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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2008 All Rights Reserved
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411
The battle is a violent and bloody one but with the blessing of Providence you have survived it. Looking about the darkening cavern you can see the three hulking bodies of the dead Jotun lying scattered and still, and in the silence you can truly say that you are amazed you have lived to tell the tale. It is a confrontation however, that you have not survived unscathed. The battle has left you battered, a nasty wound to your left shoulder oozing blood, the result of a glancing blow that knocked you cleanly to the floor. It was only luck that saved you from the follow-up blow that would have crushed your skull.
The Morg are nowhere to be seen and you are glad for it. As the battle raged the Morg looked on, a sense of expectation that here might be an opportunity for torture once the Jotun had finished with you. It was an expectation that quickly turned to confusion and then fear. When the last of your foes had fallen the diminutive creatures disappeared like smoke into the many tunnels and crevices of the mine. It is a truth it would seem, that the Morg are cowards, content only to harm the weak or unarmed, and as you try and recover your breath you know that the death of the Jotun has shown them you are neither. If luck is with you they will not stand in your way as you find a path back to the surface.
Quickly you apply a dressing to your shoulder and consider the purpose of the Hordim camp. Across one of the rough walls of the chamber there has been drawn a map scrawled in charcoal, and covered with a multitude of symbols and lines. It is crude but you recognise it as a chart of the frontier, covering the ground from the foothills of the Rift Mountains in the north to the West Road that leads into the Faeyen provinces. Although makeshift in nature this encampment seems to be a reconnaissance post and you can only wonder at the damage they may have already done.
Turning to the way out you survey the scene one final time. These were fine warriors, certainly not the slavering brutes you had been led to believe. It is a pity that it was necessary to kill them but it was their lives or yours, and you have a quest to complete; one that you must return to immediately.
The way back to the surface is straightforward. Following the smoke you retrace your steps to the main entrance and then back out onto the plain. Luckily Pallenten has remained close and it takes only a short whistle to bring her to your side. Without delay you remount and point her towards the waiting mountains.
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The damage suffered to your shoulder will reduce your Strength attribute by one point for the duration of this quest. Your strength can only return to its proper level in the course of this adventure if you acquire a Nahla Potion and make use of it. At that time your Strength can return to its initial level. Record this change on your character sheet then turn to section 370.
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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 2008 All Rights Reserved
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