TEXT: (1)
  THE QUEST
  BACKGROUND
  “You were never among my favourites, you were always a disappointment to 
  your mother and I.” Your father’s first words sting you, but only for a second. 
  Having reached the age of 16 less than two months ago you were well used 
  to the harsh manner of your father’s bluntness. The regal, 30-years king of 
  the once-powerful but now war-torn kingdom of Monoland was never known 
  for his good grace or pleasantness. Now today for some reason he has 
  summoned you here to his private chambers. He then continues. 
  “You have only been training in swordplay for the last two months, not 
  brilliantly but adequately. You are not exactly the first person I would 
  consider entrusting a matter like this to but I have little choice. I must trust 
  this matter, a matter in which our only chance between total victory and 
  defeat rests, to you. And to you alone.” All of a sudden time seems to have 
  stopped still. Did you hear the king correctly? A quest? You? How? Your 
  thoughts are broken as the sound of an army bugle is blown and reaches the 
  ears of everyone in the caves. Followed as always by the sound of battle 
  cries and swords in the distance but not too far from the caves. You are well 
  acquainted with such noises. In the last year your father’s armies have been 
  fighting a losing battle against the screaming hordes of fanatics who are 
  determined to see the royal family Longsilver dethroned. You do not even 
  quite know why. All you know is that you used to live in a nice palace and 
  now all your people are trapped in these emergency caves and the hordes 
  get a little bit closer every day.
  You are young, but you are not unwise. The king is only asking the youngest 
  of his three children to perform a mission vital to the survival of your people 
  because your older brother and sister were either killed or captured by the 
  legions who have been swarming around your homelands for nearly a year. 
  Your brutal father and his armies would once upon a time have stopped these 
  fiends in their tracks in less than a fortnight but these foul monsters, goblins, 
  rodent-folk, Orcs, trolls and worse, aren’t alone, they are led by the Elected 
  Four, the group of wizards who once served your father as magical advisers 
  until they had an argument with him. You never heard the details of their 
  falling out but you do know that they are determined to get their revenge on 
  your father. Ever since then the only world you have ever known has been 
  torn apart by war. At first the creatures only started to appear in the woods on 
  the outskirts of your towns, but then a whole army marched towards your 
  castle and in less than a day your family had lost what it had owned for two 
  hundred years and taken refuge in his Glowtooth Caves, the long-abandoned 
  dwarf-operated gold mines behind the kingdom, with anyone else who had 
  
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  survived the murderous attack. Now everyone is hiding in these caves in the 
  mountains. 
  Your father continues, “You are old enough now to know how things stand. 
  My guards outside are nearly at the end of their tethers. We cannot win this 
  war. Our only hope is you.” 
  Your father ignores your shocked expression and asks; “Do you know of your 
  great-great-great-grandfather King Longsilver LIII?” 
  You nod, although there are so many former kings and ancestors you have no 
  idea who your father is referring to. 
  “When my ancestor became king he had a brother.” continues your father 
  “whose name was Tallarm, and he was a traitor to the royal house of 
  Longsilver. He was jealous because his older brother had the throne and 
  Tallarm would spend day and night plotting ways to take the king’s place. 
  “Well he almost succeeded. By using magic he stole. He forged a rod, which 
  was designed to render the user invincible. He then marched towards his 
  monarch’s chambers, easily defeated anyone who tried to stop him and stood 
  before the throne. Tallarm demanded the king give up his throne or he would 
  kill him where he stood. Nothing could stop Tallarm. He was immune to any 
  swords or spears they threw at him. But his pride was his downfall. The King 
  challenged him to a duel without any magical aid and Tallarm accepted. 
  Tallarm was never a very good swordsman but his success with his magical 
  rod had made him proud and vain and he died at his brother’s sword. Having 
  narrowly lost his throne, our ancestor ordered the rod to be taken away as far 
  as possible. No one would use it against him again.” 
  You ask, “Why did the king let other people touch it? They could use it to get 
  the throne from him just like Tall...” 
  “No,” snaps your father “He, Tallarm, had crafted the token so only he could 
  use it, or someone related to him anyway. Which is where you come in. So 
  the rod was hidden in the Elkslayer Mountains a days’ journey to the west of 
  here. You must go there and bring the Rod of Tallarm back. I need you, my 
  child.” 
  You still cannot believe your ears. Now you can recall the legend of the Rod 
  of Tallarm but you never quite believed it. Now your father is sending you to 
  find it! 
  The kind explains, “When you reach the mountain you will find steps leading 
  up to a cave. That a locked door, which will open if you place your hand on it, 
  protects cave - it was long ago magically locked to anyone except for 
  members of the royal family. On the other side a guardian of some kind may 
  guard it but it should allow a descendant of King Longsilver to pass and take 
  the rod. Once you have the rod, return here and give it to me. As I am also a 
  descendant of Tallarm I will be able to use it to defeat the enemy!” Now you 
  understand what you have to do. 
  
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  “It is up to you,” finishes your father “Only one of our bloodline may touch it 
  and your mother and I cannot leave here. Not while we are at war. Not only 
  are we needed to direct the war effort but we could be easily recognized by 
  anyone.” 
  You waste no time and leave. The foul armies are attacking the caves due 
  south but the Elkslayer Mountains are due north so you have little trouble 
  sneaking out the back of the caves and riding your horse towards the last 
  hope for the Empire of Monoland. You cannot help marvel at a strange 
  change, which has come over you. All your life you thought you would remain 
  useless and despised by everyone around you. Suddenly however, all that 
  has changed. You are a different person now. A stronger individual that you 
  never thought you would be. You will save your people! Or die trying. 
  1
  You are alone...but for the first time in your life you feel certain strength 
  inside you. Life doesn’t have to be this way! As you hear faint sounds of 
  skirmish behind you, you do your best to ignore it. There is a war behind you 
  true, but before you are The Wild lands. You will need to pass through the 
  part of the kingdom where there are few people and much lawlessness. You 
  presume this is why the Rod was hidden in these parts so long, the last place 
  anyone would think to look for it. There is no way of telling what you will find. 
  Perhaps you will be attacked; perhaps you will die out in this wilder land. You 
  have no been trained for so in this kind of work. You feel strong, but you also 
  feel very afraid. But you are ashamed of your fears. 
  Now you have come to a fork in the road. Will you ride west (go to 34) or will 
  you instead investigate a parchment nailed to a wooden post (go to 13)?
  2
  Test your Luck. If you are lucky you arrive back at the signpost and continue 
  westwards in good time, go to 34. If you are unlucky, go to 18. 
  3
  “Three!” you shout out, feeling more than a little foolish. Sammy stops 
  rambling on when you do so. “Three?” repeats the annoying little gnome 
  puzzled “Three what?” 
  But then the two of you realise you are no longer in the forest clearing. You 
  are in fact standing in the room where you found that orb. You’re free! “Oh my 
  heavens!” cries Sammy. “You found the magic word. I’m free!” to experiment 
  he flexes his hands and some smoke rises from the floor with a bang and a 
  puff. “Ha!” he cries, letting off more minor explosions, he’s so glad to be free. 
  “All my powers still work. This is wonderful!” 
  But then he turns to you and says, “You have freed me but I have not 
  forgotten how you were going to attack me a minute ago.” he smiles and 
  
