This little sequence was my part, and I have a feeling that Mark was going to develop Leshand and the undersea kingdom, at least to get the total up to fifty sections. Whether he did so or not I can't remember. We sold the books to a publisher called Mammoth and they did moderately well, but the gamebook craze was already tailing off. We should have done them a few years earlier. I remember the series with mixed feelings. On the one hand it inspired me to write two of my best books (Down Among the Dead Men and Heart of Ice). On the other hand, I had to help out with editing and rewriting Coils of Hate, and memory of that still has me waking up in cold sweats.
VIRTUAL REALITY Adventure Books
(original pitch)
The
rules
All you need do in order to play these adventures is
choose four skills from the list given below. These four skills will determine
your options during the adventure.
In addition, at the back of the book we will provide
sample characters for those who wish to begin play straight away. Here is an
example:
The Soldier
Skills: ARCHERY, SWORDPLAY,
WILDERNESS LORE and AGILITY.
Life Points:
10
Possessions: Bow
& arrows, sword, and a money-pouch containing 20 gold pieces.
Profile: Your character is
a roving mercenary. You put more trust in your own skills than in friends, of
whom you have few. A self-sufficient and perhaps somewhat intimidating
individual.
The
skills
Fighting skills: ARCHERY, SWORDPLAY, UNARMED COMBAT
Trickster skills: CUNNING, AGILITY, ROGUERY
Sorcery skills: SPELLS, CHARMS, FOLKLORE
Travelling skills: STREETWISE, WILDERNESS LORE,
SEAFARING
1
The guards strip you of your weapons and money but do
not bother to take any other items you may have. Then they lead you through a
maze of passageways whose walls of rough-hewn stone are blackened under
centuries of grime. As you pass the heavy iron-barred doorways on your route,
you hear the moans and pitiful shrieks of other inmates. “That’s how you’ll
sound after a few years in this place,” remarks one of the guards. “Madness is
the only escape from here.”
Shoving
you roughly into a small cell, they slam the door. The scrape of the key in the
lock makes a doleful sound in the gloomy cell. One of the guards slides open a
panel in the door and sneers: “Don’t bother getting comfortable. You won’t be
here that long.”
The
panel bangs shut and you listen to their footfalls recede along the corridor
outside. Apart from the rats snuffling about in the corners of the cell, you
are alone.
Then
the full horror of your predicament falls on you like ice water. They mean to
execute you for a crime you did not commit! You must escape.
If
you have ROGUERY, turn to 2
If
you have SPELLS, turn to 8
Otherwise,
turn to 14
2
The lock is child’s play for someone of your unique
talents, You have the cell door open in no time.
Turn
to 29
3
The old man who is the cell’s sole occupant thanks you
for freeing him. He draws his tattered robe around him, managing to muster a
shadow of the dignity he must have possessed before his long incarceration in
this dreadful place.
“You
go on without me,” he insists. “I’m too slow to keep up with a young blood like
you, and in any case I travel best alone. But I won’t forget your kindness, and
I want you to take this ring as a token of my gratitude.” He pulls a ruby
signet out of the ragged folds of his robe and presses it into your hand.
“I
can’t accept this,” you protest, perhaps not too adamantly.
“It’s
nothing,” he says. “A trinket only. Someday I’ll repay you properly, though –
be sure of that.”
You
nod, wasting no time on farewells. Make a note of the signet ring. If you have
not previously done so, you can now try the door to the guardroom – turn to 25. If you do not want to go into the guardroom,
or did so already, then turn to 29
4
You step through the door and immediately collide with
a group of guards who have just finished breakfast. It takes them only a split-second
to realise you are an escaped prisoner. One grapples you as the others pull
their swords from their scabbards. Within moments you are embroiled in a deadly
struggle.
Without
martial training you have no hope of survival. If you have either SWORDPLAY or
UNARMED COMBAT, turn to 23
5
Against a master of the sword, your strategy is simple
suicide. He calmly parries your barrage of desperate attacks, finally disarming
you with a deft twist of his blade. You feel his sword-point prick the skin of
your throat. “Enough. I yield.”
Attracted
by the commotion, a couple of guards rush into the practice halls “Careful,
sarge,” says one. “That’s the escaped prisoner.”
The
weapons instructor smiles at you. “Oh, not just a common thief, eh? In that
case, let me escort your personally to the scaffold.”
