[Abe Sargent]

Svolta screams as your killing blow pierces his chest. He drops his sword, staggers drunkenly backwards, and then falls off the edge of the slave platform to land in an undignified heap on the dusty ground. His master—the slaver—has disappeared into the crowd, but by using your Sixth Sense and tracking skills you discover that he has slipped away to hide in the adjoining bazaar.

You leap from the platform and set off across the square towards the market bazaar. The slaver’s henchmen, fearing that you may escape, immediately move in from all sides to block your path. The crowd scream and scatter as you approach them for they are terrified at the prospect of being dragged into a bloody mêlée when the slaver’s thugs catch up with you. Then suddenly, in the midst of this chaotic tangle of running and screaming people, appear Ernan, Sligh, and Oswin mounted upon their steeds, and yours and Oriah’s horses in tow. News of what has happened here at the slave market has spread like wildfire through the rest of Kilij. On hearing these reports, the marines have rushed here as quickly as they could.

‘Come, Grand Master!’ shouts Oswin, and he throws you the rope that is now attached to your steed’s head. ‘We must flee this town at once!’

You leap onto the blanket-saddle which is tied to your horse’s back, take hold of the rope reins in both hands, and dig your heels into his flanks to urge him to the gallop. Two of the slaver’s henchmen rush to block your escape but they are trampled into the dirt when your horse bolts away. You race towards a tree-lined avenue on the south side of the square with your three companions galloping close behind. As you enter this thoroughfare, you see one of the slaver’s men come rushing out of a doorway. He is armed with a bow, and as you gallop past him, he draws an arrow to his lips and takes careful aim at your head.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Assimilance, add 3 to the number you have picked. If your current ENDURANCE score is 20 or lower, deduct 2 from the number you have picked.

(I toss a 0.)

You press yourself flat against your horse’s neck and listen with dread as the archer’s arrow buzzes towards you like an angry hornet. Then you feel an agonizing pain in your side as its razor-sharp tip penetrates your rib cage: lose 5 ENDURANCE points.

A wave of nausea and dizziness washes over you, making you relinquish your grip on the rope reins. You fight against the mounting pain to stay conscious but this is one battle you do not win. Darkness engulfs your vision and, as you lose consciousness, you slip and fall from your horse to crash upon the dusty avenue.

You regain consciousness almost immediately and manage to drag yourself into a kneeling position. The marines race past on their horses, but they have seen you fall and they rein their steeds to a halt just as quickly as they are able. Gritting your teeth against the expected pain, you jerk the arrow from your side and hurl it away. Your natural Kai curing skills help to deaden the agony of your wound and slow the bleeding, but they cannot prevent the archer who fired the arrow from placing a second shaft to his bow. Your Sixth Sense screams a warning and you look up to see him standing less than twenty yards away. Coolly he raises his bow and smiles as he gets ready to finish you off once and for all.

(I use a bow, this will leave me with 3 arrows)

You unshoulder your Bow and pull an Arrow from your Quiver as fast as you are able. Hastily you take aim and fire at your would-be assassin as, simultaneously, he releases his arrow and sends it whistling towards your head.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Weaponmastery with Bow, remember to add 5 to the number you have picked. If your ENDURANCE score is currently 15 or lower, deduct 1.

(I toss a 5)

As you duck to avoid the onrushing missile, you glimpse your Arrow strike the archer in the chest and knock him backwards to the ground. His arrow grazes your cheek (lose 1 ENDURANCE point) as it whistles past your head and then embeds itself in the dried mud wall of a nearby building.

For a few uncertain moments the marines believe that you have been mortally wounded, but they are quick to cheer when they see you get to your feet and come running towards them. Sligh helps you to retrieve your horse and quickly you remount him and gallop along the avenue which leads out of this unfriendly town.

For an hour you ride without daring to stop in case the slaver has dispatched his henchmen to pursue you. The hills keep the interior of this country hidden from view until you reach a broad-based canyon bisected by a meandering stream. The threat of pursuit has now passed and so you halt here to slake your thirst before continuing your long ride south.

Beyond the canyon, the road crosses a rolling coastal plain which lies at the eastern edge of the Dry Main—Vassagonia’s vast desert. The undulations of its windswept sands give this great sun-bleached emptiness the appearance of a vast yellow sea that seems to stretch away into infinity. You feel a disturbing unease as you stare across this wilderness for there is nothing to break the view, and nothing that could offer you a place to hide should the need arise.

As dusk approaches you are pleased to see that the road bears to the east and passes within sight of the ocean. The heat of the day has now surrendered to a biting night wind that makes your horse and your companions shiver. Mindful of their need for shelter, you leave the road and scout the rugged coastline in search of a cave in which to spend the night. Your tracking skills lead you to a dry cave that is ideal and you camp here and build a fire from driftwood. Over a meal of roasted crabmeat the conversation turns to Oriah and your fears for her safety. Later this night, as you sit the first watch, you offer a prayer to the Goddess Ishir to protect her and keep her safe. You have a strong feeling that the young woman is still alive and that one day, sometime in the future, your paths are destined to cross once more.

After a few hours, Sligh wakes from his slumber to take his turn keeping watch at the mouth of the cave. Gladly you hand over the duty to him and settle down for some much needed sleep (you may restore 3 ENDURANCE points).

You awake with the dawn feeling refreshed and eager to begin the day’s ride south towards the city of Bir Rabalou. During the morning, you and your travelling companions pass several traders and caravans that are heading north to sell their wares in Cape Kabar. Your fair complexions and Sommlending clothes draw many suspicious glances from the caravan drivers, prompting you to stop when you come to a village shortly after midday. Here the marines go looking for some mhaktis—the flowing grey and white robes traditionally worn by the desert dwellers of Vassagonia. While they busy themselves in the hunt for new clothes, you water and feed the horses at the village stables. You are tending to the horses when you are approached by an elderly street vendor. He is pushing a handcart on which he has displayed the following items for sale:

Dagger
Scented Oil
3 Candles
Slippers
Copper Cup
Rope
Lantern
Lyre (musical instrument)
Ball of Chalk
3 Arrows

The vendor’s items cost 1 Gold Crown each (3 Candles or 3 Arrows are respectively considered as 1 item). If you wish to purchase one or more of them, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.

After a while the three marines return to the stables. They are now dressed in mhaktis and, when they pull up their hoods, you feel sure that they could pass for native Vassagonians. They bundle and tie their marine uniforms to the saddle blankets of their horses, and then the four of you mount up and leave this village. The sun is sinking below the desert horizon when you come to the next village on the road to Bir Rabalou. It is located on the fringe of a wide beach and it can only be reached by a sandy track which branches away from the main coast road. As you reach this junction you notice a group of local people have gathered around something that has washed up on the beach.

(I spend 5 gold for these: 3 arrows, lantern, Lyre, Oil, Candles. I expect some of these to be wasted, (normally Dever includes a few random red herrings in each story, and Lyre, Oil, and Candles feel like it, but I have the backpack space, and I found 9 crowns earlier, so I might as well)