Prologue posted:

Sickened by the ways of your fellow men and despairing of man's cruelty, you have quit the teeming city of Godorno, with its cesspools and plague pits, its beggars and abject slaves. You walk for days, reveling in the fresh air of the countryside. This is a green land of hills and dales, farmsteads and mills — a veritable bread-basket that yields all its grains and fruit to the decadent city.

As you walk you have much time to think. Long ago your family told you how the star of destiny, purple Praxis, changed colour to the flaming gold of Moraine, God of War, at the moment of your birth. Even as Praxis flared with energy, so your mother's life waned. She died of exhaustion bringing you into the world, but her sisters looked after you until you were old enough, at eight, to go up to the dreaming spires of the academy at Hegalopolis.

The bookish scholars trained you in many things and all who taught there agreed you showed great promise. But when you were just fifteen years old, Gornild, the harsh overlord of Godorno, dissolved all the monasteries in the lands along the Marches, fearing their teachings would turn minds against his corrupt rule. You were forced to scratch out a miserable living just like the other poor folk of the city.

The cloistered life of the academy, with its politeness and order, gave you scant preparation for life on the streets of Godorno. You developed the cunning of a sewer rat and the patience of the damned just staying alive from day to day, dodging the press gangs from the war galleys that carry young men off to fight the corsairs. Your cunning was great enough to avoid the fate of the galley slave and you have grown to maturity, strong, tough and determined.

The ways of the city folk revolt you. Your diligent study of history shows an ever churning cycle of oppressors and the downtrodden. Man is strapped to the wheel of fate to be alternately dragged to the heights and plunged again into the pits and windblasted depths of pain and want.

As you walk, every step that bears you away from the stench of the city is a step taken more lightly than the last. You resolve to return to the city only if you have changed things for the better. Yours is the nobleness of spirit that would lay down its life to better the lot of your fellow man. If Praxis robbed you of a mother's love, Praxis can repay the debt by shining brightly on your destiny.

As the miles pass with you deep in thought, your path takes you inexorably on towards the great forest, beyond the lands of men. Your curiosity has been piqued by rumours and legends about the ancient Tree of Knowledge, a fabled tree hundreds of feet high, with golden bark and silver leaves. It is said to grow at the centre of the great Forest of Arden.

Fey sylvan elves are said to dwell there. The stories of what they look like and the fate that befalls those lost in the forest are too fantastically horrific to be true. Each fable tells a different story: of elves with six arms, of elves with scimitar blades in place of forearms, and of greenbark bows that can send an arrow from one horizon to the other and which always hit their mark. And there are stories of elves with jewels for eyes which melt when they cry, as cry they must when disturbed by man, for they keenly sense the tragedy of man's mortality.

Though each story is fanciful and bizarre they all agree in one respect. No one who sees the elves lives to tell of it. There isn't a man alive who has glimpsed the splendid glory of Elvenhame, the city of the elves.

You no longer know whether it is the desire to see elves or your wish to change the world for the better that takes you on your quest. What, however, if you were to learn the knowledge of ages and return to the lands of men as a saviour? Your name would go down in history. Anything less magnificent than this noble quest for the knowledge that will save mankind will not do. You will become a hero or die in the attempt.

You are on the road. It is approaching early evening and purple Praxis already beams out in the low dusk sky. As you stare at the star, it seems to wink out then flare bright golden yellow before resuming its usual purple form. It is a sign that your destiny awaits in the Forest of Arden.

Now turn to 1.

Character Classes posted:

The Duellist
Skills: AGILITY, FOLKLORE, ROGUERY and SWORDPLAY
Profile: As a professional duellist you have upset too many people by winning the spoils of your contests, and you must move on.
Life Points: 10
Possessions: Sword
Money: 10 gold pieces

The Ranger
Skills: ARCHERY, STREETWISE, SWORDPLAY and WILDERNESS LORE
Profile: Being loyal to the traditional values of your forefathers, you protect those forced to journey off the road.
Life Points: 11
Possessions: Longbow, sword
Money: 10 gold pieces

The Monk
Skills: AGILITY, SPELLS, UNARMED COMBAT and WILDERNESS LORE
Profile: The monks who taught you skills have been driven out and you are persecuted for your faith. Life is harsh but you endure all hardships.
Life Points: 11
Possessions: Magic wand
Money: 8 gold pieces

The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Skills: CHARMS, FOLKLORE, SPELLS and WILDERNESS LORE
Profile: Sold to a warlock when you were a child, your knowledge eventually outstripped your master's.
Life Points: 9
Possessions: Magic amulet, magic wand
Money: 12 gold pieces

The Starveling
Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, STREETWISE and UNARMED COMBAT
Profile: Orphaned in childhood, you made your way halfstarved to the city. You learned what it takes to survive in this uncaring world, but now you want to seek something worthwhile in your life...
Life Points: 10
Possessions: None
Money: 15 gold pieces

The Traveller
Skills: FOLKLORE, ROGUERY, SWORDPLAY and WILDERNESS LORE
Profile: You never knew your father, and your mother mislaid you among the carts of a slaver's caravan. Cities make you ill; you can only breath freely on the open road.
Life Points: 10
Possessions: Sword
Money: 10 gold pieces

The Thief
Skills: AGILITY, ARCHERY, CUNNING and ROGUERY
Profile: You are secretive and restless, always just one jump ahead of the hangman's noose. Your latest exploit has made the city too dangerous for you and you must lie low.
Life Points: 10
Possessions: Longbow, two jewels
Money: 16 gold pieces

Alternatively design your own character, taking any four skills of your choice from the Glossary of Skills on page 9. Your character will also have any possessions needed for the skills chosen (e.g. a wand if you choose SPELLS ) and will start with 10 gold pieces. Your initial Life Points score will be 10.

Glossary posted:

AGILITY
The ability to perform acrobatic feats, run, climb, balance and leap. A character with this skill is nimble and dexterous.

ARCHERY
A long-range attack skill. You must possess a longbow to use this skill

CHARMS
The expert use of magical wards to protect you from danger. Also includes that most elusive of qualities: luck. You must possess a magic amulet to use this skill.

CUNNING
The ability to think on your feet and devise clever schemes for getting out of trouble. Useful in countless situations.

FOLKLORE
Knowledge of myth and legend, and how best to deal with supernatural menaces such as garlic against vampires, silver bullets against a werewolf, and so on.

ROGUERY
The traditional repertoire of a thief's tricks: picking pockets, opening locks, and skulking unseen in the shadows.

SPELLS
A range of magical effects encompassing illusions, elemental effects, commands, and summonings. You must possess a magic wand to use this skill.

STREETWISE
With this skill you are never at a loss in towns and cities. What others see as the squalor and menace of narrow cobbled streets is home to you.

SWORDPLAY
The best fighting skill. You must possess a sword to use this skill.

UNARMED COMBAT
Fisticuffs, wrestling holds, jabs and kicks, and the tricks of infighting. Not as effective as SWORDPLAY, but you do not need weapons — your own body is the weapon!

WILDERNESS LORE
A talent for survival in the wild - whether it be forest, desert, swamp or mountain peak.

Page 1 posted:

The road tops a ridge that is straddled by the ruins of a great wall, half covered in turf. The wall once marked the border between the lands of man and domain of the elves. Quickly you scramble up and over the blocks of fallen stone. Standing atop the ruin, you survey the outlands beyond.

Your gaze sweeps across the broad patches of purple heather and yellow gorse that cover the inhospitable uplands. The air smells fresh; it is good to be free of the noisome taint of the sewers and plague pits of the city you have left behind. The road winds down into a valley, at the foot of which nestles Burg, a small town of neat white houses with roofs of triangular grey slates. Here may be your last chance to talk with mankind before you are swallowed up by the depths of the great Forest of Arden.

As you walk towards the buildings through the tilled and reaped land of the valley, you pass gleaners - peasants who search the ground for stalks of straw and seed spilled during the harvest. The townsfolk, seemingly wary of outsiders, keep out of your way. Ahead of you is an inn, the largest building in the town. Looking forward to perhaps your last night's sleep in a proper bed for many weeks, you make for this hostelry.

