You follow the beckoning figure outside into the swirling mists. It leaps up to the driver’s seat of the black coach and the carriage door swings open. The steeds prance expectantly, their breath steaming in the cold air. Will you:

Attack the Headless Horseman? Turn to 201

Get in the coach? Turn to 174

Ignore the coach, and ask a local person how to get to the Castle? Turn to 148

You push open the brass doors and walk into a well-lit entrance hall which is deserted. Floor mosaics and wall-hangings of plain black and red give the chamber a sombre appearance, and for a moment you think you heard a faint moaning sound ... There are three exits from the hall. Will you leave through:

A door to the north? Turn to 101

A corridor to the east? Turn to 256

A door to the west? Turn to 60

Do you have a Magic Sword? If you do, turn to 173. If you don’t, turn to 208.

You bite into the sugared, crunchy biscuits with their thin, dark chocolate surface - and reach the soft centre of clotted blood. The Count’s favourite snack, but it fills you with disgust and nausea. You are shaken by this horror; lose 1 FAITH point. Now you must try the west door; turn to 45.

As you cross the portal, you observe a pentagram on the floor - too late! A smoky shape materializes within it, and a spectral steed with fierce glowing eyes, its breath fire and choking smoke, bounds forth to attack you. You have no time to run- you must fight the Count’s terrible Demon Steed. You must subtract 2 points from your SKILL for the duration of this combat only, due to the choking effects of the Steed’s fiery breath.

If you win, you find nothing of interest here. So, will you:

Head for the Crypt? Turn to 90

Open the north, brass doors? Turn to 2

Open the south-facing door? Turn to 18

During each Attack Round until you kill the Vampire Mist, you will lose 1 STAMINA point from the blood drain. Turn to 42 and continue the fight!

A shaft of moonlight strikes you and you see with horror that your hands are becoming covered with fur! You feel your teeth growing, and you almost start baying at the moon! This transformation is very painful - lose 3 STAMINA points. Change your Lycanthropy to the Major Lycanthropy Affliction on your Adventure Sheet. You search the tower for anything which might help you; turn to 51.

You insert the key into the lock and push the door open. Inside, there is a row of simple tombs with no markings or decorations, all identical. You have a strange sensation; your nerves are tingling, and a bead of sweat drips from your brow into one eye, making it sting. You rub your eyes to clear your vision, and when you look again you can see a pale, ghostly figure drifting towards you, gesturing to you to come forward. The apparition- seemingly a woman - is young, gaunt of face, and looking very determined! You can either flee (turn to 59) or walk towards her (turn to 102).

The little creature asks you if you have come to see his master. You nod in mute agreement. ‘Well, don’t just stand there, go on in! He’s not too busy - I’m sure the potions will soon be ready!’ You rea]ize that this is an alchemist’s laboratory, and that the small winged creature is a magical creature - a homunculus. It gestures you to a door to the south, which you open; turn to 118.

Trembling after the fight, you gaze at the coffin. Mastering your fear, you open it. It is bare, save for a fine dusting of black, dry earth on the bottom. You tip the coffin over, flinging earth over the floor, and smash the wood with the pommel of your sword. In the Notes box on your Adventure Sheet record that you have destroyed one of Reiner Heydrich’ s coffins! Gain 1 FAITH point. You leave this chamber; you can try opening the door at the west end of the corridor (turn to 34) or follow the corridor round to the south, past this door (turn to 31).

Having overcome these Undead servants, will you:

Head into the main kitchen to the east? Turn to 282

Leave and go to the north door in the corridor? Turn to 332

Leave and open the west door in the corridor? Turn to 221

Leave and follow the eastern side-passage off the corridor? Turn to 353

You feel a surge of well-being from the blessed item, and your STAMINA is returned to its full Iniltial level! Turn to 35.

As you approach, a small wizened Gnome scuttles out of his hut into the grey light of dawn and sidles up to you, grinning rather maliciously. He demands 2 Gold Pieces for ferrying you across in his boat, but he adds that you can stay and sleep in his hut if you wish - and you are very tired! If Valderesse the Ranger is with you, turn to 64. If she isn’t, will you:

Attack the Gnome? Turn to 113

Accept his offer of a place to sleep and rest? Turn to 211

Pay him and cross the river? Turn to 162

Do you already have a Magic Sword? If you do, turn to 82. If you don’t, turn to 61.

Gunthar gives you some food and wine (recover 4 lost STAMINA points) and tells you of his work as a healer. He is well aware of his brother’s evil and denounces Reiner as a cruel, vile creature. But Gunthar claims to be no fighter, and in any event he could not bring himself to kill his own brother! Gunthar seems weighed down by the evil of the Castle, almost in a state of despair. You take a chance and announce that you are here to do away with Reiner Heydrich. Gunthar’s eyes light up with hope, and he says he will give you the one thing he has which could help. From a carefully concealed pocket inside his robes he pulls out a silver crucifix on a chain, adding that, to destroy Reiner, this will be needed. Add the Crucifix to your Possessions. You will also need a stake to drive through Reiner’s heart as he sleepsin his coffin, but Gunthar does not have one; you’ll have to find this elsewhere. ‘Un less, of course, you find Siegfried’s sword Night star, for that also would destroy him, but it has been lost for many years,’ he sighs. Now, will you.

Leave and open the west door on the landing? Turn to 294

Ask Gunthar for help with an Affliction, if you have one? Turn to 48

Show Gunthar a book, if you have one? Turn to 317

The girl kisses you back. Unfortunately, this involves sinking her teeth firmly into your throat! Lose 2 STAMINA points. You now have to fight the girl; roll one die. This is the number of Attack Rounds your throat will go on bleeding, and you will lose 1 STAMINA point on each Round while the bleeding lasts. Turn to 150 to fight.

The only item of use in the present situation is a Silver Mirror. If you do not possess a Silver Mirror, turn to 26. If you do have a Silver Mirror, Reiner recoils from it. This gives you time to throw Holy Water if you can and if you wish to do this (turn to 216), or to cast a spell (turn to 158); after you have done this, you still have a little extra time, as the Vampire hesitates before the Silver Mirror. You will be able to get a free sword strike at him, causing 2 points of damage to his STAMINA, when you begin a swordfight, so make a note of this! If you are going to attack him with a sword immediately, turn to 26 now.

You open the door, It is very dark within, and you need your lantern to see by. Peering in, you can make out sacks of grain and some scurrying rats. There is a door in the west wall of this storeroom. Will you:

Move to the west door in the storeroom? Turn to 67

Leave and approach the Crypt, if you haven’t done so before? Turn to 90

Leave and approach the north doors in the courtyard? Turn to 2

The gas-cloud seeps slowly behind the wall-hanging, and you reveal a secret door there. Opening it, you uncover the last of Reiner Heydrich’s coffins; throwing back its lid, you find the slowly re-forming body of the Vampire. Do you have either a Crucifix or the Shield of Faith, and also either a Stake or the magical sword Nightstar? If you have at least one of each pair of items, you know what to do, so turn to 32. If you don’t have at least one of each pair, turn to 69.

You already know Katarina’s wiles; she tried to control you before, but you resisted her the first time - and you are immune to any further tricks! You strike out with your sword, inflicting 2 points of damage upon her STAMINA. Turn to 106 to finish the fight.

After overcoming Wilhelm, you look at the incredible clutter all round these rooms. Will you:

Search these rooms carefully? Turn to 78

Leave, and open the east door opposite in the corridor, if you haven’t done so before? Turn to 118

Leave and open the door at the south end of the corridor? Turn to 252

Return to the entrance hall and open the north door there? Turn to 101

The Major Thassaloss is the most powerful of all the Count’s guardians. When you fight it, in each Attack Round you must roll one die in addition to normal combat dice-rolls. If the roll is 1-5, a green ray of intense cold from the eye-sockets of the monster freezes you and you lose 1 STAMINA point. Only if you roll 6 will you be able to evade this ray. This happens, no matter who has the higher Attack Strength in the Attack Round, so the Thassaloss is a formidable enemy!

If at any time you wish to cast a Shatter spell (and can do so), turn to 109. If, at any time, you wish to cast a Jandor’s Bolt spell (and can do so), turn to 125. If you win, turn to 224.

Holy Water does no damage to Katarina, since she is not in fact a Vampire! She ducks under the thrown vial and has no time to strike back. Fight with your sword; if you are using Nightstar, you can claim a bonus of only 1 to your SKILL for this sword. Return to 106.

Your hands manage to grab on to a bush at the edge of the rocky precipice, and this saves you from certain death on the jagged rocks below. You haul yourself up and, somewhat shaken, follow the road towards the Castle. You have a long walk ahead of you, so roll one die. If the number rolled is 1 or 2, turn to 362. If you roll any other number, turn to 73.

You search Lothar’s rooms, and after some time you find a hidden wall-alcove from which you retrieve a Silvered Stake and the Castellan’s Keys; add these to your Possessions. Now, if you have met Katarina Heydrich and you want to take the Book of Swords to her, turn to 41. Otherwise, you leave and make for the door at the south end of the corridor; turn to 319·

Do you have a Magic Sword? If you have, turn to 372. If you haven’t, turn to 284.

As you step carefully across the threshold, you trip over a very thin, cunningly concealed tripwire, and the alarm this sets off alerts the man. He wakes and, the alarm this sets off alerts the man. He wakes and not unreasonably, slashes at you with his wickedly sharp knife; lose 2 STAMINA points. Now you can either attack him (turn to 77) or try to talk with him - after all, you haven’t actually attacked him yet, so he just might listen (turn to 126).

Before you can finish it off, the hateful undead thing transforms itself into a gas cloud and floats away! If you have a Forcewall spell and wish to cast it, turn to 111. If you cannot - or do not wish to - cast the spell, turn to 63.

Which spell do you want to use? Will it be:

Forcewall? Turn to 155

Greatstrike? Turn to 112

Jandor’s Bolt? Turn to 395

If you have none of these spells, turn to 164

The monstrously large Ghoul backs away from you, spittle drooling over its blackened stumps of teeth. You can ascend the stone stairs opposite the door (turn to 159) or attack the retreating Ghoul (turn to 107).

The corridor turns south, and there are four doors before you: two to the east, one to the west and one at the end of the corridor, facing you. Will you:

Open the first door to the east, nearest you? Turn to 58

Open the second easterly door? Turn to 227

Open the door at the south end of the corridor? Turn to 319

Open the door to the west? Turn to 114

With the symbol of the cross on the Crucifix or the Shield of Faith held over the body, you drive the point of the Stake or Nightstar through the evil heart of Count Reiner Heydrich. Spots of black blood splash on the white silk lining of the coffin and on your hands, but you don’t relax your grip. An unholy shriek comes from his mouth and the clawed hands of the expiring Vampire grip the coffin rim, then slowly go limp. The body gradually crumbles to dust. At last the Count has been sent to join his vampiric ancestors in the hells. Gain 2 FAITH points and 2 LUCK points! Turn to 132.

As you enter the bell tower, a flock of bats rises up and starts swarming in the air in front of your face. You must Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 86. If you are Unlucky, turn to 133.

You enter a lavishly decorated suite of rooms, with plush-covered furniture, exotic carpets and rugs, tapestries and paintings, and sackfuls of gold plates, gem-studded goblets, decanters, ornaments . . . this place is dripping with wealth! There is also a person here, Lazily reclining in a throne-like teak armchair among leather cushions is a stunningly beautiful young woman; her flowing black curls tumble over her shoulders and frame her slender, very pale face. An emerald bracelet circles her wrist as she lifts an arm from the folds of her black dress and gestures to you to come forward. ‘It is polite to knock first, but you may come in,’ murmurs Katarina Heydrich in a husky, seductive voice. Will you attack her (turn to 71) or talk with her (turn to 363)?

‘You possess all that is needed to destroy Reiner in his coffin,’ says the ghost softly, ‘but can you fight him?’ Do you have-the Book of Swords? If you do, turn to that paragraph which is half the number of the magical page in that book (for example, if the magical page were 320, you would turn to paragraph 160). If you don’t have this book, turn to 14.

You can try haggling with Karl-Heinz if you wish; but you will have to Test your Luck to do this. If you are Lucky, turn to 134. If you are Unlucky, or if you don’t want to risk offending Karl-Heinz by haggling, but simply plead poverty and offer a lower fee, turn to 183.

Trying to stop the noise by fiddling with the keyboard gets you nowhere, and you lose 1 STAMINA point from some rat-bites while you try! Now, will you try to:

Find the bellows which power the organ? Turn to 65

Silence the organ with some nearby object? Turn to 149

Make a dash for the north door? Turn to 335

The index finger of the hand is raised, painfully slowly, and it gestures towards the south. Out of the corner of your eye you see a bottled human head opening and closing its eyes, apparently trying to speak, but it can say nothing. Again the finger gestures to the south, and for an instant you think you can hear a whispering voice say, ‘Help.’ Then the arm falls back lifelessly from you, and the head does not move. This is unnerving; you must lose 1 FAITH point, and you abandon your search straight away. Will you now open the south door at the T-junction (turn to 8) or the east door (turn to 371)?

The wolves stop to eat the food; deduct 2 meals from your Provisions. You close the door behind you . Now, will you:

Head for the Crypt? Turn to 90

Open the northerly brass doors? Turn to 2

Open the door to the south? Turn to 18

The dog is a savage mastiff, with wiry grey fur and large yellow teeth, which barks ferociously and slavers at the prospect of having you for a meal! If you chose to attack the dog rather than trying to sneak past it, you get a free strike at it, and you can subtract 2 points from the STAMINA score for the dog before you fight it.

If you win, you take 4 Gold Pieces from the table (add these to your Treasure) and some food from the well stocked larder (add 4 to your Provisions). Now, you can either get into the boat (turn to 138) or wade across the river (turn to 187).

You return to Katarina. She purrs happily at the news of the Castellan’s death. She takes the Book of Swords and casts a spell over it. Azure magical flames lick at the tome, but it does not bum. Instead, a strange humming sound rises from it. Then the book is gone, and in its place - nothing! Katarina looks horrified. ‘Damn Reiner! He has foiled my countermagic!’ she curses, and her face is convulsed with rage. Suddenly, you are very fearful of what she might do to you in her anger, so you run out and head for the door at the south end of the corridor; turn to 319.

Because the mist is all round you, it is easy to hit; you may add 1 to your SKILL when fighting the Vampire Mist.

If you are hit twice, turn at once to 165. If you win, turn to 10.

You insert the great iron key into the massive lock and the heavily barred gate swings open. It is pitch black below and you must have a light source: your lantern or a Magic Sword, if you have one. You descend stone steps, covered in dust, cut between walls which are cobwebbed and moss-covered. The walls have pale decorations and, at intervals, leering gargoyle faces which seem to be looking at you - or is that just your imagination? Rats scurry about in the distance; as you step down into a tunnel at the end of the steps, you notice a small pile of bones at which they have been gnawing. They look not unlike human bones. With a shudder, you walk on until you reach a door, and you open this with your keys. Before you is a corridor in which you can see doors and alcoves in the distance. Now you must Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 147; but if you are Unlucky, turn to 91.

The Wraith shrinks back from you, its wispy clawed arms scrabbling at the air dose by your face, but your FAITH protects you! Now you see a wooden spiral staircase leading upwards in this bare and dusty chamber. You could easily escape the Wraith that way; however, since it is an evil thing, you would prefer to destroy it. You have heard, though, that only a magical weapon can harm a Wraith, so if you don’t have one it could be dangerous to attack it! Will you:

Attack the evil Wraith? Turn to 83

Ascend the staircase up the Tower? Turn to 316

Return to the entrance hall and open the north door there? Turn to 101

You push open the door into Count Reiner Heydrich’s living-room. Rich walnut wall-panelling and oak furniture tell you that he is a creature of taste, at least. But you have no time to dwell on details, for two of his pets are racing to attack - a vicious Vampire Weasel and an evil-looking, leathery winged Horned Vampire Bat!

Fight the bat normally. Every Attack Round when you are fighting the bat, you must also roll one die in addition to normal combat dice. If the result of this die-roll is 5 or 6, the hateful little weasel has sunk its fangs into your leg; lose2 STAMINA points because of this bite. Worse still, the weasel sucks your blood; for every subsequent Attack Round, the blood drain causes you to lose 1 STAMINA point. Once you kill the bat, the weasel runs away; but if it has bitten you, you lose a further 3 STAMINA points before the bleeding stops.

If the bat bites you twice, turn at once to 85. If you win, turn to 135.

You are almost taken by surprise by a ghostly human form which glides silently into the room and across it to attack you! The malicious, life-hating Spectre is the most powerful of the Count’s undead servants, and you have to fight it! Do you have a Magic Sword? If you have, turn to 298. If you haven’t, turn to 208.

After careful searching, you find a secret door in the passage in the north wall, some ten feet from the door at the end of the passage. You open it and enter a bare chamber with a half-open door in the east wall. Standing guard here are two Zombies bearing pole-arms - your FAITH will not protect you against these mindless but thoroughly trained guards! Fight the Zombies one at a time in the doorway.

If you win, turn to 348.

