There is no point in hiding in the storage room as they may very well send more kobolds in to retrieve the tinder.  Instead, you are going to set it all ablaze.  Even if the distraction doesn't work well enough for you, it will only be a matter of time before the quell the fire and run out of tinder for their torch basins.  You sneak in start a fire using their own flint and tinder.  Soon this fire spreads to the rest of the tinder in the room (with your help of course) and you quickly find your way out of there and out of sight before the kobolds are aware of what has transpired.

It isn't long before they take notice and flock over to their storage room.  The taskmaster kobold keeps jumping around shouting "yip yip" or whatever the hell these things say and the other kobolds are struggling to stop the fire.  You manage to slip around the corner and evade the bulk of them and you think you've found the passageway leading up towards the taskmaster kobold.  In fact, you have.  There's just one small problem.  There are two kobolds guarding the taskmaster and you would be foolish to assume the taskmaster is unarmed so that makes three.  At present, the taskmaster is clearly focused on the fire, to the point of ignoring all else, but the two guardian kobolds are still vigilant.  You're going to need another plan.

You consider using your bow again.  You are actually pretty close to the bodyguard kobolds yet still veiled in darkness so you would not likely miss from this range.  Of course, with one dead you would have to immediately focus on the other and subdue the taskmaster all in quick succession lest the entire colony become aware of your attack.  Another, possibly crazier idea is to just run past the guards before they mentally register your presence, grab the taskmaster, jump from the ledge, and just run.  The fall may be considerable for a kobold, but you are sure that as a human you can handle it.

> You run Past The Guardians, Grab The Taskmaster, Jump From The Ledge, And Run
You may be in close range, but you doubt if your skills with a bow would enable you to kill in quick succession like that.  Instead, you choose the more daring approach.  After all, the crazier the plan the less likely they are to see it coming.  You gather your nerve, fixate upon your target, and bolt.  The kobold guards jump back like they've just seen a screamer or something and you sail past them and onto the ledge.  The taskmaster, still focused on the fire, is completely surprised when you grab him and jump off the ledge.  By now, every kobold in the colony is aware of what you've done so you just blindly run down the back passage and deeper into the mines.

You haven't any idea where you are going and there are numerous kobolds chasing you from behind.  Thankfully, their legs just aren't long enough to keep pace with you, though they certainly push themselves trying.  You focus all your attention on trying to avoid the kobolds that are deeper in these mines while simultaneously trying to find a secluded place to stop and interrogate your new prisoner.  Unfortunately, you're so focused on this task that you don't see the dagger your kobold prisoner pulls out of his sleeve and plunges into your chest.  Seems the flaw with your plan was that you didn't have any time to properly restrain your prisoner and now you are dead.

THE END


The man you just dismissed earlier is standing at the front of the pack.  You knew there was something off about that earlier request and seeing this display only reaffirms that you were right to avoid them in the first place.  They are all looking down at the ground but now he is looking up directly at you with a creepy smile on his face.

"So, you saw through our little ambush scheme did you?"  he sneers.

"What is it you want?"

"Quite simply we're aware of your quest to reach the Craxil and we are not prepared to allow it."

At this point their heads begin to twist and contort and their skulls appear to come out of their mouths.  It is almost as though they were never human at all but part of some kind of disguise.  In fact, it is now readily apparent that this is the case.  You are now looking at five maniacal looking skeletons armed with an assortment of swords and hand axes.  They seem like they are eager to get things started and in fact, they are all rushing down the beaten path towards you.  You turn the other way until you can decide what to do and despite what you've been told about the undead, you discover they are perfectly capable of keeping pace with you.

You know you aren't going to be able to take on five of these guys and they seem intent on sticking together during the pursuit.  To your left is another cave you've chosen to pass up on your journey, figuring it was just another humunculus den.  Perhaps, if you are lucky, you can lose your pursuers in there.  Alternatively, you could always try climbing the steep rockface off to your right.  You've had plenty of climbing experience as a kid and somehow you hope these skeletons won't be able to follow you.  You could also turn around and start unloading arrows into your enemies.  They may be keeping pace with you, but you still have a heck of a head start and you'd wager you could release quite a few before they catch up to you.  It's up to you...

> You climb The Rockface To Get Beyond Their Reach
The skeletal undead aren't exactly known for their climbing skills so you promptly head over to the steep rockface and set about climbing to a point beyond their reach.  You are almost at the top when the skeletons reach the base.  The attempt to climb but as you had hoped, they are substantially less successful than you.  One of them responds to the situation by tossing his hand axe at you and you move your hand just in time to avoid it.  You make sure it stays stuck in the rockface so it doesn't get to try again, then pull yourself up and over the top.

You are glad to be away from those damn things and now that you are at a slightly higher elevation along the mountainside, there's a good chance you won't be seeing them again.  Just got to keep your cool and remember to be stealthy.  You continue your journey in the same general direction but keep to this elevation for fear of encountering those undead creatures a second time.  After a while, you begin to smell a rather curious smell up ahead.  As you approach you discover a camp situated in what is probably the only forested ledge on this entire mountain range.  You don't initially see anyone there, but you keep your distance and eventually see something hop down rather quickly from one of the trees and go behind another.  You didn't get a good look at whatever it was and you are hoping they haven't seen you.

Nightfall comes and now the occupants of the camp are coming into view.  You never believed that at any time in your entire life you'd ever lay eyes on the creatures you are seeing.  The grippli, a race of humanoid tree frogs standing at 2 feet tall, have organized this camp.  There aren't more than a dozen tops, but grippli are known to be considerable fighters when they need to be and there is no way of knowing if there are more of them in the trees.

They often prefer to fight with poison darts, nets, and bows as they would prefer to keep their enemy at a distance but a few bear swords.  You see one of them adorned in considerably nicer garb than the others and commands quite a presence from them so you surmise it must be their leader.

Suddenly it occurs to you.  These creatures are in Craxil territory so odds are they work for the Craxil.  That means that instead of wandering the mountain range aimlessly you ought try and extract information regarding the Craxil's whereabouts from the grippli.  Ideally, you could get your hands on their leader but that is going to be easier said than done.  There may not be many grippli present, but each one is a challenge in his own right and you have no way of knowing how many may be in the trees to see what you do.

Eventually, the captain retires to his tent as do many others.  Three grippli remain near the campfire out front and again, you have no way of knowing what is still in the trees.  The captain's tent is near the back.  You surmise you could go around, giving the camp a wide berth, and sneak into the captain's tent.  However, you feel like you should at least do SOMETHING about the three on watch or you may be the one getting captured instead.  This is quite a dilly of a pickle indeed.

> You sneak Around Back And Enter The Captain's Tent Quietly

You don't foresee any way to take down a group of three grippli given each one would probably pose a challenge.  As well, they are tasked with being nightwatchmen so you doubt they'd abandon their posts so easily no matter what you do.  You are going to just have to take a risk and sneak into the captain's tent without attracting any attention.  You give the camp a wide berth as planned and SLOWLY work your way along the far edge of the treeline until you are in a position to sneak in towards the captains tent without being seen by the grippli at the campfire.

Your approach is successful.  You slowly creep in, staying low to the ground.  You can't help but look up at the treetops everyone in a while out of fear that darts, arrows, or nets may come raining down upon you but so far nothing has happened.  Perhaps there is nobody there or perhaps they just don't see you.  Either way, you've made it to the captain's tent.  Cautiously, you open the canopy and enter the tent.  As you had hoped, the captain is asleep and you take care to knock him unconcious with a block shaped wooden figurine from his tent.  Now all that's left is to carry him away from the camp, someplace safe where you can interrogate him for information regarding the Craxil.

You exit the tent with the grippli captain slung over your shoulder.  At only 2 feet tall the little fella is surprisingly light.  Unfortunately, as you exit you hear a rather startling noise.  It sounded like a cross between a ribbit and a scream.  Whatever the hell it was, it came from one of the grippli over by the campfire.  Almost immediately, the whole camp is on alert.  Grippli are dropping down from the trees and coming out of their tents.  You take off and run, your only real option left.  Unfortunately, the grippli have amazing speed and agility.  You drop the captain behind in hopes of getting away but before long you've taken a few darts in the back.  As the poison sinks in, you realize it no longer matters if you outrun your pursuers... this stuff will kill you anyway.

THE END


The skeletal undead aren't exactly known for their climbing skills so you promptly head over to the steep rockface and set about climbing to a point beyond their reach.  You are almost at the top when the skeletons reach the base.  The attempt to climb but as you had hoped, they are substantially less successful than you.  One of them responds to the situation by tossing his hand axe at you and you move your hand just in time to avoid it.  You make sure it stays stuck in the rockface so it doesn't get to try again, then pull yourself up and over the top.

You are glad to be away from those damn things and now that you are at a slightly higher elevation along the mountainside, there's a good chance you won't be seeing them again.  Just got to keep your cool and remember to be stealthy.  You continue your journey in the same general direction but keep to this elevation for fear of encountering those undead creatures a second time.  After a while, you begin to smell a rather curious smell up ahead.  As you approach you discover a camp situated in what is probably the only forested ledge on this entire mountain range.  You don't initially see anyone there, but you keep your distance and eventually see something hop down rather quickly from one of the trees and go behind another.  You didn't get a good look at whatever it was and you are hoping they haven't seen you.

Nightfall comes and now the occupants of the camp are coming into view.  You never believed that at any time in your entire life you'd ever lay eyes on the creatures you are seeing.  The grippli, a race of humanoid tree frogs standing at 2 feet tall, have organized this camp.  There aren't more than a dozen tops, but grippli are known to be considerable fighters when they need to be and there is no way of knowing if there are more of them in the trees.