The inn seems surprisingly large for a town that is at the very edge of the wilderness. It must once have been a baronial hall built by a lord seeking to carve out a kingdom beyond the great wall. As you walk down the main street the ruddy sky is turning violet with the onset of twilight. What looked an inviting little town by day seems sombre and unwelcoming at nightfall. As you linger a moment outside the inn, there is a crack of thunder and it begins to pour with rain.

Inside the inn a young girl is lighting oil lamps with a taper. Until your eyes grow accustomed to the gloom you cannot make out who shares the common room with you, nor many details of the interior of the inn itself.

You can wait by the door until you can see better (turn to 37) or step in and warm yourself before the fire (turn to 55).

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills
CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 15/15

Possessions: None

Page 55 posted:

A tall man and his short and stocky companion move apart to allow you room in front of the roaring log fire. Both give you a sidelong glance. They look rough weather-beaten men: the smaller of the two has a face like a bull-mastiff, the taller has the sly running look of a fox.

If you want to tell them who you are and why you have come to Burg, turn to 72. If you wish to remain silent, turn to 94.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills
CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 15/15

Possessions: None

Page 94 posted:

Ignoring you, the two men continue their conversation about hunting in the forest. The shorter of the two becomes insulting when the taller claims to know the forest better than he.

'There are things in the forest which you wouldn't dare look upon, yet which I have seen with my own eyes.'

'What things?'

'Terrible things, green ghosts that walk through trees, phantasms and, in the darkest depths beyond the Sirion, a huge monster as big as a hill.'

'You've been too long alone in the forest. All your pent-up thoughts turn to babble.'

'I saw it, it blinked its great eye at me. An eye like a salver big enough to carry a boar's head.'

If you would like to tell them of your quest to the forest now, turn to 162.
Your eyes are now accustomed to the light and you can see the other travellers in the inn. If you would like to look them over before choosing a table, turn to 176.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills
CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 15/15

Possessions: None

Page 176 posted:

Apart from the hunter and the guide there are five other people in the room. Three sit together — they look like ordinary townsfolk, suspicious but not dangerous.

Of the two others, one is a woman dressed in a grey travelling robe. The cowl is thrown back to reveal grey hair and a weather-beaten face. The remaining person is a sinister-looking man in a black cloak whose face is hidden in the shadows of his cowl.

You can sit at the nearest table to the fire and talk to hunter and guide (turn to 297), join the woman dressed in grey (turn to 181), or have dealings with the sinister man in black (turn to 324).

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills
CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 15/15

Possessions: None

Page 324 posted:

The strange shadowy figure seems to know the forest. To your surprise he begins to tell you about the fabled Tree of Knowledge. 'Ah, yes, it is real enough. I myself have spoken with it and profited greatly thereby. The tree can give a man all the knowledge of the forest. It can teach magical charms as well. Do you seek this tree?'



He doesn't wait for you to answer, but goes on, 'Then follow the Burgstream into the forest until it flows into the great Sirion river. Then turn east along the bank. Where the land rises climb until you reach a clearing and at its centre a cave. There you will find the guardian of the tree. Slay the guardian and the knowledge of the tree will be yours. Farewell.'

With that he rises abruptly, twitches his black cloak around him and leaves the inn. The others all eye you suspiciously before leaving the common room.

You take a room at the inn for the night. Turn to 333.

Page 333 posted:

The young girl, who says that her father is away on a journey to buy provisions, charges you a piece of gold for your food and for a night's lodging.

You sleep well and awake early but refreshed. Washing in cold water is invigorating and you enjoy the feel of the rough inn towel. There will be no such comforts in the forest.

Downstairs the inn is deserted. The woman in grey, the only other guest, has left already. The young girl is mopping the floor and she looks troubled. Asking what ails her brings the reply, 'My father did not return last night. I tried not to worry but I knew in my heart he wouldn't come. He went into the forest to buy provisions before the Westermen block the spice road. I know he has gone the way of the others. And that strange woman in grey never so much as touched her bed last night, though she didn't leave her room till after dawn. I begged Father to take Renard to guide him but he wouldn't spend the money. Now I'll never see him again.' With this, she breaks into tears.



As you comfort her, you ask the innkeeper's daughter to describe her father and say you will try to find either him or news of him. As you turn to leave she says, 'Fare you well, traveller, you are my only hope.'

Turn to 210.

Page 210 posted:

After leaving Burg by the waterside gate you walk north along a path next to the bank of the Burgstream. The river valley has quite steep sides and you can see little of the land that surrounds you. Ahead you see the vast leafy canopy that stretches to the far horizon like a green sea fading to blue in the distance. The air is good here, fresh and clean, laden only with the perfume of wild flowers.

A lone figure in grey walks ahead. You increase your pace to catch up. After half an hour's hard walking you seem to be no nearer the figure. You break into a jog but even this seems to bring you no closer to the slender woman dressed in grey. You ponder the strange fact that even though she seems only to be walking you cannot seem to come any closer to her. At last you reach the crest of a rise to find she has vanished, but now you can see the trunks of the trees at the edge of the Forest of Arden.

As you enter the forest you are surprised by how much colour there is. Blossoming trees, fungus mounds in bright hues, flowering creepers and giant butterflies are lit up by the dappled sunshine that trickles through gaps in the leafy canopy. It is noisy, too - the forest is alive with insects, birds and small mammals.

The path stays close to the river, almost doubling back on itself where the Burgstream bends tortuously until at last you hear the roar of the great Sirion river as it washes through the forest ahead. Pressing on, you come to a ford over the Burgstream.

If you wish to cross the ford and follow the bank of the Sirion river to the west, turn to 77.
If you prefer to remain on this side of the Burgstream and turn east when you meet the Sirion, turn to 96.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills
CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 14/15

Possessions: None

Page 96 posted:

Nothing in your life so far has prepared you for you first sight of the great Sirion river. The furthest bank - or perhaps it is just a large island in midstream - seems three miles away. Its roiling waters carry a multitude of dead tree branches towards the sea, like a vein carrying detritus out of a body.

Across the river the treeline is unbroken. You are deep in the rainforest now. The gigantic trees spread their branches more than a hundred feet from the ground here. At the river's edge mangroves reach far out into the water; bloated river buffalo shelter beneath their arching roots.

It is hard going here. At every other step you are sinking into oozing mud. Twice you nearly lose your life in the oozing mud: once when a vine you were clinging to snaps, and again when a huge river buffalo erupts out of the water between mangrove and rushes you. It storms through the water margin and crashes into the trees in hot pursuit. Soon the trees are too thick for it to follow and you trudge on, abandoning the river bank. Quite lost by now, you hope you can find a landmark to guide you.

Turn to 131.

Page 131 posted:

The path twists and turns, winding through dense undergrowth overhung by barrel-like Gwelph trees that are festooned with lianas. You try to fix the shape of each tree in your mind so you will know if you have passed one before. The thin crooked branches that sprout from the top of the barrel-like boles remind you of terrified old men with their hair standing on end.

To your dismay the path ends in a little clearing choked with dead leaves with two paths leading off in different directions. Each is lined with thorn bushes that have grown to the height of a man and are covered in inch-long purple barbs which ooze an orange fluid. The thorns would break off in your flesh if you brushed against them.

You can take the left-hand path (turn to 196) or the right-hand path (turn to 211).
If you despair of ever finding your way out of the forest, turn to 156.
If you wish to mark one of the great Gwelph trees by scraping away a patch of bark, turn to 177.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills
CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 14/15

Possessions: None

Page 196 posted:

The path twists and turns, winding through dense undergrowth overhung by barrel-like Gwelph trees that are festooned with lianas. You try to fix the shape of each tree in your mind so you will know if you have passed by one before.

To your dismay the path ends in a little clearing choked with dead leaves, but from which two paths lead off in different directions. Each path is lined with thorn bushes that have grown to the height of a man and which are covered in inch-long purple barbs oozing an orange fluid. The thorns would break off in your flesh if you brushed against them.