Gunthar looks nervous. He says that any magic he might use to help you would alert Katarina, which could be very dangerous . . . he is clearly reluctant. Do you have the Book of Healers? If you do, turn to 375. If you don’t, you can either leave here and open the west door on the landing (turn to 294) or you can show Gunthar any other book you have found in the Castle by turning to the paragraph with the same number as the magical page in that book.

Unfortunately your gaze dwells too long on the portrait of the Count, and its eyes burn into you, holding you fascinated. Do you have Lycanthropy Affliction? If you do, turn to 95. If you don’t, turn to 144.

You skirt carefully round the building. You have approached from the south, and can make out some features of what seems to be a two-storey building. In the south-west and south-east comers are the towers, whose spires loom above the slate roofs over the stone walls. Bats flit into and out of the south-west tower belfry. The arrow-slits in the towers are too high and too narrow to climb in through. You can see lights on the ground floor from windows in the west and east sides, but heavy drapes prevent you from seeing anything within the Castle itself. Roll one die and add 3. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH turn to 99; if it is greater than your FAITH, you continue walking around and arrive back at the main gates without finding any other likely means of getting into the place, so turn to 326.

Checking carefully, you find a small secret door in one wall; it conceals a wall alcove, from which you draw out a white shield with a red cross. This is the Shield of Faith; gain 1 FAITH point and 1 LUCK point for finding it, and add it to your Possessions. Now you must leave the tower, go to the entrance hall, and open the north door there, so turn to 101.

You are in desperate trouble, fighting against one of the Count’s more powerful magic creations, a Minor Thassaloss. You must subtract 2 points from your SKILL when fighting this battle, since you are still partially blinded by the effects of the magical flash of light.

In each Attack Round, roll one die in addition to the normal two combat dice. If the result of the roll is 1-3, the Minor Thassaloss will strike you with a numbing green ray of cold from its glowing eye sockets, and you will lose 1 STAMINA point. If the die-roll is 4-6, you will have time to dodge this ray. The Thassaloss can freeze you even when it has the lower Attack Strength in an Attack Round, so it is a dangerous enemy!

If you win, you can search this chamber (turn to 352) or leave, hoping for less formidable opposition else where (turn to 320).

The white wine is magnificent Mauristatian Chardonnay: crisp, cool and with the slightest hint of petillance! You are quite refreshed, and regain 4 lost STAMINA points. Unfortunately, you drank a little too much, and you must subtract 1 from your SKILL when you fight your next battle (this affects only one combat, your very next one). Now you can try munching the appetizing-looking biscuits (turn to 4) or make for the west door (turn to 45).

You open the doors into a wolf pen, and two large wolves glower at you and lick their lips! Will you:

Attack the wolves? Turn to 103

Shut the door and get away? Turn to 152

Search for something to use against the wolves (other than your sword)? Turn to 299

In this room there is only a large oaken chest on top of a table. It is securely locked and bound, but with the Castellan’s Keys you manage to unlock it. However, the lid still won’t open! You see a silvered plaque on the chest with some kind of code etched on it, so you investigate this to see if you can find a way of raising the lid of the chest. Turn to 123.

You feel a warm glow from the globe as you hold it; regain 3 lost STAMINA points. But, oddly, Siegfried seems disappointed in you. Turn to 35.

As you kill the little homunculus, there is an explosion from one of the large glass vessels and you get splashed by boiling add: lose 5 STAMINA points. There is a loud rumbling in the laboratory, and some equipment begins to rattle ominously. If you are still alive, you have to get out by the way you came in, and you run to the very end of the corridor to get away. There is a door on your left-hand side there, which you open: Turn to 252.

You open the door into a small linen store and see a large and possibly poisonous spider lurking among the starched cloth! You shut the door quickly. Back in the corridor, will you:

Open the second door to the east? Turn to 227

Open the door at the south end of the corridor? Turn to 319

Open the door to the west? Turn to 114

You slam the door behind you. As you look northwards, you see a slimy trail of greenish yellow muck seething from under the door to the north! You open the eastern door quickly and slip through; turn to 371.

You open the door into a dusty, cobwebbed storage chamber that is full of lumber. If you search here, you could possibly be surprised by someone entering the main hall, so will you:

Search this storage room? Turn to 110

Leave here and open the north door? Turn to 101

Leave here and follow the east passage? Turn to 256

Siegfried says that while a stake can kill Reiner if it is driven through his heart, your present weapon cannot affect him in combat; you must have a Magic Sword. There is such a weapon, admittedly nowhere near as powerful as Siegfried’s own, in the tomb of Adolf, a Castellan of the Castle in the distant past. This tomb is to the east of the T junction, so you leave here and head for it: Turn to 108.

Suddenly the girl stands upright, arms out stretched, with her head thrown back. She screams! Roll one die and added 4. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 150. If it is greater than your FAITH, turn to 195.

The Count floats away behind some wall-hangings - you search but can find no doorway behind them! You know that vampires can regenerate, and you know too that you didn’t kill him off. You guess that he may be back before long! You have time to perform four - and only four - actions. Decide what these will be. You could eat a meal (this takes two actions, and you can wolf down only one meal in time), drink a Potion of Healing or restorative brandy (one action per drink), release the girl with your keys (two actions), cast a spell such as Trueheal or Luckspell (one action per spell cast), or get some object from your backpack (one action per item you want to retrieve). When you have decided what to do, turn to 178.

Valderesse lifts up the Gnome by his jerkin and holds him up to speak to him face to face. ‘Get my friend across the river, Snivel, free of charge. You owe me a favour for keeping those wolves away from you last week!’ Turning to you, she murmurs that Snivel is not the kind of Gnome whose offer of hospitality you should accept. There is a forester’s hut further along the trail and you will be able to find rest there in safety. She puts the Gnome down, and he fawns and toadies to you. You clamber into his boat and he mutters some words which you don’t make out. The boat moves straight out, against the current, into the middle of the river! Valderesse waves goodbye to you as you step out safely on the opposite bank. Turn to 383.

Spending time searching for the air bellows in a large and unfamiliar pipe organ while being harassed by malicious, biting rats is not exactly an easy business. Lose 3 STAMINA points from the bites before you have the sense to give up and make a dash for the north door; turn to 335.

The woman who’ stands before you is tall and slim, with flowing black hair and mysterious, emerald green eyes. She is stunningly lovely, but very pale; the ivory pigment of her skin is emphasized by the jet black dress she wears. Cold silver and glinting emerald jewellery adorn her. This is Katarina Heydrich, the Count’s sister, who is gazing deep into your eyes! Turn to 264.

You are just getting close to the door when the rats start to squeak, then they rush forward to attack you! There are too many for you to fight. You can either open the west door and go through (turn to 115) or retreat back into the courtyard (turn to 163).

Katarina smiles seductively at you; you are charmed, and you know that you must do exactly what she wants. You agree to slay the Castellan, and you follow her directions: leave, go south, and take the second door to the east. Turn to 227.

You have overcome the Vampire, but you have no power to destroy him in the end. As you watch, you think you can see a grin slowly forming across his face, and a tiny trickle of blood runs slowly towards his chin as his fangs are revealed by the slowly parting, deathly pale lips. You free Nastassia, if you haven’t already done so, and together run for your lives. Although there are stumbles and falls, finally you get back to Leverhelven. The folk are glad to see Nastassia once again; when they hear that the Count still lives, however, they fall silent and shake their heads in despair. Your adventure may be over but your quest was not completed; you have failed.

The Ghoul springs at you with filth-encrusted and bloodied talons, its rank breath hot on your face. Its eyes are miniature infernos of fiery hatred and hunger for living flesh!

If the Ghoul hits you three times, turn at once to 127.

If you win, turn to 159.

Do you have a Magic Sword? If you do, turn to 199. If you don’t, turn to 143.

Count Heydrich sinks his fangs into your throat and sucks greedily at your warm, strong blood. You lose consciousness for now, but you will soon rise from the dead as his mindless servant!

As you walk through the night, using your lantern to light your way, you can hear wolves howling on this dank and foggy night. Bright moonlight occasionally breaks through the swirling mist and thick cloud to show you some detail of what is away from the path and outside the little circle of warm light your lantern casts. As the howling gets closer, one such shaft of moonlight reveals twu wolves straight ahead. They are large specimens, with silvered grey fur and yellow eyes and slavering muzzles - and they are bounding towards you! Will you:

Attack the wolves? Turn to 121

Throw some food to them? Turn to 218

Try to run away and escape? Turn to 170

‘To destroy Reiner, you need a Crucifix as well as a Stake,’ Siegfried says. ‘Pick up that globe and fix in your mind’s eye the image of a silver cross.’ You do this, closing your eyes to help you concentrate; when you open them, the ball has gone, but in your hands is lying a small silver crucifix! Add the Crucifix to your Possessions. Turn to 104.

You are wondering what to say, but the Sage talks freely of his own accord. Mostly he goes on about how mean the Count is, and how he - the Sage - needs more money for books. You realize that you’re going to have to pay for information, and it isn’t going to come cheap. While you’re wondering how much to offer, and how to do this politely, the Sage suddenly announces, ‘Of course, for a goodly sum in gold I could get you into the library. Who knows what you might not find in there?’

You can ask the Sage about various matters, but you’ll have to pay him for each answer you get. He will accept Gold Pieces, or any Treasure items of equal value. You can choose what you want to ask about from the list below, but you must pay for each answer you get. The Sage demands payment in advance, and he doesn’t haggle! For each question, you will be referred to the paragraph with his answer, then referred back to this paragraph. You could ask about:

Getting into the library (6 Gold Pieces) Turn to 146

Where the Count can be found (3 Gold Pieces) Turn to 254

Relatives of the Count in the Castle (3 Gold Pieces) Turn to 209

Nastassia, the missing village girl (2 Gold Pieces) Turn to 185

What’s in the Crypt (2 Gold Pieces) Turn to 303

Any Afflictions you have (2 Gold Pieces) Turn to 394

After you have finished paying for information (and reduced the amount of your Treasure accordingly), you leave the Sage to his musty old books and manuscripts. If the Sage has given you an item, you follow his directions: Turn to 332. Otherwise, you leave and return to the passage outside: Turn to 47.

The Count is unusually resistant to this magic. Roll one die. On a roll of 5 or 6, he manages to evade the full forces of the Bolt and takes only 3 points of damage. If you roll any other number, he suffers the full 6 points of damage. Now you must fight with him. You can use the Greatstrike spell if you have it and wish to use it (turn to 346); otherwise, turn to 26. Remember to note how many points of STAMINA the Count has already lost.

You very quickly realize that the man is strong, agile and wily. You face a very dangerous opponent!

If you survive, and if you didn’t sleep at the Gnome’s hut, you must sleep here; you will not be disturbed, and you regain 4 lost STAMINA points for this rest. You may search the cottage if you wish: turn to 177. When it is time to continue your journey, turn to 228.

During your search you find a total of 4 Gold Pieces (add these to your Treasure), but you also find the young man’s pet, a huge, brooding Raven, which perches on a mantel in Wilhelm’s bedchamber and swoops to attack you!

If the Raven wounds you, turn to 360. If you win, you decide to leave and try the door at the end of the corridor leading south: turn to 252.

Karl-Heinz the Alchemist leaves you and enters his laboratory through the north door of this room; half an hour later, he comes back with a bubbling green liquid in a conical glass vessel. On his shoulder a small, winged, green homunculus perches; it grins nastily at you as you hand over your 8 Gold Pieces (deduct these from your Treasure) and drink the filthy stuff _ It tastes absolutely vile, and you feel very weak and sick after drinking it. Lose 4 STAMINA points. But it does work, and you are cured of your (Major) Lycanthropy Affliction (ad just your Adventure Sheet accordingly). With a sense of relief you thank the Alchemist and leave by the door in the west wall of his room. Turn to 373.

You sense that Katarina has made some attempt to control you by magic, but she has failed. Snarling with frustration and rage, she commands you to leave. She begins to weave a spell, but you are fast enough to get away! Turn to 31.

Fight the Zombies one at a time, in order You are outnumbered, but a brave warrior should have no fear of these slow, mindless creatures!

If you win, turn to 11.

You ascend back into the coffin and leave the Undertomb; the ghost fades as you depart. You climb the stairs back to the T-junction, and from here you can go down the east stairs (turn to 108) or the southern stairs (turn to 161).

Do you have a Magic Sword? If you do, turn to 129. If you do not, turn to 231.

Lothar was a good and decent man, and you have slain him needlessly. Lose 2 points from your FAITH and 1 point from your LUCK. Turn to 25.

If you have the Curse of the Healer, turn to 186. If you don’t have this Affliction, turn to 206.

You swing your lantern around and drive the bats off. They fly squeaking out into the enveloping blackness of the night. You see before you in the dirty bell tower some old bronze bells and one silver bell, which seems to glow with a very faint blue light. Roll one die and add 3. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 179. If the total is greater than your FAITH, turn to 233.

You push past the unlocked door, and find yourself standing on a stone balcony overlooking the court yard. This balcony stretches to east and west of you, and also continues round towards the south at its eastern edge. There are three other doors leading away from the balcony One door is to your right and clearly leads into a chamber next to the south western tower; if you want to open this door, turn to 128. A second door is halfway along the southern spur, on the east side; if you want to open this door, turn to 302. The final door is at the extreme south of the balcony, furthest away from you; if you want to open this door, turn to 244.

This is a foolish decision! The monster was already close by the door, and you have no time to flee in this way. The Stench Ghoul hits you: lose 2 STAMINA points. Turn to 122.

Roll two dice. If the total is less than or equal to your SKILL, you tiptoe past the dog and scoop up the food and the gold. If the total is greater than your SKILL, you wake the dog and you will have to fight it. Turn to 401 but if you did not waken the dog you do not have to fight it, and you can simply take the food and treasure listed in paragraph 40.

The Crypt has a stone entrance with steps leading down. Hideous gargoyle heads with fiendish grins stare balefully down at you, and the heavy, iron railing gates are firmly locked. Behind you, you hear snarls somewhere behind the doors to the west, and decide not to investigate these. But will you:

Try to force the gates to the Crypt? Turn to 141

Open the southern door in the courtyard, if you have not already done so? Turn to 18

Head for the brass doors to the north? Turn to 2

Stepping forward, your weight triggers a concealed pit trap. You fall heavily to a stone floor, ten feet below. Lose 4 STAMINA points. Also, if you are carrying any brandy or Holy Water, their containers have smashed and you must cross these off your Possessions. You manage to clamber out of the pit: a simple trap, but effective, in your case at least. Turn to 157.

Gunthar carries no weapon and you can slay him easily; however, as you do, he lays a hand on your neck and whispers a curse on you. You feel a stabbing pain - lose 3 STAMINA points - and, when you check, you can feel a blood-wet and painfully sore patch of skin there. You now have the Curse of the Healer, so record this in your Afflictions box. Searching the rooms, you turn up 3 Gold Pieces (add this to your Treasure), but nothing else of value. You return to the landing, opening the west door there: turn to 294.

Which spell will you cast? Will it be:

Forcewall? Turn to 194

Jandor’s Bolt? Turn to 125

Shatter? Turn to 109

‘You have the Book,’ the apparition says approvingly. ‘My sword is imprisoned within it, Reiner’s magic used blood to put it there, and blood is needed to free it again.’ Siegfried points to an ornate silver chalice on the table. ‘You must give up blood to release Nightstar. It will cost you stamina, but the weapon is a peerless one.’ If you are ready to do this, turn to 328. If you don’t want to take the reduction of your STAMINA, or if you’re simply unwilling to agree, you can ask Siegfried if there is any other way of getting a weapon that will destroy the Vampire: turn to 374 - unless you already have a Stake, in which case turn to 14.

Hair begins to sprout on the backs of your hands and your canine teeth seem to grow and force themselves over your bottom lip! Lose 1 point from your FAITH and 1 point from your LUCK; you know now that it you don’t get help soon you are in very serious trouble! Change Lycanthropy to Major Lycanthropy in the Afflictions box on your Adventure Sheet. You flee, and you can open the door at the east end of the corridor (turn to 351) or run south along the corridor (turn to 166).

You sever the arm at the elbow and the hand releases its grip; what looks like fresh blood splatters over the floor. You are shocked to hear the sound of weeping coming from one of the human heads, sealed in a bell jar; lose 1 FAITH point and 1 LUCK point. You flee this place; back at the junction, you can open the east door (turn to 371) or the south door (turn to 8).

Mocking laughter rings down the passage from the west. You see a tall, dark-haired man in a crimson black cloak, unmistakable by his widow’s peak hair line and Pis glowing red eyes. The Count! ‘You are no threat to me, you snivelling weakling,’ he mocks. He wraps his cloak round him and is transformed into a giant bat. He flies off at great speed, and you cannot keep up with him. Turn to 47.

The hairs on the nape of your neck rise as you sense that something intensely evil is in the room! Spinning around, you see a green, ghostly, human shape beginning to take form in the doorway. You cannot run, combat is inevitable - but you do have time to perform one action of some kind before you are forced to fight. You have time to wolf down some food, or a potion, to regain lost STAMINA, if you are able; or you could take a swing at the Spectre with your sword. If you wish to strike at the Undead thing, turn to 3. If you want to perform some other action, decide what that will be, then Turn to 117.