They often prefer to fight with poison darts, nets, and bows as they would prefer to keep their enemy at a distance but a few bear swords.  You see one of them adorned in considerably nicer garb than the others and commands quite a presence from them so you surmise it must be their leader.

Suddenly it occurs to you.  These creatures are in Craxil territory so odds are they work for the Craxil.  That means that instead of wandering the mountain range aimlessly you ought try and extract information regarding the Craxil's whereabouts from the grippli.  Ideally, you could get your hands on their leader but that is going to be easier said than done.  There may not be many grippli present, but each one is a challenge in his own right and you have no way of knowing how many may be in the trees to see what you do.

Eventually, the captain retires to his tent as do many others.  Three grippli remain near the campfire out front and again, you have no way of knowing what is still in the trees.  The captain's tent is near the back.  You surmise you could go around, giving the camp a wide berth, and sneak into the captain's tent.  However, you feel like you should at least do SOMETHING about the three on watch or you may be the one getting captured instead.  This is quite a dilly of a pickle indeed.

> You construct A Pit Trap And Lure The Three Out Towards You
You need to dispatch with the three grippli keeping watch but you cannot do that in the camp or you will almost certainly get attention.  Therefore, your only real option is to lure them out and eliminate them somehow while they're away from camp.  Even if you do lure them away from their camp though, three grippli are more than a match for you so you are going to have to construct a trap of some sort.  You remember seeing a small drop off in the middle of the path you just came down and that gives you an idea.

You take about a dozen of your arrows and plant them firmly in the ground (arrowhead up) at the bottom of the hole you encountered along the path.  You only lightly cover it with what little large leaves and vines you can find, then cover this foliage completely with sand and small rocks (enough to cover the vegetation but not enough to make it fall into the hole).  Your hope is that you will be able to lure your three grippli out here away from the camp and then fall in on top of your arrows.  The only thing left to do is figure out how you are going to lure them away from the camp without them alerting the camp as well.

You decide to mimic the sounds of the small prairie dog like creatures out here and toss small pebbles around the corner where they would see them.  You seem to have their attention as they are too bored to really entertain themselves with anything else.   Unfortunately, the prairie dog gag isn't enough to make them come so next you imitate the sound of a ewe while making loud pawing noises at the ground.  For whatever reason, this one gets their attention and they start approaching quietly with their weapons drawn.

You continue making animals noises but move back slowly at the same time.  At point for them is a hunter brandishing a bow.  The other two apparently believe in the sword.  Maybe that's not as atypical for a grippli as you thought.  You are careful to remain unseen but back up slowly and continue leading them forth with animal noises.  Eventually the game is up as the hunter seems to get suspicous and notices you are there.  You turn and run using the indentations in the rockwall to your right to help protect you from arrow fire.  You take your position behind a rock on the other side of the trap and to your glee they are running straight for it.

YES!  The sound of your cover giving way under their weight is music to your ears, as are the ribbits of pain emitted shortly thereafter.  You surmise they are dead until one of them jumps out of the pit with only a leg wound.  He pulls out his sword and glares at you.  You feel like facing him like this, it would be an even match.  Still, you would much prefer some kind of advantage whereever you can get it.  You draw your sword and begin to think carefully about how this is going to go down.

> You rush The Creature And Try To Push Him Back Into The Pit
You realize that if the pit was good enough to kill the other two then knocking him in again ought do the trick pretty quick.  Plus, he's still standing only a few feet from the edge.  You charge in at him and strike your sword vertically at his face.  He parries as you knew he would, and now you prepare to push his 2 foot little keister back into the pit.

The problem with this strategy is that it is predictable.  The grippli knew what you were doing as soon as you began the charge.  It hopes well out of the way and launches a charge of his own.  He cannot match your strength (which is saying a lot coming from you) but he is so damn fast that you can't react to his moves in time to avoid getting stabbed.  This persists for a while until finally you drop to the ground looking like one of Freddie Kruger's victims.  With a sense of pride, the 2 foot little froggie bastard walks off back to camp no doubt to brag to his friends what he just accomplished.

THE END


You need to dispatch with the three grippli keeping watch but you cannot do that in the camp or you will almost certainly get attention.  Therefore, your only real option is to lure them out and eliminate them somehow while they're away from camp.  Even if you do lure them away from their camp though, three grippli are more than a match for you so you are going to have to construct a trap of some sort.  You remember seeing a small drop off in the middle of the path you just came down and that gives you an idea.

You take about a dozen of your arrows and plant them firmly in the ground (arrowhead up) at the bottom of the hole you encountered along the path.  You only lightly cover it with what little large leaves and vines you can find, then cover this foliage completely with sand and small rocks (enough to cover the vegetation but not enough to make it fall into the hole).  Your hope is that you will be able to lure your three grippli out here away from the camp and then fall in on top of your arrows.  The only thing left to do is figure out how you are going to lure them away from the camp without them alerting the camp as well.

You decide to mimic the sounds of the small prairie dog like creatures out here and toss small pebbles around the corner where they would see them.  You seem to have their attention as they are too bored to really entertain themselves with anything else.   Unfortunately, the prairie dog gag isn't enough to make them come so next you imitate the sound of a ewe while making loud pawing noises at the ground.  For whatever reason, this one gets their attention and they start approaching quietly with their weapons drawn.

You continue making animals noises but move back slowly at the same time.  At point for them is a hunter brandishing a bow.  The other two apparently believe in the sword.  Maybe that's not as atypical for a grippli as you thought.  You are careful to remain unseen but back up slowly and continue leading them forth with animal noises.  Eventually the game is up as the hunter seems to get suspicous and notices you are there.  You turn and run using the indentations in the rockwall to your right to help protect you from arrow fire.  You take your position behind a rock on the other side of the trap and to your glee they are running straight for it.

YES!  The sound of your cover giving way under their weight is music to your ears, as are the ribbits of pain emitted shortly thereafter.  You surmise they are dead until one of them jumps out of the pit with only a leg wound.  He pulls out his sword and glares at you.  You feel like facing him like this, it would be an even match.  Still, you would much prefer some kind of advantage whereever you can get it.  You draw your sword and begin to think carefully about how this is going to go down.

> You toss Dirt In His Eyes, Then Attack

There is no shortage of dry dirt and rock all around you and as an amphibian you reason he's probably not to terribly accostomed to that type of thing.  Given his 2 foot stature, you wait for him to make a move then kick dirt in his face.  You reasoned correctly.  The frog's large eyes close down firmly and he is clearly unable to handle himself.  You almost feel sorry for employing such a cheap trick on the little guy.  Almost.

With him unable to see and barely able to compose himself, the battle ends pretty quickly.  You return to the edge of the pit and shoot a couple more arrows into your punctured prey for good measure as you don't want any more unexpected surprises to arise when you go in for the capture.  You inch your way back to camp under the midnight moon and make sure to scope the place out anew before making your move.  As you had hoped, the nightwatchmen didn't rouse anyone before they left.  You still don't know about the treetops, but the coast is as clear as its gonna get.

You creep through camp where it is darkest and make your way to the captain's tent.  You carefully open the canopy and move inside.  As you had hoped, the captain is still asleep.  You take care to knock him out over the head with a block shaped wooden figurine you find in his tent, then carry him over your shoulder and out of the camp.  Without the three nightwatchmen, it is easy to carry the unconcious 2 ft. lightweight out of camp and out to a safe location.  It takes several hours before he awakes, but when he does you already have his froggie hands and feet bound with cloth torn from his own outfit.

> You time To Talk To The Froggie
To be honest, you aren't entirely sure which one of you two is more afraid... him or you.  The grippli struggles in his bindings and begins to make noise which you are quick to silence.  You raise your sword in warning and he begins to quiet down.  Quite frankly, you are amazed that you are actually doing this.  You've never been in a position like this before, doing something like this.  You've always been an underappreciated swineherd your whole life.  You are definitely not used to this sort of thing but you sure as hell don't want your prisoner to realize that.

"The Craxil isn't something you can easily kill.  It has united the beastmen in this region of the mountains and aims to provide for its people" the captain starts.

"And what exactly is that suppose to mean" you demand.

"The humans have driven us beastmen into the barren land of the mountainrange and taken the fertile, soft ground for themselves.  The Craxil wants for us to have good ground.  Human ground.  The Craxil has been organizing us for quite some time now and it is going to help us take what we deserve."

"What manner of creature is this Craxil anyway?" you ask, knowing you'll have to face him eventually.

"We don't know, none of us do.  We never see the Craxil, its sends its orders with the riders."

"The riders?"

"Yes.  They used to be humans but... well... not anymore really."

"You mean he's raising them as undead?!?"

"No, no, the Craxil would never resort to such deplorable practices.  The Craxil breaks their minds with a ritual that takes days.  When the Craxil finishes, they become thralls."

You are truly frightened by this last comment.  It is common knowledge that mind flayers can dominate the minds of others, but they are able to do so instantly.  They don't require a ritual that takes several days to accomplish.  Brandolf did say the Craxil was a completely different creature than anyone has encountered before.

"Where can I find the Craxil?" you demand.

"The Craxil resides in an underground cavern, accessed from the base of a large canyon up north.  The most direct route is Redridge Pass though I doubt you'll even get there alive.  You'll know you are getting close when all the rocks and dirt are red and the cactii become more numerous."

You wanted to ask him more questions, but it seems that his comrades have already noticed his absence and begun looking for him.  You don't see any other choice than to kill him, hide the body, and head north.  But hey, at least you got some valuable information including some general directions.

