The shock of the fall and the numbing chill of the icy black water conspire to sap your strength. You flail and flounder in the deep until you are gripped by cramp and can no longer resist your doom. Unconsciousness smothers your pain as you sink slowly to the bottom of the lake, weighed down by your equipment and the freezing water that now fills your lungs.
-The Zakhan
Tragically, you are slain here in Tahou, your life taken by the evil Zakhan of Vassagonia.
+Bravely you fight the mounted soldiers, but for every one you kill two more emerge from the gatehouse to take his place. Eventually you are overwhelmed by the sheer weight of their numbers, and as you weaken you are knocked down and trampled to death beneath their horses
Your decision to discard half your equipment proves to be a fatal error of judgement. The amount of weight you have jettisoned is not enough to help you rise to the surface before cramp afflicts your aching limbs. Unable to resist your doom, you sink slowly to the bottom of the lake, weighed down by your Backpack and the water that now fills your lungs.
-The last thing you see is the huge stone ball as it falls on you.
-Tragically, you lose your life here at the siege of Tahou.
+It is the father
A hush descends as you wait for the riddle patiently. The father, whose name is Khmar, draws his dagger from its scabbard and lays it on the table. Then he rests his hand on the shoulder of his eldest son and says, This dagger is now half as old as my son Loen was when the dagger was new. Loen is now fifteen years old. How old is the dagger?
The deadly arrows pierce your heart and stomach. Pain engulfs you like a raging fire, but a chilling numbness soon follows, washing over you like a wave of soothing balm. You fight to stay on your feet but darkness encroaches on all sides: it is the cold embrace of death.
-A deafening roar fills the stairwell as a bolt of raw energy hurtles from the rod. You stare aghast as it speeds towards your chest and explodes with a splash of colour that is the last you will ever see.
In the council chamber of the Elder Magi in Elzian, the golden torch flickers and dies. The members of the High Council hang their heads in sorrow for they know that your life and their hopes have ended here in Zaaryx.
-Your quest is over.
+You throw out your hands to claw at the rope ladder but your fingers are numb with cold. You cannot close your grip, and with a scream of anguish, you slip and fall backwards into the black abyss. Your scream grows until you impact into a cold, wet avenue of Zaaryx, 200 feet below.
-Neither you nor the plains farmers are able to answer Khmar
This is Juno, my youngest boy,
he says, patting the head of his second son. I am four times as old as him now. Twenty years from now, I will be only twice as old as him. How old am I, and how old is my son today?
A cloud of arrows engulfs you and pain explodes throughout your body. You are mortally wounded, pierced by a dozen shafts, and although you fight to hang on to life, it is a fight you cannot win.
-You follow the corridor to a curved flight of alabaster stairs and descend them to a massive chamber. The floor is constructed of steely-blue metal flecked with silver, and a hundred darkened archways line the walls. Directly ahead stand two gigantic doors of sheeted platinum, engraved with patterns breathtaking in their intricacy. The chamber is deserted, but as you cross the floor and approach the doors, you are acutely aware that any one of the arches could be hiding a legion of reptilians.
In the centre of the door there is a lock that consists of four hexagonal buttons, arranged in the shape of a pyramid, with one button at the top and three buttons in a line below it. Every time you touch a button, a glowing number appears on its surface. Your basic Kai sense informs you that this is a combination lock; if you press each button several times until the correct numbers show on all four buttons the lock will release and the doors will open.
-The wagon descends a steep hill that runs parallel to a section of the city wall under bombardment from enemy catapults. As you near the bottom of the hill, a huge stone ball drops from the sky and slams into the wagon, killing two horses, the captain, and you.
-Tragically, your life ends here.
+