The string of rooms, having rounded one corner, arrives at another, and then a T-junction. You may either go north (turn to 320) or east (turn to 285).

You take a deep breath in and swim towards the light. You arrive at a massive cavern with the light in the centre, and another breathing space. You take another huge breath and swim directly at the light. But unexpectedly, the you find that the light is actually a carnivorous Giant Piddock! These monstrous shellfish are usually found at the bottom of the deepest oceans, where they use their bioluminescent bile to attract fish before pulling them to their doom inside, and to the Piddock, you are nothing more than an inconvenient pike. You must defend yourself as it whips a lightning-fast tendril around your leg!

GIANT PIDDOCK

SKILL 9

STAMINA 9

Because you are fighting under deep water, you must subtract 3 from your Attack STrength during this combat. The Giant Piddock is experienced in these matters, and so has no Attack Strength penalty. In addition, you must keep track of the number of Attack Rounds; after Attack Round 6, turn to 59, and after Attack Round 12, turn to 340. If somehow you win, turn to 220.

As you stride unopposed through the huge doors, they slam shut no sooner than you are inside the fortress. The portcullis thumps into the ground behind you with a reverberating boom, only just missing you. If you had been a few millimetres further back, you would have been speared by it.

You stroll forth, and are stopped by a pair of guards. They yell and charge at you, swords high over their heads. You must fight for your life!

First ILDIOR GUARD Second ILDIOR GUARD

SKILL 7 SKILL 8

STAMINA 10 STAMINA 9

If you win, you continue heading along the corridor, by which time it is getting smaller, and eventually it stops at a staircase. If you wish to go upstairs, turn to 275. If you would prefer to go down, turn to 172.

The poison trickles through your veins and to every part of your anatomy. You try to resist but cannot. Overcome you black out and collapse onto the floor in a heap, praying for death to release you from this agony.

After a few hours, though, you recover, but much weaker than previously. Your Initial SKILL has been lowered by 2 points, and you will lose 4 points from your Initial STAMINA. Also, you will only gain 3 points of STAMINA from Provisions rather than the usual 4. Now, you investigate the room and, lovingly placed on a purple cloth on an oaken table is a silver horn engraved with "North Wind - 23". You take this with you and return to the main room - turn to 127.

This dull-looking hallway appears circular. There is a door on the outer side which you recognise as being the door you came through originally to enter this area and is locked. You may either walk clockwise (turn to 175) or anti-clockwise. (turn to 208)

This tunnel is fairly large, but is sloping downwads somewhat so there are no breathing places. Before entering, you take a deep breath in and set off down the tunnel as quickly as possible. You have barely gone thirty metres before your chest begins to tear with pain - lose 1 STAMINA point. However, respite is soon provided in the form of a small breathing area. You take a well-deserved breath in and decide where to swim to next. Will you:

Swim back and go into the large, cavernous tunnel? (Turn to 228)
Swim back and go into the small tunnel? (Turn to 305)
Continue towards the eerie light? (Turn to 29)

The upper tunnel is fairly dry and firm underfoot, but it soon becomes very tiring walking along it, so you must eat a meal. After several hours without any sign of an end, you are almost contemplating giving up. If you wish to give up and go into the water-filled tunnel, which could be riddled with all manner of horrors, turn to 234. If you would rather continue, turn to 7.

You step onto the wooden beam, which is very slippery, and slowly edge your way towards the other end. Being very careful to avoid sliding off into the pit, you slowly head towards the other side. Once or twice you wobble somewhat, but you regain your footing and successfully reach the other side. You then are explaied to that you have completed this challenge successfully. If you have now passed three ordeals, turn to 279. If not, return to 389 and pick a different one.

You plug the four wind horns into the machine and pump the lever. After a while, an earsplitting chord emerges loudly and the door at the end swings open. You go through it, but it smashes shut behind you... Turn to 385.

The path leads around in a winding and strange fashion, before it doubles back and joins onto the othe path you could have taken - turn to 260.

You are gasping for breath and your mouth takes in a gulp of water. The pain is excruciating and you think you are going to black out. You desperately try to free yourself from the Piddock's grasp but to no avail. Lose 4 STAMINA points, then return to 29.

With a great sense of foreboding, you open the vicious-looking door. Inside you find a dwarf, who is looking much the worse for wear. He is chained up by his wrists, ankles, and neck to the wall and the chains are so short that he cannot move off the wall whatsoever. He looks in no fit state to talk whatsoever and has not eaten for days. If you would like to offer hime some food, cross off 1 Provision and turn to 311. If you would rather leave him alone and return to the large room, turn back to 127.

You trudge onwards down the circular hall and eventually come to a section of corridor with a door on the inside edge. This door appears to have been broken down several times in the past and is looking somewhat the worse for wear. If you want to go in, turn to 86. If you want to walk clockwise around the loop, turn to 208. If you would rather walk anti-clockwise, turn to 351.

