Rock Slide
The mountain path you are on gets worse and worse, finally, ending at a landslide. The path wasn’t the only thing destroyed by the mountain sliding down into the valley. An entire forest must have been carried away too. You clamber over the treacherous ledge that remains, always careful not to put a foot wrong and slip off, until you finally reach the path again on the other side of the slide.
There must have been a rock slide here a while ago. The path before you is completely blocked.
Do you
- Climb across the mound of debris?
- Try to find a way around the barrier?
After hours of searching, you find a small valley that is easily negotiable and takes you back to the mountain path after a short time.
As if things weren’t bad enough! You simply cannot find a decent way past the obstacle. You decide to climb up the steep incline, an action which leads to a number of small injuries.
Sweating and gasping, you reach the other side of the obstacle and can finally continue your journey.
[NAME] starts to slide down, but manages to stop just in time.
Beneath [NAME]’s feet, a boulder comes loose and starts a small rock slide.
Hunter
After a good two hours rest, the cabin door opens and a fur-covered thing enters. It murmurs something like “Firun be wi-you” and slowly starts to undress. It’s a hunter, and not a particularly eloquent one at that.
Do you
- Try to speak to him?
- Let him go to sleep?
Only now does the hunter seem to actually take note of you.
“’llo there, I’m Ettel. You got any brandy?”
- “Thou shalt not submit to the evils of drink.”
- “No, unfortunately, we only have a Yaquirtal ‘97.”
- “Sure thing.”
The hunter murmurs something to the tune of “Damn puritans” and turns towards the wall.
“Well, let’s have it then. Aah, that hit’s the spot! Where-re-you-from? Not-a-place-for-strangers. Watch-out-for-the-wolves. Got-a-lair-around-here. Wild stuff this. Gulp gulp. Good-stuff-this.”
- “No. But we do have some good sausage.”
Misty Path
You have to force yourselves every step of the way. Up here it is freezing even in summer. You finally reach the top of the pass, but the valley below is covered in mist. There are two paths leading down. The right hand one looks easier to negotiate. Do you
- Take the right hand path?
- Or would you rather go left?
The descent is more difficult than you expected, but finally you reach a mountain track running along a deep chasm that leads down into the valley.
The path seems difficult at first, but less than a mile on, you find yourselves on an easy footpath down to the valley.
The path leads you further and further into a maze of huge rocks. After almost three hours, it ends at a steep cliff. Below, you see a chasm with a track winding its way down one side of it.
Do you
You get along without a hitch, until you suddenly find yourselves standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down a good thirty paces at a clearly visible path leading down into the valley. The cliff face is very steep and wet, so your only chance is in lowering yourselves down on a rope.
Do you
- Climb down the mountain?
- Climb back up to the pass?
- Lower yourselves down?
You manage to climb down into the chasm. Some of you have wounds to show for it afterwards, but you did it.
You would need more rope than you possess.
Thank Hesinde for wand spell number three! You reach the path without serious injuries and even manage to retain all ropes.
The descent succeeds without any problems. It did cost you three ropes, though.
You have to return to the pass.
Wolf-pack
Judging by those tracks, it must be wolves, at least one full pack…
The tracks get clearer and lead into a side valley…
You notice a cave entrance at the end of the valley. The tracks lead down to the entrance.
Do you
- Enter the cave?
- Turn back and journey on?
There is a way into a wolves’ lair here.
Do you
- Visit the wolves’ cave?
- Journey on
Signpost
You are standing at a crossroads. The weathered signpost shows where you can go from here.
Do you want to go
- To Skjal?
- To Orvil?
- Or to Ottarje?
Bull Corpse
From quite a distance, you notice the sickly sweet smell of rotting meat. As you reach the source of the stink, you find a horrible sight: half on the road, half within the underbrush lies the remains of a bull, obviously torn apart by wolves…
Hold on! Wolves don’t carefully remove the brain and eyes of their prey with a knife!
[NAME] has to throw up!