> You moving North
You ponder what the grippli captain said as you continue on your northward journey.  You haven't seen any cactii yet so you surmise you still have a long way to go.  But what other dangers await you?  So far you've encountered humunculi, undead, grippli, and even a beholder.  More amazing is that your sorry swineherding ass has survived this far.  Still, you have to wonder just how many different types of creatures there are under the Craxil's command and what this Craxil even looks like.

Your musings are cut short when your path is suddenly blocked by a very large wolf.  Its eyes glow red and it snarls with both anger and malice evident.  This wolf is no ordinary wolf.  It is huge and it looks like its possessed or something.  You draw your sword preparing to defend yourself but it doesn't attack, it simply stands there staring at you.  You attempt to move to the side and it follows as if to block your path.  You move to the other side and it follows again.  You take a step back and it follows with a step forward.  You aren't sure you even want to know what it will do if you take a step forward, and for once you aren't crazy enough to find out.

Suddenly, the creature does something you did not expect.  It speaks.

"Tell me human, do you serve the Craxil?".

You are tempted to lie and say yes but then how do you know that is the answer it wants to hear?  Maybe it serves the Craxil or maybe it is its enemy.  Either way, it looks like its going to kill you if you don't share its loyalties so you are going to have to decide what to say.

> Yes

You decide to lie and tell the large creature that you are in fact a rider for the Craxil in hopes that it will calm it down a bit.  Quite the opposite.  It seems this wolf is infuriated by the Craxil and the recent beastmen influence in the region.  You try to go back on your word and tell it the truth but its too late.  The massive wolf jumps on you, knocking you on the ground.  It goes immediately for your throat.  You spend the last moments of your life in a state of sheer terror.

THE END


You ponder what the grippli captain said as you continue on your northward journey.  You haven't seen any cactii yet so you surmise you still have a long way to go.  But what other dangers await you?  So far you've encountered humunculi, undead, grippli, and even a beholder.  More amazing is that your sorry swineherding ass has survived this far.  Still, you have to wonder just how many different types of creatures there are under the Craxil's command and what this Craxil even looks like.

Your musings are cut short when your path is suddenly blocked by a very large wolf.  Its eyes glow red and it snarls with both anger and malice evident.  This wolf is no ordinary wolf.  It is huge and it looks like its possessed or something.  You draw your sword preparing to defend yourself but it doesn't attack, it simply stands there staring at you.  You attempt to move to the side and it follows as if to block your path.  You move to the other side and it follows again.  You take a step back and it follows with a step forward.  You aren't sure you even want to know what it will do if you take a step forward, and for once you aren't crazy enough to find out.

Suddenly, the creature does something you did not expect.  It speaks.

"Tell me human, do you serve the Craxil?".

You are tempted to lie and say yes but then how do you know that is the answer it wants to hear?  Maybe it serves the Craxil or maybe it is its enemy.  Either way, it looks like its going to kill you if you don't share its loyalties so you are going to have to decide what to say.

> No
Honesty always was the best policy.  You tell the wolf you are on a quest to kill the Craxil then raise your sword defensively expecting him to attack.  Instead, the creature looks you over and accuses you of dishonesty.

"You honestly expect me to believe a scrawny kid like you was chosen to slay a being like the Craxil?"

"I made it this far didn't I?"

The wolf looks taken back by this comment and you tell him all about the plan to use poison, how you outmaneuvered the humunculi, the beholder's riddle... everything.  The creature takes a few steps closer to you and his bright red eyes are bearing deeply into your own.  You've never been more scared in your life than you are right now, but it seems the wolf has decided you are telling the truth.

"There is truth in your eyes, a certainty I haven't seen in quite some time.  Lots of fear though.  Odds are you are going to fail but hey, its your life to waste right?"

"Well thank you for trusting my allegiance then.  Why don't you tell me what the heck you are, starting with how the hell you can talk."

The wolf turns back around, front legs spread in an aggressive position.  "I never said I trusted you, you are going to have to prove yourself."

"But..."

"You claim you came from the village.  What is this village called?"

> You jacqueshit

WRONG!

The massive wolf knocks you to the ground and rips your throat out with its teeth.  A terrible way to die to be sure.

THE END


Honesty always was the best policy.  You tell the wolf you are on a quest to kill the Craxil then raise your sword defensively expecting him to attack.  Instead, the creature looks you over and accuses you of dishonesty.

"You honestly expect me to believe a scrawny kid like you was chosen to slay a being like the Craxil?"

"I made it this far didn't I?"

The wolf looks taken back by this comment and you tell him all about the plan to use poison, how you outmaneuvered the humunculi, the beholder's riddle... everything.  The creature takes a few steps closer to you and his bright red eyes are bearing deeply into your own.  You've never been more scared in your life than you are right now, but it seems the wolf has decided you are telling the truth.

"There is truth in your eyes, a certainty I haven't seen in quite some time.  Lots of fear though.  Odds are you are going to fail but hey, its your life to waste right?"

"Well thank you for trusting my allegiance then.  Why don't you tell me what the heck you are, starting with how the hell you can talk."

The wolf turns back around, front legs spread in an aggressive position.  "I never said I trusted you, you are going to have to prove yourself."

"But..."

"You claim you came from the village.  What is this village called?"

> You jackcrappe

WRONG!

The giant wolf leaps upon you and tears your throat out with its teeth.  A horrible way to die to be sure.

THE END


You ponder what the grippli captain said as you continue on your northward journey.  You haven't seen any cactii yet so you surmise you still have a long way to go.  But what other dangers await you?  So far you've encountered humunculi, undead, grippli, and even a beholder.  More amazing is that your sorry swineherding ass has survived this far.  Still, you have to wonder just how many different types of creatures there are under the Craxil's command and what this Craxil even looks like.

Your musings are cut short when your path is suddenly blocked by a very large wolf.  Its eyes glow red and it snarls with both anger and malice evident.  This wolf is no ordinary wolf.  It is huge and it looks like its possessed or something.  You draw your sword preparing to defend yourself but it doesn't attack, it simply stands there staring at you.  You attempt to move to the side and it follows as if to block your path.  You move to the other side and it follows again.  You take a step back and it follows with a step forward.  You aren't sure you even want to know what it will do if you take a step forward, and for once you aren't crazy enough to find out.

Suddenly, the creature does something you did not expect.  It speaks.

"Tell me human, do you serve the Craxil?".

You are tempted to lie and say yes but then how do you know that is the answer it wants to hear?  Maybe it serves the Craxil or maybe it is its enemy.  Either way, it looks like its going to kill you if you don't share its loyalties so you are going to have to decide what to say.

> You what Is A Craxil? Is That A New Brand Of Butter Cracker?

You attempt to lie to the giant wolf creature but despite your skill as sneakery you've always been a horrible liar.  The dishonesty is not taken well and before you know it, the massive canine has you on the ground and is sinking his jaw into your throat.  You spend the last moments of your life in sheer terror.

THE END


You need to dispatch with the three grippli keeping watch but you cannot do that in the camp or you will almost certainly get attention.  Therefore, your only real option is to lure them out and eliminate them somehow while they're away from camp.  Even if you do lure them away from their camp though, three grippli are more than a match for you so you are going to have to construct a trap of some sort.  You remember seeing a small drop off in the middle of the path you just came down and that gives you an idea.

You take about a dozen of your arrows and plant them firmly in the ground (arrowhead up) at the bottom of the hole you encountered along the path.  You only lightly cover it with what little large leaves and vines you can find, then cover this foliage completely with sand and small rocks (enough to cover the vegetation but not enough to make it fall into the hole).  Your hope is that you will be able to lure your three grippli out here away from the camp and then fall in on top of your arrows.  The only thing left to do is figure out how you are going to lure them away from the camp without them alerting the camp as well.

You decide to mimic the sounds of the small prairie dog like creatures out here and toss small pebbles around the corner where they would see them.  You seem to have their attention as they are too bored to really entertain themselves with anything else.   Unfortunately, the prairie dog gag isn't enough to make them come so next you imitate the sound of a ewe while making loud pawing noises at the ground.  For whatever reason, this one gets their attention and they start approaching quietly with their weapons drawn.

You continue making animals noises but move back slowly at the same time.  At point for them is a hunter brandishing a bow.  The other two apparently believe in the sword.  Maybe that's not as atypical for a grippli as you thought.  You are careful to remain unseen but back up slowly and continue leading them forth with animal noises.  Eventually the game is up as the hunter seems to get suspicous and notices you are there.  You turn and run using the indentations in the rockwall to your right to help protect you from arrow fire.  You take your position behind a rock on the other side of the trap and to your glee they are running straight for it.

YES!  The sound of your cover giving way under their weight is music to your ears, as are the ribbits of pain emitted shortly thereafter.  You surmise they are dead until one of them jumps out of the pit with only a leg wound.  He pulls out his sword and glares at you.  You feel like facing him like this, it would be an even match.  Still, you would much prefer some kind of advantage whereever you can get it.  You draw your sword and begin to think carefully about how this is going to go down.

> You don't Waste Time With Elaborate Trickery, Just Fight The Thing

There is no longer any element of surprise so the time for elaborate tricks is over.  You are simply going to have to face this thing one on one.  At first things seem to go well.  His 2 foot tall stature is no match for your strength (which is saying a lot coming from you) but he is fast as hell.  Given that he's part frog he's hopping around behing you, above you, between your legs, all with the speed and reflexes of a frog.  You've always wondered what made people consider these things to be so dangerous.

In the end, you've taken on more stab wounds than you can possibly handle and drop to the ground looking like one of Freddie Krougar's victims.  The 2 foot little froggie bastard develops a new air of pride and marches back to camp, no doubt to brag to his friends about his new victory.  But for you it is simply...

