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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2001 - 2008 All Rights Reserved
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28
 Even as you jump you know you are going to make it. The distance is great but you time your leap well and in a few anxious heartbeats you sail across the impossibly deep chasm. For all your agility however, you cannot be aware of the unstable ground you are leaping for. Only when you are about to gain the other side do you see the crumbling edge of the passage. In that instant before you hit you know that you must land flat upon the other side and use your hands to grasp a firm hold before the floor of the passage collapses and drags you into the abyss. In this moment of desperation you reach out and hit the edge of the passage.
In a cloud of dust and collapsing earth the ground falls away beneath you but only as far as your waist. With your fingers clawing at the loose earth you gain a purchase and pull yourself quickly from the unstable edge, only to watch as most of the remaining lip of the passage falls away into the darkness. Sweating profusely you prop yourself up against the wall of the tunnel and search the floor for your equipment. The torch sputters quietly in the dust and in its light you quickly find your pack and weapon. Unfortunately you discover that the force of your backpack slamming against the tunnel wall has caused your remaining provisions to fall into the dirt, spoiling most of them. If you had any remaining rations only one remains edible. (Record this on your status sheet. This does not apply to Nahla Bread however. If you have any remaining they have not been affected by the spill.)
With no pursuit behind, and no noise coming from further down the tunnel you rest quietly and consider your immediate dilemma. You cannot go back, the way is blocked by both the rift (which you couldn't jump now even if you wanted to) and the remnants of the Impaler trap. You determine that the only way is forward.
With nothing more than an ache in your chest to show for your ungainly landing you collect your belongings and slowly make your way further down the sloping tunnel. As you move forward the passage narrows, the rough hewn walls closing in on all sides until you cannot go any further. Before you the way is blocked by a small round metal door, locked solid and immovable.
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If you have the Brigandry skill, and have in your possession a set of lockpicks, turn to section 457. If you do not have these but do have a large key taken from a sleeping Morg, turn to section 493. If you have none of these skills or items turn to section 422.
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This book, and its associated books and other documents in the Chronicles of Arborell series are the intellectual property of the author, Wayne F Densley, and all rights are reserved by him. Windhammer is best viewed at 1024 x 768 resolution. Any questions regarding the Chronicles of Arborell can be answered by emailing the author at densleyw@shoal.net.au
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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2001 - 2007 All Rights Reserved
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