4
Your skill and persistence finally pay off when the lock clicks open. You twist the iron door handle and push it open to reveal a circular stone staircase which leads all the way to the bell chamber at the top of the tower. On reaching the top you are treated to a spectacular view of the city. As you scan the rooftops and towers using your night vision, you are able to locate stables less than a mile away, to the north of the tower. You commit their location to memory and then hurriedly you descend the stairs to the antechamber below.
As you close the tower door, your Kai senses alert you to a concealed panel in the wall opposite. You press this panel and it slides aside to reveal a secret cache of valuable items:
- 100 Ren (equivalent to 10 Gold Crowns)
- Jewelled Knife
- Silver Signet Ring
If you wish to keep any of the above, record them on your Action Chart as Backpack Items. (Ren is local currency which you may carry in your Belt Pouch.)
On your return to the warehouse, Prince Karvas is delighted to hear that there are stables in Bakhasa and he insists that you set off for them at once. He is leading the way out of the ruins when suddenly the tower bell begins to toll once more. Moments later, the temple doors swing open and the procession of black-clad figures file out into the street. Instinctively you take hold of Karvas by the arm and pull him back into the ruins to avoid being seen by the emerging soldiers. As they pass by, you peer around the edge of the crumbling warehouse doorway to watch them. A strange feeling of unease makes the skin on the back of your neck prickle, and immediately you sense that all is not what it seems. When you magnify your vision to take a closer look at the passing figures, you gasp with shock at what you see.