You can head left (turn to 131) or right (turn to 211).
If you despair of ever finding your way out of the forest, turn to 156.
If you wish to mark one of the great Gwelph trees by scoring it with your dagger, turn to 177.

Page 211 posted:

The path twists and turns, winding through dense undergrowth overhung by barrel-like Gwelph trees that are festooned with lianas. You try to fix the shape of each tree in your mind so you will know if you have passed one before. To your dismay the path ends in a little clearing choked with dead leaves.



Two paths lead off in different directions, and each is lined with thorn bushes that are at least the height of a man and which are covered in inch-long purple barbs that ooze an orange fluid. The thorns would break off in your flesh if you brushed against them.

You can go left (turn to 196) or right (turn to 131).
If you despair of ever finding your way out of the forest, turn to 156.
If you wish to orient yourself by marking one of the great Gwelph trees by scoring it with your dagger, turn to 177.

Page 177 posted:

You choose a suitable tree. As you prepare to slash into its bark, you glance upwards at its branches. The knots on the bole remind you of the face of a wizened old man, or perhaps of the eyes of an owl.

When you cut the bark a great flake comes off with your blade, and the pale wood beneath seems to shrink from the dim light like the stomach of an old man coughing. There is a far-away call that sounds like a howl of rage and terror lost in the wind.

The bole of the tree convulses suddenly and there is a ripping sound as its roots grow suddenly out of the ground, pinioning you.

If you have the maple flute, turn to 222.

Otherwise there is nothing you can do to save yourself as the tree, creaking and juddering, begins to sink into the ground, burying you along with it.

Page 156 posted:

All is not lost if you have WILDERNESS LORE, in which case turn to 251.

Otherwise, crushed by despair you realize you will never find your way out of the forest. There is nothing you can eat here - everything tastes of poison, even the dead leaves. You try eating some of the earwigs in the leaf litter but their blood burns your mouth like acid.

Beyond caring, you push your way into the undergrowth, heedless of the purple thorns that rip your flesh. The bushes are not as thick as you believed. You crash through into a dark avenue between tall slender trees growing so close together you cannot force your way between their trunks. Resigned to your fate you walk on down the avenue for what seems an age.

You start to pass bodies lying where they have fallen, one at a time, and then a forlorn-looking little group, huddled together. Exhausted and starving like the others before, you give up hope and lie down to die.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills
CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 14/15

Possessions: None

Deaths: Rooted to death, despair!ed

Page 297 posted:

The men have both spent much time in the forest and must know many of its secrets. They talk of the elves who do not deign to notice mortal men. Men say they are immortal yet they all look like children. The guide, Renard, mentions tree spirits and strange monsters. The hunter, Marek, tells you about a dragon, but Renard clearly doesn't believe the tale.

Both agree, however, that things are changing in the forest. The Westermen have come in their multitudes, hewing and burning the trees to feed iron monsters that belch smoke. Both men hate the Westermen.

'They are passing cruel - it's better to die in the forest than to be taken alive by the paleskins,' says Marek.

You become tired at last and ponder whether to stay at the inn (turn to 333) or go home with Renard (turn to 224).

Page 224 posted:

Renard's cottage is small but well looked after. He lives alone and is a taciturn fellow. He asks for one piece of gold for every day he is with you, and before he even agrees to guide you he wants to see the colour of your money. You show him your gold, but are mindful to sleep with the money pouch under your mattress.

In the morning Renard is up early and he brings you some steaming broth to eat before you set out. He says he will need another piece of gold for every day it takes to travel back to Burg from wherever you part company.

If you agree to his terms, turn to 200. If you would rather risk the forest alone, turn to 210.

Page 200 posted:

Renard leads you out of the town through the waterside gate to the bank of the Burgstream. You walk north along a path next to the bank. The river valley has quite steep sides, making it difficult for you to see very much of the surrounding land.

Ahead, however, you can see the vast top of a leafy canopy that stretches to the far horizon like a green sea fading to blue in the distance. The air is good here - fresh and clean, laden only with the perfumes of wild flowers.

A lone figure in grey walks ahead. You suggest trying to catch up but Renard just shakes his head.

'We will never find her in the forest unless she wishes it. A man might as well try to fly.'

'If we run we can catch up before she reaches the forest,' you suggest.

'She moves as fast as a deer at need. We'd only tire ourselves to no end.'

If it is the same old woman from the inn last night, she looked too old even to break into a trot. You ponder Renard's strange claims until you can see the trunks of the trees at the edge of the Forest of Arden.

As you enter the forest you are surprised by how much colour there is. Blossoming trees, fungus mounds in bright hues, flowering creepers and giant butterflies are lit by the dappled sunshine that pours through gaps in the leafy canopy. It is noisy too - the forest is alive with insects, birds and small mammals. Renard leads you along short cuts where the Burgstream bends tortuously until at last you hear the roar of the great Sirion river as it rushes through the forest ahead. He brings you to a ford over the Burgstream.

'We must cross here and then walk west beside the Sirion.' You follow across the ford and on through the thick forest.



Nothing in your life has prepared you for the moment when you first catch sight of the Sirion river. The furthest bank is just a line of shimmering heat-hazed greenery at least six miles away. The roiling waters carry a multitude of dead tree branches towards the sea, like a vein carrying detritus out of a living body. Across the river the treeline is unbroken. You are deep in the rainforest now. The gigantic trees spread their branches more than a hundred feet above the ground. At the river's edge mangroves reach far out into the water. Bloated river buffalo bask beneath their arching roots.

'The going will be difficult for a while until we reach higher ground,' says Renard. He presses on, hacking at the undergrowth, until you reach a tributary of the river. It blocks your progress, and is spanned by only a narrow rope bridge. The bridge shows signs of regular repair: bushes have been hacked back from the stanchions between which it hangs. Renard tells you that the elves maintain this bridge as a link between different parts of their domain. He leads the way across and you follow.

He is halfway across when a waterspout surges up from the river. Out of it rears a mass of vegetation ringed with fibrous tentacles. It is a dreaded Embracer, and in seconds it has plucked Renard from the bridge. As he is pulled under the water, he manages to cry out to you: 'You must go on, then climb. Then you may find what you seek—'

The tentacles drag him under. You watch the muddied water swirl beneath the bridge, but there is no sign of poor Renard.

You can try to save him (turn to 316) or cross the bridge quickly while the Embracer is otherwise occupied (turn to 343).

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills
CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 15/15

Possessions: None

Deaths: Rooted to death, despair!ed

Page 343 posted:

You hurry quickly across the bridge as a last string of bubbles from Renard's body float to the surface. All is quiet behind you, but you do not look back, fearful of seeing the mangled remains of Renard bobbing in the stream. The path is difficult, overgrown and boggy. Every now and then you are hard put to decide which way it leads but by keeping fairly close to the great river you make progress for many hours until nightfall.



The noises of the forest seem to intensify with night, there is buzzing, clicking, croaking and the hoot of a lone owl to keep you company. Finding a dry place to rest is not easy but at last you find a mound of earth on which you can settle down.

If you have CHARMS and wish to turn your pendant into a warning stone, turn to 361.
Otherwise, turn to 419.

Page 419 posted:

You are rudely awakened when the earth mound that is your bed collapses beneath you. You try to puzzle out what has happened in the pitch dark. Then as the chitinous walls of a Colossus beetle's throat press you down towards its stomach you realize you have been swallowed alive while you slept. Nothing will avail you now as the acid of the beetle's stomach does its work. If only you had a guide who might have warned that the mound of earth on which you chose to sleep was the cap of a Colossus beetle's burrow.

Page 316 posted:

If you have SPELLS and wish to use one, turn to 355.
If you have UNARMED COMBAT turn to 368.
If you have SWORDPLAY, turn to 404.
If you have none of these skills, turn to 382.

