Some way up the passage, you reach another junction where you may either go eastwards (turn to 199) or turn westwards (turn to 251).
263
You shout: 'You are freed, old man!' at the top of your voice. Instantly, his rantings cease. He stops dead in his tracks and sinks to the floor, weeping loudly. As he gradually composes himself, he thanks you many times. You talk with him in the hope of discovering some of the secrets of the mountain and he begins to tell his story. Many years ago he was an adventurer like you in search of the Warlock's treasure. He was captured by the Ores and thrown into his solitary cell as a sort of pet for the creatures. You ask whether he would like to accompany you into the mountain, but he simply wants to leave and see the world again. You ask him for advice but he says he knows little. He advises you to pay your respects to the boatman. He tells you that you must pull the right-hand lever on the wall ahead to open the iron gate at the end of the passage. He has also learned that the keys to the Boat House are guarded by a man and his dog. You shake hands, leave the room and go your separate ways. Add 1 LUCK. Turn to 314.
264
There is no way you are going to charge the door down, as it is twelve centimetres of solid oak! You bruise your sword arm at the attempt - lose 1 SKILL point. You can only get through the door if you have the Boat House key (if you have this key, turn to 80, and more fool you for not using it straightaway). Otherwise you will have to return to the riverbank and try again. Turn to 129.
265
You grope around the length of the wall and find a door. Quickly you fumble with the handle. It opens! Turn to 88.
266
The case opens easily and inside you find a magnificent bow and one silver arrow.
The case opens easily and inside you find a magnificent bow and one silver arrow. An inscription on the case says: 'The giver of sleep to those who never can'. You put the bow, arrow and case in your pack and leave the room, but you may eat Provisions first - and add 1 LUCK point. Turn to 237.
267
You now stand at a crossroads.
To go north
Turn to 312
To go south
Turn to 246
To go west
Turn to 79
To go east
Turn to 349
268
Their vocabulary is limited to a series of moans and groans. They appear not to be intelligent at all. Furthermore your conversation merely serves to attract their attention to you. They grip their weapons and it looks as though you will have to fight them. However, there is a slim chance that you could make it to the door you came in through. If you want to try for that door, turn to 13. If you have resigned yourself to a battle, turn to 282.
269
You arrive back at the junction and turn westwards. Turn to 225.
270
You enter the cavern and look around to see dozens of beautifully coloured stalactites and stalagmites bordering the perimeter. Numerous drips can be heard, but the whole place seems like a magic grotto. Near the back of the cavern, you come across a pair of boots, which seem to have been made quite recently. Will you:
Continue investigating the cavern?
Turn to 61
Try on the boots?
Turn to 394
Leave the cavern and return
to the junction?
Turn to 375
271
The short passage begins to narrow and ends a few metres ahead at a doorway. If you wish to go through the door, turn to 336. If you decide against this direction and go back to the river, turn to 214.
272
He calms down, takes the Gold (deduct this from your Gold) and rows you across to the north bank. After mooring the boat he ambles off down a passageway. Turn to 7.
273
A search of the room reveals nothing of any value, although an old box in the corner contains a wooden mallet and five short stumps of wood, sharpened at one end. You may take these if you wish, and can now leave through the door in the north wall. Turn to 189.
274
You leave the cavern along a long, narrow corridor. After several hundred metres, it ends at a large wooden door which is slightly ajar. Carefully you ease it open a little further and poke your head around the side to see what is in the room. You see a small old man sitting at a table on his own, playing with a pack of cards. He looks quite a harmless old soul, grey-haired and bearded. He is seated. What will you do:
Burst through the door, sword
drawn, to surprise the old man?
Turn to 324
Knock on the door and enter,
greeting the old man courteously?
Turn to 356
Get down on all fours and try to
creep into the room unnoticed?
Turn to 98
275
The corpse's eyes flick open and it quickly sits up and slashes at you with its long, sharp fingernails.
As you move over towards the second body, you accidentally kick the third corpse on the floor. Its eyes flick open and it quickly sits up and slashes at you with its long, sharp fingernails.
Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, the creature misses. If you are Unlucky, it has caught you across the leg and you suffer 1 STAMINA point's worth of damage. Turn to 230.
276
Turn to 182.
277
You are in a short passageway which comes to a dead end several metres ahead of you. You may search for secret passages (turn to 146), or you may return to the crossroads and either follow the passage ahead to the north (turn to 366), or turn to the west (turn to 11).
278
The passageway soon comes to an end at a locked wooden door. You listen at the door but hear nothing. Will you try to charge the door down? If so, turn to 156. If you would rather turn round and go back to the junction, turn to 92.
279
The creature you are facing is a VAMPIRE! You have various lines of attack. Your sword will do little real damage. A Crucifix will hold him at bay but will not kill him. If you have either of these you may use it to get you through the west door (turn to 380). If you are determined to kill the Vampire, you must overpower it and drive a wooden stake through its heart. If you have a wooden stake and wish to try to kill the Vampire, turn to 17. If you have none of these, draw your sword and turn to 333.
280
You arrive back at the junction and this time take the passageway to the east. The passageway runs for several paces eastwards, then turns north. Turn to 311.
281
The narrow passageway eventually becomes too small for you to walk along. You get down on your hands and knees, and crawl. Eventually, you will get no further and there seems to be no way through, so you decide to return to the main passage. You head for the junction Turn to 10.
282
The four creatures shuffling towards you are mindless ZOMBIES. Their vacant eyes suggest that their actions are controlled by a will which is not their own. You are still too dizzy to think properly, but you must act quickly. The first Zombie reaches you and prepares to swing his club. You must fight him.
ZOMBIE SKILL 7 STAMINA 6
If you defeat the first Zombie, add 2 LUCK points and turn to face the other three (fight each in turn):
SKILL
STAMINA
ZOMBIE with scythe
6
6
ZOMBIE with pick
6
6
ZOMBIE with axe
6
5
If you defeat all four, turn to 115.
283
You arrive back at the junction and progress westwards. Turn to 251.
284
'You again?' says the Maze-master, obviously annoyed at being disturbed. 'You are disturbing my concentration. Be off with you!' You begin to explain that you only returned by mistake, but as you open your mouth, an icy glare from the old man silences you. You decide to leave him to it. To leave by the west door, turn to 46. To leave by t
he south door, turn to 392.
285
You see a well-used door on the right-hand (east) side of the passageway. With your ear to the keyhole, you listen and hear a man screaming for help from inside. Will you open the door (turn to 213) or walk on (turn to 314)?
286
The narrow staircase is cut into the rock and there are about twenty steps leading down. At the bottom of the steps a passageway leads you into a large open chamber. This chamber stinks of putrefying flesh. The smell is so bad that you are tempted to turn back. Three bodies lie in the chamber. You may either search the bodies, or tiptoe quietly through the room. What will you do:
Search the first body?
Turn to 294
Search the second body?
Turn to 275
Search the third body?
Turn to 148
Tiptoe through the room?
Turn to 107
287
Gnawing at the bones are three Giant Rats which stop to look at you as you enter.
The passage continues for quite some time, then you reach the foot of a staircase cut into the rock. You ascend the stairs and they end at a wooden door with rusty hinges. Listening at the door, you can hear some scratching sounds. You try the handle and the door creaks open. You step into a bare room scattered with bones. There is a door on the wall opposite. Gnawing at the bones are three GIANT RATS which stop to look at you as you enter. Each is at least one metre long and their tatty coats indicate that they are fighters. You will have to take them on if you are going to get through the room, as they no doubt see you as a tasty meal. If you have collected any Cheese during your adventure, turn to 32. Otherwise, turn to 309.
288
Turn to 182.
289
You look frantically round the room but can see nothing to aid you. Suddenly your eyes stop on the pack of cards he was fingering as you entered, and you remember the rumours and stories the villagers told you: 'The Warlock's power comes from his cards.' The sorcerer sees your interest in them and you both rush for the table. You get there first. 'Leave those alone,' he screams, 'or you risk my fullest wrath!' But you move backwards and set fire to one with your lantern. He cries out wildly and then begins to plead with you to leave them alone. One by one you burn the cards and, as you do so, the Warlock diminishes in stature. As the last card goes up in flames, he stands facing you, a broken man. 'My book!' he croaks, and he tries to unlock the door on the far side. You race across to him with your sword drawn and spring at him. Resolve this battle:
WARLOCK SKILL 7 STAMINA 12
If you win, turn to 396.
290
Turn to 198.
291
You are standing in the middle of an east-west corridor. To the east is a dead end, which you can investigate by turning to 315. To the west is a familiar junction. To go this way turn to 52. Another passageway - quite a short one - leads off to the north and ends in a large wooden door. If you wish to try the door, turn to 227.
292
Northwards the passageway ends at a solid wooden door. You listen at the door but can hear nothing. There appears to be no choice but to open the door and enter the room, which you do. It's a large, square room. You flash your lantern around the room and catch a quick glimpse of its emptiness - although there are murals on the wall - before your lantern suddenly goes out. You try to re-light it, but it will not catch. In the blackness you hear a succession of frightful noises. Howls, screams, cries and wails are getting louder and louder until they reach the pitch where you must cover your ears. Do you have a Blue Candle? If so, turn to 239. If not, turn to 40.
293
You arrive back at the junction in the passage and walk straight on eastwards. Turn to 113.
294
You find 5 Gold Pieces in the pockets of the corpse.
Enter these on your Adventure Sheet and add 1 LUCK point for your find. You may now either:
Search the second body
Turn to 275
Search the third body
Turn to 148
Tiptoe through the room northwards
Turn to 107
295
You find no secret passages. However, your explorations attract some sort of creature, and as you listen you can hear something coming down the corridor towards you.
To find out what sort of wandering monster you have come across, turn to 161. You must fight the creature and, if you defeat it, you may press on down the passageway by turning to 48. However, at section 161 you will not be told where to progress to, so write down '48' now so you will know where to go after 161.
296
The box contains a small leather-bound book entitled The Making and Casting of Dragonfire. You open the pages and begin to read. Fortunately it is written in your own language and so was probably not understood by the Ores - otherwise this treasure would certainly not be as loosely guarded as it was.
The book is written in tiny handwriting by Farrigo Di Maggio. In it he tells the story of his life's work; the creation of the Dragonfire spell with which to fight evil Dragons. You read how, in his last years, Farrigo finally perfected his spell but by then was too old to make use of it. So he completed his book, locked it in a chest and hid it in the depths of Firetop Mountain, afraid that it might fall into the wrong hands. The last page reads:
You say these words slowly and softly. Suddenly the pages seem to glow and as this glow disappears, so do the words on the pages of the book. You repeat the spell to yourself to memorize it and leave the room. Turn to 42.
297
You are in an east-west corridor with a T-junction at both ends. To go westwards, turn to 150. To go eastwards, turn to 256.
298
The bridge is slippery from the splashings of the water. At one point you slip on a tuft of wet moss covering the timbers. Roll one die. A roll of 6 means you slip from the bridge into the water below and start swimming for the nearest bank - turn to 86. Any other roll is lucky; you managed to hold on and you reach the north bank (turn to 7
).
299
The passageway runs east for several metres and then runs north. You walk a long way northwards. You may check for secret passages along the way (turn to 260) or simply proceed northwards (turn to 359)
300
On the east wall of the passage you see another door, this time made of solid metal. Listening at the door you hear the sound of tortured screams coming from within. If you wish to try opening the door, turn to 102. If you decide to ignore this room and continue up the corridor, turn to 303.
301
To your left, on the west face of the passage, there is a rough-cut wooden door. You listen at the door and can hear a rasping sound which may be some sort of creature snoring. Do you want to open the door? If so, turn to 82. If you wish to press on northwards, turn to 208
.
302
Turn to 198.
303
An iron portcullis blocks your way and no amount of charging is going to budge it.
You arrive at the end of the passage, where it meets another going east-west. But an iron portcullis blocks your way and no amount of charging is going to budge it. On the wall to your right are two levers and it seems likely that these levers have something to do with raising the portcullis. Do you wish to pull the right lever or the left lever?
Right
Turn to 128
Left
Turn to 243
304
The old man is furious at your killing his dog! His eyes turn white with anger. He slowly rises from his seat and as he stands he appears to gain in size and stature. He is changing in front of your eyes. He sprouts hair on his face and forearms. His nose lengthens and becomes dog-like. His teeth are pointed. He is a WEREWOLF and he advances towards you.
You can Escape only through the door behind you to the south (turn to 66). Otherwise you must fight him:
WEREWOLF SKILL 8 STAMINA 8
If you def
eat him, turn to 203.
305
Test your Luck three times. If you are Lucky each time, you make it across to the far door and can leave the room. Turn to 162. On the first throw that you are Unlucky, you step on a hand tile - turn to 108.
The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain Page 8