A closer examination of the body supplies no answers. The animal was branded and therefore obviously not wild. Death and mutilation occurred at about the same time - but what cattle mutilator works hand in paw with a pack of wolves???
Gorah
If Umbrik Sevenstones hadn’t disclosed the secret druidic sign, you would have thought those three hawthorn bushes standing in a row were a piece of nature’s folly. But with things as they are, you know you have to be especially careful from here on.
Do you
- Sneak further using a “Silentium” spell?
- Sneak further without magic?
- Challenge the sinister druid?
There is an up- and a downside to this spell. The downside is the fact that you don’t hear anything either…
You try not to make a sound, creeping through the woods…
Mocking laughter echoes from the depth of the forest. “Do come closer, you mighty heroes. By the old gods I swear not to destroy you until you have reached my clearing!”
Do you
- Face the druid?
- Or would you rather turn back?
You reach the edge of a round clearing of about a hundred paces in diameter, with a stone circle, an altar and a small hut in the middle. There is a sheep on the altar, obviously a recent victim of some pagan ritual judging by the blood spurting out from its open neck. Next to the altar stands a man of about forty, the bloody sacrificial dagger still in his hand. There are about a dozen wolves resting on the grass around the stone circle.
Do you
- Kill the druid with well aimed arrows?
- Enter the clearing and fight?
That’s strange. All your arrows miss their target.
What a pity. The spell fails.
Now what do you do?
Instinctively you notice something moving behind you. Unless you want to be surrounded, you had better enter the clearing now.
You prepare for combat and step out into the clearing.
The fight is over — you have won. The bodies of the animals under the druid’s spell lie all about you, and Gorah himself is lying among them. A short search of his body does not uncover anything remarkable.
Do you
- Search the hut
- Turn back and get Umbrik Sevenstones?
The hut contains a single room filled with an overpowering smell of herbs and furnished in early chaos. Next to some small items you notice a chest covered with small runes. It is far to heavy to carry away.
Do you
- Open the chest?
- Leave well enough alone?
You find nothing further of interest, and decide to return to Orvil.
The hut contains a single room filled with an overpowering smell of herbs and furnished in late hodgepodge.
After a short search, you turn up&hellips;
There is nothing further of interest here.
Inside the chest you find: &hellips;
Rider
A rider on his way to Orvil crosses your way — definitely a rarity this far up north. He seems to be in quite a hurry.
Do you
- Ask the rider for directions?
- Ask him about any dangers ahead?
- Greet him, as he passes by?
“From Orvil to Ala. Its a good days marching or somewhat more than half a days ride.”
“There is rumored to be a druid spreading terror across the countryside near Orvil. Supposedly in league with a pack of wild beasts. But you better ask Sevenstones in Orvil, he knows more about that sort of thing than me.”
Wolf Tracks
Just as you want to continue on your way, you notice tracks left by some small dogs or maybe wolves.
Do you
- Follow the tracks?
- Get your things and go on your way?
The tracks lead towards the coast. Every now and then, the tracks indicate that an animal has left the pack or another has joined up with it. After somewhat more than an hour’s marching, you hear the barking of wild dogs.
As you approach, the animals jump from cover and attack! They have a numerical superiority of at least three to one.
You manage to approach unnoticed and see at least fifteen animals, if not more. Do you
- Try to get away nice and quiet like?
- Try to kill some of the animals?
After a few tense minutes, you are out of range of the pack. Two more hours and you have reached the road again.
Collapsed Shack
Looks like a path used to turn off the road here. Apparently it’s used only by game now.
After a while you reach a partly collapsed shack, apparently a former roadside resting place.
Do you
- Turn back?
- Take a rest?
- Search the shack and then rest?
Just as you try to examine a dusty alcove where you thought you saw something blinking, what remains of the roof collapses with a tremendous crash!
You don’t find much of interest.
Also, you find 7 bits.
Crossroads
You are standing at a crossroads. The weathered signpost shows where you can go from here.
Do you want to go
- To Tjanset?
- To Ala?
- Or to Thoss?