Although there is a quality of indescribable evil about the Castle, you can also sense some powerful good in the place. From the centre of the north wall there is something - is it magic, perhaps? Since you can’t get into this part of the Castle directly, you’ll have to enter the main gates to find out. Turn to 326.

You feel horribly weak as the tentacles of the Vampire Mist unerringly pierce the bloodied patch of skin on your neck. Lose 2 STAMINA points from the pain, and you will lose 2 more STAMINA points in every Attack Round because of bleeding, irrespective of whether you or the Mist has the higher Attack Strength, until you destroy the Mist! Turn to 42 and finish the fight.

You push open the north door in the entrance hall and see a brightly lit corridor stretching out before you. The floor is tiled, and there are small water colour paintings hung on the walls. Before you, there is a door on the east wall, and further along one on the west wall; between the two, there is a side-passage to the east. There is also a door facing you at the (north) end of the corridor. Will you:

Open the north door? Turn to 332

Open the east door? Turn to 172

Open the west door? Turn to 221

Go down the eastern side-passage? Turn to 353

The ghostly girl communicates with you by telepathy. I am Jandor, one of Katarina’s victims, she tells you. I was caught off guard and my magic could not help me before I was bled to death. You shiver, contemplating such a terrible end. There’s no time for that. My tomb - she gestures - my magical ring of spell-storing is in it. It will help you in your quest. All those buried here have been consumed by the Heydrichs over the years. Bring us our revenge. You nod grimly to her; you seek nothing more!

The youthful wizard’s ghost watches as you open her tomb and take the plain gold ring from her skeletal hand. The ring originally had six spells stored in it, but now only three remain. Each spell is usable only once. Roll one die three times to get three different numbers between 1 and 6, then consult the list below to see which spells the ring has within it for you. (Re-roll any duplicated numbers.) For each spell, turn to the paragraph which de scribes that spell; you will then be referred back to this paragraph.

Die roll of 1, spell is FORCEWALL Turn to 232

Die roll of 2, spell is GREATSTRIKE Turn to 160

Die roll of 3, spell is JANDOR’S BOLT Turn to 273

Die roll of 4, spell is LUCKSPELL Turn to 323

Die roll of 5, spell is SHATTER Turn to 222

Die roll of 6, spell is TRUEHEAL Turn to 120

When you have determined the three spells in the ring, record them in the Spells box on your Adventure Sheet. You leave with the ghost’s blessing; turn to 59.

Fight the two wolves one at a time in the doorway.

If you win, you search around but find nothing valuable. Now will you:

Head for the Crypt? Turn to 90

Open the southern doors in the courtyard? Turn to 18

Open the brass doors to the north? Turn to 2.

‘You already possess what is needed to destroy Reiner in his coffin,’ Siegfried whispers softly. ‘He rests to the south of here; you know where to find him. But we have more work here. Pick up that globe and concentrate upon it. If you are of sufficient faith, it will serve you well.’ Roll one die and add 4. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 12. If the total is greater than your FAITH, turn to 56.

You gain a free attack on the first, cowering Zombie - and, by a stroke of good fortune, you kill it instantly! Gain 1 LUCK point. Turn to 81, and fight the second and third Zombies only.

Katarina holds a needle-sharp dagger in her left hand - and she is exceptionally skilled in its use! If you have had the chance to strike at her already, you may subtract 2 from her STAMINA score given below.

You can fight her in one of many different ways. Will you make a first attack:

Using your sword? Turn to 164

Using a spell? Turn to 29

By throwing Holy Water at her? Turn to 23

Using a Silver Mirror, hoping to make her recoil? Turn to 145

After making your choice, you will be referred back to this paragraph. If eventually your STAMINA is reduced to 5 or less, turn at once to 237. If you win, turn to 400.

You get a free hit at the Ghoul as it cowers away from you, but after you hit, it fights back! Turn to 70 to fight, and you may subtract 2 from the STAMINA total given there for this monster.

You descend the stairs eastwards until you are standing before a black door with a silver plaque which reads, simply: ‘Adolf’. Opening the portal, you step into a small chamber; in it is a stone sarcophagus on top of which is a sculpted stone warrior holding a longsword. Around the walls of this chamber are a number of weapons- swords and bows - and a pair of shields with faded heraldic designs; but these are rusted and of no use in a combat. Now, will you:

Try to open the sarcophagus? Turn to 213

Leave, climb the stairs and go south? Turn to 161

Leave, climb the stairs and go north (if you haven’t already done so)? Turn to 257

The spell snaps the spine of the monster, destroying it instantly. The last of the malevolent green glow fades from the eye-sockets and the great black scythe falls to the floor with a crash. Turn to 224.

Roll two dice. If the total is less than or equal to your SKILL, turn to 156. If it is greater than your SKILL, turn to 214.

The Count’s escape-route is blocked by the Force wall hemming him in! He returns to human form, snarling with fury, and races to return to the attack. Finish your fight with him: turn to 212.

This spell works as normally, but to gain the extra damage you must have the higher Attack Strength in this Attack Round - otherwise the spell fails. Turn to 164.

Snivel the Gnome pulls out a dagger, and you can see that the blade is discoloured - poison! If Snivel manages to hit you, you must lose 4 points of STAMINA rather than the usual 2, due to the effects of the venom. What’s more, the Gnome is athletic, and he dodges and weaves, so he is not easy to hit!

If you win, will you:

Search the Gnome’s house? Turn to 358

Take the boat and cross the river? Turn to 138

Wade across the shallow river? Turn to 187

You enter a large chamber, lit by a magical globe of light hanging in the air. The room is crammed full of objets d’art. Paintings, crystal ornaments, vases, antiques and other valuables stand on plinths and shelves or are affixed to the walls here. A fortune but you cannot carry it! You begin to look around for anything small which you could carry and take as treasure. As you are doing this, one of the wooden sculptures shakes itself and advances to attack you; it is between you and the door, so you must fight!

If you win, turn to 168.

You fling open the door, then slam it shut behind you to keep the squeaking horde at bay. You find yourself in a dusty chamber with a wooden spiral staircase leading upwards; it is dark and cobwebbed, so you need your lantern to see by. As you head towards the filth-encrusted wooden steps, two man-like figures loom out of the shadows. The stench of death is strong about them, and their half-rotting hands clutch rusted swords! Roll one die and add 2. If the total rolled is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 217. If the total is greater than your FAITH, turn to 265.

Lothar asks you to turn round while he gets some thing from a wall-alcove with a secret door. He comes back with a bunch of keys and a wooden stake with a silver-tipped point. ‘These will get you into the Count’s rooms,’ he says, handing over the Castellan’s Keys (add these to your Possessions). ‘The Count sleeps in the Crypt, but the Crypt Key is in his rooms to the south. You’ll need to go south and open the door at the end of the corridor out side.’ The Silvered Stake, he explains, can destroy the Count as he sleeps in his coffin (add this also to your Possessions).

Lothar puzzles for a moment then says to you, ‘I’ve overheard the Count mutter to himself about some thing he’s hidden not far away with a magical lock on it. “Forward and back,” he said, “forward and back.” He repeated that several times, and then laughed to himself. I don’t know what he could have meant, but he surely meant something by it he may be evil, but he isn’t mad!’ This story makes no sense to you now, but who knows what you may find later?

You thank Lothar for his invaluable help, wish him well, and follow his directions to the door at the south end of the corridor outside: turn to 319.

Do you have a Magic Sword? If you have, turn to 298. If you haven’t, turn to 208.

You enter a large room filled with all sorts of strange equipment: tables and charts showing the planets in the heavens, varieties of herbs, rock formations, and lots else besides. All this is strewn over benches and desks, pinned to the walls, and even scattered over the floor! Sitting at one desk is a white-haired, tall, thin man with pince-nez glasses perched precariously on his beaked nose; he is poring over some intricate diagrams and muttering to himself. He looks up at you. ‘Er, pleased to meet you, I sup pose. I am Karl-Heinz Matthaus, Alchemist-in Residence. Something I can do for you?’ He appears unarmed and looks like a kindly old man. He looks back at his work, clearly not interested in you. Will you:

Attack him? Turn to 251

Engage him in conversation? Turn to 205

Leave through the door in the west wall of this room? Turn to 373

Katarina begins to plot and scheme. ‘There is some thing which could kill Reiner: a silver-tipped Stake which has been blessed by a holy man. Alas, there is only one such in the Castle, and it is kept by my deadliest enemy, Lothar the Castellan. He has been plotting against my life for months now. I beg you to kill him for me, and then you can obtain the Stake and kill Reiner. Lothar will never give you the Stake freely!’ Will you agree to go and kill Lothar (turn to 198) or refuse to kill the man (turn to 248)?

TRUEHEAL is a powerful spell which will regain lost STAMINA points for you, up to one half of your Initial STAMINA (rounding odd numbers up). So, for example, if your Initial STAMINA was 17, the spell will heal 9 lost STAMINA points. You can cast it at any time, except during a combat. Return to 102.

You must fight the two wolves together here. On each Attack Round, roll two dice to determine the Attack Strength of yourself and of each wolf. The combatant with the highest Attack Strength of the three will get in a damaging sword-blow or bite during that Attack Round. If you manage to strike one of the wolves, roll one die to see which wolf you hit. On a roll of 1-3, you strike and wound the first wolf; on a die-roll of 4-6, you strike and wound the second wolf. The wolves run around and dart in and out at you, so it’s a matter of luck which one you strike!

If you win, but not before the second wolf has bitten you at least once, turn to 266. If you win without being bitten by the second wolf, turn to 314.

Your FAITH is useless against this Stench Ghoul, a creature fired by a malice that has grown insatiable over years of imprisonment, so you must fight! Because of the nauseous stench, you must subtract 2 from your SKILL for the duration of this combat only.

It the Stench Ghoul hits you three times, turn at once to 127. If you win, turn to 180.

There is a group of obscure runes on the plaque; you manage to decode them into letters but they don’t make sense. You guess that they have to spell out some phrase, hidden within these letters, to release a magical lock on the chest and so release the treasure within. Whatever is in there must be of great value to be protected like this! The letters read:

Gfgfho sid bqnnvq pe Thffgqjde
sid dgbho lbhm ng sid wzmhbrnu nod
ugsdf gvmeqfc bme ejeux tdqzszud mhojt
ng ejmfru zslptsdsr dqbeu

Simple, isn’t it? When you have decoded the transcription, you will know the number referred to there; turn to the paragraph with the same number to claim the treasure inside the chest, which you can do by whispering the name of the person referred to. If you decide to give up and leave this fine treasure behind, heading for the Crypt, turn to 191.

The Wraith strikes at you with its chilling talons. Do you have a Magic Sword? If you do, turn to 200. If you don’t, turn to 231.

This spell is useless. Although skeletal, this is a specially enchanted monster, not-an undead creature. You will have to fight it. Turn to 22.

You cough and the man, having woken, looks up nervously at you. He offers you bread and some hot soup from a pan by the fire (this will restore 4 lost STAMINA points), and tells you who he is and what he is doing here.

The forester, Barandrun, says that he was once a warrior, but that he tired of battle and bloodshed. Now he prefers to live alone, at peace with the creatures of the forest. Now, however, they have mostly disappeared, and this saddens and worries him. He is sure that it is the evil from Castle Heyd rich that is frightening them away. You feel confident that you can tell him about your quest. He commends you on your bravery and says that he may be able to help you a little. He knows that there is at least one good man in the Castle who might be helpful. Lothar, the Castellan of the Castle, used to be friendly with Barandrun. ‘But I have not seen him in some months; I do not even know if he still lives. Perhaps he too has fallen under the Count’s sway, or been done away with. But if you meet him, - he may be able to help you.’

Barandrun also gives you a gift: a string of cloves of garlic which he gets from a small herb-garden at the back of his cottage. At his urging you place this round your neck; add Garlic to your Possessions. Barandrun offers you a safe place to stay. If you didn’t sleep at the Gnome’s hut, you must sleep here (recover 4 lost STAMINA points). Whether or not you sleep here, you resume your journey in the afternoon: Turn to 228.

The third and final hit by the Ghoul paralyses you, and the repulsive thing settles down to eat your immobile body. You are still conscious as you are eaten alive, a horrible end to your adventure!

You unlock the rusty door and encounter darkness beyond; you need a light-source here. Stepping in, you make out a number of suits of armour and military trophies round the wall- a stag’s head with spreading antlers, the bristly head of a huge wild boar, and others. The room is dank and dusty and cobwebs hang everywhere. Suddenly there is a rusty clank and one suit of plate mail, armed with a bardiche, trundles towards you! You can stand and fight it (turn to 153) or try to slam the door and lock it behind you, evading this magical creation (turn to 215).

You are able to strike at the cowering Wraith before it can attack you. Turn to 200 and deduct 2 points of STAMINA from the total given there for the Wraith to allow for the damage inflicted by your first strike.

You step back quickly to avoid a small cloud of green gas that has been released from a crushed vial; this soon disperses, so you advance cautiously to investigate what the Count has hidden here. You find a bundle of letters from various of the Count’s Mauristatian servants; the authorities there will be interested in these! You also find, wrapped in a white silk cloth, an ornate crystal vial containing a colourless, odourless liquid. From markings on the vial you suspect this might be Holy Water which the Count has hidden in order to keep it away from anyone trying to use it against him. You take this, so add Holy Water to your Possessions. Lastly, you pick up an exquisite gold brooch set with rhodochrosites and a topaz; this is worth 7 Gold Pieces, so add it to your Treasure. Now you open the safe: Turn to 271.

You enter a lounge where nondescript carpets and plain wooden furniture litter the scene. You notice wall-hangings displaying a bewildering variety of herbs and other plants, and an open door to the west. From that doorway a man enters; he looks absent-mindedly at you. He is middle-aged and has a mane of greying black hair tapering to a widow’s peak above his face, which is dominated by his pale green eyes. He is dressed simply in white and grey robes, and he carries a tray with a decanter and goblets, which he puts down as he greets you. ‘I am Gunthar Heydrich. What is your business here?’ he asks you. He seems kindly enough. Will you talk to him (turn to 15), or attack him, being distrustful of any member of the Heydrich family (turn to 92)?

Slumped over the remains of the Count, you are awakened from your exhausted reverie by the voice of Nastassia calling to you. You unchain her (if you haven’t done so already). Her deep blue eyes look into yours, and then she throws her arms round you, calling down blessings on you for saving her from a terrible fate. By a stroke of good fortune she is a healer, and she attends to your wounds expertly; recover 4 lost STAMINA points. You tell her how glad you are that you have freed her from the evil Vampire Count; but Nastassia’s eyes grow wide and she cries out, ‘Oh no, it wasn’t he who was going to kill me. It was his sister!’ You have a sinking sensation in the pit of your stomach ... and then she is here, standing in the room before you, gazing straight into your eyes! If you have met Katarina Heydrich before, turn to 176. If you haven’t met her before, turn to 66.

The bats surround you, and you can’t see anything as you try to fight them off. Their wicked little teeth are bloodied by feeding on something- or perhaps someone. There are too many to fight; you have to retreat hack down the stairs. You can try to climb up to the bell tower again, hoping the bats will have flown off (return to 33) or go back to the main courtyard (turn to 380).

Karl-Heinz agrees to brew the potion for a reduced fee, but he will take all the Treasure you’ve got! Turn to 79.

You search this room and pick up some small trinkets worth 4 Gold Pieces; add these to your Treasure. There is only one other door in this room, in the west wall, so you decide to open it. Test your Luck: if you are Lucky, turn to 315; if you are Unlucky, turn to 253.

A great shadow suddenly darkens the passage. A massive snarling rat, as big as a large dog, is galloping down the passageway towards you. Its red eyes glow with malice and, although one of its chisel-like yellow incisor teeth is partly chipped off, it still looks as if a bite could be most unpleasant! It is so quick that you have no time to run; you must fight.

If you win, turn to 97.

Drinking red wine in a Vampire’s castle? This is not red wine, this is blood, and it seems to be still warm! You spit it out in horror. Lose 1 FAITH point. Taking no more risks, you head for the west door. Turn to 45.

You clamber aboard the small boat, but it has no oars - and no sail or rudder either - and it simply won’t budge. You climb out again to look for some thing to use as an oar- but when you do, the little vessel drifts out into the river and remains, stationary, in mid-stream. You wade in again and try to get to it, but every time you approach, it moves away from you of its own accord! It is obviously a magical craft- and you can’t control it. You’ll have to wade across after all. Turn to 187.

Roll two dice and add 3 to the total. If the result is less than or equal to your SKILL, you just manage to shut the door and get out: Turn to 320. If the result is greater than your SKILL, you can’t escape in time and you must fight, so Turn to 52.

The Vampire recoils in disgust from the garlic round your neck and lashes out at you in frustration! Deduct 2 points from your STAMINA, but the charm is broken. Count Reiner Heydrich is looming very close to you, so you have to fight him with your sword. You can use the Greatstrike spell if you wish to and if you possess this spell (turn to 346), or just set about you with your weapon immediately (turn to 26).

The gates are made of solid, inch-thick iron bars; you cannot open them. Roll one die and add 2: if the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 192; if it is greater than your FAITH, turn to 243.