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  raises his hand towards you. You gasp. He isn’t about to harm you is he? He 
  cackles, “This is one of the reasons I was imprisoned so long ago. I’m a very 
  false friend!” He is. But then you see his hand is withered and old. So is his 
  face. It is tightening as you stand there. He seems to be aging at a rather 
  alarming rate! 
  “What’s happening to me?” screams Sammy terrified. You realise that he 
  must have been imprisoned in that orb from a time before you were born. 
  Now he is free, time is catching up. You can do nothing but stand still and 
  watch as his skin turns to grey, his hair falls out, and finally his skeleton 
  collapses into dust right before you. You just sigh. You feel relieved that you 
  aren’t condemned to spending eternity in that orb, but this has been a bit of a 
  waste of time. Then you notice in the middle of Sammy’s remains there is a 
  ring he used to wear on his finger with a bright blue stone in its centre, which 
  you put on your own hand. Add 2 LUCK points for this find. Now there is 
  nothing more for you here but to return to the fork and take the other route. 
  Turn to 4 
  4
  The passageway twists and turns for maybe 15 - 20 minutes and you have a 
  sneaking suspicion you are deeper under the mountain than you had 
  originally planned to be. Your father never said you would spend this much 
  time in here, but at least you have had no encounters with any hostile beings 
  in here, and that is certainly a blessing considering the many that wander the 
  wild lands of Titan. You begin to despair of ever finding what you came here 
  to find, and then finally you arrive at a metal door. No handle, no lock, not 
  even a magic inscription of some kind. It cannot even really be called a door; 
  maybe a slab of metal would be a better description. You recall your father’s 
  words and stick your hand out to open it. But then you withdraw it. There 
  have been some things happening to you in the course of this mission that 
  have made you wonder if things are what they seem. Your father sent you on 
  this mission. The two of you have never really seen eye-to-eye but something 
  tells you that you are entering danger. There are many things he has never 
  told you that he should have. But you have no other option. You raise your 
  hand and press the door, damning the consequences! You wait with bated 
  breath. Turn to 43.
  5
  The pockets of the drenched clothes of the thugs yield little of interest for you 
  to take. You manage to find a couple of Gold Pieces, which you pocket. Then 
  suddenly from one of the pockets of one of the robbers jumps a little pet rat, 
  which promptly bites your hand before disappearing into the undergrowth. 
  Lose 1 STAMINA point and keep bad language to a minimum. Turn to 38. 
  6
  After riding a few more hours you still see unhappy people walking around. 
  You even see some of your soldiers riding off the main road into a roadside 
  village. This is rather strange; you thought you were the only one travelling 
  
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  out this far. You wonder what your father’s troops are doing out here so far 
  away from the war. Will you follow them, turn to 33, or decide to ignore them 
  and press onwards, turn to 11. 
  7
  You quietly step out from your hiding place. Insore’s back is to you but his 
  Griffin suddenly sees you and growls. The wizard turns around and you stop. 
  The two of you look one another straight in the eye. You know this man is 
  one of the sworn enemies of your people. But he says nothing. He does not 
  even look surprised to see you. Was he expecting you? Your heart sinks. You 
  should not have shown yourself, this was a trap after all! Will you turn and 
  run, turn to 23, or accept he can easily catch you and stay still, turn to 14. 
  8
  The creature’s expression softens and you feel more relieved.  It seems to be 
  studying you.  “Yes.” it eventually says, studying your face “You must be a 
  descendant of the bloodline of King Longsilver LIII and Queen Domillia. I can 
  see their noble features on your own face. Are you the heir to the throne?” 
  Since your elder two brothers are lost in combat you answer in the 
  affirmative, telling the being your father’s name and what year it is. “Ah.” says 
  the being softly with a trace of sadness “Two hundred years. I have guarded 
  this relic for your kingdom for a long, long time. You have travelled far to find 
  it. Why do you need it? Do you not know it grants whosoever holds it 
  invincibility?” You tell the spectre about the war. “Then you must hurry.” it 
  says, “Take the Rod of Tallarm. I hope you use it more wisely than its last 
  owner!” 
  You smile at the joke. You reach out to take the rod thinking to yourself this 
  mission has not been so hard after all. Once you hold that rod in your hands 
  you will have the power to free your people from the wizards and their 
  minions. You can almost feel victory as your finger touch the relic you have 
  risk your life to...and then your world seems to explode all around you. The 
  pain is unbearable. It feels as though your body is on fire! You scream and 
  scream and cannot help yourself, but you can hear the spectre laughing just 
  above you. just as you fall to the ground your bloodshot eyes fall upon the 
  corpses next to you. You notice one has a bright blue scabbard. Didn’t your 
  second older brother carry one like that? 
  9
  After more riding you make it to the top of a grass-laden hill. As your horse 
  struggles through some dense bushes your eyes spy a welcome but ominous 
  sight. The vast range of mountains covering the horizon from north to south 
  known as the Elkslayer Mountains! At least you feel your mission is half over 
  but you still do not feel any more relaxed. You can see them on the horizon,
  maybe only another hour’s ride away. You have not seen them since you 
  were much younger and travelling with your family and a host of bodyguards 
  on a holiday, but even now they look very forbidding and intimidating. You 
  wish you had company now. The tall peaks reach up into the heavens. You 
  
