[Abe Sargent]

Chao has fallen from his saddle and he is lying face down in a large puddle. Quickly, you all dismount and hurry to drag him out of the water before he drowns. Deng rolls him over and slaps him twice but he does not respond.

‘He’s not breathing,’ he says, anxiously.

You place your hands on Chao’s throat and forehead and draw upon your Magnakai Discipline of Curing to transmit healing warmth into his body.

‘My Lord, look!’ gasps Bai. He is pointing at the rain-drenched ground where Chao is lying. The surface water is turning red. You pull open Chao’s rain cape and you are shocked to see that the left side of his tunic is soaked with blood. You rip open the tunic and find a puncture wound in the side of his chest. It was made by the thrust of a stiletto bone dagger when he ran the Skarada gauntlet. Desperately, you try to seal the wound but it is too late to save Chao. He is dead.

The terrible realisation that Chao has passed away hits Bai and Deng like a sledgehammer. Their faces crumble and they begin to shiver and sob uncontrollably. Tears run freely down their cheeks as sorrow overwhelms them. Lieutenant Quang is also deeply affected by Chao’s death. He has fought many battles and lost more than his fair share of friends and comrades, but Chao was a brave and decent man, a loving husband and a good father whom he had come to respect and admire. He did not deserve to die like this.

You wrap Chao in his cape and raise the hood. Then you and Quang gently lift his body off the highway and lay it across the saddle of his horse. Quang secures him with rope while you try to console Bai and Deng. They are beside themselves with grief and cannot hear your comforting words. Nothing you can say will bring Chao back.

Quang pulls Deng to his feet and leads him by the hand to his horse. Then he does the same with Bai. You and Quang help the Watchers to mount up and all the while not a word is spoken. You gather up the reins of Chao’s horse and tie them to the back of your saddle and, in silence, you leave this miserable stretch of highway and push on towards Valus in the pouring rain.

You reach Valus late in the afternoon. There is a constant rumble of thunder and thick black clouds hang heavy above the Tkukoma Estuary. Frequent flashes of forked lightning are making the waters seethe and churn. Quang leads you through the arched west gate and along a wide paved avenue to a crenelated building located at the heart of this large and busy town. It is a Chai army headquarters and barracks. He shows his rank insignia to the sentries on guard at the gate to the cavalry stables and you are permitted to enter. It is good to be out of the rain at last. You dismount and the stable hands come forward to take your horses. One of them approaches Chao’s horse but Bai steps in his way and refuses to let him to touch his fallen comrade. He turns to Quang and begs him to be allowed to take Chao back to Jueng at first light. He feels it is his duty to be the one who delivers the sad news to Shen-Yin, and it is only right and proper that Chao should be buried in the village where he was born, raised and had lived for all his life. Quang takes Bai to one side and they talk for several minutes. When they return, Quang informs you and Deng that he has consented to Bai’s request. He will remain here in the stables with Chao’s body this night and ride back to Jueng tomorrow morning. Lieutenant Quang says that you must now leave and go in search of a way to reach Dwala, which is located on the east side of the Tkukoma Estuary. Before you go, you bid a sad farewell to Bai and say a silent prayer to God Kai to watch over Chao’s soul and keep it safe from the evil of Naar, King of the Darkness.

You leave the cavalry stables on foot and enter the grand central square of Valus. Several streets and avenues converge at this point. Quang says that you should head for the banks of the estuary but he is unfamiliar with the waterfront precinct of the town. He asks Deng, who is a native of Valus, to suggest the best route to take. The Watcher stares at the flagstones and does not respond. He is still deeply shocked by Chao’s death and is lost in grief. Quang turns to you and asks if your Kai skills can be used to determine the best way to go. A signpost in the middle of the square points to three streets that lead off in an easterly direction towards the Tkukoma Estuary.
Halfway along Xo-lin Avenue is a small apothecary shop. Its front window is crowded with glass flasks, stoppered jars and conical shaped bottles filled with colourful potions, herbs and all manner of medicaments. Quang is fascinated by the window display and insists that you enter.

Inside you are greeted by the apothecary and his brother, the co-owners of this shop. With welcoming smiles they invite you to browse their wares. Quang purchases a flask of Senara Tea and he makes Deng drink it. The soothing liquid will help him to recover from his state of shock. While he is administering the tea to Deng, you inspect the shelves and take note of the following potions with which you are familiar:

Potion of Laumspur: 40 Ren (4 Gold Crowns). Restores 4 ENDURANCE when swallowed after combat.
Potion of Alether: 50 Ren (5 Gold Crowns). Adds 2 COMBAT SKILL for the duration of one combat.
Potion of Malavan: 60 Ren (6 Gold Crowns). Increases the effect of Mindblast, Psi-surge and Kai-surge, by adding 2 COMBAT SKILL for the duration of one combat.
Tincture of Sabito Root: 100 Ren (10 Gold Crowns). Sabito Root is only to be found in the Boari Jungle of Valerion. It is rare in Chai. It enables the human body to extract oxygen from water through the skin, thus permitting anyone who swallows it to ‘breathe’ underwater.