You open the left-hand door and stride into it, hoping that it is the right one. You are soon proved wrong. A fireball shoots from the wall ahead and slams into your chest, knocking you over - lose 5 STAMINA points. If you are still alive, you find a brass plaque that reads "THE WRONG DOOR" on the wall and continue, finding that the passage merges with the right-hand one. Turn to 288.

The door opens onto a room with a large metal door and four tubes designed for pumping air, all of which look like they would fit into the mouthpiece of a horn, and a large handle. When you pull the handle a blast of air issues from these tubes. You deduce that the door is opened using this mechanism somehow. Then, with a flash of inspiration, you realise that the answer is horns! If you have four horns, you will know the numbers engraved on them. Add these numbers up and turn to that paragraph. If you wish to come back later, you may - turn to 4.

In this room you notice a vicious-looking machine with two grooved rollers each rotating in opposite directions. Nimue explains that for the Endurance challenge, you must put your hand into the machine while she rotates it. You do so, and the pain is quite excruciating. You feel like your hand will be ripped off your arm. Roll one die; this is the number of points damage you take to your STAMINA. If your STAMINA is now less than 9, turn to 328. If not, turn to 239.

The path continues to wind between the trees and then gives way to a type of brush which continues solidly on the left side of the path. If you would like to investigate, turn to 359. If not, you carry on and the path ends. You decide to retrace your steps and head back to the other fork. (turn to 242)

You notice something glinting in a corner of this tunnel, and quickly swim nearer it. You begin to scrape away the silt and mud from it, and you crave for air, and your chest begins to hurt - lose 1 STAMINA point. After much digging, you find it is a copper key engraved with the number "112". You take the key with you; after all, if its owners went to such lengths to hide it it must be important. Add 1 LUCK point. Now, will you either go into the tunnel with an eerie light at the end (turn to 40), or the large, cavernous tunnel? (turn to 228)

You plunge into the blackness, grasping out for something to hold onto, and catch the edge of the trapdoor. You hope that it does not crumble under your weight and leave you to drop. After several minutes of heaving, you pull yourself out and onto the other side. You continue down the dark hallway until you reach a wall. Disappointed, you take a run and jump over the trapdoor successfully, leave the hallway, and get back out into the loopy corridor. Turn to 344.

You go through the jaw-shaped door and enter a room which once was occupied by the two guards you fought outside. It is bereft on any notable feature apart from a shelf on the wall. On this shelf is a copper key marked "57". You decide to take this with you. If you decide to go into the other room in this area, turn to 335. If you would prefer to leave and go back to the main room, turn to 127.

You laboriously push open the oaken doors and find yourself in a long, spiralling downwards hallway. You notice that up ahead is a large ornate door similar to the one you came through to enter the aream with a large onyx I on it. You open this door and find yourself before an ornately armoured fighter with lethal-looking spikes on his legs and shoulders, and slashing blades on his forearms. He is equipped with a very heavy flanged mace which he wields in both hands. He says, in a gravelly and deep voice, that you must fight him if you are to gain the West Wind. If you would like to fight him, turn to 113. If you would rather leave, return to 66.

You confidently thrust open the door and step through it. It is very dark inside, but here is a seemingly firm ground beneath your feet. After only a few paces the floor gives way to a possibly bottomless hole! Test Your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 75. If you are Unlucky, turn to 131.

You notice a faint gap around one of the bricks. You pull on it and reveal the jewel behind it. "Very good indeed," says Nimue. Now return to 389 and choose a different test, unless you have now passed three in which case turn to 279.

The Bulette topples to the ground with an almighty crash causing a small earthquake in the room that it is in. You stroll past it and recover the blue jewel from the shelf on the far side of the room. When you emerge, Nimue explains that you have passed this test. If you have now passed three challenges, turn to 279. If not, turn to 389 and choose a test you've not already attempted.

You tell Nimue that you cannot work out the answer. You have failed this challenge, so turn back to 389 and pick a different one.

You find yourself at the bottom of the stairs and in a very small room indeed. There seems to be only just enough room to turn around. There are doors on both the left and right-hand sides, and a stairwell at the opposite end that leads downwards. If you would like to go through the left-hand door, turn to 301. If you would like to go through the right-hand door, turn to 163. If you would like to descend the stairs, turn to 209.

The poison trickles through your veins and to every part of your anatomy. You try to resist its effects but you cannot. Overcome, you black out and collapse onto the floor in a heap, and do not recover. Your adventure ends here.

Here the path twists and turns rather strangely, before merging with the other path you could have taken - turn to 260.

Nimue leads you into the third doorway along from the left and shows you a room with a hole across it and a very thin walkway across the hole. You assume you must cross this walkway to reach the other side, then cross back. Test Your Skill. If you succeed, turn to 46. If you fail, turn to 284.

No sooner have you raised you weapon than the woman aims her staff at you and, with an earth-shattering scream, fires a successive number of pure white energy blasts from the ball on the end. They slam into you and your body is consumed by the intense heat. The flesh melts off your bones and then your bones disintegrate into billions of constituent pieces. You are well and truly dead and have failed.

