In honor of Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls' final release (in PDF for now, print soon!) I am going to begin releasing my old T&T solos on the blog in celebration. These are the originals, except where I have made some changes over the years, and in some cases these have not seen print since the 80's in my old fanzine days.....keep in mind that all of the solos I release this week were written by a young me, between the ages of 14 and 19...I was a different, younger, more girl-crazy young man back then. Anyway, enjoy!
This scenario originally appears in an early issue of "The
Sorcerer's Scrolls," around 1987 or so. It is essentially unaltered from
the original, except for editing, additions in italicized text, and some
modifications I made in areas where the original document was unreadable, or
text was lost due to bad data transfer from the ancient 286 PC diskettes this
stuff was stored on.
The following solitaire adventure is suitable for use with Tunnels & Trolls
7.5 characters of levels 2-4. Magic is allowed in the text. To begin, go to The
Introduction. Note: many of the ideas in the following adventure, while having
been tailored to use in the world of Lingusia, are originated from various
"real" religions and mythologies.
Introduction: The Great Plains are a
vast territory in northern-central Lingusia, dominated by no kingdom, and
considered by most to be the territory of a handful of loose human and deo'del
kingdoms. The strongest city state is the Trade Capitol Karan in the north,
made powerful by the Guild of the Twelve, which is the esoteric, eternal order
of the most powerful mages in the world. This adventure begins about eight
hundred miles south of there, in a region dominated by no empire, and valued by
the free-spirited common folk of the land. For a good visual reference, think
of old Texas, especially around Lubbock, but with a sparse population of feudal
states. Instead of indians, sprinkle in some deo'dell tribes and towns; these
fierce, crocodillian-faced orcish beastmen are covered in light burgundy down,
with rough skin and dour temperament. Vying with these plains dwellers are are
sturdy race of nomadic people called the Kahuni'Lakwa, simple folk of Amechain
cultural descent, but of a remarkably peaceful nature.
You arrived in the Great Plains as part of a caravan to Karan some six weeks
ago, and not a week later took up position as guard on a smaller south-bound
caravan for the Cymeeri Kingdoms. Unfortunately, at the small city of Lakastor
it was revealed that the lead merchant was a wanted debtor to the local lord,
and he and all assets were seized, leaving you out of a job. You decided to
continue on, hopeful that something lucrative or dangerous would come your way....go
to paragraph 1.
1. The
rain pours down in torrents on the grassy, flat plains around you as you trudge
onward along the muddy road. The sky is a grayish dark, the light seeming to
have no direction as you continue your journeys. You would almost certainly be
under cover over right now if there was a place to take cover .... the Great
Plains south of Karan are barren of anything taller then a blade of grass, and
you have trudged through the murky plains for three days now in the unending
rains. Already you have developed a severe cold, and your health may continue
for the worse if the rains do not let up or you do not come to suitable
shelter. An unfitting way to be stricken for one of such experience as you!
After an hour or so of slogging through the downpour, you finally see a
grouping of buildings in the distance, jutting up from the flat ground,
slightly covered in mist. As you get closer, you notice a long line of people
garbed in black travelling down the main lane of the town.
You soon reach the town, and see a sign written in an unknown language. The
town seems deserted, save for the long line of black- garbed natives continuing
their walk to the other side of town. Most of the natives, you notice, are the
small deo'dell beastmen so common in the great plains, intermixed with humans
and dwarves.
Would you like to follow this morbid line of townsmen to see where they go (go
to 2), or pass the town by, in search of a less peculiar town (3)?
2. The
line continues for some distance from the town, until it stops at a graveyard.
There, the natives gather around as they listen to a large beastman priest (an
Ugruk) speak before a heavily- decorated coffin. You also notice several large
tables being ng set up with food underneath large tents. Behind the priest is a
huge structure hidden beneath several tarps.