As you rummage around, one of the arms on the shelves suddenly grabs your arm and holds it quite firmly. It is not hurting you, but it won’t let go. You can try to hack at the limb with your sword, since it isn’t grasping your sword-arm (turn to 96), or just stay put and see what happens (turn to 38).

You strike at Katarina with your sword, but it doesn’t harm her! Laughing, she draws an ice-blue dagger to strike at you. Unable to hit her, you run for the door, but at her command a large rug wraps itself round your legs and brings you down heavily. As it enmeshes and begins to choke you, Katarina brings over a heavy copper bowl, places it under your throat, and fingers her dagger, laughing! Your adventure is over!

The eyes of the portrait turn red and blood begins to seep from the canvas! This is certainly unnerving, but you overcome your fear. Now will you:

Search this room? Turn to 193

Leave, and open the door at the east end of the corridor? Turn to 351

Leave, and follow the corridor round to the south? Turn to 166

Katarina laughs, brushing aside the useless object, and slashes at you with her dagger. Lose 2 STAMINA points. Turn to 164.

The Sage whips out a Silver Key from a waistcoat pocket after taking your fee. You notice that the key has the number 378 engraved on it. ‘That’ll get you in,’ he says. ‘Back down the corridor to the west, turn right, and open the north door with this.’ Return to 75.

As you advance, you sense there is something wrong with your footing - and you just manage to step back in time from a covered pit trap! Skirting round it, you continue safely along the corridor. Turn to 157.

People are eager to tell you how to get to the Castle! They warn you that the road the carriage travels on is very unsafe; only that ghostly vehicle can traverse it safely. They point out that there is a trail heading north-east through the forest and that this leads to the Castle. If you are lucky you may avoid the forest’s wild animals; there is a forester’s cottage along the way where you could rest and sleep. You’ll have to cross the river, though; the one armed man in the tavern gives you 2 Gold Pieces for the fee the ferryman will ask of you.

You set off along the trail and soon you find yourself enveloped in the forest. The branches of the trees seem to be twisted and contorted into grotesque shapes, and in the distance owls hoot and wolves howl. The forest floor is bare of plant cover, and your boots crunch on the gravelly earth. It grows lighter, perhaps dawn is approaching- and then an arrow whistles past your ear and embeds itself in a tree trunk! In the gloom to your left you see a large bear lumbering towards you, and to one side a slim figure is nocking another arrow to a longbow, ready to fire at you! Will you:

Attack the archer? Turn to 246

Attack the bear? Turn to 295

Try to parley with the figure, whoever it is? Turn to 344

Make a run for it and try to getaway? Turn to 197

What will you try to use? Will you strike the organ with:

Your sword? Turn to 175

The heavy bunch of candlesticks? Turn to 203

Some other object? Turn to 261

You are now fighting a direly evil undead creature, and the Baobhan Sith casts a spell at you! Determine whether you or the Baobhan Sith has the higher Attack Strength for this Attack Round (the Baobhan Sith has a SKILL of 9). If you have the higher Attack Strength, you strike her and spoil her spell; turn to 263 to finish the fight, subtracting 2 from the STAMINA total given there for the Baobhan Sith because of this hit. But if the Baobhan Sith has the higher Attack Strength, then she will cast her spell and evade your blow, so Turn to 207.

You are in luck. Wilhelm Heydrich, the poor idiot cousin of the Count, is fairly lucid today. He is happy to have a guest and soon you are drinking Analandian sherry as Wilhelm talks about his cousin. ‘He won’t have a mirror in the place, will he? He’s terrified of a silver mirror! I’ve no idea why. There’s one in the relaxation room just beyond the dining-room, and you’ll never find Reiner lurking in there, oh no!’ He gulps greedily at the fortified wine. ‘And, then, old Siegfried’s stuff frightens the living daylights out of him - well, it’s not quite the living daylights, is it? The sword, you know, he’s especially frightened of that. Hid it himself after he did away with Siegfried, in a book, believe it or not. Don’t know about the armour. But he took the shield up into the tower, down there-‘ he points to the corridor. Wilhelm is drinking heavily now and beginning to ramble, so you say goodbye to him and leave. Back in the corridor, you decide to check the tower and the shield Wilhelm mentioned, so you go to the south end of it and open the door on the east side there. Turn to 252.

Roll two dice. If the total is less than or equal to your SKILL, turn to 250. If it is greater than your SKILL, you are too slow and must fight: turn to 103.

The Animated Armour advances upon you and, while the cleaver-like bardiche blade is rusted, it still looks sharp enough to cause an unpleasant wound!

If you win, there is nothing of value or interest here - all is rusted and useless. You can try the door on the east side across the balcony (turn to 302) or the one at the far southern end of the balcony (turn to 244).

There are two doors in this bare chamber, so you decide to open one of them. Will it be the door in the south corner of the west wall (turn to 294) or the silver-handled door in the middle of the south wall (turn to 131)?

There is little point in casting this spell, since Katarina is very near you and in any event she isn’t going to run away! She lashes out at you; lose 2 STAMINA points. Now you must fight with your sword, so Turn to 164.

You make a lucky find in the middle of all the junk a crystal vial with silver filigree banding worth 4 Gold Pieces (add this to your Treasure). You return to the entrance hall, and here you can open the north door (turn to 101) or take the east passage (turn to 256).

Some ten feet along the corridor you stand before two doors, one on either side of you. The door to the north has a dusty plaque which you read after clearing away the cobwebs; it says simply: ‘Boris the Drunkard’. This does not sound too promising. The southern door has a plaque which reads: ‘Chancellor Conrad Schmidt, the meanest man in Mortvania’. Ahead of you, you can see a T-junction with north and south turnings, and also a door at the end. Will you:

Enter the tomb of Boris the Drunkard? Turn to 210

Enter the tomb of Chancellor Schmidt? Turn to 359

Move on to the T-junction, ignoring these doors? Turn to 230

The only spells of use here are Greatstrike (to cast this, turn to 346) or Jandor’s Bolt (to cast this, turn to 76). If you have neither spell available, turn back to 274 to select another method of attack.

You climb the stone steps, cobwebbed and filthy, past growths of mould and fungus on the walls, and ascend to the top of the tower. Moonlight streams into the circular chamber through tinted glass, and it seems almost as if the shadows in this place are skulking and watching. Opposite you, bathed in moonlight, is a young girl sprawled across a chair, bound by her wrists and ankles with a mesh of fine cobwebs but they could be a lot stronger than they look, perhaps even magical. She is very pretty in deed, with long curly auburn hair and a fine, smooth complexion. Roll one die and add 4. If the result is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 225. If the result is greater than your FAITH, turn to 269.

GREATSTRIKE is a spell that is usable in combat when you wield a sword. You cast the spell before you strike and, if you have the higher Attack Strength and land a blow on your enemy in that Attack Round, your blow does 4 extra points of damage. If you do not land a blow in the Attack Round when you use the spell, though, the spell is useless. And you must decide if you want to use this spell before you throw the dice to find out who has the higher Attack Strength! Return to 102.

You open the door with your keys and enter a bare stone antechamber, decorated with wall-carvings of rats, bats and wolves. Opposite you is a door and, from a narrow slit along its base, baleful red light spills out from a chamber beyond. Roll one die. If you roll 1 or 2, turn to 279. If you roll 3 or 4, turn to 325. If you roll 5 or 6, turn to 356.

You pay the Gnome - deduct 2 Gold Pieces from your Treasure and he takes you across. He doesn’t need to row, he just whispers to his magical boat and it drifts straight across! You get out on the opposite bank. Turn to 383.

The rats nip you with their sharp, yellowed teeth lose 2 STAMINA points; but you get out safely and shut them in behind you. Now you can head for the Crypt, if you haven’t been there already (turn to 90), or head for the brass doors to the north (turn to 2).

Conduct the combat normally by running back to 106. Your opponent is not actually a Vampire, so if you have the magical sword, Nightstar, you can claim a bonus of only 1 to your SKILL in this combat.

The tentacles of the mist creature wrap round your throat and you can feel the sensation of small but sharp needles digging into your flesh! If you have the Curse of the Healer, turn to 100. Otherwise, turn to 6.

Looking down the corridor, you see that there are doors opposite each other on the west and east sides halfway down, and then another door on the east side right at the end. Will you:

Open the first east door? Turn to 118

Open the east door at the end of the corridor? Turn to 252

Open the west door? Turn to 240

The Vampire has charmed you; you cannot attack him! He steps down, triumphantly, and his fangs are bared as he reaches for your throat. Are you wearing garlic? If you are, turn to 140. If you aren’t, turn to 72.

Having overcome the guardian here, you snatch up a couple of silvered crystal birds which are small enough to carry. These are worth 3 Gold Pieces for the pair (add them to your Treasure). Now Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 385. If you are Unlucky, turn to 270.

You find the jar and rush back with it to Karl-Heinz the Alchemist. ‘Wonderful,’ he says, grabbing it with glee. ‘The final ingredient for my potion of longevity! I’ll soon be young again. And I have your potion ready too.’ You gulp down the evil-smelling, thick green sludge he gives you. It is utterly disgusting and gives you severe stomach cramps; lose 4 STAMINA points. But after resting for a while, you find that it has worked - no more (Major) Lycanthropy Affliction! You thank the Alchemist for his help and return to the corridor, north of the entrance hall. From here, will you:

Open the north door? Turn to 332

Open the west door? Turn to 221

Go down the eastern side-passage? Turn to 353

Attempting to escape is hopeless; the wolves are much faster than you and can track your scent. As you run, you stumble and fall (lose 1 STAMINA point) and the first wolf bites you as you are getting up (lose 2 more STAMINA points). You must fight, so turn to 121.

You run for the south door, fumbling with the keys. Lose 3 STAMINA points caused by rat-bites; if you are still alive, your trembling hands manage to slip the key into the lock; turn to 244.

You push open the door and come upon a scene of domestic homeliness - a cook and two servants at worktables preparing food. However, there is an unpleasant smell mixed in with that of the food: a vile, rotting smell which catches at the back of your throat. The workers look up at you with mindless eyes - and you see at once that they are Zombies! Roll one die and add 2. If the result is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 238. If the result is greater than your FAITH, turn to 275.

You wound the Spectre before it can fully materialize. Turn to 298 to finish the fight, and you may subtract 2 from the STAMINA total given there for the Spectre as a result of this initial blow.

You clamber into the coach, and the horses set off at a gallop - making no sound as they move! You settle back into a comfortable seat draped in black. Looking through the heavy purple-curtained windows, you see nothing outside but thick swirling fog, but the wolf-howls you hear send shivers down your spine. Roll one die and add 2 to the number rolled. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 223. If the total is greater than your FAITH, you continue your journey until the coach stops, close by the Castle, and allows you to dismount before vanishing into the fog; turn to 362.

Your sword is quite useless against something of this size; you don’t know where to strike to cause any effective damage. Lose 2 STAMINA points from rat-bites before you give up and flee north; turn to 335.

If Katarina has tried to charm you before and failed, turn to 20. If she has tried to charm you before and succeeded, turn to 276. If she has not tried to charm you previously, turn to 293.

You find enough hot soup for a meal. This must be eaten here; you cannot carry it with you (restore 4 points of STAMINA). You find a drawer in a table and take out a bag containing 5 Gold Pieces - but you also prick your finger on a discoloured needle inside the drawer. You must record Slow-acting Poison in the Afflictions Box on your Adventure Sheet; this will affect you until you can find a cure for it. It works as follows: every time you have to fight, at the beginning of the combat you must subtract 1 point from your current STAMINA, and also 1 point from your Initial STAMINA! Thus you will gradually become severely weakened. Only if you can find a treatment to cure you of this Affliction will you be able to restore your Initial STAMINA to the level you started with.

If you didn’t sleep at the Gnome’s house, you must sleep here now, since you are very tired. When you are ready to continue, you travel on through the afternoon; turn to 228.

The Vampire reappears in the room in human form! Add 8 points to the STAMINA score he had when he escaped. Fight him again, and if you manage to reduce his STAMINA score to 4 or below once more, turn at once to 212.

The silver bell radiates a sense of goodness to you. You look it over carefully, and inside the bell you find a name etched: SIEGFRIED HEYDRICH. Although it could raise an alarm, on impulse you ring the bell; turn to 280.

Wiping the last of the slime from the Stench Ghoul off your sword, you take a quick look around and find a leather bag in the sarcophagus. This contains 5 Gold Pieces, which you add to your Treasure. Now you can try to open the tomb of Boris the Drunkard, if you haven’t already investigated it (turn to 210), or head down the corridor to the T-junction (turn to 230).

Roll one die. If you roll 1 or 2, turn to 136. If you roll any other number, turn to 47.

You open the door ... and trigger a magical trap. There is a searing flash of light and heat; lose 4 STAMINA points. You are partially blinded and can barely see into the darkened room beyond. However, you can just make out the shape of a four-armed skeletal figure with glowing green eye sockets, armed with a scythe, bearing down upon you. You can either fight it, weakened as you are (turn to 52) or try to shut the door and flee (turn to 139).

Karl-Heinz refuses your offer. ‘You don’t get basilisk livers and squid ink for nothing, you know. I’ve got costs to cover,’ he laments. He looks thoughtful, then continues: ‘I’ll tell you what. In the kitchens there are some herbs I want, but they’re protected by the Count’s guards. Go and get them for me and I’ll make up the potion for you in return. There are lots of jars there, but there’s only one I Reed. They’re all numbered, and I want jar number 169. Go and get it for me.’ He tells you how to get to the kitchens; leave by the west door in his room, go back to the entrance hall, through the north door, and take the first door to the east in the corridor beyond. Make a note of the jar number he needs in the Notes box on your Adventure Sheet.

You take your leave and go back to the north-south corridor outside the Alchemist’s room. You could open a door opposite you in the west wall if you haven’t already done so (turn to 240), go to the south end of the corridor and open the door in the east wall there (turn to 252) or return to the entrance hall and open the north door there (turn to 101).

Having destroyed the loathsome remains of Doktor Faustus, do you want to:

Finish searching this room? Turn to 142

Leave here and open the eastern door? Turn to 371

Leave and open the southern door? Turn to 8

The Sage ponders. ‘Ah yes, a young woman was dragged in recently, and the Count had her taken down to the Crypt. He keeps people prisoner down there, and then either drinks their blood or hands them over to Katarina. Funny creature, Katarina, can be very charming at times!’ He looks almost fond at the thought of Katarina. Return to 75.

The bat’s vicious bite strikes home on your already injured neck, and the hateful flapping menace rips your jugular open. You collapse in agony as your life’s blood pours away on to the floor. Your quest ends here.

You step carefully on the stony bed of the shallow river, wary of pitfalls. You have nearly crossed to the other side when suddenly you see a slithering shape come snaking across the water towards you, and a yellowish green serpentine back is visible just under the surface of the water. You can stay where you are and fight the River Snake (turn to 236) or try to outrun the reptile and get to the bank (turn to 285).

Gunthar stares intently at the book with the magical page. ‘But this is Siegfried’s sword!’ he says in amazement, looking at the page. ‘Some great sorcery has imprisoned it within this book!’ Then he becomes unhappy and tells you that the only way he can think of to free it would be to enlist the aid of Katarina’s magic. ‘She will ask some service of you in return- I shudder to think what it might be,’ he says, adding that Reiner’s sister is eve1y bit as evil as the Count himself. Gunthar sits down with his head in his hands, despairingly. He may be too depressed to do anything, but you are a warrior and you are here with a purpose! You return to the landing and open the west door there. Turn to 294.

Do you have a Crucifix and/or the Shield of Faith? If you have at least one of these items, turn to 220. If you have neither, turn to 259.

You are too slow! The Zombies are upon you before you can close the door and get away. Turn to 81.

You reach the landing, hurry down the stairs and make your way back to the courtyard. You take out the Crypt Key and head towards the forbidding Crypt with its heavy, iron-railing gates and leering gargoyle heads. A huge shadow looms over you and you spin around in panic - but it is just a low-flying bat, silhouetted against the moon. The moonlight is a sickly, diseased yellow tonight, and there are other flittering things in the pale light and the shadows round you. Do you have the Major Lycanthropy Affliction? If you do, turn to 204. If you don’t, turn to 43.

Your efforts to penetrate the Crypt don’t go un noticed. Drifting up the steps comes a tiny, dwarf like, spectral figure, black and almost featureless. You can sense the chilling evil in the atmosphere which cloaks it; its tiny black claws reach out for you! Will you:

Fight the Shadow? Turn to 292

Run to the south doors (if you have not done so already)? Turn to 18

Run to the northerly brass doors? Turn to 2

Roll two dice. If the total is less than or equal to your SKILL, turn to 249. If it is greater than your SKILL, Turn to 300.

The Forcewall keeps the Major Thassaloss at bay, but not for long. Ahead of you, you can see that the corridor leads to steps which descend to the north, east and south, and you make for one set of steps, compelling the Thassaloss to keep its distance from you with your magical aid. Turn to 224 to decide which set of steps to take; but you must make a note that, if you have to return back up a set of steps, the Thassaloss will still be lurking here and you will have to fight it, turning to 22 to do so, unless you destroy Count Reiner Heydrich the Vampire before you return!