It
is a short walk across the courtyard, and an even shorter drop to the end of a
rope. Your adventure ends here.
6
Escape is impossible. Guards pour down onto the beach
and you are swiftly surrounded. Despite a valiant struggle, you are recaptured and taken back to your cell,
where a constant vigil is kept until it is time for your execution.
You
are led out to the scaffold and the hangman slips the noose around your neck.
You take a breath, see the grisly excitement on the faces of the guards, hear a
panel drop away. There is a moment of weightlessness, followed by a blaze of
light… and then silence, forever.
7
At last you succeed in, chipping away enough of the
mortar to work one of the blocks free. By squeezing through the gap you have
made in the wall, you could get into the corridor running behind your cell.
Glancing
up at the narrow window-slit, you are alarmed to see that a pale silvery glow
has replaced the velvet blackness of night. The guards will soon be coming for
you.
If
you want to leave the cell immediately via the exit you have made, turn to 13
If
you have CUNNING and want to try fooling the guards, turn to 19
If
you have UNARMED COMBAT and wait to fight them, turn to 24
8
You bide your time until, at last, you hear the
footsteps of the gaoler bringing your supper. He slides open the panel in the
door and raises a cup of gruel to the bars. Then you hear him give a gasp of
surprise, for he has seen what your magic has wrought.
To
your eyes the cell is as before – clammy, dingy, infested with vermin. But, by
dint of your magic, the gaoler beholds a different sight: a vision of gold
stacked to the ceiling, of glittering jewels and caskets full of rubies like
giant drops of blood.
Excited
fingers fumble with the key. The door is flung open and the gaoler rushes
inside, laughing wildly, to hurl himself at the pile of filthy rushes that
served as your bed. Presumably the spell causes him to see it as extravagant
jewellery, for he holds each rush up in the torchlight and mutters, ‘Rich! I’m
rich!” His rheumy eyes light up with greed, his tongue slavers across thin
lips.
The
weak-minded dolt. You put paid to him with a swift clout to the back of the
neck, then hurry from the cell. You can take his keys if you wish. Turn to 29
9
Taking up the bow, one of the guards nocks on an arrow
and shoots at your retreating back. You cry out as searing pain rips through
your shoulder. Lose 2 Life Points unless you have CHARMS, in which case a rapidly-muttered
protective rhyme saves you from injury.
Now
turn to 26
10
You step into the steam, griddle-smoke and clamour of
the prison kitchen. Almost at once, a burly man with arms as thick as beef
joints stares. at you with an expression of fury. “Get out of my kitchen!” he bellows.
If
you retreat as he demands, you can go either to the refectory (turn to 4) or down the passage beside the kitchen
(turn to 17).
If
you ignore him turn to 12
11
The weapons instructor’s skill is truly impressive. if
he were a younger man, he would be one of the most dangerous swordsmen in the
world. As it is, your best efforts at defence only just manage to hold him off.
Taking advantage of a momentary lapse in your concentration, he breaks through
your guard to inflict the loss of 1 Life Point. But by this time, his age and
weight are beginning to tell. His breath comes in wheezing gasps and he is
moving more slowly. “You wretch...” he puffs. “You’re good… but I’ll get you
yet...”
“Sorry;”
you reply, “but I’ve got to be off.”
You
suddenly dodge away and race out into the courtyard. The weapons instructor is
too out of breath to give chase, or even to shout for the guards to stop you.
Turn to 22
12
As you press on towards the door leading to the
kitchen-yard, you stumble into a pile of pans and bring them crashing to the
floor. “I told you to get out,” roars the cook. “Now look what you’ve done.”
“Hey...”
realises one of the servants, evidently more astute than his master. “That’s
the prisoner they brought in last night!”
“Is
it, by, all the gods?” snarls the cook, snatching up bloodied cleaver. He
advances on you with several of the kitchen servants bringing up the rear.
You
are forced to fight your way past them. Lose 6 Life Points. (Exception: if you
have UNARMED COMBAT lose 4 Life Points; if you have SWORDPLAY lose only 2 Life
Points.)