"Fellow townsmen and travelers," he says, "we are gathered here
to mourn the passing of this great man, Lordar Hunta by name, who had worked so
hard to aid us in the building of a better town. Lordar was a great man, and a
devout follower of the great eat Ogron, and it was his gift of the weather
which saw to it that our fields were plentiful year-round. He did many things
for us as a whole, and as an individual was a very kind man who cared for each and
every one of us as much as he did himself. He was truly a great man, and we
mourn his passing. It is in his honor, and for his health that we now have this
feast that his soul may be satisfied and leave us to go to Tarsus, and earn his
seat in the Land of the Dead."
At that point, the mourning townsmen begin partaking in a large feast. You are
rather surprised to see, out of the corner of your eye at many points during
the meal, a transluscent shape moving about the table, engaging in the feast by
breathing in the aromas of the meal. You, too, eat with the rest of them, just
happy to see food.
Soon the meal finishes, and the Ugruk Priest of Ogron and Tarsus again climbs
up on a pedestal where he says, "Having had our feast in a final honor and
gift to the great Lordar, I now present his soul with a magnificent tomb!"
At that several people ople rip off the tarps of the object behind the priest,
revealing a huge, magnificent tomb with the whole history of all Lordar's great
deeds written on it, a huge statue of him on the top, and numerous decorations
of the Ogron Religion scrawled across ss it. Again, you notice the spirit out
of the corner of your eye, watching the unveiling and the numerous treasures
and his coffin being carried in to it.
"And so the mourning we feel for the deceased Lordar comes to pass, for
now we have presented his soul with all that is necessary to keep it happy, so
that it may continue on its journey to the Sunk of Tarsus," the priest
says, slightly nervously, for he, as well as you and many others notice that
the spirit refuses to leave, and just sits there, watching things happen. You
also notice several people sneaking away from the burial, on their way home.
More follow, and more after that, until pretty y soon there are only a few
people left listening to the priest as he indirectly tries to get the spirit to
leave.
Would you, too, like to peel away from the crowd and head on back to town (4),
or would you like to leave for parts unknown (3)?
3. Okay,
now, in face-to-face rpgs, when you're sitting around the table, this is where
the GM shoe-horns you in to the adventure or gets aggravated at your
stubborness and sends some grudge monsters after you. To keep up with
tradition, read on:
You continue your journeys. Days later, you are finally nearing the Cymeeri
kingdoms when you begin to enter a hilly region, the first noteworthy terrain
you've encountered in three months. Suddenly, the ground erupts before you as
the great, bellowing Worm of Ghaziri rears forth to suck you in to it's toothy,
purple maw! We're talking a MR 92 monster here, out for your blood! It moves
fast. Make a L3 SR SPD to escape on any round you wish, but lose 10 from your
attack total if you try and fail. If you beat it, take 200 experience points
and journey on in to the sunset. If you are devoured, then start a new
character for this adventure, and avoid paragraph 3!.
4. You
return to the town. There you see a large stone building being smashed to the
ground by various townsmen and an ogre with a nasty disposition Would you like
to ask why (5), see the local healer (7), or go to the nearest inn and get a
nice dry r room (6)? You can also, leave, just zip up to para. 3.
5. You
approach the man who seems to be directing the house- wrecking crew, and he
says that this was the house of Lordar, and the best way to keep a spirit from
coming back and making trouble in town is to remove its place of residence. Now
go get a room (6), or see a healer (7).
6. You
approach the Barrel Man's Inn, a 3 story building of stone (all the buildings
are stone, you notice, probably due to the lack of sufficient wood for building
in these parts). You talk to the inn keeper and find you can get a choice of
two different rent rooms. Do you want a typical, bed and window room for 2 gold
pieces (go to 8) or would you like a room with a decent, hot bath for 10 gold
pieces (go to 9).
7. You
ask where the nearest healer is, and you find that the person to consult is the
Ugruk Priest named Maekar. You then go to Maekar's house and wait until he
returns. He arrives not long after, a rather fustrated took on his face. He is
suprised to see you sitting on his front porch, and takes you in from the
weather.
Once inside, he asks, "Now, how may I help one so obviously as great as
you?"
You explain that you came down with the cold sickness, from the rain, and you
feel miserable.
Maekar says that he has just the right ritual for this. Ater several minutes of
preparation, and a gearing up with his guardian spirit over a fire, he has you
lie down on the couch and rest. Then, he begins a sort of magical first aid in
which he attempts to suck the cold sickness and the spirit that caused it out
of you. After several minutes, he pulls back, and exhales a ghastly amount of
misty smoke. Instantly, you feel better, the devious little thing that was
making you miserable gone. You thank him, and ask how much he would like in
payment for the service.
"Oh, no payment really in the way of money. However, I do have a certain
problem; we all do, really. You were a the funeral, no? You saw the spirit?
Well, that was Lordar, a rather nice man in life but not very understanding
indeath. He apparently died about four days ago, in mediation, when the rains
began, but no one discovered him untiltoday, since were were so used to his
long meditations. Well, his soul became very displeased at that, and despite
all our best efforts, it refuse to be satisfied and leave to the Sunk of
Tarsus. I know how to build a spirit trap, and I think it will be necessary,
but once caught I will need someone to carry it to the Sunk and deposit it
there so that the Spirit of Lordar will not bother us anymore. If you would do
that for use, we will be very grateful; an additional cash reward shall be
provided, of course, to satisfy the mercenary in you."
If you agree to the task, go to 10. If not, then go back to 4.
8. It's
not much, but its something. You go down and order a meal for 1 gold piece. If
you have seen the healer, go to 11. If you haven't, then as you are eating and
sneezing from your cold, the waitress recommends you to Mackar, the priest of
Ogron, who is well known for his healing powers. If you agree to see him, go to
7. If not, go to 11 and consider yourself 1 point lower in each attribute until
your cold leaves you.
9. You
rest for a while, change into dry clothes, and order a good meal for 2 gold
pieces to your door. The waitress is a comely lass .... f you have lecherous
tendencies you may make a pass at her (go to 12). If not, then be a good boy
and eat your meal (13).
10. You tell Maekar that you will do all
you can to help him capture the spirit and take it to the Sunk of Tarsus, the
Land of the Dead.
"The first thing to do is to try and capture the spirit. It certainly
won't go willingly, so we will use spirit traps. You shall help me make
them."
After a good night's sleep in Maekar's house, the next day is spent taking
stone pendants and chiselling out a rotating circular design in them, a sort of
hypnotic amulet. Once some 20 of them have been finished, you and Maekar run
about town hanging up the amulets and periodically checking them in the
drizzling rain.
Make a L3 SR LK. If you succeed, go to 14. If you fail, go to 15.
11. The next day still shows no sign of
letting up. You may now leave (go to 3), or you may visit the healer (7). If
you have already visited the healer, but would like to do so again, taking up
his offer, go to 10.
12. Make a L1SR CHR. If you fail, then she
slaps your face and kicks the meal tray at you. When you wake up you have a
nasty headache. If you make it, then read on. She brings the meal in, and
starts up the tub. In minutes, the two of you are in the tub doing carnal acts
best described by someone else in another magazine. Get 10 experience points
for the effort, and consider yourself tired. Now go to 11.
13. You eat your meal, and have a good
night's rest. Recover 4 CON if you are hurt. Go to 11.
14. While you and Maekar are sitting in
his front living room, sipping hot cider and warming up from your trudging
through the rain, a frightened deo'dell comes knocking at the door. After a few
brief words in a strange language, Maekar turns to you and says, "Better
finish that cider, good man! We seem to have caught our determined
spirit!"
