Page 335: Stones rattle beneath your horse's hooves as you skirt the slopes of the Tahou Hills. Nearly an hour slips by before you happen upon the mouth of a gorge that offers a shorter route to the north. You enter and ride along a dried-out watercourse that winds for a mile between turrets of dull-coloured rock before rising steeply into the hills. At this point a small stone hut sits overhanging the gorge. Candlelight flickers at its window and a wisp of wood smoke rises from its chimney.
If you wish to stop and investigate the hut, turn to 18.
If you choose to ignore it and press on, turn to 123.
We're short on time if we're going to reach the city by night, move along.
donkyhotay on
Do not be afraid to joust a giant just because some people insist on believing in windmills.
Free Moonbase Commander remake @ http://code.google.com/p/tether
Page 18: You dismount and hand Banedon the reins of your horse before approaching the door of the hut. With the tip of your weapon you lift the latch and push it open, wary of what may lurk inside, but the hut seems to be empty. It is furnished with a table, bed and chair, and a saucepan full of foul-smelling broth is simmering on the grate of a fire well charged with freshly cut logs.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 143.
If you wish to search the hut more thoroughly, turn to 265.
If you decide to leave the hut and press on with your trek to Tahou, turn to 123.
Page 143: You detect that someone is hiding in a cellar, located directly below where you are now standing. Access to this hiding place is via a trapdoor in the far corner of the hut, close to the fireplace.
If you wish to open the trapdoor and demand that the person show himself, turn to 206.
If you choose to ignore the trapdoor and search the hut instead, turn to 190.
If you wish to push the bed across the trapdoor, thereby sealing it, turn to 225.
Quick! Another dude with a king's ransom in silver!
Page 206: A minute passes before the lurker shows himself. He is a hunchbacked old man dressed in rags, with thin grey hair and a wrinkled face that bears the impressions of a lifetime's poverty. Two eyes, clouded with cataracts, stare up at you from the dark and dusty hole in the ground. 'Take what you will but please spare my worthless life,' he pleads.
'You have nothing to fear from me, old man,' you reply. 'Here, let me help you out of this hole.' And so saying, you take hold of his scrawny arms and lift him with ease, for he weighs no more than a young child. He hobbles over to the fireplace and stirs the broth with a wooden spoon, which he keeps on a string around his neck. He offers you some of this smelly gruel but you refuse politely.
If you have a Meal in your Backpack and wish to offer it to the old man, turn to 271.
If you do not have a Meal, or do not wish to give it to him, you leave the hut and continue, turn to 123.
ITT Lone Wolf nearly locks an old man in a cellar and leaves him to die.
After breaking into his house no less! In fact, Lone Wolf is quickly developing a pattern of breaking into innocent people's homes and murdering and/or robbing them. See: the "rogue" who Lone Wolf had to put down after daring to attack him with such lethal weapons as a stick during a break in.
I've come to the realization that Divination was probably a bad choice. Just the fact that the option shows up means that there is something to divine, which should put you on guard instantly. Oh well, too late now.
Do not be afraid to joust a giant just because some people insist on believing in windmills.
Free Moonbase Commander remake @ http://code.google.com/p/tether
The Lone Wolf is generous with his sword, laying it upon all manner of ruffian and beast, but he should be chivalrous as well. Give the old guy some food.
Page 271: Gratefully he accepts your offer and adds the food to the broth bubbling on the grate. He tells you that he is a hermit and has lived here, at the edge of the gorge, for most of his life. He is nearly blind but he knows every inch of these hills as well as he knows his own hut, and he offers to show you and Banedon a short cut to Tahou.
If you wish to accept his help, turn to 37.
If you choose not to accept his help, you leave the hut and continue, turn to 123.
Ironically enough, Rat Race happened to be on TV while I was hacking on some work last night. I just hope his shortcut isn't like the Squirrel Lady's...
Page 37: The hermit takes you back into the gorge and leads you to a place where a massive outcrop of rock overhangs a tangle of bushes and foliage. Hidden behind this leafy cover is the entrance to a cave. A rivulet of fresh water trickles from the cave mouth and the sound of constant dripping echoes in its distant depths.
'Follow the straight path through the cave. Do not stray from it. Soon you will emerge from the hills and see Tahou before your eyes. Godspeed.' And with that farewell wish the hermit hobbles away, eager to return to his hut and devour the fresh food you have given him.
Page 282: The roof of the cave and the tunnel beyond is high enough for you to ride through it on horseback. But the interior is pitch black, and if you are not to stray off course, you will need some form of light to illuminate the way ahead.
If you possess a Kalte Firesphere, a Lantern, or a Torch and Tinderbox,27 turn to 219.
