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Your hopes of finding a clear route out of here are soon dashed when you arrive at a ruined staircase. It leads to a landing where you are confronted by the corpse of a Drakkarim guard, slumped beside a mound of rubble which is blocking the stairs to the level above. A quick examination of the dead body reveals that both arms are broken. Injured and trapped here by the falling rocks, it appears that this guard eventually died of thirst.
(I search further)
You empty the dead Drakkar's pockets and pouches, and discover the following items:
Dagger
Sword
Bottle (empty)
Bow
2 Arrows
Ball of String
40 Kika (equivalent to 4 Gold Crowns)
You are about to abandon the body when suddenly you notice something gleaming in the top of its left boot. It is a rod of silver, plain and unmarked, and little more than four inches in length. If you wish to keep this Silver Rod, mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you carry in your pocket.
Satisfied that you have overlooked nothing of worth, you turn your attention to clearing the rockfall which is blocking your escape from this landing.
(I take Ball of String, Kika, and empty bottle, plus Silver Rod)
With stoic determination you begin the laborious task of clearing away the rock and rubble which fills this stairwell. You are fearful that it may take you several days to reach the next level, and so it comes as a welcome surprise when, after just a few minutes work, you see a gap appearing at the top of the mound. A gust of cold, wintery air wafts through this breach, rekindling your hopes of reaching the surface. Revived by the cold clean air, you attack the rubble with renewed vigour. But then your hopes are shaken when you hear a sinister sound; behind you, something is climbing the stairs to the landing.
(I have Kai-Alchemy + Sun-Knight)
You pause to incant the words of the Brotherhood spell Strength and within seconds you feel the fatigue disappear from your aching muscles. A vibrant sense of power and well-being infuses your whole body, enabling you to attack the rockfall with increased effect. Soon you have removed enough debris to enable you to squeeze through the gap to a clear section of the stairwell beyond. Once here, you block the opening behind you, and then race up the steps to the level above.
Quickly you climb the stairs, spurred on by the wintery chill which grows steadily colder as you ascend. You count one hundred and fifty steps before you arrive at a chamber which is heaped with rubble. Its only door is blocked by debris and huge slabs of marble, making an immediate exit impossible. But it is not the door which commands your attention; it is a narrow circular shaft which is set into the middle of the ceiling. It is the source of the cold, wintery draft.
Expectantly, you step closer and investigate this shaft. For the most part it is dark, but you can see glimmers of grey daylight high above, and you can hear the whistling of the wind. But you can also hear another sound, one that is quite unexpected. It is a buzzing, insectile noise. You focus upon the darkness and suddenly you see that the noises come from nests of winged insects which are fixed to the inside of the shaft.
(I have Grand Pathsmanship + Sun Knight)
You stand directly below the shaft and focus your Kai power on the basket-sized nests that are fixed along its walls. The incessant buzzing grows steadily louder, then several lines of large wasp-like insects emerge from the nests and escape towards the sky at the top of the shaft, driven away by your mental command.
When you feel sure that the nests are empty, you reach up and take a grip of the rough brick which lines the shaft. It offers good purchase for your fingers and toes, enabling you to climb past the nests and reach the top of the shaft in a matter of minutes.
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