Page 368 posted:

You let yourself fall from the bridge into the murky waters and land, by chance, on top of Renard and the Embracer. The Embracer surges up out of the water once more to see what has assailed it, with you resting on its coiled tentacles. Renard is still struggling but his arms are pinioned by the Embracer's fibrous tentacles. You grab two flailing tentacles and haul yourself towards its cone-shaped head and smash your fist repeatedly between its murky grey eyes. Its coils loosen and Renard swims up to the surface. You follow, gasping for air as you break the surface, then swim to the far bank and scramble out before the man-eating monster can recover.

Turn to 398.

Page 398 posted:

All is quiet behind you but you do not look back. Renard is anxious to leave the monster far behind and sets a cracking pace through the forest. The path is difficult, overgrown and boggy. You make slow progress for many hours until nightfall.

The noises of the forest seem to intensify with night: there is buzzing, clicking, croaking and the hoot of a lone owl to keep you company. Finding a dry place to rest is not easy but at last you find a mound of earth on which you can settle down.

'Not there!' exclaims Renard. 'That mound is the cap of the burrow of a Colossus beetle.'

Renard selects a place for you to camp for the night on a slope that climbs gradually away from the river. You take your calfskin boots off and wash your feet in a stream that winds between the trees. The boots are soaked wet and your feet show signs of a green mould which you wash off carefully. You are relieved when Renard says your journey on the morrow will take you up out of the river valley to drier parts.

'My journey?' you ask. 'What about you?'

'This is where I leave you. In the morning I will start back to Burg. You owe me six pieces of gold. Three days out, three days back. Tomorrow, walk past that old yew tree and go on, always seeking the higher ground. If you do that you will find what you seek at the hill top.'

'Why not guide me further?'

'I want to live a long time. Nothing would make me face the terrors of the Bonehill.' Renard is adamant he will go no further.

Will you pay Renard the price agreed (turn to 153) or say that you will not pay him unless he takes you to the top of Bonehill (turn to 167)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills
CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 15/15

Possessions: None

Kills: Embracer

Deaths: Rooted to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle

Page 153 posted:

Renard thanks you for the six pieces of gold; delete them from the money recorded on your Adventure Sheet. 'It's not that I'm a coward, you understand. It's just that nobody in their right mind would brave the Bonehill.'



You awake at dawn in time to glimpse Renard's disappearing back. It seems he doesn't want to stay a moment longer than he has to. You slept soundly and feel invigorated and confident as you begin to climb the slope away from the Sirion river. You may restore up to 2 lost Life Points.

Turn to 237.

Page 237 posted:

You trudge on, singling out a particular tree to head for as far away as you can see and keeping it in sight as you go to try to make sure you don't walk in circles. When you reach the tree you look back and try to identify the one you left behind so that you can choose another tree to make for in the same general direction. It is tiring and you are exhausted.

Moving through winding mossy ways, wrapped in the green gloom of the forest depths, you catch the scent of unusual blooms. A path fringed with violet blossoms leads off between the great black boles of the trees, and following it with your gaze you glimpse a stone tower. It is some distance out of your path, and ominously draped in shadows.

If you want to investigate the tower, turn to 394.
If you pass by without looking back, turn to 454.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Kills: Embracer

Deaths: Rooted to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle

Page 394 posted:

It takes much longer to reach the tower than you imagined, since path after path leads you up against such obstacles as thorn bushes or fallen trees whose rotting bark crawls with insects. At last you pass into the open, where a clearing of uneven grassy ground stands between the louring ranks of trees.

The tower is outlined in a halo of moonlight which makes the angular masonry blocks gleam like silver. Ivy covers the walls in a dark tangled net. Under a lichen-stained armorial crest looms a great black door sealed with an iron lock. Gazing up, you see a glimmer of green light from the topmost chamber of the tower. It is the one sign that the place might not be abandoned and left to ruin.

If you have AGILITY and want to climb the tower, turn to 464.
If you have ROGUERY and want to pick the lock, turn to 489.
Otherwise, you can return to the main forest paths and continue on your way: turn to 454.

Page 489 posted:

Taking a long pin that you habitually keep in your boot, you delve into the lock with the deft precision of an expert jeweller. Despite its apparent age the mechanism of the lock is untouched by rust, and your efforts are soon rewarded with a heavy click as the lock springs open. You peer inside, but the moonlight only sketches a section of black marble floor, beyond which lies impenetrable darkness. Groping your way, you find a balustrade and ascend the stairs with painstaking care. It would not do to miss your footing and go careering down in the dark.

A faint glimmer of iridescence warns you that you are nearing the top of the tower. You step through an archway into a chamber which is open to the night air. Filtered through lattices of stonework beside the balcony, moonbeams form a web of shadow across the marble floor. The wan green light you noticed before comes from a single flickering candle on a wrought-iron stand. On the far wall behind it, a mirror sparkles with a fluid brilliance like quicksilver. A light breeze blows through the chamber carrying the odor of soil and growing things. As your eyes adjust further to the gloom, you can make out a figure sprawled across a bed surrounded by gossamer drapes.

If you tiptoe over to the bedside (turn to 449).
If you search the room (turn to 470).
If you go to take a closer look at the mirror (turn to 460).

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Kills: Embracer

Deaths: Rooted to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle

Page 460 posted:

You gaze into the mirror. Your own image palely stares back from the limpid depths of the glass. Then it winks at you. 'I am a magic mirror,' it attests undeniably. 'Or, more precisely, I am an aerial sprite trapped within the polished crystal of the mirror. My mistress captured me long ago and keeps me to counsel her.'

You cast a wary glance over your shoulder, but the woman on the bed has not stirred. 'Who is she?' you whisper.

'An enchantress of the Fomorian race - more ancient than even the elves. She sleeps to preserve her unearthly beauty. Disturb her at your peril!'

You smile wryly. 'I have no intention of doing so.'

'Good.' In the mirror, your reflection returns your smile with a conspiratorial look. Leaning closer, it says: 'If you agree to break the mirror, thus releasing me from my long confinement, I'll grant one wish in return.'

If you refuse this suggestion, you can now either search the room (turn to 470) or leave the tower (turn to 479).
If you accept, decide your wish. Will you ask for vitality (turn to 118), wisdom (turn to 22), or secret lore (turn to 268)?

Page 268 posted:

The Elf King's name,' suggests the mirror-sprite. 'That is a very old secret.'

You shrug. 'What of it? I need a secret that will help me in my quest.'

'Among the ancient folk, names are especially significant,' says the sprite. 'You can force such, a being to do what you want if you know his name. And you might want the Elf King's help before your quest is done.'

'All right, what is his name?'

The sprite demurs. 'I heard . . . on the wind, long ago, I heard a whisper . . . ' It glances to left and right, wearing a fearful expression on your own reflected face. 'I'll tell you this rhyme:

posted:

'The name of the Elven King
Is a very powerful thing;
If you speak it to him, or even sing,
He'll have to give you his signet ring.'

You give the mirror a long hard glare. The sprite returns your annoyance with a disingenuous look. 'That does not sound very helpful,' you say coldly.

'It is all I dare,' replies the sprite. 'Now, hurry - shatter the mirror so that I can fly free.'

Write the codeword Speculum on your Adventure Sheet.

Now, if you break the mirror, turn to 418.
If not, turn to 105.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum

Kills: Embracer

Deaths: Rooted to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle

Ghostwoods posted:

A deal is a deal. Smash it. Although in an ideal world, I'd rather have taken the mirror down the hallway to smash it away from the sleeping sorceress.

Page 418 posted:

You have more sense than to smash the mirror here by the enchantress' bedside, where the noise would surely wake her. Taking it down carefully from the wall, you tiptoe to the balcony and drop it over the balustrade. You watch it flash in the moonlight as it tails to shatter on the ground far below. A gust of spring-scented wind arises and you catch a glimpse of an ethereal smiling face flitting up past you as a voice whispers, 'Thank you.' Then the wind dies and all is quiet again.

If you want to explore the bower further, turn to 470.
If you are ready to leave, turn to 479.