The scream of the Baobhan Sith is horrifying and blood-curdling. You are dreadfully weakened by it, half paralysed, you cannot resist as she walks over to you and draws a razor-sharp dagger from her dress to slay you!

Lothar tells you to keep away from Katarina; she is dangerous, and taking on both her and her brother would be extremely difficult. He says that if you could destroy Reiner, then he and Gunthar, the healer who is Reiners brother, could probably deal with Katarina. He says he also has some items of value to you; turn to 116.

You run away into the forest. In your haste you drop some supplies, so deduct 2 from your Provisions. Roll two dice and add 3 to the total. If the result is less than or equal to your SKILL, you manage to evade your pursuers and eventually you arrive at a hut by the riverside (turn to 13). If the result is greater than your SKILL, the bear and the archer catch up with you, and you can either attack them (turn to 295) or parley with the figure with the bear - a young woman, as you now see (turn to 344).

Katarina smiles happily. She tells you to go into the corridor, head south, and open the second door to the east. Turn to 227.

The woman laughs and produces an ice-blue dagger from the folds of her dress. Fight her normally; she has a SKILL of 10. If you manage to hit her four times, turn to 226.

The Wraith is a highly dangerous enemy, and your sword-arm must serve you well in this combat!

If you win, but the Wraith has wounded you, turn to 290. If you win without being hit at all, turn to 316.

You try to strike at the Horseman with your sword, but he just laughs as your blade passes through thin air! You cannot harm him. He whips the horses into a gallop, leaving you standing, looking foolish. Your belief in your own abilities is shaken by such an early failure; deduct 1 FAITH point. You need to find another way to the Castle, so turn to 148.

Poor young Wilhelm, cousin of the Count, is quite mad, and you can get only scraps of information, of doubtful value, out of him. He mutters about a glowing sword hidden in a book, and other seeming nonsense. You leave him to his ramblings and try the door at the south end of the corridor. Turn to 252.

You manage to lift the very heavy candlesticks with a grunt and bring the massive weight down on the organ keyboard, which collapses under the load and splits the bellows in two. The music comes to a screeching halt, Lose 1 STAMINA point from rat bites, but now the infernal din has stopped the rats start milling around in confusion and they ignore you. You can go through the north door here (turn to 361) or leave and open the door at the southern end of the balcony (turn to 244).

Your transformation is now complete. Your lupine form struggles to free itself of your leather armour; but you shake it off and run around in the yards and corridors of the Castle, howling. Soon a great bat flies overhead and swoops down; the Count has come to take control of his new pet! Yours is a fate worse than death.

The Alchemist says little, although he does tell you that he is employed by Katarina - the Count’s sister - to prepare potions and powders which enable her to keep her youthful appearance, together with another treatment which Karl-Heinz seems deliberately to avoide mentioning. ‘Katarina looks very young for a woman of 76,’ he mutters laconically. You can’t really ask about the Count and how to kill him (Karl-Heinz might tell someone what you’re up to!) and there’s little else you can get out of him. But he could be helpful to you if you have the (Major) Lycanthropy Affliction. If you do, turn to 318. If you don’t, you leave through the west door in this room, so turn to 373.

You feel a horrid stinging sensation as the bat bites you a second time. Add the Curse of the Bat to your Afflictions box on your Adventure Sheet. As yet you can feel no ill-effects from the bites, but who knows what may happen to you later? Turn back to 45 to finish the combat.

The evil magic-working woman points a single fore finger at you, and green shards of light shoot from her hand and surround your body They sink into you and you feel chilled, faint and weak. Deduct 3 points from your STAMINA, and you must also subtract 2 points from your SKILL - but the SKILL loss (alone!) is temporary; it will last until you have fought three battles (including this one), so you should record this in the Notes box on your Adventure Sheet now. Now you close to fight with her, so Turn to 263.

Your weapon is useless against the Spectre, which strikes you; you lose 2 STAMINA points. You run from the room, trying to get back to the balcony, and the swiftly moving Spectre easily keeps pace with you, striking at your back. Roll one die. If the number rolled is a 6, turn to 310. If you roll any other number, turn to 365.

‘Well, there’s poor young Wilhelm the cousin - mad as a hatter, you know. Quite harmless. Siegfried’s dead of course - Reiner’s elder brother, he was Count until he, ah, disappeared and Reiner took over. Then there’s Gunthar who lives upstairs; just go right up and knock on the silver-handled door. He’s a healer, so he says. Not a bad sort. Katarina, the Count’s sister, she’s a beautiful and peculiar woman. Very capricious, with a temper like a wild cat, but quite captivating, too. She’s got a lovely suite of rooms upstairs at the end of the corridor, past the landing where you go up.’ Return to 75.

You unlock the door with your keys. It opens into a small, bare, stone chamber, with a plain stone sarcophagus in the centre. If you want to investigate the sarcophagus, turn to 262 . If you would rather leave, you can either open the door to the Chancellor’s tomb, if you haven’t already done so (turn to 359), or head down the corridor to the T-junction (turn to 230).

The Gnome shows you to a bunk bed, where you settle down to sleep - after wedging the door and window shut to keep intruders out! You sleep well (recover 4 lost STAMINA points), but at about noon you are suddenly awakened by a growling noise and open your eyes in time to see a huge wolf materializing in the room, formed out of a gas cloud which has seeped under the door! You can grab your pack and weapon and try to get to the door and make a run for it (turn to 309) or stay and fight this creature (turn to 260).

In desperation, the Count will try to bite your throat rather than batter you with his fists. You may sub tract 2 from his s KILL when he tries this biting attack. His bite causes normal damage (2 points) on the first hit - unless you have the Curse of the Healer (if you do, his bite causes double damage - 4 points!). If the Count bites you twice, turn at once to 268. If you win, turn to 339.

You prise open the heavy stone lid just far enough to be aware of a glimmer of soft light inside. The skeleton within, clad in rusted chainmail, has a glowing longsword in his hands. Gently, you re move this and take it. It is a straightforward Magic Sword: you may not add anything to your SKILL when you use it, but at least with this weapon you can harm Reiner Heydrich the Vampire! Add the Magic Sword to your Possessions - unless you already possess a Magic Sword, in which case you leave this one behind. There is no extra value in having a second one!

You leave and climb the stairs; from here, you can descend the northerly stairs if you haven’t already done so (turn to 257) or descend the southerly stairs (turn to 161).

You find no thing of interest or value, so you re Turn to the entrance halL Here, you can open the north door (turn to :101) or follow the east passage (turn to 256).

Roll two dice. If the total is less than or equal to your SKILL, turn to 283. If the total is greater than your SKILL, turn to 153.

You throw your Holy Water at the Vampire. Roll one die and add 1, to get a number between 2 and 7; this is the number of points of damage the blessed liquid does to the maddened undead creature, whose skin now seems to be on fire! If you have another one available, you have time to throw a second vial, with the same results; or you can attack by sword (turn to 26) or spe11 (turn to 158). Keep a note of how many points of STAMINA loss you have already inflicted on the Count!

These Zombies - as you can see these pathetic things must be- hesitate and allow you time to dash up the stairs without having to fight. Turn to 311.

One of the wolves stops to gobble down the food; subtract 2 meals from your Provisions. The larger wolf, however, ignores the food and attacks you, snarling and drooling. Turn to 121, and fight the second wolf only.

You unlock the drawer, but you hear the sound of splintering glass as you do so. You must Test your Luck; if you are Lucky, turn to 130, but if you are Unlucky, turn to 387.

‘You have the cross, but you lack the weapon to destroy Reiner,’ says Siegfried grimly. Do you have the Book of Swords? If you have it, turn to that paragraph which is one half the number of the magical page in that book (so, if the magic page were numbered 240, you would turn to paragraph 120). If you don’t have it, turn to 259.

You open the door into a large and plushly decorated dining-room. A huge, centrally placed mahogany table is flanked by chairs; it groans under a weight of silver cutlery, utensils and crystalware, laid out on lace cloths. Heavy drapes are drawn across the windows to the west, and there is a large tigerskin rug stretched out by the north wall; just past this is a half-open door. Deciding to investigate the room beyond, you walk past the rug, but you hear a growl and a snarl, then the thing rises to its feet and its eyes gaze at you with hostility! Snarling fangs and claws and fur are about to fly at you, so you must fight this unusual enemy!

If you win, you can take some treasure from this room: some silver items small enough to carry, worth a total of 4 Gold Pieces (add these to your Treasure). You look round the door to peer into the next room; turn to 364.

SHATTER is a spell which will destroy any one creature that is made almost entirely of bones, such as a Skeleton. You may cast it at any time during a combat with such a creature. Return to 102.

Suddenly you feel a chill inside the carriage and there, slowly appearing before you, is a ghost! The spectral shape of a tall man with wavy black hair and green eyes, his figure almost covered by a voluminous black and purple cloak, sits smiling opposite you. ‘The Count is expecting you,’ he smirks, ‘although your stay will be a very short one, I fear.’ He sits back and continues to smile in a leering, mocking way. Then the carriage lurches abruptly, and the ghostly apparition springs forward at you! Roll one die and add 4 to the result. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 321. If the result is greater than your FAITH, turn to 272.

Three sets of stairs lead downwards from the end of the corridor: northwards, eastwards and to the south. Each set of steps is dusty, the walls are mildewed and the air is dank. A powerful sense of evil seems to pervade even the nooks and crannies here! Which set of steps will you follow? Will it be:

The northern steps? Turn to 257

The eastern steps? Turn to 108

The southern steps? Turn to 161

You sense both a strong good and a strong evil in this chamber, but you aren’t certain which impression comes from which area. Turn to 269.

Katarina laughs at you again but this time her cat-like eyes flare with anger. Roll one die and add 4. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 2.86. If the total is greater than your FAITH, turn to 331.

You open the door and stride into a spartan room with just a couple of tables and plain chairs, a bunk bed, and similar humble furnishings - a small chest of drawers, a plain wardrobe, and the like. Looking up from his writing-desk is a tall, well-built man in his early thirties with light brown hair and brown eyes. His crooked smile greets you as you enter. ‘Greetings, stranger, are you lost that you have come to this wretched place?’ he asks. If you are charmed, you must attack him, so Turn to 369; other wise, you can choose to attack him (turn to 369) or talk with him (turn to 397).

You head on through the afternoon in to the darkening evening until finally you see a castle on top of a steep hill. Roll two dice. If the total is less than or equal to your SKILL, turn to 362. If it is greater than your SKILL, turn to 277.

From the body, a ghostly double of the man rises and sits up, then moves out of the coffin to stand before you. Towering over you, the shade of Siegfried Heydrich stares grimly down and gestures for you to follow him - pointing to the coffin! You lift the lid and gently move the body aside. Your shaking hands find a secret door in the base of the coffin; the gap is large enough for you to squeeze through, following the impatient ghost. You drop a few feet down to a stone floor and, half crouching, using your light-source you follow Siegfried’s ghost along a short, narrow passage which opens into a kind of small shrine. Siegfried points first to a small, rosy quartz vial of colourless liquid. ‘Holy water,’ he explains, ‘you’ll find that useful.’ (Add Holy Water to your Possessions.) Then Siegfried looks at a very strange gilded bronze globe, lying on the white clothed table before you next to a silver chalice. Do you have a Stake? If you do, turn to 304. If you don’t, turn to 189.

At the eastern end of the corridor is a black door with heavy iron bands; at the sides, to north and south, are small side-passages which also end in a lack wooden door. Checking them swiftly, you find that the northern door has a plaque which reads: ‘Doktor Pieter Faustus, Physician to Count Wilhelm Heydrich’. The other doors have no dec oration. Will you open:

The north door? Turn to 255

The east door? Turn to 371

The south door? Turn to 8

Without a Magic Sword you cannot harm the Wraith. You are forced to flee all the way back to the entrance hall; the Wraith pursues you part of the way, but avoids going too far into the light. Roll one die; this is the number of times the Wraith strikes you in the back as you run, and you lose 2 STAMINA points for each hit! If you are still alive, you must roll a second die. If this die-roll is 1-4, the Wraith has drained you of part of your life energy: lose 1 SKILL point. If the die roll is 5 or 6, you have escaped this fate by sheer chance. You open the north door in the entrance hall; turn to 101.

FORCEWALL conjures up an invisible sphere of force around you which cannot be passed through, and which moves as you do. It can prevent enemies from escaping; or it can keep enemies away from you for a time, if you wish to use it as protection. You will be asked if you want to use this spell in paragraphs when it is appropriate. Return to 102.

You could try striking the silver bell. However, this could be dangerous, since you might rouse guards by the sound. If you want to ring the bell, turn to 280. If you would rather go back down to the courtyard, turn to 380.

Have you been charmed by Katarina? If you have, turn to 25. If you have not, turn to 84.

Gunthar thanks you profusely for returning his book and rewards you with a magical potion of healing which he has cunningly concealed in a secret drawer in a cupboard. Add this to your Possessions. You can drink this at any time, except during a combat, and it will restore 4 lost STAMINA points Thanking Gunthar for this valuable gift, you leave and open the west door on the landing; turn to 294.

Your mobility is reduced as you are up to your knees in water, so you must subtract2 from your SKILL for the duration of this combat.

If the Snake wounds you twice, turn at once to 334. If you win, turn to 383.

Seeing that you are growing weak, little Nastassia pluckily picks up a dagger from a nearby table and comes to your aid. She will fight on your side with a SKILL of 6.

You are now in a three-way fight. In each Attack Round, roll dice for all three fighters (yourself, Katarina, Nastassia) to see who has the highest Attack Strength; this will be the combatant to get in the effective, damaging blow in that Attack Round. Katarina will ignore Nastassia; she will continue to strike at you in order to finish you off first!

If you win, turn to 400.

The Zombies pick up knives and cleavers, but they are keeping well away from you. You might be able to get past them and through the entrance into the main kitchen and stores to the east if you try (if you do, turn to 282) or will you:

Attack the Zombies? Turn to 105

Leave and go to the north door in the corridor? Turn to 332

Leave and open the west door in the corridor? Turn to 221

Leave and take the eastern passage off the corridor? Turn to 353

The Jelly is a foul, diseased thing and it infects you with the early stage of a weakening, wasting disease. Lose 1 SKILL point ... and things could get worse later. Turn to 313 to finish the combat.

You open the door into a suite of rooms that are cluttered with cushions, papers, toys, pictures and all sorts of debris strewn all over the place! Marching up and down, clad in an ill-fitting blue military uniform and with a ridiculous tricorn hat is a dishevelled young man with long, flowing black hair and green eyes. He mutters nonsensically to himself and does not seem to have noticed you enter. He certainly seems rather lacking in his wits. Will you:

Attack him? Turn to 322

Enter and talk with him? Turn to 288

Leave and open the east door opposite, if you haven’t already done so? Turn to 118

Leave and open the door at the south end of the corridor? Turn to 252

You open the door, and a brilliant searing flash of light and heat injures you. Lose 4 STAMINA points, and you are also partially blinded. Advancing on you is a four-armed skeletal figure with a scythe, its green eye-sockets glowing eerily in the darkness. You have no time to run, and you must subtract 2 from your SKILL when fighting this monster be cause of your half-blinded state.

In each Attack Round, you must roll one die in addition to the usual two combat dice. If this die-roll results in 1-3, theMinor Thassaloss will strike you with a chilling green ray from its eye-sockets, causing 1 point of damage to your STAMINA. If the die-roll is 4-6, you manage to dodge the ray. The Minor Thassaloss can cause this freezing damage even when it has the lower Attack Strength in an Attack Round, maklng it a dangerous enemy!

If you win, turn to 55.

You draw your sword, but he laughs out loud at you! He places one hand on the crystal ball, mutters a word, and a dragon’s head appears on top of it! The spiny red head breathes a narrow red jet of smoking, superheated flame at you. You scream in pain and pass out immediately, and Karl Adenauer prepares to supply a Ghoul he knows with a barbecued meal ...

You abandon your attempt to get into the Crypt. You see a flare of light from under the brass doors to the north; you could either investigate these doors (turn to 2) or run to the south door arid open that, if you haven’t already done so (turn to 18).

You use the Castellan’s Keys to open the door, and enter a reception room. Lavishly decorated with comfortable armchairs, a chaise-tongue and scattered cushions, this is a very comfortable place. There are some decanters of wine, which could be refreshing, and some sweet round sponge biscuits topped with thin, dark chocolate, which look appetizing; or you could just head straight for the door in the west wall of this room. Will you:

Try the red wine? Turn to 137

Try the white wine? Turn to 53

Try the biscuits? Turn to 4

Head for the west door? Turn to 45

Your weapon is useless against the enveloping, choking mist. The tentacles wrap round you and smother the life out of you. Before you could even deal with the first of the Count’s coffins, you have met your doom!

You get close enough to make out the figure of a young woman; she is dressed in green and brown leather and is armed with a longbow and with a long sword scabbarded close by her side. But the bear is stopping you from getting at her, so you will either have to fight it (turn to 295) or try to talk your way out of trouble (turn to 344).