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  remember hearing stories about snow-creatures that live up in the peaks and 
  come down at night to hunt for food, living food. You hope they are just 
  stories! Inside a vault in the heart of that mountain is the secret to freeing 
  your people from the war you left only a day’s ride behind. You lip your lips 
  and ride your horse down the hill. There is a widespread dusty plain between 
  you and the mountains and it will still take at least another hour’s ride to get 
  there. 
  When you finally end your journey to the foot of the nearest forbidding 
  mountain, you begin your search for the entrance your father mentioned. First 
  though you get off your horse and rest for a while in the shade of the 
  mountain peak. You may eat Provisions here if you wish. It takes you about 
  an hour of circling the base of the mountain but you find nothing. No vault 
  door, no sealed gateway. No sign anyone has ever been here before to 
  secure something hidden here. Now what are you to do? But just as you are 
  pondering your next move, you hear a strange sound up above you. You look 
  up and see a surprising sight. A lion with wings is flying through the air right 
  above you! You instinctively duck down but it flies right over you, showing no 
  sign of having seen you. You’re not sure but you think you saw an old man 
  riding on its back. An old man wearing bright red robes with curious symbols 
  on them. The beast hovers in the air for a few more minutes then it circles 
  down and lands on the other side of some rocks, not far from where you are. 
  Neither the GRIFFIN nor its rider has seen you. Will you: 
  Remain out of sight and wait and see what happens? Turn to #28
  Approach 
  and 
  talk 
  to 
  the 
  man? 
  Turn 
  to 
  #16
  Draw your sword and attack? Turn to #21
  10
  The light illuminates the cave and confirms your worst fears. 
  It is not just a cave you stand in, but also a tunnel, which winds on for some 
  time. Taking a deep breath you stride boldly into the unknown. The dank 
  smell and some small lizards running over your feet make you wonder what 
  else you will find. You walk into the tunnel and daylight behind you is slowly 
  lost. You are out of the wilds and seeing things before you only with artificial 
  light. After about five minutes walk you come to a fork in the tunnel. Why 
  would the ancient workers have made a fork in the tunnel? Your father didn’t 
  tell you about any complications, but perhaps he didn’t know. What are you 
  supposed to do now? Will you take the left turn Turn to #27 or right turn Turn 
  to #4? 
  11
  After a few more hours riding the sparsely populated countryside with its 
  farms and fields gradually disappears and turns into the wilderness. Large 
  hills appear from nowhere and you suddenly find yourself trekking up and 
  down them. You are forced to ride over several and you notice that there is 
  no real road any longer. Well you did not agree to go on this journey for the 
  ease of travel! After a while you see a cave off the road. You cannot see any 
  
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  further into the gloom from where you are. Will you investigate Turn to #29 or 
  ride on Turn to #9?
  12
  The magician offers no comment about your answer, but you can sense that it 
  pleased him. You cannot understand why that this, you always thought the 
  Elected Four believed in exploiting other people. That was what your father 
  told everyone just before the war began. Insore then moves on and asks you 
  "Suppose that you one day discovered an unknown cavern directly 
  underneath one of your kingdom's coal mines, and learned it was in fact rich 
  with many diamonds. The diamonds are on your land so they obviously 
  belong to you and you want them. What would you do? Would you spend the 
  money to employ miners, safety workers and other kinds of people to operate 
  the mine to dig the diamonds up? Or would you instead use a cheaper 
  method: kidnap folk from their homes in the dead of night and keep them in 
  the mines for the rest of their days and nights. As your slaves, never seeing 
  the light of day again, their sole purpose in life is to mine the diamonds for 
  you?" You still cannot comprehend why your enemy is asking you all these 
  strange things. But will you answer:
  "I would never take slaves!" Turn to #44 "I think using slaves would be the 
  best way to collect the diamonds." Turn to # 37
  13
  You ride over to the post and dismount from your horse. The note is a 
  handwritten script on a piece of parchment, hardly what would expect to see 
  on a signpost directing travellers. It reads, You are on your way, a quest to 
  solve Around your task events revolve You may find a world, wonder how it 
  came to be To leave all you must do is cry, not one, nor two, but three -
  Signed The Riddling Reaver, Servant of The Tricksters What? 
  Having read the script you feel no more informed, as you were when you rode 
  up. Or do you? Now you must make a choice. If you want to go west, Turn to 
  #34? Or Turn to #24 to go east?
  14
  The magician's GRIFFIN growls at you, but he pats its hide and says "Easy 
  Condora. [your name] will not hurt us, will you?" he looks over at you. He is 
  speaking in such a way you would not think your two sides were currently at 
  war!
  You do not know what to say. Insore does not seem hostile or evil. But he is 
  an enemy of your people! He is responsible for the slaughter of so many of 
  your people. You cannot stop yourself. You cry at him "You traitor! You 
  murdering half-Orc! I will never turn against my father, you will have to kill 
  me."
  
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  "Kill you?" repeats the wizard, untroubled by your insults "My dear young 
  friend, if I had wanted you dead I could have easily ended your life an hour 
  ago with a firebolt from the sky. I'm sorry, but I have to say you have been 
  very careless. You made no effort to conceal yourself as you approached this 
  mountain and if anyone was waiting for you, you would be dead by now. And 
  that was a very clumsy attack you just attempted. If I was a troll, ogre or even 
  a one-legged goblin you would be most unlikely to take your father's throne 
  one day." You frown in puzzlement. You cannot understand this. 
  Why is the enemy of your father chiding you? He will be either taking you 
  prisoner soon or killing you so why should you have to listen to his criticism? 
  You have had enough with him and his confusing words. But still he doesn't 
  appear threatening or even angry. He is just way you remember him when 
  you were younger. He had almost been like an uncle to you. But it was all a 
  lie! He and the other wizards turned the rat people against your father and 
  started the war. You will not be fooled into trusting him ever again. 
  Insore continues, "I knew you would be coming here. That is why I came to 
  meet you." You retort bitterly "Why don't you...?" "Quiet!" he says, "I am 
  speaking. You think I am your enemy but I am not. I am your friend. I have
  come to stop you from meeting death from the hand of one who you think has 
  your best interests at heart. Your father has lied to you. It was he who began 
  this war, not me and not the others. We have no wish to see our people suffer 
  any more than you do. We want to stop this war; we never wanted it in the 
  first place. Too many have died already." What? You cannot believe this! 
  What ogre-dung he is saying! If, at any time you wish to get away from Insore 
  turn to 23 whatever reference he is speaking to you in. Just run.
  Insore continues, "Now I want to test you. I need to see if you have what it 
  takes to rule the kingdom of Monoland, let alone complete the quest to find 
  the Rod of Tallarm. As I told you I am not your enemy. I am here to help you." 
  he smile "You have grown up so much since I last saw you but you are still 
  very young. You have come through some hard trials to get this far across 
  the wild lands. Trials outside and inside you haven't you? Don't forget I was 
  once young too and I had to go a great distance before I could be considered 
  a wise one. I want to help you end this war. But you must trust me. If you do 
  not trust me, you may leave now and I will let you go on your way, no tricks 
  Turn to #30 or will you instead listen to what I have to say Turn to #47?
  15
  Before you even have a chance to swear at the creature it has raised its arms 
  and flung a blinding white light towards you. You cringe with pain, but it does 
  not last long. You should never attack a floating undead being with non-
  magical weapons. Remember that for future reference...
  16
  You look over the rock and you are about to step out, but then you get a 
  closer look at the old man's face and you stop. Him? Impossible! You now 
  recognize the wizard and, hoping neither he nor his mount has seen you, you 
  