If you do not possess any of these Items, turn to 341.
Page 219: Your light illuminates the tunnel ahead, and within a few minutes you have found your way through to a hillside exit that overlooks a tiny village called Varta, perched on the edge of the Tahou flats.
The flats comprise fields of cultivated crops that form a fertile market garden two miles wide. They are farmed right up to the banks of the great moat that encircles the capital. Varta is deserted; its male inhabitants now shelter within the city walls whilst the women and children have long since travelled south to the safety of Navasari. As you ride through the empty village and descend on to the flats, you catch your first awe-inspiring view of the ancient city itself.
Turn to 100.
Page 100: Tahou, an ancient stronghold containing a vast city, is a formidable and wondrous sight in the moonlight, the imposing walls and towers of red stone and grey rock assume the softening sheen of velvet, and the city is often referred to as 'The velvet fortress'. Beyond the towers and high curtain wall you can see a thousand spires and minarets, grouped as thickly as the trees of a forest. Tiny lights twinkle in countless windows and portals, adding to the splendour of the mighty capital.
Near to the city's South Gate, the highway is flanked by beacons which illuminate those who approach the gatehouse. A drawbridge spans a moat of black water and, as you ride across, a bell tolls from the portcullised archway ahead.
'Two civilian riders at the South Gate,' yells a soldierly voice.
'Raise the postern,' shouts another.
There is a clatter of chains and a scraping of stone. You watch the portcullis, expecting it to rise, but it does not move, Instead, a narrow portal opens at the base of the wall and an armoured guard steps from the shadows. He motions you to enter and you follow Banedon along a corridor of stone, leading to a secure enclosure. You glance upwards to see the faces of a dozen soldiers, peering down at you from behind a parapet that encircles the high enclosure walls. All of them grasp loaded crossbows which they train on you as you move. Then a small gate creaks open and two guards appear, armed with broad-bladed spears.
'Who are you?' one demands in a gruff tone. 'Why do you seek entry to Tahou?'
If you have an Invitation and wish to show it, turn to 321.
If you wish to tell the guards that you have come to offer your services in the defence of the city, turn to 196.
If you wish to say that you intend to enter the Tahoe Cauldron, turn to 60.
Do not be afraid to joust a giant just because some people insist on believing in windmills.
Free Moonbase Commander remake @ http://code.google.com/p/tether
Page 321: The guards inspect the Invitation, their expressions conveying their doubt that the signature it bears is genuine. They order you to dismount and one of them hurries off to summon the gatehouse commander. Fortunately, when he arrives he recognizes Lortha's mark and allows you to leave the enclosure, although he impounds both your horses. You protest and demand that they be returned, but to no avail.
'Orders of the Senate,' says the commander, offhandedly; 'an emergency decree. All horses belonging to the civil population must be delivered into the care of the garrison stables until the state of emergency is lifted.'
Reluctantly you allow the guards to take your steeds and, as they are being led away, the commander hands you each a piece of vellum stamped with a date and a number. 'Receipts,' he explains, his tone noticeably more friendly. You pocket your Receipt (mark this as a Special Item on your Action Chart; owing to its size, you need not delete another Special Item should you already carry the maximum quota) and are about to walk away when he calls out, 'Report to the citadel first thing in the morning. You'll be allocated your battle positions for when the enemy attack.'
Page 242: Leaving your horses and the South Gate tower behind, you enter a wide avenue flanked by workshops and houses, all built of red stone or rock sheathed in red plaster. The buildings themselves are small and densely packed, yet each one, no matter how humble, has a spire or tower that soars into the sky.
The large sleepy-eyed heads of stone dragons gaze down from the balconies of minarets, crowned either with bulbous, onion-shaped domes of copper, or with platforms housing engines of war recently installed.
Banedon points to an eating house and suggests that you stop there for some refreshment. Chiban's house is more than an hour's walk from here, and you are ravenous after your long ride.
If you wish to enter the eating house, turn to 80.
If you decide to ignore your rumbling stomach and continue your walk to Chiban's house, turn to 146.
Posts
Steam: Drokmir
Take the scenic, non-fatal route.
3DS FC: 0817-3759-2788
If you wish to stop and investigate the hut, turn to 18.
If you choose to ignore it and press on, turn to 123.
Free Moonbase Commander remake @ http://code.google.com/p/tether
Check it out.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 143.
If you wish to search the hut more thoroughly, turn to 265.
If you decide to leave the hut and press on with your trek to Tahou, turn to 123.
We have Magnakai Divination.
If you wish to open the trapdoor and demand that the person show himself, turn to 206.
If you choose to ignore the trapdoor and search the hut instead, turn to 190.
