*Read Crypt of the Sorcerer through the Background and paragraph 1 up to the end of the explanation of the healing tots, and then read below*
The old wizard bids you farewell as you prepare your belongings for ease of access, adjust your armour and attend to your horse. But the moment you mount it and ready yourself to move, you see the wizard has reappeared and is waving for you to dismount again. There are tears in his eyes.
"It's no use." he says, "You stand no chance at all without powerful help right now. I shudder to think of the cost, but it is the only way."
He is holding a piece of woollen fabric like a scarf – simple and yet you sense steeped in magic – in which eight black obsidian discs are slung, and he clearly wishes you to scoop them up. He does not seem to wish to touch them himself. Will you pick them up? If so, turn to 401.
If you refuse, despite the wizard's protestations, you ride off east towards Moonstone Hills...[rejoin paragraph 1]
401
The moment that you gather the discs in your hands, the forest begins to dissolve around you. You find yourself seated in a soft chair covered with black silk in what feels like an underground cave. It is little wider or longer than you are tall and there is no space to stand up, nor visible ways in or out. There is too little light to clearly see the walls – you are not sure why there is any light at all – but there is a stone table in front of you with several objects on it.
Seated across from you is a figure in dark robes. You cannot see its face, or any part of its body, but you sense somehow that it is grinning. Despite the comfort of the silk and the lack of any threat from the figure, the atmosphere is intensely malevolent and you feel desperate to leave.
There are no written descriptions of the objects, yet whenever you look at one you simply know what it is and what it costs. Whenever you pick one up, another instantly appears in its place so you may buy as many as you can afford.
The items are:
A large flask of 'Earthquake Oil'
A tiny flask of 'Antidote to Tabanic Poisons'
A Potion of Dexterity
Life Force Salve
A Potion of Fortitude
A Locket of the Hills (this contains a tiny engraving of a figure clutching his head)
A Potion of Avoiding Doom
A pot of grease described as 'Armour Armour'
An Amulet of Recuperation
A Ring of Snowstorms
A knife with an elegantly carved bone handle
and most bizarrely
A pickled gecko in a jar of vinegar
All the items cost one disc each, except from the Life Force Salve which costs two. You pass them across when you are ready.
The moment you release the last disc, the surroundings begin to fade and it's as much as you can do to snatch up your new possessions. Though your ears hear only silence, your mind hears "The Dark Seer has enjoyed your trade." followed by a long peal of laughter. Turn to 402.
402.
You find yourself at the foot of the hills where Silver River flows out towards Chalice. It seems to be the next morning and you are somehow halfway through eating bread and cheese next to a spent fire.
The time since you left Yaztromo feels like a dream, but the items you bought are real. Some of them are now accompanied by scraps of parchment.
To find out what any item you bought can do, make a note of this paragraph and turn to...
403 for Earthquake Oil
404 for Antidote to Tabanic Poisons
405 for Potion of Dexterity
406 for Life Force Salve
407 for Potion of Fortitude
408 for the Locket of the Hills
409 for Potion of Avoiding Doom
410 for Armour Armour
411 for the pickled gecko
416 for the Amulet of Recuperation
417 for the Ring of Snowstorms
420 the bone-handled knife
Once you have finished inspecting your items, you climb onto your horse and decide which way to head. If you wish to wade across the river and ride east into the hills, turn to 255. If you would rather follow the river north up into the hills, turn to 146.
403
You are not sure what you were expecting from Earthquake Oil but the parchment seems underwhelming. "Created by a wizard who waged war on Earth Elementals, this heavy oil is infused with spells to tear apart creatures and demons of the ground."
There seems no reason to think that this will be useful, but you resolve to anoint any weapons you use with the oil. There is enough in one flask for as many as you are likely to handle.
If you ever battle a creature described as being "...as though just dug out of the ground" as soon as you hit it for the first time turn to 412.
Return to 402
404
A scrap of parchment advises you that the antidote counteracts the effects of certain specific insect poisons, especially those related to gadflies and the like.
