You stand at the foot of a massive sandstone cliff, its sheer wall pitted and scarred by fierce winds that whip across the surrounding rocky landscape. Perched at the top of the cliff is a walled city, whose grim outline and dragon gate you recognize immediately: it is Haagadar, the forgotten city of the Sandai. You stare up at the stronghold, pondering the near-impossible climb to its gate, and try to suppress your mounting fears. Nearby you see a stinking stream of foul water. You follow it to its source and discover that it pours from a grille set into the cliff wall. It must be a sewage channel that services the city above.
I can enter by sewer or climb the cliffs. I choose climb. I roll a die and add 4, due to rank and skills. I climb the wall easily.
I find myself in a street and after walking a bit I see the Scarlet Warrior’s steed and a temple beyond.
I can sense that the Lorestone is in that temple. I can try to climb to the top of a pyramid. I can cover my face and try to bluff my way past the guards. I think the first is a lot better. In the gloom, there is a noxious gas that make me choke and lose some EP unless I have Nexus. Ultimately, I find a lever and drop down the hatch at the top.
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Quickly you enter and follow a corridor that sweeps away in a smooth, curving arc. A line of doors, each one painted with the symbol of a writhing serpent, marches past on either side. The doors are invariably closed and their heavy iron drawbolts are locked in position. You ignore them and hurry on towards a distant staircase, for it is here that you sense that the power of the last Lorestone is at its strongest.
The staircase opens on to a balcony, which overlooks a large, circular hall. Here the floor is made of a polished, blue-black marble that gleams like the still waters of a lake. At one end stands a massive table cluttered with artefacts, scrolls, and many strange potions and powders that hint at the practice of alchemy. At the opposite end of the hall is a towering arch, its surface sculptured with all manner of creatures, many of which stir a deep loathing within you. Beneath the arch is a complete darkness: no light at all penetrates or reflects in this inky abyss, for this is the Shadow Gate of Sandai, the doorway back to your home world.