Page 470 posted:

You discover a stout bronze chest in a vine-carpeted alcove. Your heart thuds with greed as you contemplate the lavish treasures it might contain. Alas, you are destined never to possess a single gold coin of that treasure. The moment you touch the hasp, the vine leaves start rustling of their own accord, making a noise like a hundred hissing serpents to break the silence of the bower. You should have guessed that the treasure chest would be protected by an alarm spell.

Turn to 499.

Page 499 posted:

Stirring at the noise, the woman on the bed raises a slim white arm and brushes sleepily at her face. At any moment she will awaken. If she discovers you here, she might well express her surprise in a manner involving both magic and malice. You must begone with all stealth and haste.

If you have ROGUERY then you can use your skill to slip away unnoticed: turn to 479.
Otherwise turn to 485.

Page 479 posted:

You make your way quickly away from the eerie ivyclad tower and return to the main track, where you snatch a few hours of rest before continuing on your way.

Turn to 454.

Page 454 posted:

As you walk on you find gaunt grey crags jutting up out of the forest. It is a relief to find clear landmarks at last. The forest is broken here; where the soil is thin above the grey rock only grass can grow, and you walk out of gloom into bright sunlight that hurts your eyes. There are countless paths leading back into the forest in all directions. As you stand contemplating the choice of ways a voice above and behind you says, 'Lost, are you?'



You turn round and look up. All you can see is a silver-feathered owl perched on top of an outcrop.

'Lost, are you?' the voice says again. It sounded as if the voice came from the owl but its beak didn't move.

Will you admit you are lost, (turn to 258)?
Or ignore it and walk on, choosing one of the many ways at random, (turn to 277)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum

Kills: Embracer

Deaths: Rooted to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle

Page 277 posted:

The days come and go and still you cannot find anyone to talk to in the forest, nor anything but perfectly ordinary-seeming trees. You manage to find enough berries and nuts to stay alive but it is a hard existence. The forest is just too big to find your way through alone.

For hours on end you feel as though you are being watched by unseen eyes. Sometimes you whirl round suddenly, eyes darting towards any sign of movement, in the hope of catching one of the spies. But you never do.

Then one day which dawns cold and dewy just like any other, you hear a strange thumping and an occasional hissing like a dragon's breath or a geyser erupting far away.

Turn to 260.

Page 260 posted:

Climbing a rise you look out over a scene of utter devastation. The trees have been chopped down as far as the eye can see. An infernal engine of some kind belches black smoke and two hundred yards away you see a forge with a gigantic cauldron over a bonfire which six men feed constantly with readycut wood and charcoal. The men working here are very pale skinned, their faces long and thin, like hatchets. They shout to each other over the din of the engine in a language you don't understand.

Teams of horses yoked together pull logs to where groups of men cut them up with saws, ready for burning. A row of children sit nearby; they are darker skinned than the men and have been set to toil over sharpening the saws.



Where the trees have been felled and stripped men are torching the underbrush to kill everything that lives in the forest. A pall of smoke hangs over everything like a storm-cloud.

The men haven't noticed you yet. There is a group of armed guards near the forge who sport more steel armour than you have ever seen. These men must be wealthy. They also look bored and edgy.

Will you show yourself and talk to them, (turn to 100)?
Or will you sink back into the forest and hide (turn to 134)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum

Kills: Embracer

Deaths: Rooted to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle

Page 134 posted:

Watching from the edge of the trees you see a man who bears an uncanny resemblance to the girl in the inn at Burg. He must be her father.

If you wish to free him from the clutches of the Westermen, turn to 264.
If you are content to abandon him to their tender mercies, turn to 279.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum

Kills: Embracer

Deaths: Rooted to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle

CirclMastr posted:

We took the sidequest, might as well finish it. Free him.

Page 264 posted:

The innkeeper is chained in a line of five slaves who have been set to repair a broken cartwheel. Four of them lift the cart while another tries to tie a joint together. The guard comes over to the group and starts kicking them to give himself the feeling he is doing his job well. The innkeeper groans and begs for mercy as the guard's boot thumps into his stomach. He groans again.



Will you kill the guard (turn to 315)?
Or bide your time (turn to 334)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum

Kills: Embracer

Deaths: Rooted to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle

Page 315 posted:

The guard has chosen a place, where he is not observed by any of his fellows, to brutalize the slaves, so there will be no one to save him when you attack. Immersed as he is in his sadistic pleasures it is easy enough to walk up behind him and kill him before he even knows you are there, just as he was about to kick the innkeeper hard in the chest.

Taking the key from its chain about the dead guard's neck you free the slaves, including the innkeeper, and tell them to hide out in the forest. You tell the innkeeper of your visit to the inn at Burg and find out it is indeed his hostelry. He asks anxiously after his daughter and you are able to say she is tolerably well. 'She will be all the happier when you return to her, no doubt.'

'Will you come back with me to Burg? I will shower you with hospitality, a banquet fit for a prince . . . '

Will you escort the innkeeper safely back to his inn (turn to 62) or tell him you must stay in the forest and foil the Wester men (turn to 378)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Deaths: Rooted to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle

gegi posted:

... wait, is this one of those books that only has one good end?

Page 62 posted:

The innkeeper's daughter is overjoyed to see her father returned. The innkeeper is as good as his word and he kills a fatted pig to give you a banquet fit for a king.

All too soon, however, you have to leave their pleasant hospitality behind and return to your quest. Yet you are already too late. As you journey back towards the Sirion river the Westermen have found the Tree of Life and cut it down. The forest is doomed and so, in the end, is all mankind. You have failed: the long winter is beginning.

Page 378 posted:

You have moved to the edge of the trees now and look out over the grisly devastation. The innkeeper tells you his name is Pozzo and also reveals what he knows about the Westermen. Their leader has a huge scarlet and black pavilion tent beyond the forges where he plans how to despoil the forest. Pozzo offers to take you there.

Will you be guided by the innkeeper (turn to 428) or return to the safety of the deep forest (turn to 282)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Rooted to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm

Page 428 posted:

Pozzo takes you through the trees until you come to a large clearing. Noticing a steady stream of messengers riding post-haste to a point beyond the furnaces, you skirt round through the forest until, peering out between the branches of a Servis tree, you see a magnificent silk pavilion large enough to seat a hundred knights at a banquet. There are guards at each corner of the pavilion and two guards with halberds flank the silk porch which leads into the main tent. They are all dressed in rare steel armour and all have the sly look of the Westermen about them. It is a hundred paces across burned ground from the Servis tree to the tent.

If you have SPELLS and a wand, you can cast Vanish and sneak unseen into the pavilion (turn to 266) or you can cast Friendship to charm your way past the guards and into their chief's confidence (turn to 231).
Otherwise, you can sneak up to the tent as a spy (turn to 350).

Page 350 posted:

Beyond the black silk pavilion there are many smaller canvas tents roped to the few trees which have been allowed to stay standing. There is a regular bustle of people coming and going between the tents and the pavilion or riding in to report from scattered forges and slave encampments.

Will you try to get to the silk pavilion right away before you are spotted (turn to 239) or stay hidden until dusk (turn to 217)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Rooted to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm

Page 239 posted:

You manage to creep to within twenty paces of the silk pavilion before one of the guards sees you and raises the alarm. You run back towards the forest edge but a detachment of soldiers issues from the trees; they fan out and surround you. Fearing the worst you are relieved when they only take you prisoner.

Turn to 151.

Page 151 posted:

You surrender yourself up to the Westermen guards and are taken before a man who is clearly their chief. The Chief of the Westermen is a balding corpulent man whose eyes seem to gleam with greed. He appraises your worth in a quick glance. 'Hmm, you look - strong and fit - doubtless you'll make a fine log-puller.'

Without even asking who you are or where you have come from the Westermen chain you to a yoke beside a man who reminds you of the girl in the inn at Burg. It must be her father.

If you have SPELLS, turn to 229.