If you wish to push the bed across the trapdoor, thereby sealing it, turn to 225.
Quick! Another dude with a king's ransom in silver!
Divination proves to be mediocre again!
Open the trap door.
Steam: Drokmir
'You have nothing to fear from me, old man,' you reply. 'Here, let me help you out of this hole.' And so saying, you take hold of his scrawny arms and lift him with ease, for he weighs no more than a young child. He hobbles over to the fireplace and stirs the broth with a wooden spoon, which he keeps on a string around his neck. He offers you some of this smelly gruel but you refuse politely.
If you have a Meal in your Backpack and wish to offer it to the old man, turn to 271.
If you do not have a Meal, or do not wish to give it to him, you leave the hut and continue, turn to 123.
Give him a meal. Between Hunting and our Wolverine powers, I've never seen us really need them other than as gifts.
After breaking into his house no less! In fact, Lone Wolf is quickly developing a pattern of breaking into innocent people's homes and murdering and/or robbing them. See: the "rogue" who Lone Wolf had to put down after daring to attack him with such lethal weapons as a stick during a break in.
Also, give him a meal.
Steam: Drokmir
Give him some om noms
Free Moonbase Commander remake @ http://code.google.com/p/tether
Besides, I get the feeling this might help later. He hasn't turned Helghast yet.
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
Yet But give him some food
If you wish to accept his help, turn to 37.
If you choose not to accept his help, you leave the hut and continue, turn to 123.
Ah well, might as well give the shortcut a shot.
Steam: Drokmir
'Follow the straight path through the cave. Do not stray from it. Soon you will emerge from the hills and see Tahou before your eyes. Godspeed.' And with that farewell wish the hermit hobbles away, eager to return to his hut and devour the fresh food you have given him.
Turn to 282.
If you possess a Kalte Firesphere, a Lantern, or a Torch and Tinderbox,27 turn to 219.
If you do not possess any of these Items, turn to 341.
We absolutely have a Kalte Firesphere.
The flats comprise fields of cultivated crops that form a fertile market garden two miles wide. They are farmed right up to the banks of the great moat that encircles the capital. Varta is deserted; its male inhabitants now shelter within the city walls whilst the women and children have long since travelled south to the safety of Navasari. As you ride through the empty village and descend on to the flats, you catch your first awe-inspiring view of the ancient city itself.
Turn to 100.
Near to the city's South Gate, the highway is flanked by beacons which illuminate those who approach the gatehouse. A drawbridge spans a moat of black water and, as you ride across, a bell tolls from the portcullised archway ahead.
'Two civilian riders at the South Gate,' yells a soldierly voice.
'Raise the postern,' shouts another.
There is a clatter of chains and a scraping of stone. You watch the portcullis, expecting it to rise, but it does not move, Instead, a narrow portal opens at the base of the wall and an armoured guard steps from the shadows. He motions you to enter and you follow Banedon along a corridor of stone, leading to a secure enclosure. You glance upwards to see the faces of a dozen soldiers, peering down at you from behind a parapet that encircles the high enclosure walls. All of them grasp loaded crossbows which they train on you as you move. Then a small gate creaks open and two guards appear, armed with broad-bladed spears.
'Who are you?' one demands in a gruff tone. 'Why do you seek entry to Tahou?'
If you have an Invitation and wish to show it, turn to 321.
If you wish to tell the guards that you have come to offer your services in the defence of the city, turn to 196.
If you wish to say that you intend to enter the Tahoe Cauldron, turn to 60.
Free Moonbase Commander remake @ http://code.google.com/p/tether
'Orders of the Senate,' says the commander, offhandedly; 'an emergency decree. All horses belonging to the civil population must be delivered into the care of the garrison stables until the state of emergency is lifted.'
Reluctantly you allow the guards to take your steeds and, as they are being led away, the commander hands you each a piece of vellum stamped with a date and a number. 'Receipts,' he explains, his tone noticeably more friendly. You pocket your Receipt (mark this as a Special Item on your Action Chart; owing to its size, you need not delete another Special Item should you already carry the maximum quota) and are about to walk away when he calls out, 'Report to the citadel first thing in the morning. You'll be allocated your battle positions for when the enemy attack.'
Turn to 242.
The large sleepy-eyed heads of stone dragons gaze down from the balconies of minarets, crowned either with bulbous, onion-shaped domes of copper, or with platforms housing engines of war recently installed.
Banedon points to an eating house and suggests that you stop there for some refreshment. Chiban's house is more than an hour's walk from here, and you are ravenous after your long ride.
If you wish to enter the eating house, turn to 80.
If you decide to ignore your rumbling stomach and continue your walk to Chiban's house, turn to 146.