You may buy any of the four potions shown above for the price indicated. They are all Backpack Items that will each take up one space. You are under no obligation to make a purchase.

When Deng has finished the flask of Senara Tea, you bid thanks to the shop owners and leave. Soon you reach the end of Xo-lin Avenue and enter the quayside area. The churning waters of the estuary stretch out before you. Because of the heavy rain and failing light, you cannot see across the estuary to the opposite bank and have no way of judging how wide it is at this point. There is a ferry post close by and the ferry boat to Dwala is moored at the quay. You approach it, hoping that you are in time to catch the dusk crossing, but you find that access to this part of the quay has been chained off. A sign hanging from the chain says: Ferry cancelled due to weather.

Directly opposite the quay is a large three-storey building. The ornate sign fixed above its front door says: Ferry House Inn.

(Let's head to Ferry House Inn. I am good on items)

You push open the front door and immediately you are struck by the sweet aroma of Lissanian tobacco smoke that clouds the air of the inn’s spacious, high-ceilinged taproom. There are more patrons here than you were expecting to find at this hour. Quang wends his way through them and you follow him in single file to the rear of the crowded taproom. Fortunately, you find a table where three men are preparing to leave. You take their seats, remove your backpacks, and stow them between your feet where you can keep a watchful eye on them. A serving girl emerges from the crowd and asks you what you would like to order. Quang requests three ales and food enough for all of you. She nods politely and disappears back into the throng of chattering customers. While you are waiting for her to return, you listen to snippets of conversations and learn that some of the patrons have been here for three days. They are waiting for the storms to abate and the ferry service to Dwala to resume its normal service.

At length, the girl returns with three pewter tankards of ale and a large plate heaped with cuts of cold meat and peeled vegetables. Quang pays her and she gives him three small parchment envelopes, six slips of yellow paper and a stick of sharpened charcoal. While you are enjoying your meal, a gong is stuck three times and a hush descends upon the taproom. The innkeeper climbs onto the counter and addresses his patrons in a loud voice:

‘My dear ladies and gentlemen. I am proud to introduce to you one of Chai’s most celebrated riddlers. Please welcome the wonderful, the amazing, the confusing and confounding Madam Dai-zia!’

The patrons applaud and an elderly woman, swathed in a flamboyant robe of turquoise and gold silk, is lifted onto the counter by the innkeeper’s twin sons. The innkeeper hands her a large hourglass which carefully she sets down on the counter beside her feet, then she smiles and bows graciously to the appreciative crowd. As the applause fades, she addresses them in a warm maternal tone.

‘Thank you, thank you, most kind. This evening I have prepared for you a special riddle. Please listen carefully and then wager generously.’ There is a soft ripple of laughter among the patrons before Madam Dai-zia clears her throat and begins.

Long, long ago, there lived a beautiful princess who yearned for a handsome and intelligent husband. She had many suitors. Some were handsome, some were intelligent, but woefully few were both these things. She was herself very intelligent indeed. And so she devised this riddle to test the mental mettle of the men who so desired to win her affections and take her for their bride.

She had three toa wood boxes which were identical in size. Each one was painted a different colour and each one had a different inscription on the lid. Into one of these boxes she placed a wedding ring. To every suitor who presented himself she posed the same question. Based solely on the inscriptions, she asked them to choose in which box the wedding ring was hidden.

She told them that at least one of the inscriptions was true and at least one of the inscriptions was false.

The inscription on the Gold Box read: ‘The ring is not in the Silver Box’.

The inscription on the Silver Box read: ‘The ring is not in this Box’.

The inscription on the Bronze Box read: ‘The ring is in this Box’.

Please consider your answer carefully. The innkeeper and his sons will come and collect your wagers in three minutes’ time.

The moment Madam Dai-zia finishes her last sentence, the innkeeper turns the hourglass and the sand begins to flow.

The innkeeper will double any money that is wagered by those who solve this riddle. Your answer must be written on one of the two yellow paper slips and placed in the parchment envelope along with your wager. On the face of the envelope you must inscribe a symbol. On the second slip of paper you must inscribe the same symbol that you made on the face of the envelope. This second slip must be kept safely. If your answer is correct you will have to show this slip. If the symbol does not match any of the winning envelopes then you cannot lay claim to your winnings.

Now you must decide how much you wish to wager on this riddle. If you do not have any Gold Crowns, Lieutenant Quang will lend you 30 Ren (3 Gold Crowns) which you must use to make a wager. You cannot refuse to bet on the answer to this riddle. Everyone in the taproom is obliged to make a bet.

Deduct from your Belt Pouch the number of Gold Crowns you wish to wager. Make a note of this deduction in the margin of your Action Chart. If you deduce the answer correctly you may add double this number of Gold Crowns to the money in your Belt Pouch. If you do not answer correctly, you will lose the Gold Crowns you wager.

(10 gold on Gold Box)

Congratulations, your answer is correct. The Wedding Ring must be in the Gold Box otherwise all the inscriptions would either be true or false. You can now double the Gold Crowns you wagered and add them to your Belt Pouch.

(I have 26 crowns)