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  duck back down. That man is a man you have known since you were four 
  years old. 
  His name is Insore and not only is he a powerful magician but he used to 
  work for your father. As a member of the Elected Four! This is one of the very 
  wizards who have been attacking your people for the last year! And he is 
  here now. Why? Does he know of your quest and has come to stop you? Has 
  he come to prepare a trap? You study him carefully. 
  He still wears the red robes of the court magicians you have not seen for 
  some time now. But he doesn't appear to be wearing skulls of the enemies he 
  murdered as everyone in the court says the Elected Four now adorn. You can 
  only feel blazing anger as you see that man before you. He is one who 
  murdered your people and started this horrible war. You want to kill him 
  where he sits! But you stop yourself from blindly running out to attack him. He 
  is a powerful magician; you will achieve nothing by getting yourself killed. But 
  what is he doing here? Has he come to wait for you then kill you? Perhaps 
  you had better leave before he succeeds. Will you:
  Approach him and ask what he's doing here Turn to #7 Sneak up on him and 
  attack Turn to #39 Slip away and continue the quest? Turn to #30
  17
  Weary after your ordeal you slump down against a tree and rest. You may eat 
  provisions while you rest if you like. When you are ready would you like to 
  explore the cave Turn to #41 or decide you have had enough of this place 
  and press onwards Turn to #9?
  18
  After carrying on for nearly another day, still not finding what you set out to 
  look for, a sight makes you stop and weep. From where you are you suddenly 
  see a plume of smoke coming from the direction of your homeland. You can't 
  be sure but you think you can hear the sounds of screams and swordplay. 
  Your heart sinks and you move no further. Tears come to your eyes as you 
  realise you have failed in your mission, by spending too much time where you 
  shouldn't have.
  19
  You suddenly remember in survival school you were taught how to make a 
  light if you were stranded out in the wilds. You return to daylight and search 
  along the ground for old branches or twigs. Once you have assembled your 
  collection, you tear a sleeve off your shirt and tie it around a large branch. 
  Then you light it with your tinderbox and you now have a working torch! You 
  re-enter the cave and resume your search for the Rod of Tallarm. Turn to 
  #10.
  20
  
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  As you force your sword between the edge of the door and the rock wall, a 
  bolt 
  of 
  power 
  shoots 
  up 
  through 
  your 
  sword 
  into 
  your 
  arm. 
  ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! Crying out in pain, you drop your sword and nurse 
  your arm. Test your Luck. If you were Lucky you were not using your sword 
  arm and you need only deduct 6 STAMINA points. But if you were Unlucky 
  you must lose 2 SKILL points in addition 6 STAMINA points. Once you pick 
  yourself up, you may either return to the junction and take the other way Turn 
  to #27 or leave the Elkslayer Mountains for the time being and return later 
  with proper equipment Turn to #18?
  21
  With a battle cry you run towards the newcomer with your weapon ready. The 
  old man is demounting his winged beast of burden and turns as you hurl 
  towards him. Before you are upon him he raises a strange staff he holds in 
  his left hand and points it towards you, appearing undisturbed by your sudden 
  attack. Before you can leap at him, blue sparks shine out of the device and 
  strike down in a whirlwind of agonizing pain. You are suddenly lifted by a 
  magical force, which hurls you around and around and around as though you 
  are caught in a tornado. You cannot stop yourself from screaming. Roll 1 dice 
  and double the number. Deduct this total from your STAMINA and then roll an 
  additional dice and deduct this number as well. If you are still alive you open 
  your eyes and find yourself on the ground, covered in the dust. The magical 
  defence of the old man has stopped and you slowly turn your head to look 
  towards him, though you cannot see his face with dirt in your eyes.
  He shakes his head sadly "You are brave and yet so foolish. There was no 
  need to attack me. I came to help you and save you from a trap. But you are 
  obviously unworthy of the destiny that could have been yours!" he angrily 
  turns back towards his griffin, remounts it and, as quickly as he appeared, 
  flies away and disappears into the sky. You watch him leave. Perhaps this 
  will teach you not to attack unprovoked! You couldn't tell because of the pain 
  you were feeling, but you thought you recognized the old magic-user. Did he 
  used to work for your father in the court perhaps? After allowing yourself an 
  hour to fully recover (you may eat Provisions if you wish) you stand up and 
  try to find the entrance to the vault once more. Turn to #30.
  22
  You ride off, wanting to avoid harmful combat with a mission to fulfil. Behind 
  you a gang of ORCS suddenly appears out of the bushes and curse after you. 
  You kick your horse into a gallop; they were planning to rob you! Some of the 
  ORCS fire their crossbows after you as you gallop away. Roll one dice to 
  determine the number of bolts that fly your way. For each one Test your Luck. 
  For each one you are Unlucky for you lose 3 STAMINA points. If you are still 
  alive, at least you get away. Turn to #6.
  23
  You run! Leaping and jumping over rocks for your very life, knowing the 
  magician is right behind you and after you. Your chest is hurting and your 
  