On encountering Harpoon Flies you should immediately swallow as many doses of antidote as you have, and when you are asked to roll a die, deduct 1 from the roll.
Note that: if you actually achieve 0 or fewer after adjusting for the antidote, proceed as if you had rolled 1-2, but ignore references to losing STAMINA or fruitless use of healing potion.
Return to 402
405
The Potion of Dexterity raises your initial SKILL by 2 up to a maximum of 12 and (then) restores up to 2 points to your current SKILL as well. It can be drunk at any time when not running, climbing, tied up or in combat.
Note that the potion cannot restore SKILL points lost due to damaged armour, and whilst it can compensate for a paralysed limb, that is not by restoring it.
Return to 402
406
Wrapped in thick leaves and contained within a box of rigid wickerwork, life force salve is a near-white substance which seems to shimmer slightly and remains warmer than its surroundings. The parchment accompanying it notes that you should apply it to your exposed skin "before the time when death reaches for you".
Make a note of when you apply it – it restores 1 STAMINA point, but if you are submerged in water or sleep for a night, it will be washed or rubbed off and have no additional effects.
If you are still wearing a layer of it if/when you read the phrase "touch you with his fingers", note the paragraph you are on and turn to 414.
Return to 402
407
The Potion of Fortitude raises your initial STAMINA by up to 4 points to a maximum of 24, and restores up to 8 points to your current STAMINA. It can be drunk at any time when not running, climbing, tied up or in combat.
Return to 402
408
There is no parchment with the locket so you can only hope whatever purpose it has will reveal itself.
If you encounter someone dressed in 'grubby animal skins' and they throw something at you, make a note of the paragraph you are on and turn to 415.
Return to 402
409
The potion of Avoiding Doom increases your initial LUCK score by two points up to a maximum of 12, and your current LUCK score by up to four points. It can be drunk at any time when not running, climbing, tied up or in combat.
Return to 402
410
The parchment says simply that if the grease is applied to armour it will repel any attack directed at it rather than its wearer. You feel none the wiser as to how or why that would be happening, but nevertheless resolve to apply it to any armour you wear. There is enough in one pot that you can reapply it if you change your armour.
If you read the phrase
"However it is not your flesh that it feeds on..."
turn immediately to 413
Return to 402
411
Accompanying the bizarre item is a scrap of parchment which states that eating the pickled creature will prepare the human body if a person is attempting to take on any reptilian abilities. This sounds ...puzzling.
Regardless, if you swallow the pickled reptile it has the nutrition of a small piece of food and will restore 2 STAMINA points. If, later on, you encounter the phrase 'tentatively dab' followed by a single die roll, add two to the number rolled. Furthermore, if the resulting number is over 6, turn to 418
Note: the strange pickled morsel takes a little time to take effect. If you have not eaten it by the time you encounter the word 'dab', it is too late.
Return to 402
412
Your sword bites into the golem and you immediately set your feet in a stance to drag your weapon back from the dense, resilient clay – but cracks are speeding out from the cut in half a dozen directions. The next instant you fall back shielding your face as the golem is blasted asunder.
You notice that there is a gold ring set with a large jewel lodged in one of the chunks of clay. If you wish to put the ring on your finger, turn to 102. If you wish to leave it and ride on towards the lake, turn to 339.
413
When the Iron-Eater is just an inch from landing on your armour, there is a loud crackling sound and something akin to lightning sweeps all over the metal. The creature is blasted and flung away from you instantly.
Satisfied that you finally know why the grease is useful you prepare to continue on your way and... what is that delicious smell?
The Iron-Eater has been instantly cooked and the scent is somewhere between roast mutton and suckling pig. Instinctively you scoop it up and devour it in four or five bites.
Symm and Borri stare at you. You don't care. Restore 5 STAMINA points and 1 LUCK point, and turn to 151.
414
As Razaak's bony hands reach for you, you notice that the life force salve is having a slight but unmistakeable repulsion effect on them.