THE END


The skeletal undead aren't exactly known for their climbing skills so you promptly head over to the steep rockface and set about climbing to a point beyond their reach.  You are almost at the top when the skeletons reach the base.  The attempt to climb but as you had hoped, they are substantially less successful than you.  One of them responds to the situation by tossing his hand axe at you and you move your hand just in time to avoid it.  You make sure it stays stuck in the rockface so it doesn't get to try again, then pull yourself up and over the top.

You are glad to be away from those damn things and now that you are at a slightly higher elevation along the mountainside, there's a good chance you won't be seeing them again.  Just got to keep your cool and remember to be stealthy.  You continue your journey in the same general direction but keep to this elevation for fear of encountering those undead creatures a second time.  After a while, you begin to smell a rather curious smell up ahead.  As you approach you discover a camp situated in what is probably the only forested ledge on this entire mountain range.  You don't initially see anyone there, but you keep your distance and eventually see something hop down rather quickly from one of the trees and go behind another.  You didn't get a good look at whatever it was and you are hoping they haven't seen you.

Nightfall comes and now the occupants of the camp are coming into view.  You never believed that at any time in your entire life you'd ever lay eyes on the creatures you are seeing.  The grippli, a race of humanoid tree frogs standing at 2 feet tall, have organized this camp.  There aren't more than a dozen tops, but grippli are known to be considerable fighters when they need to be and there is no way of knowing if there are more of them in the trees.

They often prefer to fight with poison darts, nets, and bows as they would prefer to keep their enemy at a distance but a few bear swords.  You see one of them adorned in considerably nicer garb than the others and commands quite a presence from them so you surmise it must be their leader.

Suddenly it occurs to you.  These creatures are in Craxil territory so odds are they work for the Craxil.  That means that instead of wandering the mountain range aimlessly you ought try and extract information regarding the Craxil's whereabouts from the grippli.  Ideally, you could get your hands on their leader but that is going to be easier said than done.  There may not be many grippli present, but each one is a challenge in his own right and you have no way of knowing how many may be in the trees to see what you do.

Eventually, the captain retires to his tent as do many others.  Three grippli remain near the campfire out front and again, you have no way of knowing what is still in the trees.  The captain's tent is near the back.  You surmise you could go around, giving the camp a wide berth, and sneak into the captain's tent.  However, you feel like you should at least do SOMETHING about the three on watch or you may be the one getting captured instead.  This is quite a dilly of a pickle indeed.

> You try To Sneak Up On The Grippli Near The Campfire And Cut Them All Down Before They Can React
The way you see it, you don't really have a choice.  You can't risk going after the captain while these three grippli are here standing guard like this.  You'll be caught.  You have your doubts about whether you'd be able to lure the nightwatchmen away from their posts so you are going to just have to be direct about it.  There may be three of them, but once again you have the element of surprise and you don't intend to give them any time whatsoever to react to the onslaught you intend to bring.  You creep around into the center of the camp and approach the nightwatchmen from behind.

As you approach, the light from the campfire makes your shadow apparent and the other grippli take notice.  After all your years of capture the flag success you'd think you'd know by know that it is much easier to creep up on someone in the dark than near a campfire.  Rookie mistake.  The grippli nightwatchmen rouse from their posts and draw their weapons.  As the three leap forth to attack you, grippli in the trees fire poison darts into your back and others are roused from their tents.  I don't think I need to tell you that this is...

THE END


The man you just dismissed earlier is standing at the front of the pack.  You knew there was something off about that earlier request and seeing this display only reaffirms that you were right to avoid them in the first place.  They are all looking down at the ground but now he is looking up directly at you with a creepy smile on his face.

"So, you saw through our little ambush scheme did you?"  he sneers.

"What is it you want?"

"Quite simply we're aware of your quest to reach the Craxil and we are not prepared to allow it."

At this point their heads begin to twist and contort and their skulls appear to come out of their mouths.  It is almost as though they were never human at all but part of some kind of disguise.  In fact, it is now readily apparent that this is the case.  You are now looking at five maniacal looking skeletons armed with an assortment of swords and hand axes.  They seem like they are eager to get things started and in fact, they are all rushing down the beaten path towards you.  You turn the other way until you can decide what to do and despite what you've been told about the undead, you discover they are perfectly capable of keeping pace with you.

You know you aren't going to be able to take on five of these guys and they seem intent on sticking together during the pursuit.  To your left is another cave you've chosen to pass up on your journey, figuring it was just another humunculus den.  Perhaps, if you are lucky, you can lose your pursuers in there.  Alternatively, you could always try climbing the steep rockface off to your right.  You've had plenty of climbing experience as a kid and somehow you hope these skeletons won't be able to follow you.  You could also turn around and start unloading arrows into your enemies.  They may be keeping pace with you, but you still have a heck of a head start and you'd wager you could release quite a few before they catch up to you.  It's up to you...

> You rain Arrows Upon Them
Why run when you can fight?  The arrows worked for you before and you believe you can get off quite a few shots before they start catching up to you.  To wait until you reach the top of a local hill then spin around and draw your bow.  The five skeleton creatures are still running towards you in a tight grouping.  You let fly the first arrow and it hits the collarbone of one of the back skeletons.  You release another and it hits the leg of another skeleton.  In fact you score a lot of hits, even putting one through the skull of the lead skeleton.  There's just one problem... they aren't slowing down!

Maybe you've forgotten, but arrows and bladed weapons are only effective against enemies that still have flesh and blood to let.  These skeletons are not slowing down or taking much damage as a result of your arrows.  In fact, it would require a more blunt weapon to kill.  As they start drawing in close you turn and continue running.  You've pretty much lost your head start and now they are hot on your heels.  This continues for a while until one of your skeletal pursuers gets it in his mind to throw its hand axe into your back.  It only goes downhill from there for you.

THE END


You are standing on a narrow plateau in the rugged mountainous region beyond your village.  Unlike the brownish/tan rockface you see near your village, the rocks in this region are more redish and vibrant looking.  You see a path leading forward and you decide to follow it.  On the plus side, you haven't encountered any hostile creatures so far.  You walk for at least a few miles and it appears to extend beyond your sight.  You curse at your luck and begin to slump into depression when you realize you don't even know where to fnd this Craxil thing in the first place.  You decide to build a campfire for the night, think things over, and gather some rest.  As you are doing so, a strange man lumbers out from behind a large rock and begins to beg you for help.

"Please, it won't take long.  My caravan was beset upon by foul creatures and I fear for my families safety.  You must help me!"

You pause.  It seems odd that a human would be up here in such a hostile region, let alone a caravan.  But this is definitely the face of a human and he shows no signs of hostility.

"Why are you up here anyway"? you ask. "The Craxil and his followers will kill anyone that wanders into their mountainous territory."

"We got lost trying to find our way to Jacquescrappe village, perhaps you've heard of it"?

"Yeah... I just came from there... but I don't think you want to go back that way, you won't get far."

"Look, I don't wish to be rude, but my family is in danger and I need your help NOW!"

At this point, the man turns and runs down the path.  You call out to him to stop but he keeps going.  You aren't sure if you would be of much help to him in battle, but you aren't sure how you would feel about abandoning him like that either.  Time to decide...

> You help Him, What Kind Of Adventurer Are You?
You decide to help the man.  What kind of adventurer would you be to deny a father the aid he needs to save his family from the Craxil's minions?  The royal military may have abandoned Jacquescrappe because it was remote and of no strategic value but dammit if you are going to end up just like them.  However, something about this is starting to feel weird.  Why would there be a human caravan up here in the Craxil's lands and why do you have this strange feeling in the pit of your stomach.

Just as you are having these thoughts, an owl looks at you from atop a dead tree and just looks at you with intent.  You've never been able to communicate to animals like the druids do, but somehow you just know this thing is telling you to turn back.  You stop for a minute, then strike yourself and shake it off.  Since when did you become a druid and take advice from animals?  Aside from your pigs "Oinky" and "Snout" you've never really connected with any animals anyway.  Besides, your gut hasn't helped you win any gambling tournaments so why should you trust it now?  You're probably just afraid and subconciously looking for a way to avoid a potentially dangerous situation.  Helping the man is the right thing to do, you're sure of it...

Right?

> You indeed, What Kind Of Hero Abandons His Fellow Man When His Family Is At Stake?
You arrive in a clearing and the man who pleaded with you earlier has just stopped in his tracks.

"So where's the caravan?" you inquire, expecting some sort of explanation for this sudden drop in urgency.

Silence

..............

At this point you are quickly surrounded by other men who are equally silent.  The feeling in the pit of your stomach has just gotten worse and you realize that you've been had.

"There is no caravan is there."

.....

At this point the man who led you here turns to face you.  The head suddenly begins to twitch and distort and the head of a skeleton emerges from the mouth as if pushing through a mask.  You back up and realize the four other men around you are doing the same.  They rush you from all sides and you are quickly overwhelmed.  You made a grave mistake in not trusting your instincts earlier, they exist in us for a reason.

THE END


You decide to help the man.  What kind of adventurer would you be to deny a father the aid he needs to save his family from the Craxil's minions?  The royal military may have abandoned Jacquescrappe because it was remote and of no strategic value but dammit if you are going to end up just like them.  However, something about this is starting to feel weird.  Why would there be a human caravan up here in the Craxil's lands and why do you have this strange feeling in the pit of your stomach.

Just as you are having these thoughts, an owl looks at you from atop a dead tree and just looks at you with intent.  You've never been able to communicate to animals like the druids do, but somehow you just know this thing is telling you to turn back.  You stop for a minute, then strike yourself and shake it off.  Since when did you become a druid and take advice from animals?  Aside from your pigs "Oinky" and "Snout" you've never really connected with any animals anyway.  Besides, your gut hasn't helped you win any gambling tournaments so why should you trust it now?  You're probably just afraid and subconciously looking for a way to avoid a potentially dangerous situation.  Helping the man is the right thing to do, you're sure of it...