The two of you slog through the rainy terrain, until the peasant brings you
before one of the stone amulets hung on the side of the general store, next to
where the now completely knocked down house of Lordar once stood. Looking at
the swirling pat tern on the amulet, you glimpse a ethereal ectoplasmic phantom
swirling about with a mesmerized, hypnotic stare on its face.
Maekar removes the amulet from its wall, and hands it to you. "Here he
is," he says. "If you can get him to the Sunk of Tarsus, where the
dead dwell, and return safely, a large reward in gold shall await you. Oh, yes.
To free the spirit, simply smash the amulet and run very fast."
Well, you've got it. Now, to head on south east to the Sunk of Tarsus, go to
16. If you want to get a good night's rest before you take off, go to 17.
15. After a few days of waiting, Maekar
decides that the spirit probably has realized what the tricks are and knows how
to avoid them. He then goes about his next plan.
"It is known that when a spirit is challenged to a race, it must do so in
reverse. If you feel up to it, find the spirit and challenge him so, for a race
to the west. The spirit will be forced to instead head east. I just hope you
can run backwards without tiring."
So, you go out and make an attempt to challenge the spirit. While going along,
you notice him out of the corner of your eye. "Ho, spirit!" you call,
trying to get his attention. Make a L2 SR CHR. If you make it, go to 18. If you
don't, go to 19.
16. You start off, whistling in the rain
as you do. Maekar has given you a sturdy umbrella, so that helps. After about a
day of struggling through mud and rain, it finally stops. In a few hours the
whole storm up and disappears and the Sun God Naril, before evening strikes,
shines down in all his warmth to enliven your spirits. Obviously, the storm was
being kept in its state by the trapped spirit you know wear around your neck.
For another two days you march onward. Make a L1 SR LK for each day. If you
fail the first, go
to 20 then return here. If you fail the second, then go to 21 and return here
afterwards. Once you've overcome any problems, return here and end your journey
at 22.
17. You have a tasty meal and a warm
night's sleep in Maekar's house. The next day, you are surprised to see that
the storm has finally lifted, the earth is drying under the light of Naril, and
everything seems A-okay. After a good meal, you thank Maekar for his kindness
and leave on your journey to the Sunk of Tarsus.
For each of the next three days, make a L1 SR on LK. Roll 1d6 for each of the
three SRs you fail on the following list, and resolve them in order. When you
are finished, three days have passed and you arrive at your destination (go to
22).
1: three
bandits try to rob you! Each is MR 10, and will flee if one is killed.
2-3: Go to paragraph 20, and if you have
already been there, go to paragraph 21.
4: Winter
Wolves pace you, and if you fail a L1 SR CHA then 1d6 of them attack, each is
MR 12.
5: You
stumble on a corpse, which stands erect as you move away from it and attacks!
The Ghoul is MR 28 and if you take damage you must make a L1 SR CON or become
paralyzed for the next round, which lets it do a free attack against you.
6: You
meet a troupe of Kahuni'Lakwa Nomads, who offer to sell you leather goods for
half price, and for only 50 gold pieces you may buy a Rabbit Clan Talisman of
Luck that lets you get a +5 bonus on your Luck for Saving rolls.
18. The spirit looks at you, and says in a
low, cunning voice, "And what, pray tell, do you want, foolish person who
lives yet does not want to?" So you challenge him to a race, "to the
west, as far as possible". The spirit considers, then eagerly accepts.
"Foolish person, to think you are better then me, juts because you are a
live!" So, the two of you get geared up, ready, and take off, the townsmen
cheering a sigh of relief. You quickly reverse your direction when you realize
you're going the wrong way, not used to backwards running. Even for a relative
veteran, running backwards for a few days .... that's right, days can be
exhausting. Make a L2 SR on DEX and one for CON today, then a L3 SR on DEX and
CON the next day, then a L4 SR DEX and CON the final day. If you fail one, then
you become completely exhausted or trip up and rather unceremoniously plop
yourself in the mud. If you do so on day 1 or 2, then the spirit laughs, says
you are a complete dolt, and zips off roaring with laughter. Make a L2 SR LK.