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  lungs aren't used to this much workout, you can't stand this pain. You know 
  this is fruitless. Insore will catch up with you any second now and take you 
  prisoner. You dare not look over your shoulder as you run over the rocks, but 
  you can't hear any sound of pursuit. After about ten minutes you find can't run 
  any more. Lose 1 STAMINA point for the exertion and lean against a rock and 
  try to blend with it so he can't find you.
  Perhaps twenty minutes has passed when you listen once again for sounds of 
  pursuit. You keep looking up expecting to see the magician's face looking at 
  down you, smiling. But there is no sign of him when you poke your head out 
  around the corner. Where is he? All of a sudden you think you can see his 
  Griffin flying away to the north. Why didn't he come after you? You remember 
  as a child when you were naughty and hid from your nurse he used to be able 
  to cast spells, which found you in less than a minute. You cannot understand 
  this. You wait another hour just to be sure. There is no further sign of the 
  wizard or his beast. You got away very easily, but you cannot complain. You 
  pick yourself up and decide to search for the entrance to the mountain again. 
  Turn to #30.
  24
  You ride east, along the weed-invaded road of ages. As you are riding along 
  the road strange noises continue to come from woods or deserted shacks you 
  pass by. Cautiously you continue. Ten minutes later you are attacked. Three 
  masked figures leap out from behind some trees by the roadside and charge 
  straight in your direction, screaming. They will not listen if you try to explain 
  you are the son of the King of Monoland so you draw your sword and fight 
  them one at a time.
  First BANDIT SKILL 5 STAMINA 11
  Second BANDIT SKILL 7 STAMINA 13 
  Third BANDIT SKILL 4 STAMINA 13
  If you win, Turn to #48. If you lose, why are you still reading?
  25
  The guardian's bolt is absorbed by Sammy the Gnome's ring. And deflected 
  back at the creature! It screams a horrible, otherworldly cry before the light 
  fades and so does the awful spectre. Your torchlight comes back on. Only 
  now do you look at the bodies at your feet...and very nearly collapse to the 
  ground with shock. The bodies are your own brother and sister!
  After crying, which you cannot stop yourself from doing, you pick yourself up 
  and look at them. They bear no wounds or disease symptoms and you cannot 
  understand what happened to them. Then you notice both palms on their right 
  hands are burnt black. As though they touched a fiery object before they died. 
  You look up at The Rod. Will it be safe for you to touch? In despair you look 
  at their bodies one more time. Why were they here? Your father told you they 
  
  (12)
  had been captured presumed killed. No one knew. Did he send them both 
  here to get The Rod like he did you? Just then you remember your sister 
  always kept a journal, a written record of what she did each day. Sure 
  enough, in her backpack you find her diary. You sit yourself down and read 
  through all her last entries. It says that about a month after your brother had 
  disappeared she had been sent by her father the king on a quest to bring 
  back the Rod of Tallarm. Her father had told her exactly what he told you, 
  about a guardian, and that only she could pick it up, being a descendant of 
  Tallarm. That must have been exactly what she did.
  You reach out and take the Rod of Tallarm. At last! Despite the power it 
  wields it doesn't feel any different from any other metal object. You waste no 
  further time. You run out of the Elkslayer Mountains, jump onto your horse 
  and gallop full felt back to your home. Now you feel like a hero! You have a 
  score to settle with someone.
  When you finally arrive back at the caves you run to see the king. Will you 
  give him The Rod Turn to #36 or use it to demand he surrender to the 
  wizards Turn to #50?
  26
  The ancient door opens immediately with no harmful side effects and you can 
  see a single room. Is your quest over now?
  Beyond the door lies a square room. The room has a marble floor and oak-
  panelled walls. The walls have the tapestries of your family arms on them. 
  The only object in the room is a table with a bright red rod lying on it. The 
  Rod of Tallarm! At last it is within your grasp.
  But then you remember the king warning you that there could be a guardian 
  of some sort present. You look around and see nothing else. You step into 
  the room and the door slams shut behind you. Only now do you see 
  something you didn't see when you opened the door. There are two bodies 
  lying on the floor next to The Rod. You turn your head with disgust; you 
  cannot bear to look at their faces. What could have killed them? Just then a 
  strange whirling noise fills in the room. You spin your head in the direction 
  and see a strange spectral shape materializing above you. Your light goes 
  dead in your hands but the strange being's glow illuminates the room enough 
  for you to still see. The SPECTRE addresses you in a deep penetrating voice 
  "Who are you? What business do you have here? This vault belongs to the 
  Royal House of Longsilver!" It is glaring at you, no-nonsense, expecting an 
  answer. Will you reply?
  "I am of the House of Longsilver." Turn to #8 "Silence! Be gone, foul creature 
  of death!" Turn to #40 Or attack the creature? Turn to #15.
  27
  Your light illuminates the rock around you and soon you see something in the 
  distance ahead. This particular tunnel soon comes to a room, which has been 
  
  (13)
  hollowed out of the rock. There is no way out of this room and it is clear you 
  will have to return to the fork and take the other way, but the contents of this 
  room interest you. There is a collection of old things in here, chairs, tables, 
  old rugs, and some chinaware. Having grown up in royalty you are not 
  impressed with the quality of these things. This certainly looks like some kind 
  of junk room, but why would your ancestor have left this collection of furniture 
  here? However, there is no lock on the cave, perhaps someone else has 
  visited here before. These thoughts do not inspire confidence in remaining 
  here, but you have a job to do. There doesn't seem to be anything of use to 
  you in this room, but what does catch your eye is a glass orb sitting on a 
  rickety old table. It seems cleaner, and better kept than everything else does. 
  Will you examine the orb Turn to #35 or return to the fork and turn right Turn 
  to #4?
  28
  The old man steps off his winged mount and then walk's slowly across the 
  ground. From behind the rocks you are peeking over you wonder what he is 
  up to. Perhaps you should show yourself, he seems harmlessly enough. But 
  how many harmless old men travel around on the backs of Griffins? You try 
  to recall. You are sure that you have seen him before, and decide to watch 
  him. The old man takes something out of the pockets of his red robes. You 
  are still too far away to get a good look at him but you are sure you have 
  seen him before somewhere. He has produced some small metal disks. Now 
  he sits himself cross-legged on the ground and closes his eyes. Is he 
  meditating? As he concentrates the metal disks suddenly lift themselves up 
  into the air! He must he a wizard of some kind.
  Now he is just simply sitting there and making his metal disks float around his 
  head in circular motion. Is he some travelling magician who simply stopped 
  for a rest? You are not quite sure what to do. Will you take advantage of his 
  concentration to slip away and search for the entrance to the vault Turn to 
  #30 or step forwards and talk to the wizard Turn to #16?
  29
  You get off your horse and tie it to a nearby tree. Walking towards the cave 
  you are rather put off by a foul stench but you decide to keep going. Inside 
  there is suddenly a growl. You jump away from the entrance as two large 
  CAVE TROLLS emerge growling at you. You have no time to do anything 
  else; you draw your sword and fight them:
  First CAVE TROLL SKILL 9 STAMINA 11 
  Second CAVE TROLL SKILL 10 STAMINA 15
  Each troll will attack you during each attack round. Decide which one of them 
  you want to fight and resolve the combat in the normal way. Roll dice for the 
  other as well, but if your attack strength is higher than the second creatures 
  you have defended against it's own blow. You cannot inflict wounds onto this 
  one until you choose to attack it in a future attack round. Of course, if its 
  