Right?

> You no, Something About This Whole Situation Is Fishy. You're Turning Back.
You don't like any part of where this is going and decide that the best thing to do is to turn back.  After all, no humans from Jacquescrappe have ever made it this far into the Craxil's territory so why should you believe there is a human caravan out this far?  None of this makes any sense and you think to yourself that these beastmen are not above using your compassion against you as a weakness.  It is low, but well within the bounds of what these things might do.

You come to a stop, and look up at the owl.  He gives you a warm, approving look then flies away.  "What a strange creature" you think to yourself.  You wait for the man to disappear from view, then wait a while longer for good measure, then continue forward on foot as you had originally planned.  Frankly, you're just glad to be away from the suspicious man.

As you continue on your journey you wonder if you made the right choice.  I mean, what if the man's family really was in danger and you could have made a difference?  Did you make the right call?  You console yourself by reminding yourself of the importance of your own mission and how you cannot afford to take unnecessary chances.  Just as you are having these thoughts, you discover the man who approached you earlier as well as four others standing in the middle of the beaten path with their heads down.  It looks like you aren't done with them after all...


You run down the passageway that you were previously unable to get to while the three humunculi were at the campfire.  Unfortunately, the humunculi have chosen the same path.  You aren't sure if it is because they saw you or because of bad luck, but they are not far behind you now.  You reach another chamber and find a large, demonic looking creature blocking your path.  Before you can even think about how to describe this thing you feel the humunculi grab you from behind and pull you to the ground.  They are about to stomp you to death when the demonic looking creature disintigrates them on the spot.

"Nobody takes my prey in my domain.  Tell me little thing, what are you here to do?"

This thing looks like a large floating eye with multiple smaller eyes attached atop its head.  You realize this thing is a beholder and soon you find yourself paralyzed in its gaze.  That's what you get for staring into its eye I guess.

"Answer me puny one, why are you here in my domain?"

You are too terrified to answer, but this creature appears to grow irritated by your silence so you muster all the courage you've got and speak up

"I'm here to slay the Craxil" you proclaim, terrified of how this creature will respond to such a bold statement.

"HA!  Amusing little one, someone of your strength doesn't have what it takes but it would entertain me to see how you die in the Craxil's mountains.  Answer this riddle correctly, and I will permit you to continue through to the other side of my domain.  Answer incorrectly, and you will share the same fate as your pursuers.  Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be" you squeak.

"Very well!" it bellows, clearly enjoying every bit of this.  "I am a vast canyon that spans beyond sight.  I am without end and have been a part of every man whenever there is trouble.  What am I?"

> The Thirst For Knowledge
"Wrong" it proclaims.  "While the thirst for knowledge may be limitless in your kind, it is not your primary concern in times of trouble now is it?"

"Well... erm..."

You don't have time to retort.  It fires a beam of negative energy into your chest and you disintigrate on the spot, bringing your quest to an abrupt end.

THE END


Instinctively, you know you are going to be discovered if he gets any closer.  You aren't sure how you are going to go about escaping the other two, but you are gonna have to kill this one before it gets any closer.  Without warning you lunge forth and put your short sword through the creature's belly.  You were actually aiming for the heart and the creature moved so I guess that says something about your swordsman skill.  Nonetheless, it proved effective at killing the creature.  You waste no time at all in bolting back up to the original chamber with the campsite and the other two will round the corner any second.  You need to make a decision FAST!

The large pathway (on the right wall as you enter) is now inexplicably barred but you can still run back outside the cave or down the passageway that was previously inaccessable due to their presence.  The adrenaline floods your body and your survival instincts take over.  You immediately decide to...

> You run Outside The Cave

You run outside the cave and around the corner.  You are back on the plateau overlooking the village.  Your heart is beating fast as hell and you are clutching your sword so tightly you will probably have blisters.  Fortunately for you, the humunculi have chosen to run down the path behind their campsite.  You wait outside the cave for a few hours and still they haven't returned from the passageway.  Perhaps they have chosen to travel further in to pursue you?

You return to the cave's interior and are standing at the campfire.  The large passageway on the right side of the chamber is still blocked.  You peer down the passageway in front of you, the one the humunculi chose to go down and you wonder what lies beyond its depths.  However, as you look left you remember there is still an as yet unexplored passageway down in the cavern where the humunculi nearly overwhelmed you.  You aren't going to find the Craxil by standing around here so you are going to have to decide where you want to go from here.

> You follow The Path Behind The Campfire, Where The Two Humunculi Went
You chose to take the passageway behind the campfire.  If these creatures are protecting the Craxil, or at least serving him in some sense, it would makes sense they would head in this direction.  You get the strong scent of burning animals or something like that and what you see next is COMPLETELY unexpected.  Instead of seeing the two humunculi that ran down this passageway earlier, you are standing directly in front of some kind of hovering demon whose gaze is fixed directly upon you!

This thing looks like a large floating eye with multiple smaller eyes attached atop its head.  You realize this thing is a beholder and soon you find yourself paralyzed in its gaze.  That's what you get for staring into its eye I guess.

"Answer me puny one, why are you here in my domain?"

You are too terrified to answer, but this creature appears to grow irritated by your silence so you muster all the courage you've got and speak up

"I'm here to slay the Craxil" you proclaim, terrified of how this creature will respond to such a bold statement.

"HA!  Amusing little one, someone of your strength doesn't have what it takes but it would entertain me to see how you die in the Craxil's mountains.  Answer this riddle correctly, and I will permit you to continue through to the other side of my domain.  Answer incorrectly, and you will share the same fate as your former pursuers.  Are you ready?"

"Did he kill the humunculi?" you think to yourself...

"As ready as I'll ever be" you squeak.

"Very well!" it bellows, clearly enjoying every bit of this.  "I am a vast canyon that spans beyond sight.  I am without end and have been a part of every man whenever there is trouble.  What am I?"


You run outside the cave and around the corner.  You are back on the plateau overlooking the village.  Your heart is beating fast as hell and you are clutching your sword so tightly you will probably have blisters.  Fortunately for you, the humunculi have chosen to run down the path behind their campsite.  You wait outside the cave for a few hours and still they haven't returned from the passageway.  Perhaps they have chosen to travel further in to pursue you?

You return to the cave's interior and are standing at the campfire.  The large passageway on the right side of the chamber is still blocked.  You peer down the passageway in front of you, the one the humunculi chose to go down and you wonder what lies beyond its depths.  However, as you look left you remember there is still an as yet unexplored passageway down in the cavern where the humunculi nearly overwhelmed you.  You aren't going to find the Craxil by standing around here so you are going to have to decide where you want to go from here.

> You go Down To The Cavern Where You First Used Your Bow And Try That Passageway

Naturally, you are not going to go down the passageway that your pursuers went down, that's just stupid.  You want to avoid unnecessary conflict after allso you can increase your chances of reaching the Craxil.  This passageway leads you out to a large plateau.  To the right, you can see another several clusters of cave networks populated by humunculi.  To the left you see a step drop off that would land you in the forest the hunters of your village like to use.  In front of you, and in the distance, is a curious looking camp.  You see a couple different campfires and at least two dozen tee-pee style tents down over there.  You can't make out who the inhabitants are though, at least not from here.  Odds are they aren't friendly though.  This is Craxil territory after all.  Of course, the humunculi in the multiple cave clusters over there aren't friendly either so what does it matter?  You still have no leads as to where to find the Craxil but you need to make a decision as to where to go.
> You investigate The Camp

You cannot contain your curiosity about this camp but you know you should keep your distance and be careful.  They are likely hostile after all.  You remember that you are out in the open now so the sun will remove any advantage that the shadows had given you in the caves.  You decide to wait until nightfall, then slink in closer to the camp.  There is minimal rock cover but you manage to find a decent place from which to observe their camp.  They are goblins, armed with schimitars and polearms which you assume must be the work of the Craxil.

Even outside the Craxil's domain, goblins are known for their hostility towards humans so approaching them would be stupid.  However, unlike the powerful humunculi you've had to deal with so far, goblins are a weaker enemy you feel confident you could stand against (provided you don't get yourself overwhelmed).  There are about 30 of the foul creatures wandering about the camp, but the one that catches your interest is the shaman.  Decked out in fancy garb and occupying a large tent in the center of the camp, it is clear this one is the leader.  It occurs to you that if they are working for the Craxil then this one might be able to provide you with some much needed leads as to where you can find him.

You are confident in your ability to handle a single goblin or perhaps even two if your life depended on it but certainly not the entire camp.  You're just a sneaky swineherd after all.  You wait until midnight, when most of the goblins have retired to sleep.  There are still a handful of night watchmen goblins though, and they will need to be dealt with before you can hope to reach the shaman's tent.  You also shudder at the thought of the shaman unleashing horrid magicks upon you.  Once again, you will have to use the element of surprise to make up for your lack of fighting experience but then... as a sneaky bastard that is your specialty.

The first concern is the single goblin standing at the closest entrance to the camp.  He is holding a polearm and needs to be removed before you can get into the camp.  As stated before, you are confident you can take him, but you need to be careful not to wake the rest of the camp in the process.  One idea is to sneak up on him and stab him through the back with your sword before he can react.  Another idea is to try and hit him with an arrow from a distance, then move on to the next target.  Either way, he needs to be removed.