Otherwise you begin a life of back-breaking work, pulling tree trunks from the fellers to the sawyers for week after week, year after year. Your pitiful existence is dominated by thoughts of how you might make a desperate escape before the toil kills you. There is no escape. You live only to see the utter destruction of the Forest of Arden.

Page 229 posted:

You bide your time until you are roughly unhooked from the coffle chain and set to work digging a hole for the Westermen to use as a latrine. When the guard looks away you cast a Vanish spell and make good your escape. The guard has just returned to the pit you had begun to dig and is looking around for you. If he doesn't want to call attention to the fact he has let you escape he may do nothing. On the other hand he may sound the alarm.

Will you try to free the innkeeper, which you must surely do if you promised his daughter you would try to find him (turn to 264).

Or will you abandon him to the Westermen's tender mercies (turn to 279)?

Page 217 posted:

You wait, concealed in the trees, for nightfall. You have not been waiting and watching long when Valerian the Moon Druid, who you saw at the inn at Burg, pays a visit to the black and scarlet pavilion. He is still wearing the all-enveloping black robe but the hood is back to reveal the hatchet-like features and black goatee beard.

He leaves an hour later, looking smugly satisfied. Other men come and go with reports or to suit for some privilege or to settle disputes.

The day fades into a dark and moonless night, ideal for what you have in mind.

If you have SPELLS and a wand and want to use magic to enter the pavilion, turn to 452.
Or you can rely on natural stealth: turn to 462.

Page 462 posted:

Using the cover provided by darkness, you creep slowly round to the porch of the pavilion and, waiting to make sure there is no one coming, you creep into the tent.

Inside, you see the chief himself is sleeping on silken cushions of rich purple; his corpulent form is surrounded by the somnolent forms of his personal guards. Your keen senses also detect a faint shimmering in the air around these men - a magical disturbance in the air that can only be some kind of warding. You had best be careful, for if you disturb it the guards could be on you in a trice.

Quietly you move to the table where the chief's maps are laid out in full view. The master map shows the Forest of Arden in its entirety. A broad swathe of brown has recently been painted across the green of the forest and a red point marks each of the Westermen encampments that are eating into the forest. Right in the centre of the triangle made by the Bonehill, the bower of the Lady of the Forest and the geysers, a small pool with an ancient-looking Greenbark tree drawn on it has been carefully painted in. Inked in by the tree is a simple note: 'Destroy the Tree of Life and the forest dies. The Steamer shall do the work.'

Dispatches lying ready for signing indicate the pincer movement that the Westermen will make on the tree - a cunning plan that could take any unwary defenders by surprise.

Write the codeword Bullhorn on your Adventure Sheet.

You risk discovery the longer you remain here, so carefully considering what you have learned, you leave as soon as the coast is clear.

Turn to 95.

Page 95 posted:

You jump nimbly and quietly over a stack of books and slink out between the chief's advisers. The guards at the porch don't notice you pass between them and you are soon safe back in the forest. The awful sights and sounds of the Westerman camp are soon far behind.

You can head west (turn to 43), east (turn to 427), south-west (turn to 70), or south (turn to 78).

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death

Page 70 posted:

If you have both the Waterbearer and Bullhorn codewords, turn to 256.
If you have only Waterbearer, turn to 42.
If you have neither codeword, or only Bullhorn, turn to 60.

Page 60 posted:

The hairs on the nape of your neck begin to bristle as you step quietly between the Greenbark trees. You sense you are being watched.

You can hide (turn to 80), stop and look about you (turn to 90), or call out that you are Elanor's friend come in search of the immortal elves (turn to 109).

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death

Page 80 posted:

You hide underneath a clump of bushes for what seems an age. Here in the deepest part of the forest you can only guess that it is still daytime. When you are certain that you can hear and see nothing, you emerge from your hiding place and decide to journey on.

You have walked but half a mile further when the feeling of being watched returns.

If you wish to hide again, turn to 129.
If you would like to stop and look around you, turn to 90.
If you walk on, seemingly unaware, turn to 150.
Or you could try calling out that you are Elanor's friend come in search of the immortal elves: turn to 109.

Page 90 posted:

You stop still in your tracks and start to stare about, thinking to catch an elf slyly peeking at you from behind a tree.

There is the rushing whine of an arrow and a stabbing pain between your shoulder-blades. The force of the shot spins you round enabling you to see your assailant.

It is a tall, proud elf, who stands between two great Greenbark trees, his legs apart. He lets his bow fall to his side as your legs buckle under you. Your nameless attacker is a fine shot: his arrow has pierced your lung. Slowly you begin to drown in your own blood.

Page 109 posted:

You call out loudly. 'I am a friend of Elanor, the Lady of the Forest. I come in search of the immortal elves.'

You feel rather unheroic, calling out like this when you don't know whether anyone can hear you. But there is also the nasty feeling that you might be struck by an arrow at any moment.

You call out a second time and this time, to your relief, you are answered.

Turn to 120.

Page 120 posted:

You are surrounded by a circle of elves, all of whom seem to have appeared as if by magic. They look solemn but not hostile. Their faces have the perfect beauty of unsullied youth but their green almond-shaped eyes are like windows onto the wisdom of the centuries. Their skin is flawless pale green with a silvery bloom like grape bloom. Their long straight hair is the color of rich red wine. They seem not in the least surprised to see you.



You wait for them to say something but they seem in no hurry, so you tell them you are a friend of the forest and an enemy of the burners.

Turn to 180.

Page 180 posted:

Your words seem to make no difference: the elves just stare at you. Their childlike faces belie the threat they present. A few of them carry slender longbows but these are slung over their shoulders. The elves are not trying to frighten you but the eeriness of those young old faces, silent and quizzical, is unnerving. For all you know each one of them was born before man came into existence.

You repeat that you are no friend of the Westermen and that you want to save the forest. Your words are met by a stony silence. Rattled by this lack of communication, you end up by saying that not all men are evil. You then decide to keep your mouth shut.

'I have met many men,' says a voice. 'Seven this very millennium have found me here in the greenwood. On the whole, taken for what they were, summing the sinews of their spirit and the canopy of their souls, they were bad; not evil, just bad. We came here to avoid the prattling of men. It is hard for us to be near those we must pity.'

At the mention of the word pity, many of the elves turn their faces away for a moment, as if to spare you. You will have to win their respect.

Will you apologize for making them feel uncomfortable by disturbing them in the greenwood (turn to 209)?
Or will you tell them it is they who are to be pitied, for the Westermen are destroying their forest as surely as night follows day (turn to 219)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation

Page 219 posted:

There is no mistaking the expression in the elves' eyes this time. You have angered them.

'We are older than the forest. We were alive before the forest grew and we will live on after it is gone.'

'But it has been your home for so long. Does it not anger you to see the burners destroying its beauty?' you ask. 'And where will you live? Where will you find a place where there are no men to be pitied?'

'Have you come here to taunt us? It is the coming of the time of men. All things must pass and we with them.'

If you taunt them to goad them into action, turn to 426.
If you humble yourself and beg them to let you see the wonders of their homes in the greenwood before it is lost for ever, turn to 436.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation

Page 426 posted:

You say that long life has worn out their spirit. 'Is that all there is to immortality, a long slide into the grey of uncaring? Look at the beauty all around you. Are your eyes worn out? Have you become blind to the glory of this forest? I've never seen anything like it.'

'Its glories are wasted on you, mortal.' The elf's voice cracks harshly and as he speaks your eyes fill with blood. Now it is you who is blind. You will never find your way out of the forest. Without sight you cannot even find food, and will surely perish in the forest.

Page 436 posted:

Something in what you have said has struck a chord with them.

'For thousands of years we have guarded our secret homes from the eyes of men. Now we must leave them and no one but us and the beasts of the woods will know or tell of the splendour that is Elvenhame. We grant you this, a sight of Elvenhame.'

You walk with them, they slow their pace for you, but they seem remarkably lacking in curiosity about you. It is as if they already know all they need to about the race of beings called man. It is a walk of several hours through secret ways and tunnels before the most beautiful sight in the world opens up before you.

