wounded officer hands him his leather satchel, and Adamas continues along the trench until he reaches the centre of the causeway. There you both take cover with the vanguard and peer through a slit in the log wall at the formidable entrance to Torgar.
Turn to 78 .
124
Silently you move through the shallow sludge of water and mud, hidden by the bank of the ditch from the watchful eyes of the Drakkarim sentries. Beyond the ditch the ground rises to a low wall, which encircles a field of cultivated trees. It is an apple orchard and it is full of enemy soldiers, huddled around their campfires or asleep beneath the fruit-laden branches. Beyond the orchard lies an expanse of open grassland covered with tents and makeshift paddocks full of horses. Here, then, are Baron Shinzar's reinforcements — over 600 cavalry newly-arrived from Blackshroud. You commit every detail to memory before leaving the ditch and making your way back stealthily to the allies' camp.
The King and Prince Graygor praise the success of your scouting mission: the information you have gathered is of vital importance to their battle plans. The Prince senses that you are tired and orders his heralds to escort you back to his headquarters and prepare a comfortable bed for you. After the long day's march and the exertions of your scouting mission, you accept gratefully the chance of a good night's sleep.
Turn to 280 .
126
Baron Shinzar snarls an order and the Krorn pack moves towards you. They are not as tall as their leader but almost twice as broad, with arms like branches of a twisted tree that hang down below their knees. Awkwardly they shuffle on short bow legs, their gnarled skin shiny like knotted leather. A shiver runs down your spine as you recall what you have heard about these creatures — that they delight in eating their foes — but as they draw nearer you dismiss such thoughts and prepare for combat.
Illustration VIII —The Krorn pack shuffle towards you on short bow legs, their gnarled skin shiny like knotted leather.
Krorn Pack: COMBAT SKILL 23 ENDURANCE 60
If you win the combat, and the fight lasts four rounds or less, turn to 11 .
If you win, and the fight lasts longer than four rounds, turn to 321 .
127
A short distance from Lord Adamas' tent stands a wooden watchtower, constructed by his army engineers, which offers an unobstructed view of the causeway and the great gate of Torgar. As you reach the top of its rickety ladder and step onto the platform beside the Lord Constable, he recounts the events that have led to the siege of this city-fortress.
Following his victory over the Ogians and the destruction of Xanar, Adamas led the allied armies of Bor, Talestria, and Palmyrion along the Blackshroud Trail in pursuit of the shattered enemy. When they reached the Agna-kor-kuzim , the ‘road of slaves’, the army of Bor was detached and sent to assail Blackshroud from the east, while the bulk of the allied forces marched north towards Torgar. When Talestria was overrun in the early days of the war, thousands of her people were taken as slaves and imprisoned here in this fortress. Lord Adamas had sworn that one day he would free them and he was determined to fulfil his pledge.
During the march north, a great battle was fought near the wastelands of Zuttezna, against two Giak armies led by Darklord Kraagenskûl and Darklord Chlanzor. Both were soundly defeated by the allies and sent back to Cragmantle to lick their wounds. Although victorious at Zuttezna, the allies had suffered heavy losses and Adamas feared they would be too weak to storm Torgar. He was too far from his homeland for reinforcements to reach him swiftly, and there was the growing threat that the Darklords would muster their troops in Tanoz and Mozgôar and attack again. Faced with this grave dilemma he decided to risk an assault on Torgar.
‘We have means to breach their iron gate,’ he says, staring purposefully at the great door of Torgar. ‘The
Turn to 78 .
124
Silently you move through the shallow sludge of water and mud, hidden by the bank of the ditch from the watchful eyes of the Drakkarim sentries. Beyond the ditch the ground rises to a low wall, which encircles a field of cultivated trees. It is an apple orchard and it is full of enemy soldiers, huddled around their campfires or asleep beneath the fruit-laden branches. Beyond the orchard lies an expanse of open grassland covered with tents and makeshift paddocks full of horses. Here, then, are Baron Shinzar's reinforcements — over 600 cavalry newly-arrived from Blackshroud. You commit every detail to memory before leaving the ditch and making your way back stealthily to the allies' camp.
The King and Prince Graygor praise the success of your scouting mission: the information you have gathered is of vital importance to their battle plans. The Prince senses that you are tired and orders his heralds to escort you back to his headquarters and prepare a comfortable bed for you. After the long day's march and the exertions of your scouting mission, you accept gratefully the chance of a good night's sleep.
Turn to 280 .
126
Baron Shinzar snarls an order and the Krorn pack moves towards you. They are not as tall as their leader but almost twice as broad, with arms like branches of a twisted tree that hang down below their knees. Awkwardly they shuffle on short bow legs, their gnarled skin shiny like knotted leather. A shiver runs down your spine as you recall what you have heard about these creatures — that they delight in eating their foes — but as they draw nearer you dismiss such thoughts and prepare for combat.
Illustration VIII —The Krorn pack shuffle towards you on short bow legs, their gnarled skin shiny like knotted leather.
Krorn Pack: COMBAT SKILL 23 ENDURANCE 60
If you win the combat, and the fight lasts four rounds or less, turn to 11 .
If you win, and the fight lasts longer than four rounds, turn to 321 .
127
A short distance from Lord Adamas' tent stands a wooden watchtower, constructed by his army engineers, which offers an unobstructed view of the causeway and the great gate of Torgar. As you reach the top of its rickety ladder and step onto the platform beside the Lord Constable, he recounts the events that have led to the siege of this city-fortress.
Following his victory over the Ogians and the destruction of Xanar, Adamas led the allied armies of Bor, Talestria, and Palmyrion along the Blackshroud Trail in pursuit of the shattered enemy. When they reached the Agna-kor-kuzim , the ‘road of slaves’, the army of Bor was detached and sent to assail Blackshroud from the east, while the bulk of the allied forces marched north towards Torgar. When Talestria was overrun in the early days of the war, thousands of her people were taken as slaves and imprisoned here in this fortress. Lord Adamas had sworn that one day he would free them and he was determined to fulfil his pledge.
During the march north, a great battle was fought near the wastelands of Zuttezna, against two Giak armies led by Darklord Kraagenskûl and Darklord Chlanzor. Both were soundly defeated by the allies and sent back to Cragmantle to lick their wounds. Although victorious at Zuttezna, the allies had suffered heavy losses and Adamas feared they would be too weak to storm Torgar. He was too far from his homeland for reinforcements to reach him swiftly, and there was the growing threat that the Darklords would muster their troops in Tanoz and Mozgôar and attack again. Faced with this grave dilemma he decided to risk an assault on Torgar.
‘We have means to breach their iron gate,’ he says, staring purposefully at the great door of Torgar. ‘The
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