You tell Lothar of your quest: to kill Reiner and rescue Nastassia. Lothar seems a trustworthy man. ‘It is not only the Count you must beware; keep away from Katarina. His sister is every bit as evil as he is. If Reiner were slain, I think that Gunthar - that’s Reiner’s brother, the healer, if you haven’t met him - and I could deal with her. But you shouldn’t make a hard task impossible by tangling with her as well!’ He tells you that her rooms are beyond the west door at the north end of the corridor outside, and you make a note not to go in there! Lothar also says that he has some items which will improve greatly your chances of success. Turn to 116.

The beautiful woman turns the full force of her glittering green eyes on you. Roll one die and add 4 to the result. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 80. If the total is greater than your FAITH, turn to 68.

You find a silver bracelet behind a cushion. This is worth 3 GoId Pieces, so add it to your Treasure. You leave the room and return to the corridor outside. Here, you can either open the door at the east end of it (turn to 351) or follow it round to the south, past that door (turn to 166).

You manage to slam the door in the faces of the salivating wolves; they scrabble at it hungrily and begin to howl. You decide this may raise some alarms, so it’s time to get out of the open space of the courtyard. You can head for the northerly doors (turn to 2) or the door to the south, if you haven’t opened that door earlier (turn to 18).

You kill the poor old man easily; he doesn’t have a weapon and can’t put up a fight. It was a very evil act to slay another human being like this, for the Alchemist wasn’t an evil man Lose 2 points from your FAITH and 2 points from your LUCK. You search the room but find nothing which is recognizably usable, so you leave through a door in the west wall; turn to 373.

You open the door and a dark, musty odour of stale air greets you. You must use your lantern to see (unless you have a Magic Sword), and now you realize that you are at the foot of the south-east tower. Roll one die and add 3. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 330. If it is greater than your FAITH, turn to 316.

As you insert a key into the door, a small but very sharp serrated blade .flicks out from the door-frame and gashes your hand. Lose 1 point from your SKILL and 2 points from your STAMINA. You kick open the door; turn to 382.

The Sage explains that the Count comes and goes. Sometimes he is out and about in the countryside, sometimes he sleeps in his rooms to the south on the first floor - but most of the time he dwells down in the Crypt! Return to 75.

You enter a mausoleum containing a sarcophagus and some wall-shelves and tables, covered with a bizarre array of items. You notice surgical equipment, blades, bottled specimens and freaks of nature, jars of fluids, and a number of severed limbs and heads which appear to be in a perfectly pre served condition. This is rather disturbing, so will you:

Search this chamber? Turn to 313

Leave and open the east door? Turn to 371

Leave and open the south door? Turn to 8

Along the eastern passageway there is a door to the north, and the passageway turns south just beyond it; there is another door facing you at the junction of the east and south corridors. Will you:

Open the north door? Turn to 305

Open the door facing you? Turn to 351

Follow the corridor round to the south? Turn to 166

You take the steps down until you come to a door which bears no plaque or sign, although you can see that there are some scratch marks on the door, as if something has been removed or some creature has been trying to get in or perhaps has just defaced the door. Will you:

Open this door? Turn to 338

Retrace your steps and head east? Turn to 108

Retrace your step and go south? Turn to 161

You see that there is a plaque on the door, with the inscription ‘Doktor Karl Adenauer’. You knock politely, and a wavering but sharp voice answers, ‘Come!’ You step in, and see a grey-haired, middle aged man in robes sitting at a desk covered with papers neatly stacked up in piles. The room is chock full of books and papers, and the man peers at you over a crystal ball mounted on a dragon’s foot which stands on his desk. ‘Doktor Adenauer, young man,’ he says, rather needlessly. ‘Sage in the employ of Count Reiner Heydrich; wretched man, never gives me enough money for my research. These important books cost a fortune!’ and he indicates a wall full of bookcases with a sweep of his hand. He looks grumpy, but he isn’t hostile. At least, he doesn’t seem to be! Will you:

Attack him? Turn to 242

Talk to him? Turn to 75

Leave and return to the corridor? Turn to 181

‘You lack the means to destroy my undead brother,’ says Siegfried, a cold edge of reproach in his voice. ‘You have failed here. Flee for your life!’ You need no second invitation; Siegfried knows better than anyone what your chances of success are.

But when you reach the steps at the top of the Crypt, there is a smiling figure waiting, a creature whom you cannot destroy, and your quest ends here as he flies at you to feed his insatiable appetite for blood!

You strike out at the wolf, but your weapon does not harm it! In return, it bites you; lose 2 STAMINA points. This is no ordinary wolf - your trusty sword cannot harm it, so you run as fast as you can out through the door and towards the river. Turn to 309.

No object you have is of any use in this situation; the organ drones dismally on and you lose 2 STAMINA points from rat-bites before you make a dash for the north door. Turn to 335.

You prise the lid off the sarcophagus. Inside is an ordinary skeleton, but there is also an ornate brass bottle, and the seal round its stopper looks intact. You can inspect the contents of this bottle by opening it (if you do this, turn to 306). If you wish to leave, you can enter the Chancellor’s tomb opposite if you haven’t already done so (turn to 359) or head east down the corridor, towards the T-junction (turn to 230).

The evil magic-wielder smiles as she draws a razor sharp dagger, its blue crystalline blade set into a silver handle. She is very nimble and swift and dodges your blows; she will not be easy to over come.

If you win, you can search the place; turn to 324.

Roll one die and add 4. If the result is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 343. If the result is greater than your FAITH, turn to 381.

You must fight the two Zombies one at a time; fight the first Zombie and then, if you are still alive, the second one.

If you win, you move up on the staircase: Turn to 311.

You feel a strange venom from the bite of the larger wolf affecting you. With horror you look down at the furry body and see that it is changing, in death, into a half-human shape! This was no wolf, this was a Werewolf, and you have been bitten by it! Record Lycanthropy in the Afflictions box on your Adventure Sheet. You don’t know exactly how long it will take for this to start affecting you seriously, but you had better make haste on your quest and seek help or a remedy! Turn to 314.

You open the door and peer into a large , dark room; you take a torch from the corridor to light a lamp in here and then look around. On a block of black marble, draped with black and crimson silk sheets, is a darkwood coffin. Your heart beats rapidly as you advance upon it, but the menace is not within it - it is around you! Thickening and swirling in the air is a rosy, smoky mist, which advances upon you with semi-solid tentacles, trying to strangle you! You cannot see to escape, so you must fight this weird entity. Do you have a Magic Sword? If you do, turn to 42. If you don’t, turn to 245.

The Count’s first bite was a glancing one which left a superficial flesh-wound, but this time his sharp fangs penetrate deeply. The pain seems to sear right through you down to your spine, and you scream out as you crumple to the floor. Wrapping his cloak about him, the Count settles to feed. You were so very close to success, but your quest has failed!

Looking at the sleeping girl, will you try:

Waking her up? Turn to 301

Searching the room? Turn to 368

Leaving here and returning to the north door in the entrance hall? Turn to 101

You find nothing else of note, so you leave. Now you can try the east door down the corridor (turn to 227) or the south door at the end of the same corridor (turn to 319).

You unlock the Count’s safe. Inside you find a pile of credit notes, all bearing Reiner Heydrich’s signature; but these have no value to you, worse luck! Rummaging around among the papers, you lay your hands on a large black iron key- the key to the crypt where the evil vampire dwells! Add the Crypt Key to your Possessions. Now roll one die and add 3 to the number rolled. If the result is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 98. If the result is greater than your FAITH, turn to 46.

The fiend lunges at your throat and you hurl your self sideways away from it; but the carriage door bursts open and you are flung out. Lose 2 STAMINA points caused by the bruising fall as you roll over and over, the laughter of the ghostly figure in the distance ringing in your ears. Now you must Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 24. If you are Unlucky, turn to 370.

JANDOR’S BOLT is a powerful spell which creates a glowing bolt of white energy that will deliver 6 points of damage to the STAMINA of any one undead creature. You can use it at any time during combat. Return to 102.

The Count has tried to cast his vampiric charm upon you, but he has failed to control your mind and now you can fight freely! Will you:

Run at him and strike with your sword? Turn to 26

Throw Holy Water at him, if you have any? Turn to 216

Cast a spell, if you can? Turn to 158

Get an item out of your backpack? Turn to 17

The Zombies set off towards you, armed with knives and cleavers! But they are slow-moving and you will probably be able to get away if you want to Will you try to avoid them by retreating and slam ming the door (turn to 347) or will you stand in the doorway and fight (turn to 81)?

Katarina smiles beautifully at you and her feline eyes glitter. You realize that she is trying to control you, as she did before; since she has succeeded once, it will be harder for you to resist her this time! Roll one die and add 6 to the number rolled. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 343 If the total is greater than your FAITH, turn to 381.

Clambering along the treacherous trail, you turn your ankle over on a protruding gnarled tree root; deduct 1 STAMINA point. You get to the hilltop without further mishap, so turn to 362.

Unerringly, the Jelly strikes at your vulnerable neck, reopening the wound, and blood begins to drip from it. You must lose 1 point of STAMINA through bleeding every Attack Round until this combat is finished! Turn to 239.

As you cross the room, one of the carved stone rats comes to life and nips your heel! Lose 1 STAMINA point; as you Turn to strike, it is gone! You cross the room and open the door; turn to 341.

The clapper strikes the silver bell soundlessly and a sudden shock runs through your body. You feel light-headed and half swooning; a majestic figure stands radiant in the air before you. Clad in shining chainmail, bearing a shield of the purest white with a great red cross and holding a magnificent long sword stands the shade of Siegfried Heydrich, for mer Count of the Castle in happier times. He stands just under seven feet tall, and his flowing blond locks frame his noble, smooth-complexioned and flawless face.

The apparition speaks. ‘Cleanse this place of shame and horror, brave warrior My brother slew me by treachery, and I call on you to restore our good name and free the people from Reiner’s thrall. In this place he has hidden my armour, my shield, and my great sword, Nightstar. I know not where they are; but Ido know that a lesser magical blade, that of my faithful vassal Mikhail, is hidden below this tower; it is to be found in a secret chamber below a hidden trapdoor at the base. Go now, my friend, and destroy the dread evil of this Castle!’ Then the ghost is gone. Turn to 337.

Katarina looks at you aghast. ‘She is mine! I need her blood and that of the other girls to stay young!’ For a split second, you almost see through the illusion of her youth and gaze upon her true features, wizened and corruptly aged; then she is attacking you! You must fight, so turn to 71.

The kitchen contains some good food - bread, biscuits, cheese, sweet dried fruits and so on. You can gather plentiful supplies here (add 6 to your Provisions). Now, are you searching for herbs for an Alchemist? If you are, rum to the paragraph with the same number as the jar he asked you to bring him. If not, you leave here and return to the main corridor. Now will you:

Open the north door? Turn to 332

Open the west door? Turn to 221

Follow the eastern side-passage? Turn to 353

You slam and lock the door as the armour-guard rains blows down on it with its mailed gauntlets. Now you can try the door on the east side of the balcony nearest you (rum to 302) or the one at the extreme southern end of the balcony (turn to 244).

Without a magical weapon you cannot hope to defeat the Count; other things like spells and Holy Water may cause some damage, but they cannot overcome him. The Count wears you down with his blows until finally he sinks his fangs into your hot, pulsing throat, ripping through skin and muscle and sending blood spurting into the air. Your quest has failed.

Roll two dice and add 2 to the total. If the result is less than or equal to your SKILL, you can get away; turn to 383. If the total is higher than your SKILL, you will have to fight after all, so turn to 236.

You strike one final blow at your enemy, but she has disappeared! Before your eyes she vanishes, leaving only the ghost of a laugh behind. Obviously she has achieved some magical escape.

You make only the briefest of searches here, aware that she could return as surprisingly as she left. You take gold ornaments and jewellery worth 7 Gold Pieces (add this to your Treasure) and you also find in a desk a magical potion of healing which you take (add this to your Possessions). This potion can be drunk at any time, except during combats, and will restore 4 lost STAMINA points. Now you leave and return to the corridor, following it south; turn to 31.

As you open the crystal lid of the coffin, a tingling electric shock passes through your arm and knocks you down; lose 3 STAMINA points. Turn to 229.

Roll one die. If the number rolled is 1, turn to 151. If the number rolled is 6, turn to 322. If you roll any other number, turn to 202.

After a while, the rats retreat to their lair - wherever that may be. You re-emerge on to the balcony and head for the door at the south end of it. Turn to 244.

Roll one die. If you roll 1-4, the Wraith’s blows have drained 1 SKILL point from you; only if you roll 5 or 6 have you been lucky enough to avoid this. What’s more, your intuition tells you that there are probably worse undead creatures you haven’t met yet! Turn to 316.

You tell Lothar about Katarina and her evil nature, and he seems totally unsurprised. Looking very serious, he says he will tell you of the Heydrichs and how you may be able to overcome them; turn to 196.

Do you have a Magic Sword? If you do, turn to 388. If you don’t, turn to 340.

Katarina’s brilliant, dazzling green eyes gaze into yours; she is trying the same trick that Reiner used! Turn to 264.

Opening the west door, you see a corridor stretching out towards the west before you. It is well lit, and a thick-piled crimson carpet runs along the centre of the tiled floor. There is a door close by you on the north wall, and another a little further along; you can also see that there is a door facing you at the end of the corridor, and that the corridor also rums south at that point. Will you:

Close this door and open the south one on the landing, if you haven’t done so before? Turn to 131

Open the north door closest to you? Turn to 182

Open the second north door? Turn to 267

Open the west door facing you? Turn to 34

Follow the corridor round to the south? Turn to 31

You now find yourself fighting a large and aggressive brown bear. You have one Attack Round of fighting this animal before its owner, a young woman busily drawing her longsword, joins in the fray. You will then have to fight them together. For each Attack Round, roll two dice for all three of you; the combatant with the highest Attack Strength will be the one who lands the effective, damaging blow. The bear protects his mistress, and you must kill the animal before you can do any damage to her.

If you win, turn to 393.

Just before you get to the landing, you reach a closed door on the north side of the passage. From behind it you hear a brief noise, some kind of crunching sound. Will you open the door here and investigate (turn to 241 if you do) or ignore it and make straight for the landing (turn to 191).

Hair sprouts on your face, hands and body, and you feel canine teeth growing in your jawbone, causing you great pain. Lose 3 STAMINA points. Now you have the Major Lycanthropy Affliction; you need help fast! Turn to 154.

The ancient undead creature has an elemental malice and brooding hatred of living creatures which will not be affected by your FAITH, and it will fight to the last!

If you win, you will leave and make for the Crypt, but first you must roll one die. If you roll a 6, turn to 389. If you roll any other number, turn to 354.

What will you use? If you have one of them, will you try garlic (turn to 349) or the Count’s amulet (turn to 398) to keep the wolves away; or will you try throwing food to them (turn to 39)?

You find nothing of note, so you return to the corridor. You can either open the door at the east end of it (turn to 351) or follow it round to the south (turn to 166).

You try saying something, even shaking the girl, but she does not awaken. You could try the time honoured method of kissing her to make her wake up (turn to 327), ignore her and get on with searching the room (turn to 368), or leave the whole area, return to the entrance hall, and open the north door there (turn to 101).

You find the lock; the key slides smoothly in and the door opens readily. The room beyond is well lit: there are carpets on the floor, pew-like benches and, on the eastern side opposite you, a great pipe organ, its sides obscured by heavy purple and black wall-hangings. A set of massive silvered candle sticks - dozens of them - stands to one side of the organ. You can also see a door in the north wall of this music-room; as you enter to investigate this, a dismal droning arises from the organ, although It has no player! As you wonder what is happening, a scurrying and scratching noise begins, and you see that the balcony outside is swarming with black rats, vile things with fierce, sharp, yellow teeth which are said to carry the plague - and they’re heading towards you! Will you:

Close this door and stay inside the organ room? Turn to 391

Run for the north door in this room? Turn to 335

Try to silence the organ somehow? Turn to 37

Leave this room and make a run for the door at the south end of the balcony? Turn to 171

The Sage looks very serious and says that you don’t want to go down there. The Count keeps prisoners in the Crypt, and it is protected by traps and by a particularly horrible enchanted monster made out of bones ‘Anyway it’s locked, and the Count has the key in his rooms; the lock is magical, and only that key will get you in. It’s a great iron key, I’ve seen the Count carrying it - but, as I say, you really don’t want to go down there. Oh no!’ Return to 75.

Do you also have a Crucifix or the Shield of Faith? If you have at least one of these items, turn to 1041 If you have neither item, turn to 74.

You walk through into a lounge, with rich imported carpets of intricate design, sumptuously comfort able armchairs, and tables bearing silverware and lace. _There are three gilt-framed paintings on the east wall, and you decide to go over and look at them. One shows a tall, handsome man with black hair tapering to a peak over his forehead and deep green eyes; the plaque below reads, ‘Count Reiner Heydrich’. The second shows a strikingly attractive young woman with flowing curly black hair and the same striking green eyes; she is wearing a black flowing dress and emerald jewellery. The plaque below this picture reads, ‘Katarina Heydrich’. The third painting has no plaque and has been defaced, although you can see that it once showed an exceptionally tall, smooth-faced blond man. Do you have a Magic Sword? If you do, turn to 355. If you don’t, turn to 49.