Turn to 402.

Page 402 posted:

The Greenbark trees here in Elvenhame are the biggest in the world. Their branches intermingle and there are walkways, galleries and towers perched on them. Elvenhame is a town in the trees. There are always flowers in bloom here, no matter what the season. Many colored humming birds hover and dart from one soft spray of flowers to the next. The sound of their wings is like the soft music of a monk's chant. White hinds and black panthers lie together happily in the dappled sunlight beneath the trees.

Tree-houses spanning the gaps between the Greenbarks' great branches are decked with hanging violets and ivy. The bark of the trees shines like polished jade where it has been worn smooth by the passage of elven feet. There are hundreds of elves here, congregating quietly, astonished that a mortal has been brought to Elvenhame.

Turn to 386.

Page 386 posted:

You are led to the clearing in the center of the city of trees and there sat down on the ground. The elves sit in tiers around you, perching on branches; more stand on the walkways and lean out from the towers between the trees. You cannot hide your awe at the natural beauty which surrounds you. When you say that you could never have imagined such an idyll they seem pleased.

'Never have we risked everything by sharing the beauty of our home with mortals. But now we realize that this beauty will soon be lost. In the time of men no one but you will tell tales of the splendors that were once Elvenhame.' There is a brooding melancholy in the faces of all the elves.

'But if you fight you can drive the men out of the forest.'

'Do you, a mortal, counsel us to slay your fellow men?'

What will you answer?

That the men of the west are not your fellows (turn to 345) or that the men are killing the forest which keeps the air pure for everyone to breathe (turn to 332)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land

Ghostwoods posted:

Uh, the men are killing the forest? I mean, it's 50/50 death/not-death, I assume...

Page 332 posted:

'The mortal speaks the truth. If the forest is killed the whole world will die. It will not be the time of men but the time of death and desolation, the end of all things.'

'But what can we do? We number thousands but the Westermen come in hundreds of thousands.'

'Would you rather fight bravely, and show that you value the beauty that is your home? Or will you stand idly by and let the time of death and desolation come to the forest? I beg you to take up your bows and fight these cruel Westermen, not just for your own sake, but for all the world. We all need the forest in order to live.'



Turn to 317.

Page 317 posted:

'What would you have us do? They outnumber us a hundred to one. Must we give battle? We have no swords.'

The elves know nothing of warfare. You will have to guide them. Many of them don't seem to believe the forest is really threatened.

Will you say that their bows alone are enough to guarantee victory, but first set out alone for the camp of the Westermen to find out what you can about your foes (turn to 307)?
Or will you suggest an expedition to capture swords from the forges (turn to 325).

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land

Page 307 posted:

Searching for the camp of the Westermen in the great forest takes several days. On the morning of the sixth day, breaking from the cover of orange-berried rowan trees, you see a steep-sided valley, charred and dead. The vegetation has been burned or dissolved away. In places bare rock has been exposed by heavy scuffing and here and there are smooth basins etched into the rock by strong chemicals. At the center of the valley is a smooth green hillock about twenty feet high. At the far end is a strange, bare hill of some grey-white rock, looking like a mound of bone. An egret pecks at the green turf of the hillock for worms. The grass is lightly wreathed in mist.



Will you walk down into the dead valley past the blackened tree stumps (turn to 439)?
Or skirt around the valley to the east (turn to 429)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land

Page 439 posted:

As you descend towards the bright green hillock the white egret starts to cackle and jumps up and down on the grass. As you approach it flies over the crest of the hillock but you can still hear it cackling on the other side. You look about warily in case the calls of the white bird have attracted any nearby men or elves. The valley is quiet.

If you would like to try to silence the egret, turn to 366.
If you simply walk to the top of the hillock to see what you can see, turn to 314.
If you leave the valley and skirt around it to the east, turn to 429.
If you have WILDERNESS LORE you can turn to 212.

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

[i]Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land

Page 314 posted:

As you set foot on the hillock you are surprised at how hard the ground feels, yet it yields slightly, as if a layer of hard rock was resting on mud. The ground is smooth and has a sheen. It only looked like grass.

You climb on up the hillock and reaching the summit, look down on its far side which is ribbed and ridged in the most unusual way. It dawns on you that the thing you are standing on is a gargantuan dragon. You can see its head, the size of a cart, curled up next to its feet as it slumbers. It seems not to have noticed you crawling like a fly over its great body.

Will you climb down to its head and slay it (turn to 74)?
Or will you attempt to wake it up and perhaps talk with it, for they say some dragons can talk (turn to 178)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land

Page 178 posted:

The dragon's nostrils smoulder as it looks down its long nose at you.

'You are brave, O impudent man,' it booms. Its voice has the timbre of thunder in a summer storm.

'Aye, when I have to be,' you reply, recoiling at the beast's terrifying voice. All thoughts of brave action and heroism desert you.

'What is it you want with me? Do you hanker to call yourself dragon-slayer and have your name bruited about the land? Have you perhaps heard that dragons sleep on vast hoards of treasure? Or perhaps you want me to teach you magic?'

If you say you wish to be taught the wonders of magic, turn to 185.
If you say that you would like a tenth part of the dragon's hoard, turn to 194.
If you say you want the dragon's help, turn to 205.
If you say you don't want anything from the dragon, turn to 10.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land

Page 10 posted:

'Then why have you disturbed my slumber? You have woken me a year early. Now I will feel sick for the next year.' The dragon rolls over and seems to be going back to sleep.

If you wish to attack it, turn to 59.
If you want to try to steal some of its treasure, turn to 79.
If you prefer to continue your quest and leave the dragon to slumber, turn to 49.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land

Page 59 posted:

The dragon pins you to the ground beneath a huge claw. You look up from the massive green scaled claw to the beast's smouldering red eyes some thirty feet above. Clearly it wasn't as sleepy as you thought and your actions have made it think you were trying to kill it. The dragon opens its jaws wide and its stomach convulses. A second later a gout of poisonous gas and acid hits you like a suffocating and burning wave. There is no surviving the breath of an ancient green dragon.

Page 205 posted:

You explain your quest to save the forest from the Westermen. The dragon has been asleep all the time the men have been hacking and burning the forest, but he seems to believe your tales of woe. He tells you his name is Garoshtar and says he is surprised and impressed that a human could want so little of him when he has great power and riches to give.

He tells you to come for him at your hour of greatest need and he will help you against the Westermen.

Remember you have the promise of Garoshtar's help. Write the codeword Scorpion on your character sheet.

If you have the codeword Waterbearer on your character sheet, turn to 49.
Otherwise, turn to 21.

Page 21 posted:

With the dragon's help and the might of the elves, you feel you have a chance of defeating the forces of the Westerman and driving the threat of their evil from the forest. Full of confidence in your ability to call upon a powerful ally of the ancient times, you head towards the rowan trees at the edge of the forest.

Travelling along routes that seem to come unbidden to your mind, you reach a clearing that seems strangely familiar. Was it here perhaps, that you met the elves? Or does some horror of your travels lurk nearby in the undergrowth?

Summoning up your courage, you call out to whoever or whatever will hear: 'Elves! If you would win your freedom, come talk with a mortal who can deliver it. For I have secured us an ally equal to half the Westerman's forces - a dragon whose very appearance will slay scores of them from sheer terror. Come forward and speak with me.'

The words of your challenge die away, suffocated by the preternatural silence of the forest. You might have expected to hear the chirruping voice of a bird, or the faint rustle of a woodmouse questing for beetles, yet there is nothing. Cursing the elves for their arrogance, you shout again, 'Come forward!'

Spittle flies from your lips and your face flushes with the violent passion of your request. Again you wait for a reply.

'Do you think that one dragon is enough, then, to beat your fellow men?' says a cool voice from behind you.

Spinning around, you see no more than inches from your face the eternally youthful face of an elf. Yet the penetrating eyes that are windows to the wisdom of countless centuries mark this elf out above all others. The Elf King has answered your call.