If you make it, go to 23. If not, go to 24.
If you crash and flop on the third day, then make a L3 SR LK. If you make it,
go to 25. If you fail, go to 26. In any case, loose 10 pounds for the exercise
(backward-flying faeries may lose a mere 5% of their weight, lest they
disappear).
19. You uncouth, ugly sod! Get a face
lift! Only kidding. Maekar thanks you for what help you tried to give, and you
leave, wondering whether or not the spirit will ever go away, or this nameless
town will forever be plagued with constant rains. Get 100 experience points,
plus any extra for the effort, and pat yourself on a back for a good try. Also,
a bit of gossip you hear some months later seems to indicate that while a
certain 100 square mile area of the Great Plains has received non- stop rains
for months, the villagers in the area have all moved away, permanently.
20. The day goes rather smoothly for you
as you walk along, humming various out of tune tunes, and you have a fine meal
of jack rabbit for lunch. Towards the evening, luck holds out even more, as you
pass a farm house. Would you like to approach it and ask for shelter for the
night, go to 39. If not, go to 40.
21. For two days now you have trudged
along to the Sunk of Tarsus, and now, finally, you appear to be nearing the
Sunk. In the distance a slight peculiarity in the ground, a hollow slit if you
will, seems to indicate that you approach the Sunk of Tarsus. As you travel
along, a sudden, deep, moaning comes to your ears. You look around for the
source, but see nothing. A minute later the moaning comes again. This time you
stop, and wait, very warily, to see what it might be. Out of the corner of your
eye you see a ghost shimmering, white and with hollow, sightless eyes It is
barely visible in the daylight, but you can see it. Slowly, the mouth of the
ghost gaps open, and speaks barely audible words to you, "Knowest where
thou heads, mortal?"
You respond, "yes the Sunk of Tarsus."
"Then perhaps you can help this pour soul travel there, brave
mortal?"
If you say yes, then go to 27. If not, then go to 28.
22. After three day's travel, you have
finally reached your destination. In the dark of the night you kept going,
seeing that not far off a slit of black in the Great Plains marked the Sunk of
Tarsus. Now you are here, and wish you weren't.
Before you is a vast, empty void. The blackness is so thick you cannot see more
then twenty feet down the hole which must be a hundred miles in diameter, but
you know, indeed, that it must be as deep. A low echo of wind like moaning
rises from the vast, colossal pit, and you know it is not the wind.
Overcoming your sense of dread, would you like to see to it that the amulet
(note: if you won the ghost over by wrestling or a race, then it is curled up
into a ball which fits in your hand, awaiting its fate) and the ghost within
receive safe deliverance by traveling down the hole, on a nearby path downward
(29),or would you prefer to cast it down the hole, preferring to begone from
this place as fast as may be (30)?
23. While you sit and think, you notice
the ectoplasmic form of the ghost begin to shudder, then burst in a cacophony
of whispers, "I know not this place! I am not where I belong! Woe!"
It continues its moaning for some time, during which you sneak away. Apparently
you just may have gotten rid of the spirit, though not in its entirety. You
return to the town, and tell the of your success at getting it away. Go to 31.
24. The spirit takes off for the town, and
you follow, grumpily. Eventually you return to town, and apologize for your
failure. Maekar thanks you for your attempt, and gives you a bag of 100 gold
coins for the effort. Take 175 experience points for the effort and any
experience points for anything else, and may you have better luck with spirits
else where!
25. As you get up, you look around, and
suddenly notice that not too far away is the thin slit in the plains that
indicates the Sunk of Tarsus is near. You look at that then look at the ghost,
who notices what you are looking at. "Ha, man, for your thoughts on
getting me to that vast pit of the dead are in vain. If you truly wish to do
so, then wrestle with me!" The ghost suddenly drops into a crouching
position, ready for you to come at him. If you wrestle, go to 32. If not, take
a hike to 24.
