50

You have covered twenty yards of a passageway that extends from the balcony when you hear a grating noise. It is a concealed portal, and it is sliding shut to seal off the hall through which you have just passed.

Ahead lies a chamber which is bedecked with a score of lavish tapestries, each depicting the landscapes of remote and wondrous planets within the universe of Aon. Your adversary’s tracks pass through this opulent chamber and end at a pair of stout wooden doors, inlaid with exquisite gold marquetry. You place your ear to one of the doors and concentrate. The only sound you can hear is the crackle of a log fire, but your Kai senses detect the presence of your adversary in the room beyond. You peer through a keyhole and glimpse part of a gallery with a railed parapet. The wooden rails are lit from below by the warming yellow flicker of a fire.

You reach out to open the doors and confront your enemy, but a strong sense of unease stays your hand. It feels as if a swarm of butterflies are fighting to escape from your churning stomach. You have a chilling premonition that a confrontation with Wolf’s Bane in the room beyond could prove fatal for both of you. This fear prompts you to pray to the Gods Kai and Ishir to sustain and protect you in the coming fight.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 104.

If it is 5–9, turn to 216.