As you walk along the path, you are leapt on and ambushed by a wolf. Quickly, you draw your sword.

WOLF

SKILL 6

STAMINA 5

If you win, turn to 73.

You creak open the double doors and find yourself in a small room with one small exit to the west, which you take. Turn to 332.

You draw your sword and advance on the champion. You put a major slant onto speed as you assume that his huge mace will slow him down. But you are wrong. He is deceptively quick and agile, and his flanged mace is very devastating - whenever he hits you, roll a die, on 4,5, or 6 you will take 3 points of damage to your STAMINA instead of the normal 2 points.

GUARDIAN OF THE WEST WIND

SKILL 10

STAMINA 13

If you win, you walk on and find the West Wind Horn on a shelf at the end of the hallway. You take it and notice it has "West Wind - 14" engraved on the side. Return to 66.

You gulp down the Purple Potion and feel an inhuman strength flood over you! You feel stronger, faster, tougher, and more agile! Your Initial SKILL has gone up by 1 and your Initial STAMINA has also gone up by 1 as well! Also, both these scores have been restored to their Initial levels! So this explains why such a fearsome creature was in the room where you found this potion! Now return to the paragraph you came from.

At the bottom of the stairs is a large, empty room with three doors at one end. All the doors, however, look menacing and nasty... they each are sculpted like a huge pair of jaws with vicious, jagged teeth. You just hope that they are sculpted and not really huge pairs of jaws....

If you wish to take the left-hand door, turn to 65. If you want to go through the central door, turn to 399. For the right-hand door, turn to 337.

You plunge into the blackness and attempt to grab onto the side. You succeed, but only momentarily as under your weight, the floor crumbles and you drop like a stone into the blackness, denting the bottom of the pit with your impact. Your adventure ends here and the legions of Ildior now have nothing to stop them rampaging across the land, leaving a trail of murder and pillage behind them.

You walk into the room confidently and without incident. Then you realise, with horror, that a tripwire had been placed at the doorway, which would have possibly set off an alarm and alerted the guards! Now, will you take the door on the left (turn to 2) or the door on the right? (turn to 335)

The book is old and most of the pages are worn with age and the ink is very smudged on some. However, one page does contain readable information: Flying solutions are.... crimson in c... ur and can be made... following... procedure:

1. Take some... vering potion.... juice... from a Giant Pidd..k.
2. All.. to mature for... eleven min...es.

Remember that Hove... tend to be col... ed vermilion and ...

The rest of the page is too smudged to continue reading, so you put the book back and leave the room. Turn to 98.

You confidently say to the stone mouth, "One hundred and forty four," and wait with bated breath for the mouth's answer. After what was probably only a few seconds, but ssems like an aeon, the door swings open and allows you through. Turn to .

You jump into the frame and start scrambling towards the other end. It is difficult work and is not helped by the frame's rotation. Then you notice that scrambling towards you is what looks like a Skeleton Warrior dressed in ornate armour. You will obviously have to fight this enemy.

Due to the combatants' both being tangled up in a rotating maze of ropes, combat becomes very different. Both combatants must Test Their Skill at the start of each Attack Round. If either fail, they will drop their weapon and will face a penalty of 2 to their Attack Strength. Furthermore, whenever a blow is successfully struck no damage will occur unless the combatant who won that attack round successfully Tests Their Skill. Now the combat begins.

ELITE SKELETON WARRIOR

SKILL 10

STAMINA 14

If you win, you scramble out of the tangled mass and carry on. Turn to 221.

You are almost screaming when Nimue stops the machine and explains you have passed this test. However, your hand is not quite what it used to be after its experience in the rollers. Nimue touches it with the ball on the end of her oaken staff and it restores to its normal self again. Restore all the points you lost during this challenge to your STAMINA. IF you have now passed three tests, turn to 279. If not, return to 389 and pick a different one.

This is the Luck Test. Nimue takes a Gold Piece from the inside of her cloak and asks you to call what side it will land on. Test Your Luck. IF you are Lucky, turn to 333. If you are Unlucky, turn to 307.

This door creaks open to reveal an odd room indeed... there is a cylindrical metal frame with ropes wound across it in a disorganised manner, and the whole metal frame is rotating slowly. If you would like to attempt to cross the frame, turn to 149. If you would rather leave it be, turn back to 98.

The stairs leading downwards are treacherously dangerous. There are huge carpets of rubble, and uneven-nesses, not to mention that a lot of them are wet. Test Your Luck. If you are Lucky, you get to the bottom without any incident. If you are Unlucky, however, you trip and stumble, sliding to the bottom in the process and twisting your ankle - lose 1 SKILL and 2 STAMINA points. Whatever the outcome, turn to 127.