26. She looks saddened, comments on your
pure heart, then disappears in a whiff of smoke. You sleep the rest of the
night, and leave in the morning. Return to the last paragraph of 16.
27. The ghost seems almost gleeful, in
contrast to its prior sadness. It motions you to follow it, and after a long
while you come upon a huge, deep sunken rift with carved stairs winding down.
"Follow," it moans, and you do. After at least fifty feet of winding
stairs, you appear to have entered a room, and light a torch. As you do, you
find that in the center of the room is a large coffin, in which lies a massive,
but mummified corpse. The ghost slowly shimmers into it.
You approach the coffin, and stare at the massive body, realizing the ghost
wants you to, probably, carry the body to the edge of the Sunk and take it,
too, into the realm of the dead.
As you ponder the situation, a large, corpse- hand, attached to a mummified
arm, attached to a long dead bod grabs you by the throat and tries to dislocate
your head from its resting place on your shoulders. take your adds, and add
your unarmed combat value. Compare it to the total value of the mummy (MR: 52).
If you beat it, you rip yourself free. If not, then you take the damage said
and go for another try. If you end up short a head, tough luck and try again.
If you don't, then you whip out your weapon, toss your combat spell, or
whatever, and if you beat the mummy in fair combat, the ghost screams and soars
off into damp earth.
If you appear to be losing, unable to win, make a L1 SR IQ and if you succeed,
go to 34.
If you win, you thoroughly search the tomb and find, among other things,
several murdered bodies and a collected treasure equivalent to four goes at the
treasure table in the rule book. Now go to 22.
28. The ghost curses you and leaves. Not
long afterward, you see in the distance a mummified corpse of huge size running
toward you, screaming bloody murder. Make a 3 L2 SRs on SPD. If you make all
three, then you outrun the beast and make it to the Sunk of Tarsus; go to 22.
If you fail any SR, then you must fight the mummy with whatever you've got. It
is MR: 52. If you win, go to 22.
29. Okay, it's your neck, pal. You slowly
traverse the narrow path winding downward, until you find that your only
guidance is the hand that is clutched against the wall. You try to light a
torch, but wisps of frigid air thwart your best efforts at lighting the spunk
with flint and tinder.
After some time of moving through the chilling, windy darkness, you find that
the path levels out and you are now on flat ground. From the shadows of the
rift comes a voice that escapes as a whisper among the eerie howling winds.
The spectral voice speaks. "Who is the mortal that seeks Death?"
You respond with your name. Lies don't usually go off well, you're pretty sure,
in a land of the dead.
"What, may I ask, does a mortal who seeks death wish?"
"I which to bring this soul," you say, pointing to the thing in
question, "to his rightful place, that he may not trouble those who still
live."
"Then time has been wasted for you, mortal, for he who is dead but does
not believe it must come of his own free will." You look rather startled
by this. Would you like to continue this bandy of words with the dead being
(35), shall you free the soul to convince the dead Lordar that he is dead (36),
or shall you attack the spirit before you (37)?
30. You toss the spirit into the void, and
never hear the fall. If you won the spirit at a race or wrestling, then its
huddled form is gone forever; go to 31. If you had an amulet, then not too long
afterward, a rather nasty, hollow voice says, "So, trickery, eh? Well,
let's see if you like trickery back!" A sudden premonition of dread
overcomes you as you turn around, and see, charging up the nearby path from the
abysmal sunk, a huge, black thing which seems to try and be both a massive man
and animal at the same time. It shouts a roar of combat, and races towards you,
black horns sprouting from its head. Your dead. It's MR is 88. If you win, then
go to 31 after a long walk home. If you lose, then go to 38.
