51

A slippery ladder disappears into the dark, stench-filled shaft. You gulp a lungful of air and climb down, locking the trapdoor behind you. When you finally reach the bottom of the shaft, your worst fears are confirmed.

You have entered the Baga-darooz, the main drainage sewer of Barrakeesh. You recall one of the crewmen aboard the galley, an old man nicknamed ‘The Stink’ because he smelled so much, having been sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in the Baga-darooz for a crime he did not commit. Peering along the gloomy tunnels, you wonder how he survived for so long in this dank, filthy sewer.

Suddenly your thoughts are disturbed by the sound of splintering wood. Chunks of shattered timber rain down upon you as the Sharnazim force open the trapdoor. The heavy iron grille glances off your shoulder as it falls; you stifle a cry of pain, but you lose 1 ENDURANCE point due to the wound.

This section of the Baga-darooz is a junction where three channels meet. You must quickly decide which channel to take, for Maouk’s men are now descending the ladder.

If you have the Kai Discipline of Tracking, turn to 173.

If you wish to enter the left channel, turn to 96.

If you wish to enter the right channel, turn to 145.

If you wish to enter the channel straight ahead, turn to 13.