  (14)
  Attack Strength is higher than yours is you must deduct the normal 2 
  STAMINA points. If you defeat the Two Trolls then Turn to #17.
  30
  After several more fruitless attempts to find your way into the mountain you 
  are almost on the verge of giving up. But just then you spy a portion of the 
  rock face that somehow seems a little different from the rest of the mountain. 
  On closer inspection you can see it is a cleverly concealed outcropping and 
  behind it lies a hidden flight of stairs leading upwards! Your heart leaps as 
  you eagerly ascend the rock staircase, which leads into the mouth of a cave. 
  You could not see either of these from the distance. You step inside the cave, 
  expecting to find a sealed metal door. But your eyes are unable to penetrate 
  the gloom as the daylight outside is cut off and you do not feel very 
  comfortable about stepping into total darkness feeling around for a door. 
  Do you have a lantern? If so Turn to #10. If not, you will just have to try to 
  adjust your eyes to the gloom and hope the door you seek is close to the 
  entrance. Turn to # 42.
  31
  When you wake up you find yourself sitting in a cauldron with several large 
  brutes standing around licking their lips. Your adventure ends here.
  32
  The priest is obviously is kind old man. But now he has been broken and hurt. 
  He says, as you help him up "Thank you youngster, but there is nothing you 
  can do. Cheelah will prevail." You hope so, even though you can't remember 
  which God Cheelah is. The priest curses the king, obviously not knowing who 
  you are. "This is not the first time." he tells you "The soldiers from the south 
  are always hurting the poor people up here. They are at war at the moment, I 
  hope they lose.' You do not particular like this priest speaking ill of your side 
  but you cannot blame him considering what you have seen. Why were those 
  soldiers behaving like that? You make up your mind to mention this to your 
  father when you return. You decide now is the time to leave. Turn to #11.
  33
  The village the militia ride into followed by you, is a small affair. About twenty 
  houses together, one or two taverns for those travelling. You wonder what 
  business your father's warriors have here. One of them looks your way and 
  frowns as he recognizes you. But he says nothing and turns his attention 
  back to the road. Then they all stop outside one of the buildings, which look 
  like a church. The sergeant shouts out "We have come to collect your taxes!" 
  An old man in a robe, presumably the priest comes out and says "Oh I'm 
  sorry sir, but we cannot. We..." "Enough!" shouts the sergeant. "We will make 
  the choice simple for you. Men!" at his command some of the troops ignite 
  their bows and pull them back. They are going to set fire to the building! You 
  cannot believe what you are seeing. You are sure your father would never 
  
  (15)
  approve of this! Will you try and stop them Turn to #46 or leave this town 
  immediately, deciding this is none of your business Turn to # 11?
  34
  You ride along for nearly two hours. Although it is nearly ten years since you 
  have been around these parts you somehow were quite certain that this road 
  would have reached a town a town by now. But it keeps winding through 
  woods and forests. Occasionally hurried people will ride or run past you, or 
  other kinds of beings, but no one will stop and talk to you. Some even look at 
  you in the eye and hurry on further.
  It cannot be because of the war, you have left that far to the south. Or maybe 
  the wizards and their minions have expanded their siege operations far 
  north? You decide to try not to worry. You must focus your mind on the quest 
  that lies ahead. After a few more hours of riding you think you can see the 
  Elkslayer Mountains far off to the horizon. But it will still take a while to get 
  there. You pause to reflect. So far your journey has been quite safe, rather 
  uneventful. Maybe Libra or Telak is smiling down upon you. "Growl!" You spin 
  around just in time to see a lumbering, hairy, misshapen creature come 
  charging out of the undergrowth towards you. It wears a loincloth and swings 
  a massive club in your direction. If you wish to avoid this combat you may do 
  so Turn to #22. But don't forget to lose 2 STAMINA points. You quickly draw 
  your sword and block the Ogre's blow. Fearlessly, you leap from your horse 
  and do battle with this creature.
  OGRE SKILL 7 STAMINA 12
  When you have inflicted your first wound on the creature Turn to #45.
  35
  As soon as you touch the Orb it seems to grow larger. You panic as you 
  realise it is enveloping you and seems to take over the whole room...but then 
  the scene changes and your eyes widen.
  You are standing inside a clearing in the forest glade. Sunlight is shining 
  through the trees, birds are chirping merrily high up in the trees and the grass 
  before you is green and luscious. You cannot understand how this can exist 
  in an underground room. But it certainly is a beautiful scene. You feel 
  relaxed. More content than you have felt since you left to find the rod. But 
  how can this place have come to be? Just as you are pondering these 
  strange mysteries you hear your name. You spin around and see, sitting 
  behind you on a rock, a small man with a long white beard and a cheery, 
  cheeky, smiling face. Is he a dwarf or something? He seems very at home. 
  "Company at last!" he cries "I'm so pleased to see you. You have no idea how 
  lonely I get in here sometimes?" You ask this person who he is. "Oh I'm 
  Sammy the Gnome. This is my home. With my powers I can make the inside 
  of the orb anything I like. I know you feel you have a responsibility to your 
  people to find the Rod of Tallarm and save them. But I need the company so 
  you'll be staying with me." You wonder how Sammy knows so much about 
  