If
you survive, the kitchen workers back off and allow you to escape past them to
the open doorway. Turn to 18
13
You squirm through, emerging into a narrow passage
from which two doors lead off. If you want to try either of the doors, will it
be the first that you come to (turn to 20)
or the one nearer the end of the passage (turn to 25)? If you carry straight on to the end of the passage without
delay, turn to 29
14
You languish in the dank cell for several hours.
Although cannot think of a way to escape, still your mind is awhirl and sleep
will not come. Late in the evening, the panel in the door slides open. You are
on your feet in a trice. Is the end to come so soon? But it is only your
gaoler. He grins at you, displaying rheumy gums and cracked teeth. “Here’s your
supper,” he says, pushing a bowl of gruel at you between the bars.
“But
it’s nearly midnight.”
“I’ve
been busy” he grunts. “Lodge a complaint with the management if you don’t like
the service.”
With
a jeering laugh he departs, but you don’t bother to hurl insults after him.
Your attention has been caught by the metal spoon in your bowl of gruel. You
glance at the stone blocks of the wall. The mortar is old. Crumbling. It will
be arduous work, but it is your only hope. You set to work with the spoon.
Turn
to 7
15
Snatching a sword from the weapons rack you stand in
the doorway and let them come to you. That way they can only fight you one at a
time.
The
battle is short but furious. You lose 2 Life Points – but they lose their
lives. You can now take the bunch of keys and also the bow if you wish.
If
you have not already done so, and now want to use the keys to unlock the cell
adjacent to this, turn to 3
If
you carry on to the end of the passage to look for a way out, turn to 29
16
The presence of the shields and tilting-posts tells
you that the building is almost certainly a weapons practice hall. A good place
to pick up a sword, if you need one. On the other hand, can you spare the time
to take a look?
If
you enter the practice hall, turn to 27
If
you make straight for the main gate, turn to 22
17
Since breakfast is not yet over, the scullery is
almost deserted. There is only one maid here, who favours you with a bored look
and a yawn before going back to her chores. The door beyond her is open, and
the cool tang of pre-dawn air wafts in.
As
you step past the maid, you notice a large cleaver resting beside the sink. At
a pinch it would serve as a sword (allowing you to use SWORDPLAY if you have
that skill). Take it if you wish, then turn to 31
18
You emerge into the open air. Grey pre-dawn twilight
suffuses the sky. Seeing the main gate is open, you race towards it ignoring
the sounds of pursuit. The two guards at the gate stir themselves, but you have
run past before they realise what is happening.
Your
headlong flight brings you to a. narrow strand of shingle. There are some boats
a few hundred metres further along the beach, but you could never reach them in
time.
If
you have SEAFARING, turn to 28
If
you have CHARMS, turn to 33
If
you have neither of these, turn to 36
19
You conceal yourself under a pile of rags and
lice-ridden blankets in the far corner of the cell.
To
a casual observer it is as though the cell is empty – and indeed, when the
guards arrive that is exactly what they assume. They are so startled by the
sight of the gap in the wall that they do not so much as glance at your
hiding-place.
After
a moment of slack-jawed astonishment, one of them yells, “Escaped prisoner!
Sound the alarm!” They run off to fetch their comrades, leaving the cell door
open. You follow at a circumspect distance, slinking back into the shadows of a
side passage as they come racing back with reinforcements.
Now,
with most of the prison’s available guards searching for you through an escape
hole that you never used, you are able to saunter out into the open unobserved.
Turn to 31
20
It is locked. Hearing a moan from inside, you slide
open the barred aperture in the centre of the door. You peer into a cramped
cell where an old man cowers miserably in chains. “Eh?” he says weakly, looking
up. “You’re not the regular gaoler.”
“I’m
escaping,” you reply, raising a finger to your lips.
He
nods, understanding. “The guardroom is directly adjacent to this cell,” he
tells you in a whisper. “Be careful – and godspeed.”
If
you have a set of keys and wish to free him, turn to 3
If
you risk entering the guardroom despite his warning, turn to 25
Otherwise,
turn to 29
21
The first guard comes straight at you, holding his
sword back for a thrust to the vitals. You wait until the last moment, then
grab the edge of the door and swing it half-shut as he stabs with the sword.
His blade impales the wood, stuck fast, and you have no trouble despatching him
with a kick to the jaw.
The
others are harder now that they have seen enough to be wary of you. Even though
you keep to the doorway, the narrow space cancelling out their advantage of
numbers, it is a gruelling melee in which you lose 4 Life Points.