Inside the bottle is a well-aged brandy which has magnificent restorative powers. When it is drunk, 4 points of lost STAMINA can be regained. You may drink it now or keep it for later (if you keep it, add it to your Possessions; you can drink it at any time, except during combat). Boris may have been a drunkard, but he knew a good pick-me-up when he found one, and you should be happy to drink to his memory! Now you may open the Chancellor’s tomb, if you haven’t done so already (turn to 359) or head for the T-junction along the corridor (turn to 230).

You open the door and enter a shrine of some kind; the room is unlit, and you need a light-source to see by. There are white and yellow cloths on tables, wall-hangings decorating the room, small stools and a writing-table. There is also a book lying on a chair which attracts your attention, so you pick it up. It is a history of the lives of some famous holy men and healers, and it has a signature on the flyleaf, that of Gunthar Heydrich. You can take this book with you if you wish (if you do, add the Book of Healers to your Possessions).

There is a spy-hole on the east wall, and you stand on a stool to look through it. Beyond, you can see a bare chamber with a pair of Zombies standing motionless on guard, holding fearsome halberds. Behind them is a half-open door leading into a bare chamber with stone steps going up. There doesn’t seem to be any way of getting into the Zombie Chamber from here, so you leave and head for the door at the end of the eastern side-passage outside; turn to 258.

As the Jelly hits you, a blob of the viscous mess splashes on to your body. As the slime drips over you, your body begins to change shape and sprout fine black fur. Your armour and backpack fall away as your arms turn into leathery wings. Squeaking, you fly to the door and await the arrival of your new master!

Roll one die, then add 1 to the number rolled. This is the number of times the wolf bites you before you manage to force the door open and make it as far as the water’s edge, and you lose 2 STAMINA points for each bite. If these bites reduce your STAMINA to zero or lower, you are dead and your adventure is over.

If you are still alive, you run into the river in panic. The wolf stops by the water’s edge, howling in frustration; as you look back, the wolf turns first into a cloud of yellow-tinged gas and then into a giant bat; then it flies away towards Castle Heydrich! There is no sign of the Gnome. Now you can get in the boat and cross the river (turn to 138) or continue wading across the river (turn to 187).

The Spectre rains blows upon your back which wound and slow you; you fall to the unyielding stone floor under the weight of the blows, and the undead monster drains the last of your life-force away. Your quest ends here.

The stairs end at a landing, where you come to a door of black wood embellished with runes inlaid in silver. As you try to open it, the handle turns into a claw and grasps your wrist. ‘Leave this place,’ the door intones sonorously, ‘you’re not allowed in here.’ The claw releases your hand. A talking door! You can try to get past it (turn to 342) or give up and go back to the courtyard (turn to 380).

Something nags at your mind about the size of the room you are in. You guess that it is next to Gunthar’s, and you know where Lothar’s rooms are, and there is a missing room in the area, if your hunch is right. Checking the west wall very carefully, you find your hunch is right; there is a secret door here. You open it, and use your lantern to peer into the darkened room beyond. This bare room contains only a pinewood coffin. You walk in and tip it over, breaking the wood with the hilt of your sword and scattering the black earth within it over the floor. Record in the Notes box of your Adventure Sheet that you have destroyed one of Reiner Heydrich’ s coffins, and gain 1 FAITH point! Turn to 289.

You look around for anything that may be of value, but as you search the shelves you hear a strange bubbling, gulping sound behind you. Spinning around, you see a disgusting, greenish yellow, seething monstrosity, slithering from the sarcopha gus and blocking your way to the door. Most hor rible of all, in the depths of the foul, slimy mess you can see what could just be the remains of a human face! It slides along the floor towards you, stretching out with limb-like pseudopods to reach you. You must fight this horror!

If the Necrotic Jelly wounds you, turn at once to 367.

If you overcome the horror, turn to 184.

Before moving on, you notice that the larger wolf has a glint of gold round its neck: a golden chain and a small pendant. The latter has a design etched on it; it looks like the one you remember seeing briefly on the coach. It must be the Heydrich coat of arms, or something similar. You may take the Count’s Amulet with you if you wish (if you do, add this to your Treasure); it is valuable, and is worth 3 Gold Pieces. You continue your journey to the Castle without further incident, so turn to 362.

As you unlock the door, a small, sharp blade whips out from the doorframe and narrowly misses inflicting a very unpleasant wound on your hand. Gain 1 LUCK point for this good fortune You push the door open; turn to 382.

You ascend the narrow, steeply sloping wooden stairs until you come to a landing before a wooden door which is barred and decorated with warding glyphs of amber and silver. Something is scratching on the other side of the door. There is a distinctly unpleasant charnel smell here. You can summon your courage and open the door (turn to 390) or retreat downstairs, go back and open the north door in the entrance hall (turn to 101).

If you have the Book of Healers, you decide to show this to Gunthar. If you have an Affliction, Gunthar will help you with this in re Turn for getting the book back, so turn to 375. If you don’t have an Affliction, Gunthar will still reward you for the return of this book, so turn to 235. If you don’t have this book, but you have the Book of Swords, turn to the paragraph with the same number as the magical page in that book.

The Alchemist says he will prepare a potion for you which will be of help, but he wants 8 Gold Pieces for the cost of the ingredients (coins, or other Treasure worth 8 Gold Pieces). If you have 8 Gold Pieces (or their equivalent) and agree to pay, turn to 79. If you don’t have 8 Gold Pieces, but you do have some Treasure and want the potion, turn to 36. If you have no Treasure, or you are unwilling to pay, you leave through the west door; turn to 373.

The large door here is locked. Do you have the Castellan’s Keys? If you do, turn to 87. If you don’t, you can’t open the door, so you give up and try the east door near by; turn to 227.

Back in the corridor, will you:

Open the north door along the corridor? Turn to 267

Open the west door along the corridor? Turn to 34

Follow the corridor round to the south? Turn to 31

The spectral creature lunges at you, but his hands stop short of your neck and he hisses in frustration. Your FAITH has protected you from his attack! He wraps his cape about him and simply vanishes! Increase your FAITH by 1 point.

You continue your journey safely until the coach stops at the foot of a hill and you descend; the coach races off into the heavy mists and is soon out of sight. Turn to 362.

The young man grabs a scimitar from the wall and fights; he is a better swordsman than you had expected!

If you win, did you choose to attack Wilhelm? If you did, turn to 379. If he attacked you first, turn to 21.

LUCKSPELL will restore 3 lost LUCK points whenever you cast it, which you can do at any time except during a combat. Return to 102.

If you have the Lycanthropy Affliction, turn to 7. If you have the Major Lycanthropy Affliction, turn to 386. If you have neither, turn to 51.

As you stride across the room, one of the stone bats flutters from the wall and gashes your face. Lose 2 STAMINA points. You try to hit back, but the magical creature has disappeared! You get to the door and open it; turn to 341.

You put your shoulder to the heavy wooden gates, and they open with a creak which sets your nerves on edge. You walk through a small entrance area into a large courtyard. Facing you, you observe great brass decorated doors across the courtyard and past the entrance to what looks like a family Crypt. There are also two doors to the west of you, and a door just round the corner which opens into a southern part of the main building. Will you:

Head for the brass doors to the north? Turn to 2

Open the door in the south? Turn to 18

Open the upper west door? Turn to 377

Open the lower west door? Turn to 54

Head for the Crypt? Turn to 90

Roll one die and add 5. If the result is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 62. If the result is greater than your FAITH, turn to 16.

Trembling, you open a vein and allow blood to run into the chalice. As the scarlet liquid drips into the bowl, red runes glow before your eyes and seem to dance round its rim.

You snap into alertness as a cold hand touches your shoulder ‘You nearly fainted,’ Siegfried says, ‘but the magic is woven. Behold!’ He points to a match less longsword, glowing with bluish white light lying on the table before you. Although you lost STAMINA when you gave your blood, on picking up Nightstar energy pours into you and you recover not only this lost STAMINA but a further 4 STAMINA points as well! Nightstar is a magical sword of considerable power. When using it, you may add 1 point to your SKILL when fighting any creature; however, when fighting a Vampire you may add 2 to your SKILL. These SKILL bonuses do allow you to exceed your Initial SKILL and can even raise your total SKILL above 12, if your Initial SKILL was high enough for this to be the case with the bonus. You may also gain 1 FAITH point and 2 LUCK points for finding this excellent prize. Turn to 82.

Katarina’s feline eyes spark with annoyance. ‘You puny little wretch,’ she flares, ‘I took you for a warrior!’ You can either attack her (turn to 71) or change your tune and agree that you would like to kill her brother after all (turn to 399).

Drifting into the chamber from a grille set into the floor is a smoky, apparitional figure radiating a hideous, chilly malice - a Wraith! Roll one die and add 3 If the result is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 44. If the result is greater than your FAITH, turn to 124.

Katarina’s eyes bore into your soul and her gaze renders you helpless, unable to act. ‘You are impetuous, but you are no bad fighter and I have a use for you,’ she whispers softly. You are charmed, powerless to resist her suggestions . ‘There is a man he e I want slain. He was once my servant, but now I distrust him, and it will be amusing for me to have you do this work for me.’ She smiles at you, and you feel that you would do anything she asked of you. ‘Leave here, go south, and open the second door to the east. Kill the man there.’ You leave as commanded and open the door she has specified; turn to 227.

This door has a small silvered lock. Do you have a Silver Key? If you have, turn to the paragraph whose number is the same as the number on the key. If you haven’t, you can’t open this door. You can either go back and open the west door in the corridor, if you haven’t already done so (turn to 221), or go down the eastern side-passage (turn to 353).

At the end of the eastern corridor, just before you get to the landing, is the room where you fought the monster; peering in, you see a chest. It is heavily locked, and with the Castellan’s Keys you can un lock it. But the wretched lid still won’t open! Puzzled, you look at it more closely, and you notice a small silvered plaque with what could be an obscure code of some kind etched on it. Turn to 123.

The snake is now coiled round your legs. You must suffer 1 point of automatic damage every Attack Round, irrespective of who has the higher Attack Strength (deduct 1 point from your STAMINA each Attack Round until this combat ends). You must also suffer the extra penalty of having 2 SKILL points deducted. due to this constriction, until you kill the River Snake. Return to 236 to finish the battle.

Roll one die; if you roll 1-2, you are bitten once; 3-4, and you are wounded twice; 5-6 means you sustain three rat-bites. For each bite, you must deduct 1 STAMINA point before you get to the north door and slam it shut behind you to keep the rats out, if you are still alive! Turn to 361.

This desk drawer is locked, although you will probably be able to find a key among the Castellan’s Keys which will open it However, as you tug on the drawer handle you hear a slight crunching sound, as if there might be some kind of trap on the drawer. Will you:

Use a key to unlock this drawer? Turn to 219

Open the first drawer, if you haven’t already done so? Turn to 392

Open the coffer? Turn to 271

You make your way down the stairs with renewed vigour and faith; gain 1 FAITH point and 1 LUCK point. At the base of the bell tower you find the concealed trapdoor and retrieve the sword Siegfried described. Add the Magic Sword to your Possessions. This Magic Sword is not a powerful one. It does not add anything to your SKILL when you use it. However, creatures are lurking about which can be hurt only by magical weapons, so the sword is very valuable! Also, when you tell it to do so, it will shine brightly in the dark, so you will not need to use your lantern again. Now you return to the courtyard, so turn to 380.

You open the door into a chamber that is lit by a pearly globe of magical light, shining softly over a quartz-crystal coffin which stands on a magnificently decorated catafalque. Inside the coffin you see a man. Of extraordinary height, almost seven feet tall, and with flowing blond hair, he is smooth of face, fine of feature, and thickly muscled; the body must surely be embalmed. On the catafalque is a small ornamental shield with lettering which reads, simply, ‘Siegfried Heydrich’.

Although you can see no belongings of the blond giant inside his tomb, there might well be some thing concealed within it. Will you:

Try to open the coffin? Turn to 384

Wait a while to see if anything happens? Turn to 229

Leave and take the steps back up? Turn to 224

You drive home what you know is a killing blow. With an inhuman shriek the Count’s body crumples and is slowly transformed into a cloud of gas. Check the Notes box on your Adventure Sheet, Have you destroyed at least two of Reiner Heydrich’s coffins? If you have, turn to 19. If you have destroyed only one, or none at a1l, turn to 357-

You can’t fight the Shadow without a magical weapon. You run for the brass doors to the north; the Shadow strikes you once in the back (lose 2 STAMINA points), but it doesn’t follow. Turn to 2.

You step into a palatial chamber, lit by glowing oil-lanterns with red crystal lenses. Black, crimson and silver wall-hangings obscure the walls, and you can see no other exits. The room is magnificently furnished with teak and walnut, and silverware and marble gleam in the soft light. Some twenty feet away is a raised balcony at the top of marbled stairs with gilded banisters, and there stands a dark haired man with blazing eyes, wrapped in a cloak of the deepest black and crimson. The Count! Behind him you can see a chained girl, her long auburn tresses tumbling over her bare shoulders, struggling without hope to free herself. Her lovely fair face turns to you and she cries out for help. But your eyes are fixed on the terrible, dark, charismatic Count; his green eyes are afire as he gazes at you and parts his lips in anticipation. Roll one die and add 6 to the number rolled. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 274, If the total is greater than your FAITH, turn to 167.

You hammer on the door with the hilt of your sword, to avoid damaging its blade. The door retaliates by jabbing you firmly in the midriff with the metal doorknob! Eventually you break the door down, but you have to take some damage in the process. Roll one die; the number rolled is the number of STAMINA points you lose before you manage to smash the door down. Beyond, the stairs continue upwards and you see the dim outline of a bell tower. You can also hear a high-pitched squeaking and fluttering. You can either press on upwards (turn to 33) or go back down to the courtyard (turn to 380).

You resist the hateful woman’s attempt to control you and strike out with your sword, inflicting 2 points of damage on her STAMINA. Turn to 106 to continue the combat.

You cry out that you mean them no harm, but the woman has already loosed off an arrow which strikes you; lose 2 STAMINA points. Lowering her bow, she gestures to the bear, which growls but doesn’t attack you. She walks over, apologizing, and explains that she is a Forest Ranger whose job it is to protect the woods - and she did not expect anyone going about alone at night to be up to any good! She binds the flesh wound the arrow made.

Valderesse the Ranger is a friendly and helpful person; you tell her of your quest to rescue Nastassia from the clutches of Count Heydrich. At this she looks very serious. ‘The Count is a very evil man Fierce wolves and flocks of bats infest the land around his castle, and the local folk say he steals away young women to be his slaves - or worse. But it wasn’t always like that. His brother, Siegfried, who was Count before him - now he was a decent and good man-‘ but she breaks off at the sound of a peal of thunder as heavy rain begins to splatter down through the bare tree branches overhead. ‘Come on, let’s get you to the ferry!’ You set off with her towards the river, and on the way she gives you some food to help you on your journey; add 2 meals to your Provisions. Turn to 13.

As you sit down to talk with Lothar, stabbing pains rack your body and you are convulsed in breath taking spasms of agony. Lose 4 STAMINA points. Lothar snatches a flask from his desk and manages to pour some golden liquid down your throat. Gasping and spluttering, you slowly recover your senses. ‘You agreed to help her, didn’t you?’ Lothar says unhappily as you sit with your head between your knees. You look up, shame-faced, nodding agreement. ‘Well, you may not have meant to go along with it, but if you give your word freely to that witch, you cannot break it without suffering the consequences.’ He is obviously wondering how much he can trust you. You plead that you are here to do away with evil, and he seems to take you at your word; turn to 196.

You advance upon the Count, hoping for a powerful initial sword-thrust, at the same time casting the spell as you strike. However, you will do the extra damage only if you have the higher Attack Strength and land a blow in this Attack Round. Turn to 26.

Roll two dice and add the scores. If the total is less than or equal to your SKILL, turn to 396. If the total is greater than your SKILL, turn to 190.

You search the Zombies, but they have nothing of value. You pass through the half-open door in the east wall and enter another bare chamber. Here there is a flight of stone steps leading up, and the walls are lit with torches in sconces. You climb the steps, and when you get to the top you are standing under a shaft of moonlight from a tiny circular window high on the north wall. If you have the Lycanthropy Affliction, turn to 297. If you have the Major Lycanthropy Affliction, turn to 204. If you have neither, turn to 154.

Garlic won’t keep wolves at bay! You get bitten for your pains while waving the stuff at them;; deduct 2 points from your STAMINA. Now you have to fight, so turn to 103.

You whisper Siegfried’s name and the chest springs open. Inside is a suit of magnificent, gleaming, silvered chainmail! Eagerly, you strip off your own leather armour and don this superior protection; its seeming weightlessness tells you it is magical! Gain 1 FAITH point and 1 LUCK point for this excellent find. The chainmail increases your SKILL by 1 point, but only during combats. It can increase your SKILL above its Initial level - and if your current LUCK was 12, your SKILL is now a full 13 with this superb magical armour! Delighted with your prize, you set off for the Crypt. Turn to 191.