'One dragon is more than enough,' you reply, 'with the forces of the elves as well. He will demoralize the Westermen, plunging them into chaos from which the deadly arrows of the elves will cruelly pluck them.'

He smiles a cold smile, approving of the relish with which you describe the Westermen's deaths.

'Brave words indeed, for a mortal. But for the elves to accede to your schemes and counsels, you must prove yourself worthy of our respect.'

'How may I do that?'

'Overcome my. champion in a duel. Only then will we heed your words.'

If you have FOLKLORE, turn to 215.
If not, but you have the codeword Speculum, turn to 309.
If you have neither, it seems you must accept his terms - turn to 137.

Page 309 posted:

You look hard into the Elf King's eyes despite the disquiet that his ageless gaze causes you. 'Well, sire, I've heard it said that he who speaks an elf's name can gain power over him . . .'

You do not see him move, yet none the less he seems to draw back away from you slightly. 'This is typical mortal talk,' he says guardedly, 'all bluff and bluster.'

Will you say the Elf King's name is:
Arawn, (turn to 302)?
Eldring (turn to 387)?
Oberon (turn to 69)?
or Elivager (turn to 114)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

CirclMastr posted:

Let's guess Oberon because I am certain it's wrong.

Page 387 posted:

He blinks slowly, as if clearing his head after a daze.

'Shall I speak it again?' you ask.

He holds up his hand. 'There is no need. You have named me truly, and in accordance with an ancient pact between myself and the first man I must now present you with my signet ring.' He takes off his ring and puts it into your hand. It is carved out of a single flawless emerald whose depths are filled with pinpoints of flaring green light. 'It is the symbol of my royal authority,' he says. 'To keep it would demonstrate a lack of goodwill on your part. Why not return it to me now, and then we shall talk.'

If you insist on retaining the ring, turn to 126.
If you return it to him, turn to 69.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nenya

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Page 69 posted:

The Elf King raises his open hand in front of your face, palm upwards. It looks empty, but when he blows across it a flurry of fine ochre pollen flies into your eyes. Stumbling back, you wipe the pollen out of your eyes. It stings, causing tears to run down your face, and by the time your vision clears the elves have melted away into the forest depths. You are alone in the clearing.

Turn to 78.

Page 78 posted:

You trudge on, singling out and mentally marking individual trees as far away as you can see with the object of keeping them in sight so you don't walk in circles. Each time you reach your target tree you look back and try to identify the one you left behind so that you can choose another tree to make for in the same general direction. It is tiring work, and it exhausts you in body and mind.

As you walk on you eventually see gaunt grey crags jutting up out of the forest. It is a relief to find clear landmarks at last. The forest is broken here, as only grass can grow on where the soil is thin above the grey rock.

You walk out of the gloom into bright sunlight that hurts your eyes. There are countless paths leading back into the forest in all directions. As you stand contemplating which way to choose, a voice above and behind you says, 'Lost, are you?'

You turn round and look up. All you can see is a silver-feathered owl perched on top of an outcrop.

'Lost, are you?' the voice says again. It sounded as if the voice came from the owl but its beak didn't move.

If you have the emerald ring and the codeword Crabclaw on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 440.
If you have the emerald ring and the codeword Twinhead on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 459.
Otherwise, if you admit you are lost, turn to 258.
Or, you choose to ignore the voice and walk on, picking one of the many ways at random, turn to 277.

Page 258 posted:

'Yes, I am lost,' you reply. 'Are you truly a talking owl?'

'Truly I am. I suppose you want to know how to escape from the forest?'

You are tempted to say yes but pride will not let you. The owl sounds surprised when you say no.

'Humans usually want to know the way out. It is a hard place for those who do not know and love the forest.'

The owl seems friendly, if it really is the owl talking. It tells you it is an enchanted bird, enchanted by the Lady of Grey, to bring those who are friends of the forest to her bower.

Will you ask the owl to take you to the Lady in Grey (turn to 241)?
Or will you ask the way to find the Tree of Knowledge (turn to 328)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Page 241 posted:

The owl leads you by easy ways and you make faster progress than before. It seems to be leading you many miles and before nightfall you have to ask it to stop so you can rest.

The next day you begin to wonder whether the owl is not merely leading you astray. When you ask how much further to the bower it always says the same thing: 'Not far. Follow me.' You come to hate the sight of the bird that keeps you slogging through the forest in its wake.

You are about to stop in protest that it has been saying not far all day long, when you notice in this part of the forest no two trees are the same species. It is as if every type of tree in the forest has one representative here. You comment on this to the owl, but when you look round you realize it has vanished.

Turn to 259.

Page 259 posted:

You walk slowly on past a blue cedar that stands beside a tall poplar tree. The trees are festooned with climbing plants and a spiral of violet wistaria climbs the poplar like a barber's pole. The forest seems to quieten around you as you push under a hanging curtain of clematis and honeysuckle and enter a small clearing which is a beautifully tended garden. An inner ring of fruit trees surrounds the meadow-like garden, which is lit with bright sun that bathes the wings of butterflies and dragonflies glittering with iridescent hues. Behind a large pool in the meadow is a gnarled old holm-oak tree with a ladder leading up to a tree-house.

The owl is perched on top of the tree-house. 'I told you it wasn't far. If only you didn't walk so slowly.'

'Enough; do not chide. We must make our visitor welcome.' A woman in a pearl-grey robe pulls aside a raffia curtain at the top of the ladder and beckons you welcomingly. She is young and very beautiful. You find her appearance startling. Who would have expected to encounter such loveliness in this remote place? Looking upon one so serene makes you think of the fabled Faerie Queen.

If you have CHARMS and an amulet, turn to 283.
Otherwise, if you have the maple flute, turn to 299.
If not, turn to 310.

Page 310 posted:

'I am Elanor, the Lady of the Forest. Climb up here and take some elderflower nectar with me. The nectar of elderflowers is the most refreshing drink known to elf or man. My friends the bees collect it for me. You will find it most invigorating.'

'I was watching you at the old inn in Burg. Do you remember the old woman in grey sitting in the shadows? I was searching for the forest's saviour. Is this the end of my quest? Are you the hero who will save the forest?'

You climb up into the little tree-house. There is no furniture inside but a straw-filled hempen sack to sleep on. The lady gestures you to sit in the nook of a curved branch, covered in dry moss, that serves as a chair: it is surprisingly comfortable. She sits on a small hammock made of creepers, and swings gently to and fro.

There are shelves made of thick ropes of creepers which have been trained to grow in and out around the edge of the tree-house. Behind the Lady in Grey on one of the shelves is a row of potions. The strange liquids with bright swirling colours look just as you imagine magical potions do.

You can try to get the potions (turn to 341).
Or you can say you don't know what she is talking about and that you only came for directions to the Tree of Knowledge (turn to 329).
If you want to say you would like to be the hero who saves the forest, turn to 9.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Page 9 posted:

'I must test your fitness to be the forest's savior,' says Elanor. 'I hope you pass the test. You would not like to see the forest laid to waste would you?'

She looks regal and yet kind, but her eyes never leave yours.

If you reply that your reason for visiting the forest is to find the Tree of Knowledge and take some of its wisdom away with you to the lands of men, turn to 24.
Or will you say that the forest is too beautiful to be laid waste and you will try to save it (turn to 40)?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Page 24 posted:

"The hackers and burners, the men from the west, say the ants of the forest must be eradicated because they eat the farmers' crops,' she says. 'What do you say?'

If you say the ants are indeed pests and should be wiped out, turn to 51.
If you reply that the forest would choke and die if there were no ants to eat the dead leaves and wood, turn to 67.
If you have WILDERNESS LORE, you can turn to 171.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Page 67 posted:

'The Westermen hate spiders. They say the spiders are ugly, poisonous and unnatural. To them spiders are the evil creatures of the Demoness. It does no harm to the forest to kill a spider. Are they right, these Westermen?'

If you say there is no harm in killing spiders, turn to 51.
If you say it is bad to kill spiders, turn to 106.
If you have WILDERNESS LORE you can turn to 136.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd