5

The densely-packed pines of the Grochod Forest compete for sunlight and fresh air, and beneath the canopy of their thick foliage exists a separate world of shadows and cool gloom. Little undergrowth flourishes here and the soil is loose and rocky, hampering your progress further. You pick your way through this difficult timberland, keeping instinctively to a northerly bearing by the use of your innate Kai tracking skills. At noon you stop to rest and consult your map. You calculate your position and determine that it could take four days to traverse the forest before you reach the Demera Quilt, a cultivated region of vineyards and farmlands that stretches from the city walls of Duadon to the banks of the River Storn.

It is nearing dusk when you come to a shallow ravine and discover the remnants of a forest track. It passes beside the entrance to an old mine shaft that is partially overgrown with brambles. A rotten wooden sign is nailed to a beam but its painted words are no longer legible.

If you possess Deliverance and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Defender, turn to 286.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery, you leave the old mine shaft and continue. Turn to 114.