> You sneak Up And Stab Him

You might be able to hit the broadside of a barn, but your aim is not sufficient for anything more than a general area.  You don't want to alert the goblin to your presence so you are just going to have to deal with him the old fashioned way.  Under cover of midnight you slink around to the edge of the camp and work your way along the side until you are close.  Despite your apparent lack of skill in fighting and archery you are an absolute master at sneakery.  But enough of such destracting thoughts.  As the goblin turns away you leap forth, cup his mouth with your left hand, and stab him through the back.  You pull the body away from the camp so none of the other goblins will see it.

Fortunately for you, none of the goblins seem stirred in the least.  You removed that problem without attracting attention.  Even better, another one of the nightwatchmen goblins has come back to the same post trying to figure out why his comrade is no longer at his post.  This affords you the opportunity to repeat the procedure and return once again.  The way to the central tent still has a few more problems in store for you.  Single goblins patrol the area and there is always at least one patrol goblin within sight range of that tent.  Also, the tent itself has its own nightwatchman who is evidently dedicated to the shaman.  At the very least, you need to kill one of the patrolling goblins to create an opening and the sentry guarding the tent.  With this done, you have a chance at abducting and interrogating the shaman for some much needed information on the Craxil.

You have some ideas on the patrolling goblin.  You could attempt to construct a simple foothold trap out of vine and add some barbs from the camp to dig into his foot.  Alternatively, you could wait until he rounds his usual tree and cut him down before the next patrolling goblin comes along.
> You construct A Barbed Foothold Trap And Place It In The Patrol's Path
You can't get caught if you aren't around when he trips the trap right?  Well, I suppose you could be, but whatever.  You spend a half hour or so of your time outside the camp constructing this trap.  The knot will tighten the loop around the goblins leg when I pull on the vine so I just need to get back into position and lay the trap.  As predicted, the goblin came back around with his usual path but this time he was a little bit to far to the right.  You pull the loop a bit closer and wait until the next one comes, but he is a bit too far to the left.  After some frustrating trial and error, a patrolling goblin finally steps foot in your loop and you tighten it abruptly around his foot.  At the same time, you quickly drag him towards your hiding spot so you can silence him.  Goblins are particularly light, especially when they are not wearing armor, so you are able to do it fairly easily.  The barbs dug into his foot so deep they nearly too it off.  You silence him with your hand then break his neck.  For a moment, you are amazed at what you have learned to do given you're just a swine herd, but then again... survival makes us capable of many things doesn't it.

The next patrolling goblin discovers the sword the last patrolling goblin dropped when you got him.  You are concerned that he's about to raise the alarm but he just mutters "Akt Khazzat nighmam noriet maln" or something along those lines and walks off.  You have no idea what he said, but from his tone of voice, you think he thinks the other watchman is skipping out on his duties.  Shit, does that mean the shaman will be able to speak English?  Surely he will, he's a shaman after all.  He better dammit.

You wait for the opening to come again, then quickly maneuver into position to stab the tent's sentry before the next patrol goblin comes around.  You peek inside to see the shaman sleeping (lucky you) and drag the sentry's body inside where it won't be detected.  You've reached the shaman, and he's still asleep, but you can't very well interrogate him here.  You pick up a candlestick from the nearby table and as he's coming to you clock him over the head with it.  You check for a pulse to see if he's dead or unconcious and thankfully, he's just knocked out.  You gag him and bind his arms behind his back because he won't be able to cast spells without his tounge and hand movements.  You use the same patrol opening to escape the camp and return to a spot distant from the camp.  You rouse the shaman to wake up and realize you are probably more scared than he will be.

> You time For An Interrogation
Fortunately for you, he does know English as is readily apparent by the curses he chooses to expel regarding your parents.  You glare at him and ask him about the Craxil but he just squeals with laughter as if finding it difficult to take you seriously.  You ask him again and remove the gag so he can answer but then quickly put it back in when he starts trying to chant a spell of some sort.  You punch him and because you're such a wimp it ends up hurting your wrist more than it hurt his face, which only adds to his laughter.  You realize this isn't working as planned so you take him to where you stashed the bodies of the two nightwatchmen you killed at the entrance and draw your sword.  This seems to make a bigger impression upon him.  You take him back further away from the camp and inquire again.  This time he seems more receptive.

"The Craxil isn't something you can reason with or just strike down, he's an inspiration to the beastmen of this region.  A unifying force."

The shaman goes on to explain that the Craxil has been gathering his strength here for longer than the villagers realized and that the weekly raids for food were little compared to what is being organized.

"The Craxil isn't content to leave his children here in the mountains while the humans enjoy the soft lands." The shaman explains.  "He isn't after world domination or anything, but he wants to take a few choice pieces of territory from the humans down below."

"What manner of creature is he?"  you demand, keeping your sword out as a reminder of your unspoken threat.

"None of us goblins really knows for sure.  The riders deliver his orders to us and they are the only ones who have ever seen him."

"The riders?"

"Yes, they were once human but umm... not anymore."

"You mean they were raised as undead!?!?!"

"Heavens no, the Craxil doesn't resort to such disgusting practices.  Rather, they become his thralls after a lengthy, mind breaking ritual.  They do his bidding now."

You pause at that comment.  You've heard of mind flayers dominating people's minds like this but they've always been able to do so instantly, without the need for such rituals and practices.  Moreover, Brandolf insisted that the Craxil is a being unlike any that has been seen in this world so far.  You decide to change the topic to discuss the Craxil's location.

"Where is the Craxil located?" you ask.

"Pff.  Do you even know where YOU are located right now" the shaman says with a chuckle.  "A bit far from home and looking a little lost out here aren't we?"

You shove your sword closer to his throat and he ceases to taunt you.

"The Craxil resides in an underground cavern that is accessed from a canyon north of here.  When the rocks cease to be this familiar brown and start looking red then you are getting closer.  Even closer still when you begin to see the cactii.  The most direct route is the Redrange pass, though that has some dangers of its own."

You are about to inquire further about what else lies in store for you, but you hear the sounds of goblins in the distance and you are worried the shaman may start making noise for them.  You can't afford to be swarmed by goblins right now so you cut his throat and retreat a little until they return to camp.  Fortunately, the path he spoke of can be reached by simply going around the goblin camp from a safe distance and continuing in that direction.  You still have about a full days journey before you get to this "Redrange Pass" and even then you are only at the start of the shaman's directions.  But hey, at least you know where you are going now and have the knowledge that you've been going the right way all this time.  You just really hope that little shit isn't lying to you.

> Onward

You've gotten past the bulk of the humunculi and the goblins were refreshingly easy, but as you continue forward you shudder to think at what else may lie in store for you up ahead.  This nondescript plateau had dredged on for quite a while and still no sign of Redridge pass.  Suddently you reach a tunnel and you are dismayed to see a large troll blocking access.  Trolls are even stronger than humunculi so you won't be fighting this one anytime soon.  The tunnel represents the only way through to the other side as an inclimbable rockface extends in both directions along the plateau.  You're gonna have to get through that tunnel one way or another.

You remember that the shaman said that the Craxil uses riders to send its orders out to its minions and that these riders are basically human thralls.  Perhaps you could fake it to get past him.  Another option is your bow.  Trolls are very large creatures and therefore pretty hard to miss, even for you.  A final option is to try and distract it somehow.  You reason that you could cause a lot of commotion in the half-dead vegetation nearby to draw him away from the tunnel, then circle around and make a run for it.

> You try To Trick The Troll Into Believing You Are A Thrall
You dawn your poker face and approach the troll expectantly.  You reason that you cannot hope to match a troll's strength but rather take advantage of their lack of intelligence.  As you approach, the troll glares at you and is clearly readying his club for a strike.

"I must report back to the Craxil" you announce.

"And who are you to see the Craxil" the troll questions.

"I am a rider and have no time for your nonsense.  This report is very important."

There is a pause as the troll is thinking over your response.  Clearly, he isn't sure what to say or do in this situation.  It looks like this might actually work.  But then...

"Where is your steed?" the troll asks.

Shit.  Of course, they're called riders for a reason and you haven't got any ride now do you?  Of all the rotten luck.

"He is ill, suffers the ick" you manage, doubtful as to whether or not this will be taken.

At this point the troll isn't buying it.  You wish you had considered this before you attempted to lie.  Hard to take, being outsmarted by a troll.  Even harder to take is the club that has now crushed every bone in your body and left you a mangled mess.

THE END


You've gotten past the bulk of the humunculi and the goblins were refreshingly easy, but as you continue forward you shudder to think at what else may lie in store for you up ahead.  This nondescript plateau had dredged on for quite a while and still no sign of Redridge pass.  Suddently you reach a tunnel and you are dismayed to see a large troll blocking access.  Trolls are even stronger than humunculi so you won't be fighting this one anytime soon.  The tunnel represents the only way through to the other side as an inclimbable rockface extends in both directions along the plateau.  You're gonna have to get through that tunnel one way or another.

You remember that the shaman said that the Craxil uses riders to send its orders out to its minions and that these riders are basically human thralls.  Perhaps you could fake it to get past him.  Another option is your bow.  Trolls are very large creatures and therefore pretty hard to miss, even for you.  A final option is to try and distract it somehow.  You reason that you could cause a lot of commotion in the half-dead vegetation nearby to draw him away from the tunnel, then circle around and make a run for it.

> You draw Your Bow And Fire Upon The Troll

You may only be able to hit a general area, but a troll is a very large and broad target so you have practically no chance of missing here.  You position yourself behind a large rock, just out of the trolls sight and ready your bow.  The troll is still completely unaware of your presence and just stands there looking bored out of his mind.  You pull out an arrow and draw it back in the string.  You take aim and release.

The first shot hits the troll in the navel but seems to deal minimal damage.  You draw back again and fire one into him, this time just below his chest.  He looks confused but now lumbers in your direction.  As you pull another one back he detects your presence and is now moving faster.  You put another one into his midsection but again this deals minimal damage.  You prepare to draw back another but he is upon you now.