  (16)
  you. Before you can ask he says, "Well you're inside my home my friend as 
  well as my mind and your mind and also this orb. Take your pick. They're all 
  true to some extent. And since I was banished with magical powers of my 
  own here I have control over the environment, therefore it is only natural I am 
  able to read your mind." You really don't like this individual reading your 
  mind. But since he controls this place you may never again have a choice 
  about anything you do. As Sammy goes on and on about things you really 
  don't want to listen to, you realise you will have to outwit him somehow to get 
  out of here. You draw your sword, but you find you cannot pull it out of its 
  rapier. Sammy laughs cheerfully "Oh don't be silly. We don't have any need 
  for that kind of behaviour in here? It's just you and me together for the rest of 
  time. We must learn to like each other." During the course of your adventure 
  have you stumbled upon any cryptic messages that tell you to shout out a 
  number when you were in a strange magical world? If so call it out now (i.e. 
  turn to that reference number). If not, prepare to listen to boring stories for 
  the rest of your life...
  36
  Your father cannot believe his eyes when he sees you, especially with the 
  Rod of Tallarm in your hands. His jaw is dropped but he quickly recovers 
  himself and says, "Well done. I knew you could do it. Give me that." You hand 
  him the rod, unsure about his reaction...Two days later you regret your 
  action. Your father has defeated the enemy but he has now had you 
  imprisoned in a secret diamond you never knew he had. You have become a 
  slave worker. He said he wanted the secret of that Rod to go unsaid...
  37
  Insore does not look surprised by your answer. "Yes," he says sadly "Your 
  father believes in hurting others for his personal pleasure. Why should you be 
  any different?" Before you can reply your archenemy mounts his Griffins and 
  takes to the air without any further word. You watch him leave, unable to 
  believe you are still alive. You cannot understand what has just happened. 
  But for some reason you feel really guilty. You decide to continue the quest. 
  Turn to # 30.
  38
  You journey onwards for several more hours, pausing only to let your horse 
  drink when required. By now the sun is beginning to set in the west over your 
  shoulder and you suddenly realise you've been travelling the wrong way all 
  this time. The Elkslayer Mountains are to the west; you've been riding east! 
  You turn your horse around and begin to gallop to make up for lose time! 
  Turn to # 2.
  39
  Silently you draw your sword, offering a silent prayer of vengeance for all 
  your friends, family and country folk who have died and suffered because of 
  this man. Soon they will rest a lot easier! You raise your weapon and quietly 
  
  (17)
  step from your hiding place, careful to make no noise. Insore is meditating; 
  his eyes are shut and his Griffin stares into the other direction. This is your 
  chance! Neither of them has seen you yet. You try to step softly, thinking only 
  of the revenge you will soon have. Insore's back is now facing you and this is 
  your chance. You spring forward with a cry of vengeance. This is for the 
  people of the Monoland! You swing your sword, cutting straight into the evil 
  wizard's neck. "Die, troll dung!" you scream... But something is not quite 
  right. Your sword has penetrated the sorcerer's body, as intended but there is 
  no blood. Or wound. Not only that but his discs continue to float around him 
  and he has not moved at all. It is as though he is not really there but...an 
  illusion? Just then, there is a polite cough behind you. You spin around and 
  there stands Insore the Wizard leaning comfortably against his Griffin. He has 
  tricked you with an illusion spell! Now he has you right where he wants you. 
  You draw your sword again, but stop yourself. It is no use. He can strike you 
  down with a spell any second now. You have failed in your mission. Turn to # 
  14.
  40
  The guardian's mouth turns into an expression of anger. "Who dares insult 
  the..." "Shut up!" you cry and begin to taunt it. You can see the anger building 
  up on its face. "Enough!" it cries and holds its hands towards you, preparing 
  to unleash a bolt of something agonizing. It is about to destroy you! Do you 
  have a ring of invincibility that you purchased from the dwarves of the village 
  of Steel tower? If so, Turn to #49. If not, do you have a ring with a blue stone 
  in it Turn to #25? If you have neither of these things (turn to 15).
  41
  The inside the cave does not reveal much of interest. Only the trolls personal 
  possessions and refuse. However you do find a bracelet of bone tucked away 
  behind a stone in one corner. Presumably this was one of their prize trinkets. 
  You try this on...and pull it off immediately and throw it away into a corner. It 
  hurts! Luckily you were putting it on your sword arm so you may only deduct 
  2 STAMINA points. Now it's time to leave. Turn to #9.
  42
  You decide you can only stick your hands out and feel around, hoping you 
  will come to this door soon. You take your first step into the cave with arms 
  outstretched. After about 30 seconds your head bumps into the rock wall for 
  the first time, lose 2 STAMINA points. You stop and grind your teeth with 
  frustration. This isn't going to work. There must be an easier way! Test your 
  Skill. If you succeed, Turn to # 19. If you fail, you angrily leave the cave with 
  frustration, deciding to see if you can find somewhere to buy a light or 
  something. Turn to # 18.
  43
  Once your hand touches the door a magical flash of light appears before your 
  eyes. You spring back in alarm but you are unharmed. All that has happened 
  
  (18)
  is something new has appeared on the door in front of you. There is now an 
  inscription on the door, which reads: 
  There is a number you must call out Will you dare to open the ancient vault? 
  Enter! The number required is hidden in these words Neither force nor 
  weeping will open this door Though you may think you cannot solve this 
  puzzle You are seeing part of the answer every time you Start reading the 
  next line I wish you much luck X. (Signature)
  If you think you know the number it refers to, try it. Turn to that number now. 
  If the first words you read are "The Ancient Door Opens Immediately..." you 
  are correct. If it doesn't make sense then the door remains shut. That being 
  the case now you may either:
  Go back to the fork and try the other way (if you haven't done so already) 
  Turn to #27. Leave the underground tunnels and set off into the sunset Turn 
  to #18. Try to force the door open with your sword Turn to #20.
  44
  Insore looks at you, impressed. "Very good." he says "Of course one cannot 
  tell from so few questions whether the answerer is fit to rule a kingdom but 
  time itself shall tell that." By now you feel that he means you no harm, but 
  you do wonder what he is talking about. He continues "Your father probably 
  never told his family why myself and my colleagues left his service after 
  working for him nearly twenty years. We had learned that he had lied to us 
  about a great many things. Your family has ruled a wide empire for many 
  generations. Those kings or queens who were the cruellest took great pains 
  to conceal the unspeakable acts they performed so their subjects and their 
  court magicians would remain loyal. Your father is one. He never told us how 
  mercilessly he taxed the common folk, he never told us about his secret 
  underground diamond mines where his Rat folk slaves worked for him day 
  and night and how he secretly threw people in jail because they disapproved 
  of things he did or did not want to sell their farms to his barons. When we left 
  your father's service we never wanted to start a war. All we did was free the 
  rat men and other creatures from his mines. When your father learnt we had 
  done that he told everyone that we had gathered together as an army an 
  attacked villagers. That was a lie!" You cannot believe what you are hearing! 
  You father is an unkind man. But would he ever...? This is impossible! "We 
  would never do anything like that," says Insore "But your father's lies have 
  made many brave souls die in battle. But when we learnt your father had sent 
  you here we had to warn you?" "Warn me about what?" "Warn you that your 
  father has sent you to your death. If you lay one finger on the Rod of Tallarm, 
  you will die. It is cursed. A spell was laid on it after its creator died at the 
  hands of your ancestor. The spell would mean no one could touch it without 
  dying a horrible death. We don't know what happened to your brother and 
  sister, perhaps your father secretly sent them on the mission he sent you on." 
  You think you see Insore wiping a tear away. Could your father possibly be 
  responsible for their deaths? Insore finishes "You father partly told you the 
  truth. The Rod of Tallarm does render the user invincible, but according to 
  ancient scrolls that used to be in our chambers, a spectral guardian of some 
  
