>TM 4 >LS 2 >PS ON >PL60 >SM6 >CP ON >FO OFF >------L-----------------------!---------------------------R δ8δ You take your seats and the croupier deals out five Š cards to each player. Gregor wins the first round, Š and the second, and the third. Very soon it becomes Š apparent that he is quite an expert at Lourdanian Š Draw. After little more than a dozen rounds of play Š he has collected over 50 Nobels. For your part, you Š make use of your Magnakai disciplines to help you win Š a more modest sum. Pick a number from the ιRandom Number Tableι. If the Š number you have chosen is odd (ie. 1,3,5,7,9), you Š win 4 Nobels. If the number you have chosen is even Š (ie. 0,2,4,6,8) you win 6 Nobels. (1 Nobel = 1 Gold Š Crown) The other players become disgruntled and one by one Š they leave the table. Soon there are not enough Š players to be able to continue, and when no new Š players come forward the croupier declares the game Š closed. Grinning like a well-fed cat, Gregor pockets Š his winnings and together you leave the Lucky Horse Š Inn and continue your walk along the main street. Š Soon you arrive at the Lourdanian Consulate where a Š guard at the gate allows you both to enter and wait Š in its cool, tree-shaded courtyard. A few minutes Š later you are met by the consul's assistant, a rotund Š little official called Cheary. He is shocked to hear Š of the pirate attack, and he urges Gregor to Š accompany him inside the consulate to make a full Š written report. He says that it could take several Š hours, possibly even a day or two, and so you decide Š that now is a good time to say farewell to your Š companion. Before you go, Gregor offers you his Š heartfelt thanks for all you have done for him, and Š he hopes that one day soon your paths will cross Š again. "If you should ever visit Pforodon," he says, "stop Š by the Singing Lamb Tavern on Spike Street. If I'm Š not there, the landlord will know where you can find Š me." You wish Gregor a safe journey home, then you leave Š the consulate and make your way back along the main Š street to the harbour. The heat and dust of the Š afternoon are making you thirsty and so you stop to Š drink from a freshwater fountain set into the wall of Š a crumbling old temple. The hustle and noise of the Š street crowd is becoming oppressive and you yearn to Š find somewhere quiet where you can rest before you Š return to the ship. Looking around, you notice two Š places which promise some respite. The first is a Š public park which stands upon a cliff that looms Š above the city to the east of the harbour wall. The Š second is a narrow deserted alley that wends its way Š into the city's Old Quarter. If you wish to visit the park, turn to β291β If you choose to explore the city's Old Quarter, turn Š to β126β