeleton king, glowing a fierce red. Suddenly, an explosion of searing crimson flame lashes upwards from the sarcophagus, destroying the Gem completely. You are thrown against the far wall and knocked unconscious.

When you awake, the chamber is completely empty. The skeleton king and the sarcophagus have vanished. You have lost 6 ENDURANCE points, and your initial COMBAT SKILL is reduced by 1 point for the rest of your life. (Remember to erase the Vordak Gem from your Action Chart. If you had two Gems, you need erase only one.)

You carefully get to your feet and stagger towards the tunnel.

You make full use of your Kai Discipline and quickly burrow deep into the loose earth of the wooded hillside. Covering yourself with your cloak, you pull a loose branch across your hastily dug shelter.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

The path meanders between several small, wooded hills and eventually leads to a ruined log cabin. It seems that it had burnt down not so long ago, for the ashes are still warm and a haze of smoke still lingers. You sense possible danger here.

As you push on into the forest, you hear the wings of the Kraan pass above the trees and disappear northwards. You ride on for nearly an hour until you come to a clearing. On the far side is a track that leads off to the south.

The path leads along a ridge of wooded hillocks and changes direction towards the east.

The wizard heeds your cry and spins around just in time to loose a searing bolt of energy at the Giak. The creatures head disintegrates in flames and its twitching body falls in a heap at the foot of the pillar. The Giak officer sees you and shouts, OgotOgot! to his cowering troops, who quickly run away from the ruins to the safety of the forest beyond.

The young wizard wipes his brow, and walks towards you, his hand extended in gratitude and friendship.

The lid of the sarcophagus slips to the floor with a dull crunch. You are looking at the remains of an ancient king, who lies still surrounded by his treasure. An ornate crown is still in position on his skull. The jaw of the skeleton is wide open and the darkness of the mouth seems strangely bottomless. A distant rumbling can now be heard from deep in the earth.

Hurrying through the forest, you stumble and fall down a steep slope which drops you in a heap on a hidden path below. On the path is a dead body. It is a Giak, a spiteful and ghoulish servant of the Darklords. Many centuries ago, their ancestors were used by the Darklords to build for them the infernal city of Helgedad, which lies in the volcanic wastelands beyond the Durncrag range of mountains. The construction of the city was a long and torturous nightmare, and only the strongest of the Giaks survived the heat and poisonous atmospheres of Helgedad. This creature that lies before you is a descendant of these Giak slaves. It has been killed by a sword blow to its head, and by its side lies a Mace. You may take this Weapon if you wish.

Your senses tell you that you are not alone. You are in very great danger. Return to the surface as quickly as you can.

Arrows hit the water above you, and drop harmlessly past as you swim beneath the surface towards the opposite bank.

Quickly you wade out of the river and dash for the trees. You are now out of range of the Giaks, who remount their Doomwolves and continue their chase.