The stairs lead upwards to a very ornate room indeed. It is square in shape and at the end is a corridor with similar ornate decor. You go down the corridor and find a brass plaque that says "LEAP OF FAITH", and a hole across the floor which stretches as far as you can see. You look down the hole and see rows of sharpened spikes all lined up to catch you if you fall. The hole is far too wide to jump across, so you may either use a Flying Potion if you have one (turn to 304) or stride confdently into the pit, which contains rows of sharpened spikes to catch you if you fall... (turn to 232)

This is another sector of the dull circular hallway that you are in, and has a wooden door on the inner side. If you wish to go clockwise around the loop, turn to 373. If you wish to go anti-clockwise, turn to 37. If you wish to go into the room, turn to 281.

You put the three copper keys in the locks and turn them. The door swings open to reveal a hallway with walls of similar, neat, beige blocks, adorned with regal banners. At the end is an open doorway which leads onto a circular hallway. Seeing as you have no other way to go, you stride through... only to hear it slam shut and lock behind yourself. Turn to 37.

You thrust open the door and reveal a lethal looking trap. A passage is ahead, with huge serrated blades mounted on belts at both sides of the room coming towards you, then turning around at a small wheel on the wall, then heading back at high speed. You realise that you will have to run along the corridor (which is covered in blood) and jump over the blades that are coming towards you and away from you. IF you would like to undertake this dangerous and ill-advised activity, turn to 310. If not, you leave - return to 208.

You know what to do, so you take the Piddock's shell above the water and pour some of its luminous bile into the liquid until it turns a crimson colour. You re-stopper the liquid and put it away in your backpack - cross off "vermilion potion" and add "crimson potion". Now return to 220 and make another choice.

With an almighty effort, you push open the door and stride through it. Then, to your alarm, the door slams itself shut behind you. You try to force it open but without any success. Unabashed, you continue down the passage and round a corner, only to find that it is a dead end. You have unknowingly incarcerated yourself and your adventure ends here.

As you enter the room, a pair of horrifically jagged darts fly at you from a skull-shaped attachment on the wall. You instinctively duck but are too slow. Both of them slam into your chest. You use all your strength to pull them out but their barbs rip some of your flesh off with them. Then, with shock, you notice that the tips of them have been poisoned! You must roll three dice and compare the total with your STAMINA. If the number rolled is lower, turn to 36. If it is higher, turn to 99.

You take a run up to the narrow point of the crevice, and leap as far as you can. Test Your Skill. If you succeed, you make it to the other side - turn to 387. If you fail, you fall down the chasm screaming and are dead long before you hit the ground.

The circular hallway continues, still using the same beige stone blocks for its walls that you are used to here. The, on the outside edge you encounter another door of the same type you saw at the entrance to this area - beige stone with an onyx I mounted on it. If you would like to go through, turn to 190. If you would rather carry on down the hall, turn to 37 to go clockwise or 66 to go anti-clockwise.

These stairs are damp and slippery, not to mention that some of them are missing, or have huge piles of rubble all over them. Travelling down this stairwell will be very tricky. Test Your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 15. If you are Unlucky, turn to 248.

Nimue tells you that you have given the right answer. If you have now passed three tests, turn to 279. Otherwise, return to 389 and choose a test you have not yet attempted.

You are in excriciating agony as you strike the Piddock the blow that kills it. Instinctively, you shoot upwards towards the surface and take in huge lungfus of air. Then you swim back down and start investigating the cavern, but your search proves fruitless. If you have a vermilion potion in a flask, turn to 238. If not, you can either swim back to the main cavern and take the small tunnel (turn to 305), or the large tunnel. (turn to 228)

After the infernal rope maze you reach a door with a stone mouth sculpted onto it, which appears to be alive and speaking.

"Answer my puzzle to be proven worthy," says the mouth.

"What is the next in this sequence - 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89?"

If you think you know the answer, turn to that paragraph. If you are wrong, or do not know the answer, you must leave - turn to 98.

You fail to notice a tripwire stretched between the doorposts and fall flat on your face. Also, an infernal screeching sounds pervades through the entire fortress for a few seconds! and out of the left-hand door come two heavily armed guards. They charge at you, screaming death like a pair of Demons. You will automatically lose the first Attack Round, as they have the advantage of surprise. You must then fight them one at a time.

First ILDIOR GUARD Second ILDIOR GUARD

SKILL 8 SKILL 7

STAMINA 10 STAMINA 11

If you win, you may choose either to go through the left-hand door (turn to 79) or the right (turn to 335).

The water in this tunnel peters out and eventually becomes little higher than knee-deep. Ahead, you see an empty cavern bar two things. One is an ornate stone pedestal, and the other is large, deep blue, spectral-looking and heading towards you... You realize with horror that it is a Death Spectre and feeds on the very soul of living beings. If you wish to run away, you may either go into the small tunnel (turn to 305) or into the tunnel with the eerie light at the end (turn to 40).

If you do not decide to flee, you must fight the Death Spectre.

DEATH SPECTRE

SKILL 8

STAMINA 7

For every two hits the Death Spectre scores on you, you will lose 2 points from your Initial STAMINA as the Spectre's life-draining touch takes effect. In addition, non-magical weapons will not affect the Death Spectre very much and so only do half damage. If you win, turn to 397.