It's too bad you forgot that trolls have exceptional regenerative capabilities.  It takes more than a few arrows to bring these things down.  Unfortunately, this is a lesson that has cost you your life.

THE END


You've gotten past the bulk of the humunculi and the goblins were refreshingly easy, but as you continue forward you shudder to think at what else may lie in store for you up ahead.  This nondescript plateau had dredged on for quite a while and still no sign of Redridge pass.  Suddently you reach a tunnel and you are dismayed to see a large troll blocking access.  Trolls are even stronger than humunculi so you won't be fighting this one anytime soon.  The tunnel represents the only way through to the other side as an inclimbable rockface extends in both directions along the plateau.  You're gonna have to get through that tunnel one way or another.

You remember that the shaman said that the Craxil uses riders to send its orders out to its minions and that these riders are basically human thralls.  Perhaps you could fake it to get past him.  Another option is your bow.  Trolls are very large creatures and therefore pretty hard to miss, even for you.  A final option is to try and distract it somehow.  You reason that you could cause a lot of commotion in the half-dead vegetation nearby to draw him away from the tunnel, then circle around and make a run for it.

> You create A Diversion To Lure Him Away, Then Run For It
The troll may be large, but something tells you it would take more than a few arrows to bring this thing down and you have no intention of getting up close to it for a bluff.  It takes time, but after making enough noise from cover you manage to get the troll's attention and lure him away from the tunnel entrance.  The creature lumbers slowly and cautiously towards the source of the noise and you are already working your way around from the other side.  Eventually you see your opportunity and make a break for it.  By the time the troll realizes you are there, you are already behind him and nearing the entrance to the tunnel.  He tries to stop you, but you are already inside and despite his best efforts to stop you, you are already beyond his reach.  He lets out a series of angry grunts and you continue onward through the tunnel.  Clearly all those years of playing capture the flag have served you well.

As you emerge from the other side, you begin to see the rocks getting more red and you take it as a sign that you are on the right path.  There was never much foliage in this mountainside but the area you are in now is especially rocky and devoid of vegetation.  You hope you will find the Redrange Pass soon so you can deal with the Craxil and be done with this quest.

You've been traveling a long time without sleep and dawn is starting to crack.  Somehow, the warm beams of sunlight raising up over the distant rocks make you feel sleepy.  As you continnue forward along the rugged expanse of jagged red rocks and dirt you discover the remains of an unused campsite.  The inhabitants are long gone, but the camp is still here.  A cozy warm campfire, soft, cottony sleeping mat, warm blanket, the works.  There are no enemies as far as the eye can see in any direction and you think you would probably be able to think better if you had some rest.  The warmth and coziness of this campsite is calling to you and since you haven't slept in almost 40 hours now, you begin to consider.

> You curl Up And Sleep, You May Not Get The Chance To Later
You are going to need to stay awake if you want to keep your mind sharp, and you can't do that if you are sleep deprived.  It only makes sense that you would need to take a break in your journey and catch some much needed sleep.  Besides, the blanket is so warm, the mat is so cottony soft and the sun beams over your face are just wonderful.  You feel as though you could just curl up and hibernate like a bear and continue your sneaky journey at night.

Kind of lucky that you just happened upon such a nice, uninhabited camp huh.  I mean, what are the odds right?  Well... they aren't very high actually.  Actually, its pretty damn convinent isn't it.  It's at this point you start to get suspicious but by now it is too late.  The entire camp site dissipates into a thick black smoke and you feel as though you've just aged by 50 years.  You manage to stand but you can barely move.  This is when you notice all the skeletons on the ground that were not here before.  How could you not see them before?!?  They definitely weren't here before.  No way!

The billowy smoke takes form and suddenly it all makes sense in a terrible way.  The campsite was just a tempting illusion generated by a wraith.  Its terrifying to think that its intelligent enough to lure you in like this, and now that it has already sapped so much of your strength and lifeforce you know in your heart you are completely fucked.  Fear gives way to anger, which then gives way to desperation followed by pathetic pleading.  The wraith ignores it all and soon you are but a husk of a man and within a few weeks of decay you become just another skeleton adorning his trap.

THE END


The troll may be large, but something tells you it would take more than a few arrows to bring this thing down and you have no intention of getting up close to it for a bluff.  It takes time, but after making enough noise from cover you manage to get the troll's attention and lure him away from the tunnel entrance.  The creature lumbers slowly and cautiously towards the source of the noise and you are already working your way around from the other side.  Eventually you see your opportunity and make a break for it.  By the time the troll realizes you are there, you are already behind him and nearing the entrance to the tunnel.  He tries to stop you, but you are already inside and despite his best efforts to stop you, you are already beyond his reach.  He lets out a series of angry grunts and you continue onward through the tunnel.  Clearly all those years of playing capture the flag have served you well.

As you emerge from the other side, you begin to see the rocks getting more red and you take it as a sign that you are on the right path.  There was never much foliage in this mountainside but the area you are in now is especially rocky and devoid of vegetation.  You hope you will find the Redrange Pass soon so you can deal with the Craxil and be done with this quest.

You've been traveling a long time without sleep and dawn is starting to crack.  Somehow, the warm beams of sunlight raising up over the distant rocks make you feel sleepy.  As you continnue forward along the rugged expanse of jagged red rocks and dirt you discover the remains of an unused campsite.  The inhabitants are long gone, but the camp is still here.  A cozy warm campfire, soft, cottony sleeping mat, warm blanket, the works.  There are no enemies as far as the eye can see in any direction and you think you would probably be able to think better if you had some rest.  The warmth and coziness of this campsite is calling to you and since you haven't slept in almost 40 hours now, you begin to consider.

> You focus & Discipline, You Need To Keep Moving

You decide that there will be time to sleep when your journey is over.  Sleeping now would only make you vulnerable within Craxil territory and given the myriad of possible fates that may befall you we simply cannot take that chance now can we.  Then again, you have gone almost 40 hours without sleep so far and you aren't even sure if you are halfway there yet.  If you continue pushing yourself forth at this pace you may very well collapse.  Perhaps finding a safe place to rest isn't such a bad idea after all.

As you try to walk away you get the distinct smell of bacon.  You look back and see a skillet over the campfire.  It smells fantastic.  Strange that you didn't notice this earlier though.  The campsite seems to be calling to you, but of course that idea is completely absurd.  Your beginning to feel like that halfling Brodo Faggins, who traveled relentlessly on his journey without supplies or rest.  You suppose that given you've been an underappreciated swineherd your whole life, such an idea is a fun one to ponder.

You catch yourself stopping in your tracks, and starring at the food over the campfire and the mat on the ground.  "How convinent" you think, "to have all that food within reach of the soft cotton mat.  You shake your head and try to shake it off but the temptation is grabbing at your attention.


You might be able to hit the broadside of a barn, but your aim is not sufficient for anything more than a general area.  You don't want to alert the goblin to your presence so you are just going to have to deal with him the old fashioned way.  Under cover of midnight you slink around to the edge of the camp and work your way along the side until you are close.  Despite your apparent lack of skill in fighting and archery you are an absolute master at sneakery.  But enough of such destracting thoughts.  As the goblin turns away you leap forth, cup his mouth with your left hand, and stab him through the back.  You pull the body away from the camp so none of the other goblins will see it.

Fortunately for you, none of the goblins seem stirred in the least.  You removed that problem without attracting attention.  Even better, another one of the nightwatchmen goblins has come back to the same post trying to figure out why his comrade is no longer at his post.  This affords you the opportunity to repeat the procedure and return once again.  The way to the central tent still has a few more problems in store for you.  Single goblins patrol the area and there is always at least one patrol goblin within sight range of that tent.  Also, the tent itself has its own nightwatchman who is evidently dedicated to the shaman.  At the very least, you need to kill one of the patrolling goblins to create an opening and the sentry guarding the tent.  With this done, you have a chance at abducting and interrogating the shaman for some much needed information on the Craxil.

You have some ideas on the patrolling goblin.  You could attempt to construct a simple foothold trap out of vine and add some barbs from the camp to dig into his foot.  Alternatively, you could wait until he rounds his usual tree and cut him down before the next patrolling goblin comes along.
> You wait Behind The Tree And Cut Him Down As He Comes Along

You prefer to keep things simple and avoid the convoluted.  Besides, a barbed trap would likely make him scream out before you kill him would it not?  You hide behind a tree and wait for the next goblin to make his usual round.  As he comes about you plunge your sword into his chest and immediately grab him so you can hide the body before the next patrol arrives.

You wait for the opening to come again, then quickly maneuver into position to stab the tent's sentry before the next patrol goblin comes around.  You peek inside to see the shaman sleeping (lucky you) and drag the sentry's body inside where it won't be detected.  You've reached the shaman, and he's still asleep, but you can't very well interrogate him here.  You pick up a candlestick from the nearby table and as he's coming to you clock him over the head with it.  You check for a pulse to see if he's dead or unconcious and thankfully, he's just knocked out.  You gag him and bind his arms behind his back because he won't be able to cast spells without his tounge and hand movements.  You use the same patrol opening to escape the camp and return to a spot distant from the camp.  You rouse the shaman to wake up and realize you are probably more scared than he will be.


You cannot contain your curiosity about this camp but you know you should keep your distance and be careful.  They are likely hostile after all.  You remember that you are out in the open now so the sun will remove any advantage that the shadows had given you in the caves.  You decide to wait until nightfall, then slink in closer to the camp.  There is minimal rock cover but you manage to find a decent place from which to observe their camp.  They are goblins, armed with schimitars and polearms which you assume must be the work of the Craxil.