If
you survive, you manage to overcome them all in the end. You can now take any
or all of these items: a bunch of keys, a sword, and a bow. Remember to make a
note of anything you keep.
If
you want to use the keys to unlock the cell adjacent to this room (assuming you
did not do this previously), turn to 3
If
you carry on to the end of the passage to look for a way out, turn to 29
22
Huddling into your jerkin, you affect the exhausted
gait of a servant returning home after working all night. The few guards nearby
take no notice of you. Ahead lies a narrow stretch of shingle. Beyond, looming
in the morning mist like a faded tapestry, you can see the towers and domes of
Port Leshand.
If
you have SEAFARING, turn to 28
If
you have CHARMS, turn to 33
If
you have neither of these, you will have to go in search of a rowboat - turn to
36
23
You push the first guard aside and block desperately
as the others close in. The force of their attack drives you back despite your
skill, and you give a gasp of pain as one -of their-blades lays open a gash in
your leg.
Against
such overwhelming odds, you are hard pressed. With SWORDPLAY (and a sword.) you
lose 5 Life Points. If you have UNARMED COMBAT you lose 9 Life Points.
Assuming
you survive, you manage to break free and race across the vestibule to the
passage. It takes you through the scullery into the courtyard.
Turn
to 18
24
You stand in the middle of the cell with your back to
the door. Your concentration is intense as you prepare yourself for battle. At
last your patience is rewarded by the sound of footsteps and the key grating in
the lock. “Come on, you”, snarls a voice. “Haven’t got all dayZ
You
ignore him.
“Not
in any hurry to check over the scaffold?” asks another guard nastily. “But we
had it built just for you!”
Seeing
that you still remain immobile, one of the guards enters the cell. The scuff of
his boots on the flagstones tells you his stance, left foot advanced towards
you. You picture him in your mind’s eye: sword arm held back, reaching for you
with his left hand…
The
moment you feel his grip on your shoulder, you reach up to seize the wrist and
apply a nerve pinch, twisting the arm around as you turn so as to block any
possibility of a sword thrust.
When
the other guard hears his companion cry out, he rushes in to give aid. Both
have swords, but they are hampered by the narrow confines of the cell. You
overcome them both with the loss of only 2 Life Points.
You
can take one of their swords if you wish. Then turn to 29
25
The door opens and you stride boldly into a room where
four guards sit playing knucklebones by the light of an oil lamp. They look up
in surprise. It takes them a moment to realise you are an escaped prisoner –
but only a moment. In that brief time you take in your immediate surroundings:
the bunch of keys hanging beside the door and the weapons rack off to your
left. A number of swords have been left there, along with one bow.
If
you decide to run for it, you have time to snatch one item – keys, sword, or
bow. Note which you take and turn to 30
To
fight them, you will need either SWORDPLAY (turn to 15) or UNARMED COMBAT (turn to 21).
26
You sprint to the end of the passageway, emerging into
a vestibule with several doors leading off it. A servant is just coming out of
the door directly ahead of you. You shoulder him aside, upsetting the tray he
is carrying, and race into the prison kitchen. All around you, huge pots emit
the steam and reek of boiled vegetables.
Hearing
the commotion in your wake, the cook and two of his helpers take up cleavers
and run to intercept you. You have no choice but to fight your way through them
as You try to reach the exit. Lose 6 Life Points. (Exception: if you have
UNARMED COMBAT lose 4 Life Points; if you have SWORDPLAY lose only 2 Life
Points.)
Assuming
you survive, you reach the bloodied but unbowed. The guards are pouring into
the kitchen behind you, but the debris of your battle delays them for a few
precious seconds. Turn to 18
27
The practice hall is little more than a barn where
guards can practice and take exercise when the weather is too wet to use the
courtyard. You search around, soon finding a weapons rack with a few old swords
resting on it. You check them for balance and the quality of the blade, and
have just chosen the best of a fairly poor selection when a voice rings cut
from the doorway behind you.
“You
varlet! Stealing weapons, are you?”
You
turn. A portly middle-aged, man is standing there, wearing the chainmail tunic
of a sergeant-at-arms. He has a fine sword in his hand, its tip resting lightly
on the ground in front of him. His florid face, bald pate and bristling grey
moustache give him a somewhat comical look.