Deduct 1 point from Razaak's SKILL for this combat and add 1 to the number of consecutive attacks he needs to make in order for you to turn to another paragraph.
(If you have more than one layer of salve, each will have the same effect in addition.)
Return the paragraph you came from.
415
When the giant raises the rock to aim it at you, he seems unsteady and clutches his head just like the figure in the locket. He looks around as though the familiar slopes are rolling like a ship at sea.
When he throws the rock it is more in hope than expectation, but it's still coming close...
Return to the paragraph you came from, but instead of rolling one die, roll two and subtract 1 from the total. (If the result is above 6, treat it as 6.) Note also that if you face the giant in combat you may reduce his SKILL by 3 points.
416
The Amulet of Recuperation can restore 10 STAMINA points on one occasion. To activate it you only need to touch it for an instant and call on it, so it can be used at almost any time. It would not automatically take effect if you were attacked whilst asleep, but you could use it whilst running. You can even use it in combat unless you have lost the most recent round. That is: if you win a round of combat you can activate the amulet in addition to striking your opponent.
Return to 402
417
A scrap of parchment tells you that the Ring of Snowstorms was forged by a wizard who sought isolation by living on a cold and stormy mountain. It protects both against thunderbolts stabbing down from the sky, and the cold in general.
If you read the phrase "a lightning bolt shoots down from the sky" and are asked to test your LUCK, do not roll dice nor deduct a LUCK point, simply act as though you have been lucky.
In addition, if you encounter an undead being with the instruction "don't let it touch you as it floats by", you may deduct 2 from any rolls against your SKILL, and if you roll greater than it, turn to 419 rather than the number specified.
Please note that the ring's power to protect from cold at any one time is limited and may fail if tested to excess.
Return to 402
418
Thanks to the effects of swallowing the prepared reptile, you have absorbed powers from the chameleonites beyond those usually available to humans. In addition to any specific mentions of camouflage, your skin shimmers through colours similar to your surroundings during battle. Every opponent you fight will suffer 1 point deducted from their Attack Strength through the fight for every round except the first one.
Add two LUCK points for this stroke of fortune. You point your horse East and ride. Turn to 180.
419
Shocking cold shoots down through your body, but the ring still provides some protection. Deduct 4 STAMINA points for each time your roll was higher than your SKILL and turn to 243.
420
The blade of the knife appears well-made: it is blemish-free and remarkably sharp at both edge and point. However it is the handle which is the more remarkable. There are exquisitely carved swirls resembling whirlpools and amongst them detailed figures carrying out rituals of some kind.
You could use this weapon to fight with, but it seems too good for that purpose. Perhaps a collector would enjoy owning it. If you are given the chance to trade a knife for something and wish to offer this knife in particular, turn to 421.
Return to 402
421
The Bonekeeper's eyes widen more and more as he inspects the extraordinary, lethal piece of craftwork. "This is the finest piece of carving I have seen anywhere in my life" he breathes, "I cannot accept it in return for just one ring. If you are gracious enough to offer me this, I must be generous in return."
He produces two rings: one with a skull carved into the top of it (the Bonekeeper will not explain what powers it offers, only saying that he senses it is woven into your fate) and another with a full moon as the symbol used. The Bonekeeper is proud of the latter, claiming that it will protect the bearer from werewolves. "Just point it at the werewolf and say ''One, two, three, turn and flee." he explains.
The Bonekeeper hesitates and then moves over to a slab of rock which he overturns, muttering, "Perhaps one more...". He produces a final ring which has a bizarre symbol carved on it, appearing to show a fish's tail, a clawed foot, a bird's wing and a horse's hoof blending together. "This ring assists you against monstrosities" the Bonekeeper tells you, "particularly those of which their parts are properly found in different, natural creatures."
In combat, the ring guides your hand and you may add 2 to your Attack Strength when facing a manticore, griffin, mermaid, centaur, rat man, esquilax or similar.
Carefully sharing the rings across your hands, you bid farewell to the Bonekeeper, who is gazing in fascination at the knife again. Restore 1 LUCK point and turn to 369.