You take a deep breath and stroll towards the pit at a quick pace. You do not stop for the edge and you expect to fall in, but by some miracle you are kept hovering above the pit. When you arrive at the other side, you feel cleansed and rejuvenated by this miracle - restore 3 STAMINA points and 1 LUCK point. Turn to 13.

You take a deep breath and jump into the icy waters. The chill of the flow makes you shiver - lose 1 STAMINA point due to hypothermia. There are breathing spaces at regular intervals and as you swim along the water becomes warmer. Then, quite abruptly, the tunnel splits into three, one large and cavernous (turn to 228), one small and dark (turn to 305, and one medium-sized and with an eerie light at the end (turn to 40)

Have you read the damaged book on potions? If so, turn to 194. If not, return to 220.

You block out any expression of pain from your face as Nimue rotates the handle faster, causing the grooves on the rollers to dig in harder and you to grit your teeth tighter. You are sweating all over and blood is streaming from your hand. Take another die of damage to your STAMINA; if it is now less than 9, turn to 328. Otherwise, turn to 157.

This path leads onward to the very entrance of Fortress Ildior! You break into a run as youhead toward the castle. The castle itself is built on an artificial earth mound with a track leading up towards its entrance. There appears to be no guards on he drawbridge and, most disturbingly, the drawbridge is down, and the huge buttressed doors on it are wide open, as if they are expecting you... Turn to 33.

You trip, stumble, roll over and over, and at last arrive at the bottom of the stairs in a disorganised heap. You are grazed all over and your face is skewbald with bruises. Lose 3 STAMINA points. You scramble to your feet, brush yourself off and continue along the corridor - turn to 396.

In the brush you notice, caught in the branches, a glass bottle containing a vermilion liquid. You decide to take this with you (note it down on your adventure sheet), and retrace your steps. Turn to 242.

Although you are scrutinising each brick individually, you find nothing. You have failed the test. Return to 359.

This tunnel shows signs of extreme electrical scorch-marks that only a very high charge could cause. There is also a faint crackling in the air. Unperturbed, you carry on, the lightning damage more and more severe until you round a corner and are find the source of the damage - a strange ball-like creature which is emitting enormous jagged lightning bolts towards you. You must fight this Lightning Elemental.

LIGHTNING ELEMENTAL

SKILL 14

STAMINA 5

Whenever you hit the Lightning Elemental, you must subtract 1 point from our own STAMINA due to the short-circuit you are creating with it. If you win, turn to 386.

"This is a test of logic and reasoning. You must work out the next number in this sequence - 1, 8, 27, 64, 125" she explains. If you think you know the answer, turn to that paragraph. If you are wrong, the paragraph will make no sense whatsoever. If you get it wrong, or give up, turn to 97.

You try the handle, but the door won't budge. You put all your weight behind it

You trudge onward into the north-west hall. A Time Elemental swoops down from the west to attack. If you wish to flee southward, turn to 332.

If not, you must fight the Time Elemental.

TIME ELEMENTAL

SKILL 8

STAMINA 11

When the Time Elemental hits you, you must roll a dice. On a 6, turn immediately to 80.

If you win, you go east - turn to 345.

You trudge up the stairs, sword drawn in case of any guards that may charge down and attack you. When you finally reach the next level, you walk along the corridor, which, you notice, now has walls made of neatly fitted beige blocks rather than the irregular moss-covered grey stone of the lower levels. At the end is a door which has a large, polished onyx letter I on it, and three copper keyholes. If you have three copper keys, turn to 19. If you don't, you must go all the way back down the stairs until you reach the lower level - turn to 172.

You look in, under, round every trophy and find nothing. You inspect each trophy individually for secret compartments and find nothing. Your exhaustive search has taken quite a lot out of you, so you must eat a meal. Return to 3 and make another choice.

Having completed three of the challenges successfully, Nimue opens the seventh door to you, the one marked "EXIT". You leave this area and enter an azure-coloured hallway with walls, floors, and ceilings made out of the same colour stone blocks. This hallway continues onward for a seemingly enless distance, and curls into a spiral shape going upwards. You become very tired along the way (eat a meal) and finally arrive at some stairs leading upward. You climb them and reach a beautifully carved stone archway with a pair of wooden doors in it. The doors have a brass plaque next to them which reads "THE MEDUSA MAZE". You must go onward; there is no point going back downstairs. Turn to 112.

The door swings open into a room with a really strange piece of machinery inside. This colossal device appears to be partially set into the wall. There is a glass panel on the front which has the a silver horn behind it, and there are nine large iron switches placed in a three-by-three grid. You also notice that there is an engraved panel above the levers saying "X MARKS THE SPOT", and each lever has a different number on it as shown -

You begin teetering along the wooden beam but halfway aolng you wobble once, then again, then with a muffled "Aarh!" you slip off into the hole, which although is only five metres deep, has a hard floor and you crack your head on it - subtract 1 point from your STAMINA. You climb out and return to the main room to select another ordeal - turn to 389.

This corridor is just as ornate as the others with its silver-coloured stone and leads into a square room with a tiled floor. Inside the room you see a woman with brown hair wearing a red hooded robe with the hood down and a silver breastplate. She carries a four-foot long oaken staff with a swirling crystal ball on the end.

"Greetings," she says. "We were expecting you. I see that the tests have taken a partial toll on you. Come, you must prove your worthiness to enter the inner reaches of Ildior."

If you will obey her, turn to 389. If you attack her, turn to 106.

You have pulled the wrong combination of levers. A totally unexpected spear shoots from a hidden ballista in the wall. Test Your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 49. If you are Unlucky, turn to 398.

Two darts fly out of a skull-shaped attachment on the opposite side of the room and you instinctively duck. Amazingly, they both miss you entirely and you breathe a sigh of relief. Inside the room you notice that there is a silver horn lovingly placed on a purple cloth on an oaken table. If you wish to take the horn with you, note that it has an engraving on the side which reads "North Wind - 23". You leave the room and return to the area you arrived at first on this level - turn to 127.

The door to this room is made of mature oak and has obviously not seen much use recently. As you open, it creaks slowly and stiffly. You force it open and notice a smell of death hanging in the air, and piled in the other side of the room is a withered corpse, but it is not any old corpse, as you soon find out when you stride across the room towards it. It leaps at you, hands outstrecthed as if to strangle you. Your scalp prickles, you realize that the living body is actually a Wight and is hungry for your life's energy. You must defend yourself against this abomination.

WIGHT	SKILL 7	STAMINA 9

Every third Attack Round you lose to the Wight, you will lose 1 SKILL point.

If you defeat this undead horror, you search the room, and find a very old book sitting in a corner. If you wish to read the book, turn to 143. If not, you should return to 98 and choose another room.

You drink the Flying Potion and sprout a pair of silvery wings from your back. You use the wings to fly across the spike-filled hole and land safely on the other side. When you touch down, the wings have disappeared. Turn to 13.

This tunnel is very small and cramped, and does not appear to lead anywhere at all. It comes to an abrupt halt, and there is certainly nothing here, or is there? Test Your Awareness. If you succeed, turn to 74. If you fail, you may either take the tunnel with an eerie light at the end (turn to 40 or the large, cavernous tunnel 228.

You call a head, but the coin lands tail side up! You have failed. Turn to 389 and try a different test.

You begin to run towards the blades and jump over them. You must Test Your Skill six times. Any time you fail, you will take 2 STAMINA points' worth of damage as the blade slices into your leg and also add 1 to the dice roll every time you Test Your Skill in this corridor. And yes, these penalties are cumulative, so if you fail the first roll you will have to add 1 to the dice roll for every other SKILL roll in this area, and if you fail again, you will have to add a further 1 to the roll and so on. After 6 Tests for Skill, you have made it to the end of the passage - turn to 363.

The dwarf tells you that his name is Lasin and he was captured by a squad of elite soldiers working in the mountains. Apparently he was on his way to warn the city of Fangthane of the massing of an army underneath the fortress when the swooped and captured him. He also says that there is a secret door openable via a hidden button on the wall in this cell.

If you want to find this secret door, Test Your Awareness. If you succeed, turn to 388. If you fail, or do not want to look for the door, turn back to 127.

You gulp down the crimson liquid. Almost instantly a pair of white feathered wings shoot from your back and you appear to grow muscles with which to fly them. You take off and make it across in three flaps. Note down you now have Wings on your Adventure Sheet and turn to 387.

After two more identical-looking rooms you arrive at a solid wooden door to the east. The door is old and has not seen much use at all in recent decades. If you would like to go into the ancient chamber, turn to 270. If you would rather go back to the T-junction and take the east passage, turn to 285.

You look at the banner closely, and you notice a strange lump in it! Quickly, you grope around behind the banner and find a copper key engraved with the number "9". You put this key in your backpack and leave the room, scramble over the rope maze and return to the tiny room. You understand with a flash of inspiration that these keys are obviously very important indeed. Return to 98.

You shriek in agony as the grooved rollers bite int oyour hand. Nimue stops the machine and you extract your now hardly-recognizable hand. A quick touch of her staff however, causes it to become its previous self again. Restore all the points that you lost during this challenge to your STAMINA. You have failed this ordeal, so return to 389 and choose a different test.

You go through the doorway into a room which looks extremely similar to the one you just left. It has two exits - east (turn to 8) and west (turn to 345).

You decide to call a head, and Nimue flips the coin high into the air. When it lands it is indeed head side up! You have passed. Now if you have passed three challenges, turn to 279. If not, turn to 389 and choose a test you have not tried yet.

Test Your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 300. If you are Unlucky, turn to 200.

This door opens and, as you step through it, you have a horrible suspicion it's going to bring its teeth down hard on the back of your skull. However, it does not.

The passage behind this door seems to be sloping downward, and is lined with very large cobwebs. You shudder at the thought of any spider that could create webs that big, and after only a few more paces, you turn a corner and come face-to-face with the horror. It is a Giant Orbweb Spider and it advances, clacking its mandibles with every pace. You'll be needing every amount of courage to defeat this creature.

GIANT ORBWEB SPIDER

SKILL 9

STAMINA 12

If you win, the Spider gives an almighty shudder, and you reel with horror at the sight of all the slimy green blood you have drawn from this creature. You then continue along the path and arrive at some stairs leading downward, which you utilise. Turn to 98.

Nimue opens the OBSERVANCE door and leads you down a tunnel to a seemingly featureless wall. She explains that a jewel is hidden behind a loose brick in the wall and that you must find it. You are allowed as long as you like to study the wall. Test Your Awareness. If you succeed, turn to 89. If you fail, turn to 259.

You are gasping for breath and taking in huge mouthfuls of water. You are stuck down and start thrashing in an attempt to remove the Piddock's tendril from your leg. You succeed, but it is all in vain as a few seconds later you black out due to air loss, and never recover, as the Piddock slips its stomach inside you and.... Your adventure ends here.

Continuing round the loop soon yields another door on the inside of the ring. This door is somewhat unusual, as it is made of the sort of glass you are most likely to find in toilet windows. If you wish to avail yourself of this access, turn to 87. If you would rather walk on by, turn to 373 to go anti-clockwise or 4 to go clockwise.

This is the entrance to the maze. There are huge double-doors to the north, and a doorway to the east, which you take - turn to 332.

This area continues the loop with a large oaken door on the outside. If you wish to go through this door, turn to 358. If you would rather go down the hallway, you may go clockwise (turn to 66) or anti-clockwise (turn to 4).

You fling open the door - which, you notice, is reinforced with metal on the back - and stare down the most fearsome-looking monstrosity you have ever seen in your life. The creature has a snakelike body, which is plated with a metallic-looking material, several huge, scaly legs, and a head five feet wide. The creature, which you recognize as being known as a Scalamander, is a crossbreed between a Giant Lizard and a Giant Scorpion. You will need to know no fear in the coming battle as it closes on you deceptively quickly and slashes at you with its lizard-like claws and its slashing stinging tail.

SCALAMANDER

SKILL 11

STAMINA 18

If you win, the Scalamander crashes to the floor with an almighty thud, and the earth appears to shake. You clamber over its corpse and search the room. After an exhaustive (eat a meal) and fruitless search, you find a small glass vial in a corner containing a purple liquid. If you wish to drink this at any time, turn to 121. Now you leave. Turn to 351.

Test Your Awareness. If you succeed, turn to 256. If not, you go back to the previous fork and turn left. (242)

You successfully make it to the end of that devious ordeal, and find a shelf with the South Wind Horn on it. It has the number "4" engraved on its side. You put it in your pack, and take a run up again for that horrific ordeal. Test Your Skill another six times, losing 2 STAMINA points every time you fail and adding 1 to the die roll for every time you have failed so far, including on the outward journey. After six Tests For Skill, you make it to the end you started at; return to 208.

You have stumbled in on a group of Orc Guards armed with axes, and their commander, a human with a permanent snarl, need of a personality transplant and a very large broadsword. They rush you in pairs. You draw and defend yourself.

You will have to fight two of the Orcs at a time. To do this, you calculate Attack Strengths as normal, but before any dice are rolled, you must decide which opponent you attack this round. If your Attack Strength is higher than that opponent, you have wounded it. If lower, it has damaged you in the normal way. However, you must also compare Attack Strengths with all the other creatures you are fighting. If theirs is higher, they wound you in the normal way, but if yours is higher, you have not done them any damage - you have simply defended yourself from their blow.

First ORC Second ORC Third ORC Fourth ORC GUARD COMMANDER

SKILL 7 SKILL 8 SKILL 6 SKILL 8 SKILL 10

STAMINA 8 STAMINA 7 STAMINA 9 STAMINA 7 STAMINA 15

If you win, you search the room from floor to ceiling, but your searches only reveal some stale, mouldy food, a rusty dagger, and a broken bow. Demoralised, you leave the room - turn to 373.

Nimue leads you through the sixth door into a huge room. She then explains you must get the jewel from the other side of the room. Then she leaves. You start striding through the chamber. Suddenly, your way is blocked by a huge scaly ponderous mountain of havoc with a thickly armoured shell. The creature is a very rare Bulette, a solitary mountain dweller which relies on its massive jaws to swallow most prey whole. You must defend yourself as it lumbers toward you, its every step causing the ground to shake.

BULETTE

SKILL 7

STAMINA 25

Whenever the Bulette rolls a double when working out Attack Strengths, you will take 5 damage to your STAMINA should it hit you instead of the normal 2 points. If you beat this monstrosity, turn to 91.

You tentatively begin teetering across the frayed rope bridge and carefully, making every attempt not to plunge downward into the blackness. After ehat seems like miles, but is only a few metres, you arrive at the other side - turn to 387.

The hallway continues around the circle, and you find yourself outside a door. If you would like to open and go through this door, turn to 369. If you would rather walk away, you may either go clockwise (turn to 344) or anti-clockwise (turn to 175).

The path continues again, twisting and turning repeatedly, until you arrive at a point where another path splits off from the main one. If you would like to go this way, turn to 242. If not, you continue along this track - turn to 109.

Test Your Awareness. If you succeed, turn to 321. If you fail, return to 3.

The corridor starts off with the neat beige blocks you saw earlier, which gradually degrade into higgledy-piggledy stones cemented together, wich then degrades further into a dirt tunnel with wooden pit-props. You continue yet further and notice that you are sloping downward. You then begin to curve around to the left in a spiraling manner. You realise that you are heading down into the bowels of Fortress Ildior. The tunnel also gets smaller and son you are reduced to crawling, until it opens out into a massive cavern, with a huge crevice across it. You realise you must somehow cross this crevice. There is a point narrow enough for you to jump over (turn to 206), or there is a highly suspicious rope-bridge (turn to 371). If, alternatively, you have a Flying Potion and want to use it here, turn to 312.

When the Lightning Elemental is struck the killing blow, there is a huge thunderclap. Instinctvely, you dive onto the floor as the Elemental dies in a furious shower of hot white sparks. The walls become blackened and scorched and the heat is so intense that some of the surfaces of the tunnel start to dribble slightly. Finally, it explodes with a fountain of heat. You carry on and reach a tunnel that spirals upwards, culminating in a set of stairs. Turn to 173.

Having arrived on the other side one way or another, you now set off to the other side of the cavern, upon where you are confronted with a choice of two tunnels - one which curves to the left, and one to the right. If you wish to go to the left, turn to 103. If you would prefer to go to the right, turn to 52.

After much searching, running your hands along the walls and pushing each brick individually, you locate the button which opens the secret room Lasin was talking to you about, if you could call it large enough to be a room. All it contains is a sword and a scroll, both of which you pick up. The scroll reads as follows, and reads more like a page from a history book:

This sword was once owned by the legendary adventurer Lord Ewan and is highly magical. It is, in fact, the sword that slew the evil sorcerer Craggen Dire and Zagor, the warlock of Firetop Mountain. However, Lord Ewan is no longer around to pose any threat to our Cause now. Lord Ewan was known for affectionately naming each of his weapons and called this particular one "Severius". One of its properties is that it is totally indestructible and instantly slays Demons at the merest touch. For this reason it, and its former owner's skeleton, will remain in this secret alcove forever, forgotten and lost.

The parchment is signed with a single, ornate letter A.

You decide to take this weapon with you. Whenever you are in a combat, you may add 2 to your Attack Strength. Gain 1 LUCK point for this find. You then walk out of the cell and into the large room - turn to 127.

You obediently follow her through the rabbit-warren-like corridor until you reach a series of seven doors, each with signs above them. You learn that her name is Nimue Morganwrack and that you must pass at least three of these tests to be allowed to proceed. From left to right they are OBSERVANCE, LOGIC, DEXTERITY, ENDURANCE, LUCK and STRENGTH. The seventh says "EXIT" above it. That door is closed and locked. Which will you choose first? Remember that you only need pass three tests. If you fail a test you may not re-take it. If you fail four tests turn to 10.

Now choose your first test:

OBSERVANCE - turn to 336
LOGIC - turn to 261
DEXTERITY - turn to 104
ENDURANCE - turn to 72
LUCK - turn to 158
STRENGTH - turn to 370

You open the right door and find that it is indeed the right door! Add 1 LUCK point. You stroll onwards towards the end where the hallway merges with the left-hand door. Turn to 288.

The damp, dark, corridor bifurcates here, into one fairly dry tunnel that slopes uphill, and one tunnel that leads downhill which is filled with water. You ponder over which of the two tunnels to take. If you would like to utilise the upper passage, turn to 44. If you would prefer to go through the wetter tunnel, which means you will have to swim through murky ice-cold water, turn to 234.

You notice the pedestal in the centre of the room and examine it. It has a hand-shaped imprint carved into it which you assume you should put your hand onto. As you do so, a great thunderclap occurs and an electric charge shoots up your arm and fills your entire body. The pain is unbearable and for a fleeting moment you think you are going to die. Then you black out.

When you recover, several hours later, you find yourself back at the stairwell you first encountered upon entering the fortress. You have already been downstairs, so you go up - turn to 275.

You feel a tearing pain as the two-metre long spear embeds itself in your back. You pull it out and the pain is unbearable. The spear has caused you 6 points of damage to your STAMINA. If you are still alive, you may either have another look at the machine and try again (turn to 281), or you may leave the room. (turn to 175)

You breathe a sigh of relief as the dangerous-looking door slides open, into a room with a further two jaw-shaped doors at the end. Test Your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 132. If you are Unlucky, turn to 222.