  (19)
  sort guards it. Whose sole instructions are to destroy anyone who enters its 
  chamber to retrieve the Rod? Even royalty. The rules of your dynasty quite 
  clearly state your father must share his riches with his sons and daughters. 
  He wishes to keep the diamonds all for himself. That is why he sent you to 
  retrieve an artefact that would surely kill you." You ask "But what can I do?" 
  He says, "Well the Rod can still be used against an enemy. And only by 
  someone related to Tallarm. But only if the guardian is destroyed first and the 
  guardian can be defeated. But it requires a jewel of protection. Such a jewel 
  in fact exists in the mountain before you, but I do not know where or even if is 
  guarded. Unfortunately, due to the magical nature of The Rod, parties of 
  adventurers cannot enter there together. So I cannot accompany but I can 
  give you this," he offers you a lantern, which you gratefully accept. "Now," he 
  finishes "I must be off. He begins to mount his beast but turns to you one last 
  time "I cannot force you to believe what I have told you. But can you see any 
  problems with what your father has told you?" with that he takes to the air, 
  disappearing as mysteriously as he appeared. You sit still for a few moments 
  and think about what he has told you. Your whole life is a lie. Slaves. 
  Kidnappings. Your father has been the cruellest man in Monoland for many 
  years and it is only those unjustly hurt who have been trying to overthrow him 
  all this time. What will you do now? You resume your search for the entrance. 
  Turn to #30. 
  45
  The OGRE shrieks as your sword cuts through its arm. You smile and press 
  home your attack. You should win this combat very soon - except the sound 
  of others emerging from the undergrowth makes you spin around About a 
  dozen ORCS are standing behind you, smiling devilishly. You decide there 
  are too many for you to fight and leap for your horse. Test your Luck. If you 
  are lucky you manage to escape with only 3 STAMINA points worth of 
  damage. Turn to #6. If you are unlucky, Turn to #31.
  46
  "Stop!" The soldiers turn to you with puzzled annoyance as you ride up. The 
  sergeant recognizes you "What are you are doing here?" he asks. Then 
  snaps "Never mind. We are here on official business at your father's orders. 
  Do not interfere!" You cry, "My father told you to burn down a church?" 
  "That's right." snaps the officer "Men! Continue the operation." You draw up 
  to the sergeant "But..." SLAP! You do not even see his hand move, but 
  suddenly you find yourself lying on the ground as the soldiers fire their 
  flaming arrows at the church, despite the vicar's protestations. Then they ride 
  off laughing. You cannot believe what you have just seen. Soldiers are 
  destroying someone's home? Will you leave now Turn to #11 or try to help 
  the priest Turn to #32?
  47
  You let Insore tell his story. "Before I tell you more," says the old wizard; glad 
  you have decided to give him the benefit of the doubt "I will ask you some 
  questions. First, imagine that you have taken your father's throne and are 
  
  (20)
  now the ruler of Monoland. You can do anything you want. Your word is law. 
  You are unhappy because the royal treasury does not have enough money to 
  pay for a new bathhouse you wanted to build for yourself. But if you taxed 
  your farmers for more money then you would be able to afford it. Which would 
  you do?" What is he talking about? First you thought he was going to kill you, 
  now he is asking you strange questions about regal management. He is 
  waiting for an answer. Will you say:
  "I would tax my farmers for the extra money." Turn to # 37 "I would find other 
  ways to get the money without hurting people." Turn to #12
  48
  The bodies of three bandits lie at your feet. Will you search them Turn to #5, 
  or continue onwards Turn to #38?
  49
  Don't cheat! What ring of invincibility? There's no such place on Titan as 
  Steel tower. Naughty. Re-roll your initial scores and start the adventure again 
  please.
  50
  You angrily march up to your father, the tyrant of Monoland. Everything he 
  ever told you. Everything he ever did in the name of justice. It was all lies! 
  Your father sees you with the rod of his ancestor in your hand and gasps with 
  horror. He has seen the rod many times before, in his nightmares! "Give me 
  that, my fox." he says, trying to sound calm. You shake your head and hold 
  The Rod before him and say, "Call this war off." coldly. His face is pale. He 
  does not want to surrender. "Now!" you insist. He has no choice. He knows 
  he cannot go against the bearer of the Rod of Tallarm. Within 24 hours your 
  people are back in their homes and Insore and the other wizards are holding 
  a trial for your father for crimes against the people. In the Palace, which 
  wasn't burnt to the ground after all, another of your father's lies! The truth is 
  now known about how the Rat folk have been enslaved by the king for so 
  long and, as his heir, you have many of your father's best officers arrested. 
  The ancient spell fulfilled. His own child has deposed the evil ruler. The 
  people all hail your brave deeds and few hold you responsible for your 
  father's actions, especially when they hear about the fate of his other 
  children. You recall the ancient command "Respect Thy Father." but you feel 
  the gods will make an exception in the case of a father who had such 
  disrespect for children he'd conspire to murder them all! Especially the new 
  ruler of your people Somehow you don't Somehow you don’t see people 
  looking at you disrespect or contempt any longer.
  THE END
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Vault2.0.-.Fiction-and-audiobooks/Books/Fighting Fantasy/Fighting Fantasy Amateur The Quest.pdf