Even outside the Craxil's domain, goblins are known for their hostility towards humans so approaching them would be stupid.  However, unlike the powerful humunculi you've had to deal with so far, goblins are a weaker enemy you feel confident you could stand against (provided you don't get yourself overwhelmed).  There are about 30 of the foul creatures wandering about the camp, but the one that catches your interest is the shaman.  Decked out in fancy garb and occupying a large tent in the center of the camp, it is clear this one is the leader.  It occurs to you that if they are working for the Craxil then this one might be able to provide you with some much needed leads as to where you can find him.

You are confident in your ability to handle a single goblin or perhaps even two if your life depended on it but certainly not the entire camp.  You're just a sneaky swineherd after all.  You wait until midnight, when most of the goblins have retired to sleep.  There are still a handful of night watchmen goblins though, and they will need to be dealt with before you can hope to reach the shaman's tent.  You also shudder at the thought of the shaman unleashing horrid magicks upon you.  Once again, you will have to use the element of surprise to make up for your lack of fighting experience but then... as a sneaky bastard that is your specialty.

The first concern is the single goblin standing at the closest entrance to the camp.  He is holding a polearm and needs to be removed before you can get into the camp.  As stated before, you are confident you can take him, but you need to be careful not to wake the rest of the camp in the process.  One idea is to sneak up on him and stab him through the back with your sword before he can react.  Another idea is to try and hit him with an arrow from a distance, then move on to the next target.  Either way, he needs to be removed.

> You put An Arrow In Him
You are concerned that if you were to get to close to him or the camp before he is taken out then you will be detected so it is best to deal with the problem from afar.  You pull an arrow back in your bow and wait until the goblin stops fidgeting around.  You were successful with this thing the last time you used it against that one humunculus, but you know that was just luck.  Besides, you aren't going to get a second chance this time.

You carefully aim at the goblins chest because that is the broadest target on his body and an arrow that lands there is likely to still prove fatal.  You wait for the wind to die down, pull the drawstring as far back as you possibly can, perfect your aim, and....................RELEASE!

The arrow sails through the air but fails to hit its target.  Actually, you overshot and the arrow tore through one of the peripheral tents.  You ready another arrow, but the goblin guard is aware now and so is the inhabitant of that tent you shot.  You manage to blow out the guards knee with the second shot (despite still aiming for the chest) but its no use as the camp is now stirring and the goblins are now being roused.  You pull back towards the humunculus caves you emerged from, hoping to find someplace to hide before they get their shit together.  You duck behind a large rock just outside the passageway you exitted from when you first arrived on this plateau.  The goblins have explored the area between you and the camp and they are drawing closer.

The shaman leads them into the passageway you came from and for a moment you think you're going to be safe...until one of the footsolder goblins detects your presence.  He lifts his spear above his head leaving you no choice but to thrust your sword through his abdomin.  Of course, now the other goblins are aware of your presence.  Reasoning your longer legs should enable you to outrun the goblins you take off and it looks like you might get away.  At least, that's what you thought until the shaman lands a fireball against you.

THE END


Naturally, you are not going to go down the passageway that your pursuers went down, that's just stupid.  You want to avoid unnecessary conflict after allso you can increase your chances of reaching the Craxil.  This passageway leads you out to a large plateau.  To the right, you can see another several clusters of cave networks populated by humunculi.  To the left you see a step drop off that would land you in the forest the hunters of your village like to use.  In front of you, and in the distance, is a curious looking camp.  You see a couple different campfires and at least two dozen tee-pee style tents down over there.  You can't make out who the inhabitants are though, at least not from here.  Odds are they aren't friendly though.  This is Craxil territory after all.  Of course, the humunculi in the multiple cave clusters over there aren't friendly either so what does it matter?  You still have no leads as to where to find the Craxil but you need to make a decision as to where to go.
> You explore The Humunculi Clusters

Perhaps it is wise to stick with the enemy you know right?  Anyway, the creatures that have been attacking your village have been humunculi and while they are not the only creatures under the Craxil's command (according to Brandolf) they are the ones he seems to call on the most.  Perhaps you'll find clues to his whereabouts somewhere about in their dwellings.

The task of sneaking over to these cave clusters unseen is a challenging one.  You are out in the open now, so the sun is taking away any advantage that the darkness would otherwise have given you.  Also, a couple humunculi are standing outside in the open, in the front of the cave clusters you seek to gain entry to.  Realizing the impossibility of this situation, you fall back a bit and wait until nightfall to make your move.

Eventually the sun sets and the humunculi retire to their caves.  You slink over to their position using what little rock cover and shrubbery you have to conceal your approach.  Just as you reach the next rock for cover you feel something strike you from above and you lose conciousness.  Seems one of the humunculi noticed your approach and got you with a rock from a high vantage point.  You're surprised you survived such a blow but you soon wish you hadn't.  Your arms and legs are restrained with thick vines and it is clear you are about to become the meal for a handful of humunculi.

THE END


The room is too well lit to try and sneak past him and lunging forth at a superior foe with a short sword doesn't strike your fancy either.  You decide to get creative and pull out the bow that Brandolf gave you in the council before you left.  You ran a few practice shots before departing on this journey and you know you can at least hit a general target, though you'd be pretty hard pressed to achieve any kind of real accuracy.

The first shot whizzes past the creatures head and into a nearby pillar of rock.  His eyes go wide as he looks at the arrow then turns to look directly at you.  You immediately pull back another arrow and take aim knowing this shot is going to make or break destiny.  You aim for his chest as that is the broadest target available and the iron arrowhead may even reach his heart.  As he lunges forth you close your eyes and release...

You half expected you'd be dead by now but when you open your eyes you discover your arrow went through the creatures neck.  He is now on his knees bleeding profusely and clutching his throat.  Wasting no time, you finish him with your short sword, then dive into the darkest corner.  The three humunculi heard the ruckus and have come down from their campfire to see what the commotion was.  When they discover their fallen comrade, they go into a rage and start to look around.  You dig into the corner as much as you can and clutch your sword.  Two of the creatures move towards the unexplored passageway on the other side of the chamber while the third seems to be gravitating closer to your position.  You begin to wonder if you should strike him by surprise while you still can or hope you can try to remain undiscovered.
> You remain In The Corner And Hope To Be Undiscovered
Even if you succeeded in sneak attacking this one, what about the other two?  You cannot possibly hope to defeat two humunculi, especially without the element of surprise on your side.  Their monsters and let's face it, elementary school girls still best you at arm wrestling.  Your best bet is to remain in the corner and pray.  You sit there, hold your breath, and close your eyes.  This is probably for the best, because its all over before you realize what's happening.  The humunculus discovered you and struck you upside the head with such force that you suffered a fatal concussion.  On the plus side, you didn't feel a thing.

THE END


You press your body firmly against the back wall of the chamber and slowly make your way over to the entrance of the large passageway on the left.  Occasionally the campfire will flicker light in your general direction giving you pause, but the humunculi are totally unaware of your presence.  Eventually, you manage to make it to the passageway and it doesn't take long before you reach another chamber.  You are greatly disheartened by what you see up ahead.

A larger than normal humunculus stands in the center of the fairly well lit chamber and judging from his tribal decor you figure he must be someone of rank.  The passageway continues at the other end of the chamber, but this creature blocks your path.  At the moment, he is looking off to the side and does not notice your presence.  You weigh your options.

> You go Back The Way You Came
You are quickly beginning to wish Brandolf had given you a torch, but given the nature of your quest he probably figured you didn't need to draw attention to yourself.  Still, you can barely see more than a few feet in front of your face and it is only getting darker as you continue further inward.  You run your hand along the right wall and move carefully, scouting each step with your foot to avoid a fall.  Your heart is racing and you know that at any moment, something might come out and attack.

Eventually, the cave leads into a small inner chamber with a campfire in the middle.  Three humunculi are sitting around the campfire, roasting human limbs on a stick as if they were marshmellows.  Fortunately, they are not aware of your presence and the campfire enables you to see there are several tunnels leading out from this chamber.  On the other side of the chamber is a tunnel that goes deeper in, but you won't be able to go down this way undetected as long as the humunculi are here.  There are also nondescript passsageways to the left and the right (large and small respectively) that you can reach as long as you stay in the shadows.


You are quickly beginning to wish Brandolf had given you a torch, but given the nature of your quest he probably figured you didn't need to draw attention to yourself.  Still, you can barely see more than a few feet in front of your face and it is only getting darker as you continue further inward.  You run your hand along the right wall and move carefully, scouting each step with your foot to avoid a fall.  Your heart is racing and you know that at any moment, something might come out and attack.

Eventually, the cave leads into a small inner chamber with a campfire in the middle.  Three humunculi are sitting around the campfire, roasting human limbs on a stick as if they were marshmellows.  Fortunately, they are not aware of your presence and the campfire enables you to see there are several tunnels leading out from this chamber.  On the other side of the chamber is a tunnel that goes deeper in, but you won't be able to go down this way undetected as long as the humunculi are here.  There are also nondescript passsageways to the left and the right (large and small respectively) that you can reach as long as you stay in the shadows.

> You attack The Humunculi With Your Sword While They Are Relaxed

These humunculi are blocking a passage that may lead to the Craxil; and the fewer of them there are, the less difficult it will be for you to have to sneak around.  You draw your sword and lung forth plunging it into the back of the nearest unsuspecting humunculi.  You swell with pride realizing that you have just killed your first monster, and a humunculi too!  Unfortunately, you have difficulty removing the sword from the humunculi's body and the others have immediately taken notice of you.  You attempt to run back out of the cave from whence you came, but the creatures are faster than you are.  They beat you savagely before bringing you back to their campfire for desert.

THE END