“Back
off, grandad,” you say, shaking your head as you heft the sword you’ve just
found. “Why stick your neck out when you’re so close to retirement anyway?”
He
glares, then suddenly raises his sword-point, twirling it in an elegant flourish.
Despite his girth, he moves into a perfect fighting stance. A cold realization
hits you as he says, ‘It is your neck that is at risk, you dog.” Of course – he
must be the weapons instructor here. Almost certainly he is a master of the
sword!
If
you have AGILITY, you might be able to get past him to the doorway. Turn to 32 if you want to try that.
Otherwise,
you have the option to either fight defensively, keeping your guard up (turn to
11) or to battle furiously in an
attempt to break past him and run off (turn to 5).
28
Peering through the morning mist, you can just discern
the ghostly outlines of the mainland. It would be an impossible swim for most
people, but merely arduous for an experienced seaman like yourself.
You
plunge out into the waves, ignoring the biting chill of the water, and drive
with swift powerful strokes in the direction of Leshand’s harbour mouth.
Turn
to 37
29
At the end of a winding corridor you come to a
vestibule with two doors leading off it. There is also a narrow passage beside
the door nearer to you. Just as you are deciding which route to take, one of
the doors opens and the smells and sounds of cooking waft out.
You
dodge back out of sight just in time. A servant emerges from the kitchen
bearing several bowls of porridge on a tray. He crosses to the other door and
goes through. As the door swings shut, you hear a voice saying, “About time!
Don’t you know we’ve got to be on duty in a few minutes?”
Obviously
the further door is the refectory, and the nearer door must be the kitchen. The
passage probably leads to the scullery or the kitchen yard.
If
you enter the refectory, turn to 4
If
you take the door to the kitchen, turn to 10
If
you head along the scullery passage, turn to 17
30
You spin round and sprint along the passage. Behind
you, the guards pour through the open doorway with shouts of rage. If you did
not take the bow from the weapons rack, turn to 9. If you did take the bow, turn to 26
31
You emerge into the prison courtyard. A scaffold
stands here with a noose strung from its crossbeams, no doubt awaiting your
neck. You have every intention of avoiding that fate, however.
The
sun has yet to rise, but the sky is now aglow with a limpid azure gleam, making it seem like a startlingly clear ocean. The
stars are fading, Two guards are at the main gate directly ahead of you, but
they are lounging against the gatehouse and yawning. You guess they must be close
to the end of their watch, so you may be able to slip by unchallenged.
You
are halfway to the gate when you notice a long low building off to your right.
There are a couple of stout wooden posts outside it, heavily scarred as if by
sword-blows, and some wicker shields rest beside the open entrance.
If
you have SWORDPLAY (whether or not you currently possess a sword), turn to 16
If
not you hurry on towards the gate: turn to 22
32
You charge at the weapons instructor, sword raised
high as if you intend to chop down at his head. As he lifts his own sword to
deflect the blow, you suddenly weave to one side and go into a forward roll
which carries you right past him and through the open doorway. Coming to your
feet, you sprint off across the courtyard towards the main gate. The weapons
instructor bellows a variety of curses at you as you go, but this seems to
excite little interest from the gate guards. Presumably, if he is anything like
the weapons instructors you’ve known, they are used to seeing him yell at
people.
Turn
to 22
33
You recite an enchantment that protects the caster
from drowning, then plunge out into the chilly water. Waves surge up over your
head, but you continue until you are completely submerged. No doubt if anyone
saw you they will assume you have chosen to drown yourself rather than die
meekly by a hangman’s noose. The truth, however, is that you are able to stride
along on the sea bed with no discomfort to speak of. Fish glide past you,
gaping stupidly at the sight. The ocean currents take some getting used to,
since it is like walking in the depths of a dream, but your progress is amusing
rather than difficult.
As
you get your bearings, intending to strike out towards the quays of Port
Leshand, you spy a glitter of myriad lights through the blue-green murk.
Straining your eyes, you think to see shapes like towers of coral, out to sea
beyond banks of eerily swaying seaweed.
If
you have FOLKLORE, perhaps you have heard legends of an undersea kingdom – turn
to 35. Otherwise, you can either
head in the direction of the mysterious lights (turn to 38) or else continue with your original intention of walking back
to Leshand harbour (turn to 37).
