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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2008 All Rights Reserved
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69
 Framed within the flickering shadows cast from the Mess Hall you move westwards down the hallway. Coming to the entryway you peer cautiously round the arched threshold into a scene of chaos. Chairs lay in broken piles, tables and other furniture have been flung in disarray, and everywhere you can see the remains of spilled food and drink. There is a stench of stale beer and rancid flesh that hangs in the air as a fog. To your dismay you see a line of carcasses hung along the western wall, held by large iron hooks and each dripping blood that pools in wide stains upon the floorstones. Most are the ragged remains of Sempaca and deer, although you do recognise parts of a Kreal and a number of rodents. All hang in various stages of decay and in the pungent confines of the Hall their smell is almost overpowering.
The Mess Hall does however, appear to be deserted. Only the reddish shadows cast by the great fire portray any movement, the space before you open and desolate. Carefully you move out further into the light and survey the Mess with greater care. The hallway entrance you are standing in is cut into the eastern wall of the chamber. In the north and western walls locked and sturdy doors indicate possible exits, in the south wall an open archway leads into what looks like a kitchen. The Mess Hall itself is very large; perhaps 60 metres north to south and 40 metres east to west. You estimate it could easily accommodate 300 creatures at a sitting.
In the south western corner of the Mess you notice amongst a collection of crushed chairs a small cupboard, upon which stands a bottle of dark liquid. It is a curiosity for the cupboard is the only piece of furniture that seems to have survived the night's meal intact. Having a parched throat you decide to move over and have a closer look. Carefully you cross the chamber, negotiating the tangles of broken furniture that litter the floor. When you reach the cupboard you are amazed that both it and the bottle have not been smashed by the violence of the revelry that has so effectively destroyed everything else. Tentatively you pick it up and smell its contents. To your surprise you find that it smells of Nahla fruit.
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The bottle has no cork or stopper so you cannot take it with you. If you wish to drink from the bottle here before turning your attention to the remainder of the Mess turn to section 209. If you think it will be better to leave it well alone and move on turn to section 3.
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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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