31. You return, and tell Maekar and the
rest of the townsfolk of your journeys, and they are gratified at your removal
of the spirit. Maekar, afterwards, approaches you,and says, "We are all
pleased that you eliminated the ghost, for though it was once a great man, it
was incapable of understanding that it was truly dead, or did not want to.
Here, as promised, is your reward. Everyone," Maekar jestures to the
townsfolk around him, "chipped in." Roll on the treasure generator 6
times for your reward, accumulative, and any score of copper is considered
gold, Maekar again thanks you, as do the villagers, and all say that if ever
you need a place of sanctuary, come here. You thank them, and after a night's
carousing you are off into the great world again, in search of more adventure!
Oh, yes. Get 500 experience points and any extras for this adventure.
32. You begin your combat with the spirit.
It is considered to have a STR and CON equal to yours. Go to it like regular,
unarmed combat. If you win, then the spirit curls up into a tiny ball that fits
in your hand and gives in; go to 22. If you lose, go to 24.
33. All right, you have a great time
during the night. In the morning you wake up to find yourself sharing your bag
with a bone-dry skeleton. Hmmm. Weird peasant girls around here. You pack your
bags up and ponder the metaphysics of having intercourse with a ghost. Go back
to the last paragraph of 16.
34. A sudden flash of insight comes to
mind, and you show the spirit trap which hangs around your neck at the killer
zombie. Make a L1 SR LK. If you fail, then return to the paragraph whence you
came and keep at it. If you make the SR, then the mummy stares, and slowly the
malevolent phantasm is drawn in, hypnotized the swirling design. Now you have
to ectoplasmic bodies swirling within. Go back to the paragraph you came from,
and consider this battle a victory.
35. You try to persuade the spirit
otherwise, but it does not listen. Go back to 29 and make another choice.
36. You do so, snapping the amulet in two,
and the spirit looks at you defiantly, "You have tricked me, and you shall
pay!" "Now wait a minute!" You begin, and proceed to work out a
logical way of making the ghost realize that it should stay here, where it
belongs. Make a L2 SR IQ. If you make it, then go to 38. If not, then the
spirit orders you away; go to 30 and ignore the first paragraph.
37. You hew the skeletal, cloaked thing
down, only to see another standing behind it, which also goes down as easily,
but behind it is another, and another, and another ..... Go back and make a
rational choice.
38. The spirit, after listening to you,
says, "Ah, I see that you are right. In my fervent insistence on getting back at the people whom I once loved for ignoring me for three days after my
death, and for refusing to admit that I was, indeed, dead, I have brought about
much grief. I am sorry for the troubles I have caused, and I shall stay here,
in my own realm of death, where I belong." With a sigh of relief you
leave. Go to 31.
39. You approach the door to the small
hut, knock, and await a response. The door opens, and you are greeted by an
amazingly beautiful woman in here early thirties, with raven-black hair and a
body that sure doesn't quit. She introduces herself as Helena, a lone widow in
the area who lost her husband and child in a fire several years ago. She is
very hospitable, and you have an excellent meal with her.The only bothering
thing about it was her suggestions of how you would make a great husband.
During the night, she invites you to her bed and you accept, being the hearty,
healthy fellow that you are. After a night well spent, you awake in the morning
to quite a change of scenery from what you saw yesterday. Looking about, you
find yourself lying on a crumpled old wooden bed, a skeleton beside you, in a
house which has been deserted for years, and severely fire damaged.
Somewhat shaken, you resume your journey and ponder over the events that
transpired last night and whether or not you just had intercourse with a ghost
also, you promise yourself to find out if there are any bad side effects or
such at the local religious temple library. Can't be too careful as a delver,
now. Go back to the last paragraph of 16.
40. During the night, while sleeping under
the chill light of The moon Selene, you are startled to find yourself wakened
by a beautiful, middle aged woman with raven black hair standing over you, nude.
She asks you, breathlessly, to take her into your arms, to which you either say
yes (go to 33) or no (26).
