42

This village is a run-down shabby-looking place which appears to have seen better days. The timbers of its gaudily-painted houses are riddled with rot, and its citizens have a mean and surly demeanour that you find irksome. You are having second thoughts about stopping at the inn and are only persuaded when you hear the distant rumble of thunder.

To your surprise, you discover the owner of the Pickled Scow to be an unusually kind and cheerful character. For 3 Gold Crowns (erase these from your Action Chart), he and his daughter furnish you with a fine meal and a warm room above their kitchen. Before you retire for the night, they invite you to sample their ale—free of charge. It is a weak but flavoursome brew, and while you sip it in front of the blazing hearth, they tell you stories about the colourful travellers who have spent the night at their inn.

If you wish to ask them if they have heard any news about your homeland, turn to 231.

If you do not, turn to 56.