Opening the door, you hear sizzling and spitting noises. Peering carefully round the half-open door, you see an extraordinary assembly of vessels, jars, containers and instruments of brass, iron and glass standing on tables and shelves. Oil burners keep vessels of cloudy bubbling liquids on the boil, and there is a strange, metallic, acid smell. Watching you closely is a small, green, winged humanoid creature sitting on a shelf on the wall; it is playing with a small bronze wand which sparkles and crackles. You could try attacking it-whatever it is (turn to 366) - or try talking to it (turn to 9).

Gradually normal vision returns to you and, from the light of the torches in the corridor, you can see into the gloom. The Thassaloss was clearly guarding an oaken chest which stands on top of a pinewood table in this otherwise bare chamber. Unfortunately, the chest is securely locked and bound, and you cannot open it. You feel frustrated and cheated, and make a note to come back here if you find any keys which might fit the chest! Turn to 320.

After progressing some ten feet, you come level with a door on the north side of the passage, and then the dimly lit, tiled corridor continues to a door at the end. Will you open the north door (turn to 307) or the door further along (turn to 258)?

The undead malice of the Spectre has drained away much of your life energy; deduct 1 point from your SKILL. Now turn to 389.

You recognize the defaced portrait as that of Siegfried Heydrich, and you storm out of the room in anger at this desecration. You can open the door at the junction of the east and south corridors (turn to 351) or follow the corridor south (turn to 166).

As you cross the room, one of the stone wolf-heads snarls at you and seems about to rear from the wall to strike at you, but you evade the magical guardian and get to the opposite door safely. Turn to 341.

The gas-cloud moves with inhuman speed up the stairs and out of the Crypt; it has gone out of your sight very quickly, even though you run as fast as you can in pursuit. The Count has fled to re-form his body by resting in a secret coffin you haven’t dis covered and you won’t be able to find him now. If you haven’t done so already, you now unchain the sobbing Nastassia and, wrapping some warm clothing round her, you take her to the Castle gate and then on the long walk back to Leverhelven. You have rescued the girl, and the local people are grateful. But the Count still conducts his reign of terror, and yours is a hollow victory.

You enter the hut and search around. In the Gnome’s bedroom you find a portrait of a dark and cadaverous, but undoubtedly handsome man, his black hair brushed back from a widow’s peak over his forehead and piercing emerald-green eyes which almost seem to look at you. He has a mocking smile on his face, and on his crimson-lined black cloak is a coat of arms which is the same as the one you noticed on the Count’s coach. Below it is a brass plaque which has etched on it, in crude lettering, ‘Master’. It was wise to do away with that evil little Gnome!

Passing by the kitchen, you see the glint of gold on the table and a generous supply of food you might need on your adventure. There is also a very large dog snoozing before a wood stove. Will you:

Attack the dog? Turn to 40

Try to sneak quietly past the dog? Turn to 89

Leave and wade across the river? Turn to 187

Leave and get into the boat? Turn to 138

You open the door, to gaze on a horrid scene: the stone sarcophagus in this bare room has been smashed open, and a half rotting green thing which may once have been human is crouched close by the door, gnawing on a bone. Immediately it leaps, snarling, to attack you. An overwhelming stench of rotting flesh nauseates and weakens you. Will you fight this creature (turn to 122) or try to get out and shut the door, locking the thing inside (turn to 88)?

The Raven is a dangerous and wily enemy. He always strikes at your face and you shriek with agony as he pecks out an eye! You lose 2 points from your SKILL; record the Curse of the Raven in the Afflictions box on your Adventure Sheet. Unless you can get this Affliction cured, you will not be able to restore those lost SKILL points! Staggering out, clutching at your bleeding face, you head for the door at the end of the south passage. Turn to 252.

You stand in a workroom of some kind. There are unfamiliar tools on tables and work-benches, prisms and lenses mounted in iron rings, and small caskets made of sandalwood and other exotic and aromatic woods. Searching around, you deduce this may have been the jeweller’s workroom; certainly, you find a tiny silver-and-amethyst pin worth 2 Gold Pieces (add this to your Treasure) and some bars of silver which, alas, are too heavy to carry. The rats are still scurrying around outside, so you have time to make a really thorough search. You are in luck! In a secret drawer in a desk you find a magical Ring of Regeneration (add this to your Possessions) which you can slip on your finger. The ring surges with power whenever you land the killing blow in a battle, and you may regain 2 STAMINA points. However, this ring does not work during a combat, only at the end of one which you have just won!

Have you met Gunthar Heydrich? If you have not, turn to 289. ff you have, roll two dice and add 2 to the total. If the result is less than or equal to your SKILL, turn to 312. If the result is greater than your SKILL, turn to 289.

You walk along as far as the base of a narrow trail which leads up a steep incline, and suddenly you walk out of the fog into a completely clear area. Starkly illuminated by the three-quarter moon stands the brooding Castle Heydrich! You can walk up and enter the half-open front gates (turn to 326) or walk round the outside to see what you can make of the place (turn to 50).

You sit down warily beside Katarina She offers you some fine wine, and notes your hesitation; laughing, she drinks some herself to show that it is not poisoned. Nevertheless, you are careful to sip only a little of it! Then she asks you a rather startling question: ‘Are you here to kill Reiner?’

What will you say to her? Will you:

Agree that you are here to kill Reiner Heydrich, her brother? Turn to 399

Deny that you intend to kill the Count? Turn to 329

Say you are here to rescue Nastassia, the village girl? Turn to 281

You look into a very snug room that is evidently used by diners who have had too much to eat and drink. Among the armchairs, footstools and cushions you spy two objects of note. First, there is a decanter of what smells like brandy. Although there are only two large measures left in the decanter, each one will restore 4 lost STAMINA points. You can drink one or both now, or save the brandy for later. (If you do this, add it to your Possessions, subtracting a measure when you consume one. If you keep the brandy, you can drink it at any time, except during a combat.) There is also a small drape across one corner of the room, and when you draw this back you find a small silver mirror on a table. If you wish to take this, add the Silver Minor to your Possessions.

You leave and go back to the corridor. From the east door opposite, you hear a loud slamming sound and a shout. Perhaps something has been discovered, or someone has been alerted! You must now decide either to open the northern door (turn to 332) or to head down the eastern side-passage (turn to 353).

The monster strikes you as many times as the number you rolled on the die, and for each hit you lose 2 STAMINA points. If you survive this onslaught, you run out to the balcony with the Crypt Key and back to the northern part of the Castle. Fortunately, the Spectre won’t enter this well-lit area to the north - but less fortunately, even though you’re still alive, you have lost 1 point from your SKILL through the life-draining power of the undead horror. You run down the corridor towards the landing; turn to 389.

The little winged creature strikes at you with its miniature magical wand. Whenever it hits you, it causes 3 points of damage, rather than the usual 2!

If you win, turn to 57.

If you have the Curse of the Bat, turn to 308. If you don’t have that Affliction, but you have the Curse of the Healer, turn to 278. If you have neither, turn to 239.

You start to look around for secret alcoves, trap doors and the like - and you Turn your back on the girl. She rises from her resting place and you are about to get a very nasty surprise. Turn to 62.

Lothar the Castellan looks up in horror as you advance to fight him. He grabs his broadsword and will give his best!

If you win, turn to 234.

You roll over the edge of a precipice, and your body is smashed to pieces on the rocks in the chasm below. You have failed most miserably in your quest!

You open the great black door to the east and step into a dank corridor in which there is an almost palpable sense of evil. Your light-source shows gleams reflecting ahead, and you see the yellowed bones of the guardian which is moving swiftly towards you. The huge, four-armed skeletal creature - a Major Thassaloss - carries a massive black scythe; great, green, glowing eye-sockets glower above the mindlessly grinning, slack jawbone of the skull. You may either fight the thing (turn to 22) or, if you can, cast a spell at it (turn to 93).

You can strike the Vampire with your magical weapon and wound him. He uses no weapon but deploys his inhuman strength to smash and bludgeon you with his powerful fists, and claw at your face and arms. With a SKILL higher than the limitations of a mere mortal, Count Reiner Heydrich is a very powerful enemy indeed!

If the Count’s STAMINA is reduced to 4 points or below in this fight, turn at once to 28. Keep a record of not only the Count’s current STAMINA score, but his SKILL score too, since you may come across him again later.

Back in the corridor, you can open a door on the west side, opposite the Alchemist’s room, if you haven’t done so before (turn to 240) or go to the far, southern end of the passage and open the door there (turn to 252).

Siegfried seems displeased, and he tells you that you must obtain the sword. If you agree, turn to 328, but you must ignore any references to your STAMINA, FAITH or LUCK made in that paragraph. If you still refuse, turn to 259.

You give the Book of Healers to Gunthar, who is delighted to have it back. Reiner stole it some months ago, and Gunthar has not been able to find it without the Count’s spies - his rats and bats - following him. ‘This will help me in my work,’ says the grateful man, ‘and I will help you even if Katarina does try to punish me for it!’ He casts a healing spell, and this will cure any one Affliction you have (if you have more than one Affliction you may choose which one this spell cures; erase this Affliction from the Afflictions box on your Adventure Sheet). Now, you can either leave and open the west door on the landing (turn to 294) or you can show Gunthar any other book you have found in the Castle by turning to the paragraph with the same number as the magical page in that book.

Katarina looks at the book you are carrying. ‘Perhaps I can help after all,’ she says as she takes it from you and opens it. She gives a sharp intake of breath when she reaches the magical page. ‘This is Siegfried’s sword, you know,’ she whispers. ‘Reiner imprisoned it here. He is very afraid of it, for it is one of the very few things that can actually kill him. I could release it and give it to you, but you must do me a favour in return.’ You nod your head; at least you can hear her out. ‘The Castellan, Lothar, is plotting against me. I want you to kill him for me. Then I will dispel the magic guarding it and give you the sword.’ Will you agree to kill Lothar for her (turn to 198) or will you refuse to do this (turn to 248)?

You open the doors into a stabling room. It looks bare, but there is an odd smell in here - that of wolves - and you can hear growling through the thin wall to the south, so you decide not to go in that direction! Now will you:

Enter and search this room carefully? Turn to 5

Head for the Crypt? Turn to 90

Head for the brass, northern doors in the courtyard? Turn to 2

Open the southern door in the courtyard? Turn to 18

You enter a library lit by a golden globe of soft magical light, hanging in the air. There are hundreds of books on the bookshelves, but one particular shelf is full of works concerned with the history of Mortvania and the Heydrich family, and you look quickly through some of them. You read of the time when Siegfried was Count and the land flourished, until Siegfried disappeared mysteriously and Rein er became Count. Since that time, misery and fear have been the people’s lot. It seems that many Heydrichs have been cruel and despotic tyrants; of Reiner’s great-great-grandfather Eckhart you read a small text which states that ‘the folke saye he is Vampyre’. On the frontispiece is written in elegant, sloping writing, ‘and now I have attained that blessed state’. Since Reiner Heydrich’s signature is on the flyleaf, you know what this means!

Just as you feel that you have spent too much time here, you come across a small, untitled book with many illustrations of weapons. One page, page 188, has a slight magical glow which draws you to it. This leaf of the book is a beautiful illuminated etching of a sword, covered in runes and held by a powerful, muscular bronzed arm. You take this book; add the Book of Swords to your Possessions, and make a note of the number of the magical page. Now you leave, and you search in the eastern side-passage for the stairs which will lead you to the floor above. Turn to 47.

Poor Wilhelm was a feckless idiot who wished you no harm. For such a cruel and evil act, lose2 points from your FAITH and2 points from your LUCK. Turn to 21.

Back in the main courtyard, you can investigate the Crypt, if you haven’t already done so (turn to 90) or head for the main north doors (turn to 2).

Katarina’s sweet smile utterly captivates you. ‘You have done splendidly,’ she purrs. ‘Now I am the Countess here.’ You will be her willing servant always - or at least until a luckier or more valiant warrior kills you, freeing you from your bondage!

You enter the Count’s bedroom, a nightmare of garish horror. A large mahogany coffin with silver hinges and handles stands in the centre on a high wooden table, surrounded by black and crimson coverings. On the walls, tapestries and paintings show the Count’s ancestors, all with the black hair and widow’s peak which betrays their vampiric nature. Some are shown gloatingly draining their victims of blood, and one even stands next to a Fire Demon[ They seem to glower with menace at you as you look in. Walking round the room, you also find a locked safe underneath a second table, and a writing-desk with two drawers and a pile of neatly stacked vellum and quills on top. Fearfully, you move to the coffin, and throw it over. The wood splinters, the top falls off, and rich black earth cascades over the floor. You smash the coffin lid with the hilt of your sword. Record in the Notes box on your Adventure Sheet that you have destroyed one of Reiner Heydrich’s coffins, and gain 1 FAITH point! Now, will you:

Open the safe? Turn to 271

Open the first desk drawer? Turn to 392

Open the second desk drawer? Turn to 336

You set off along the trail on the far bank of the river, and walk on through the slight mist. There is no birdsong and little sign of life; this silence is almost unnerving. After some hours you come upon a small stone cottage nestling in a clearing; a thin stream of blue woodsmoke drifts lazily upwards from the chimney. Looking cautiously through the half-open door, you see a man inside, sitting dozing before a stove. He is dressed in brown and grey leathers, and there is a long curved knife in his hands. You see little else from where you are, although you can smell something good cooking in there!

If you did not sleep at the Gnome’s hut, you are getting very tired now, and you must sleep here. You could attack the man, hoping to achieve surprise (turn to 27), or go in and talk with him (turn to 126). If you did sleep at the Gnome’s hut, you have the extra option of ignoring the man and just continuing on your way (turn to 228).

Roll one die and add 5 to the number rolled. If the total is less than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 229. If it is greater than your FAITH, turn to 287.

You make a lucky find: a tiny silver elven amulet on a chain of prayer-beads. Gain 1 LUCK point for finding this lucky charm. Now you leave, and you can try the east door along the corridor to the south (turn to 227) or the south door at the end of the same corridor (turn to 319).

You look around, and suddenly a shaft of moonlight falls through a window in the tower and strikes you. You change shape, swiftly but painfully, and howl at the moon through your muzzle! Now you are a werewolf servant of the Count, and your adventure ends here!

A cloud of billowing poisonous green vapours floats up from a small crushed vial inside the drawer. You jerk your head back quickly, but you still inhale some of it, and soon you are convulsing uncontrollably. Just as you see the Count walk into his bed room, smiling evilly at you, you pass out. Your quest ends here!

The Shadow is not easy to hit, but with your Magic Sword you can at least damage it.

If you win, you can either investigate the door to the south, if you haven’t done so before (turn to 18) or check the brass doors to the north (turn to 2).

You follow the corridor north and then east, towards the stairs leading down. Have you fought a Minor Thassaloss in the Castle? If you have, turn to 333. If you haven’t, turn to 296.

You open the door and gaze into a low-ceilinged room with some narrow stone steps visible on the other side. Bones and horrifying, bloodied lumps of flesh and gristle lie around the room, and the occupant - a huge Ghoul - intends that you should be his next feast! Roll one die and add 4. If the total is lower than or equal to your FAITH, turn to 30. If the total is greater than your FAITH, turn to 70.

Unfortunately, rats are beginning to swarm in through holes behind one of the wall-hangings and they attack you. Lose 1 STAMINA point from a nip from a particularly vicious specimen. You have to make a run for the north door here, so turn to 335.

The first desk drawer is unlocked and you find a small leather bag with 4 Gold Pieces in it (add these to your Treasure). Now you can either try opening the second drawer (turn to 336) or opening the safe (turn to 271).

You have just killed a guardian of the forest who was justifiably suspicious of travellers by night - lose 1 FAITH point and 1 LUCK point! Searching the body, you find sufficient food for 4 meals (add 4 to your Provisions) and 3 Gold Pieces (add these to your Treasure).

As you continue your journey, rain begins to fall and you become damp and cold; lose 2 STAMINA points. But you finally reach the river, and soon you find the hut of the ferryman, with a small boat moored beside it. Turn to 13.

‘I can’t do anything about them,’ the Sage sighs, ‘but you could try Gunthar. He claims to be a healer, so he might be able to help. Up the stairs and through the door with the silver handle.’ Return to 75.

The spell is useless against Katarina. She can charm people, but she doesn’t actually drink blood: she isn’t a Vampire! Katarina strikes out at you as you finish spellcasting; lose 2 STAMINA points. Re turn to 106 to finish the combat; if you are using the magical sword Nightstar, you can claim a bonus of only 1 to your SKILL for using it.

You slam the door and decide to get away quickly. You could open the door opposite you in the west wall (turn to 221), go to the north door at the end 0f the passage (turn to 332) or go down the eastern side-passage (turn to 353).

Have you met Katarina Heydrich yet? If you have, and you agreed to kill Lothar for her, turn to 345. If you have, and you refused to do this (or attacked her), turn to 291, If you haven’t met her, turn to 247.

At the sight of the amulet, the wolves cower back and keep away from you, whimpering. You can see there is nothing of interest in their pen, and you guess that this also applies to whatever is behind the other western doors off the courtyard. So will you:

Open the brass northerly doors? Turn to 2

Approach the Crypt? Turn to 90

Open the south door? Turn to 18

‘Excellent,’ purrs the saturnine lady. ‘When he is dead, I shall rule here as Countess!’ Do you have the Book of Swords? If you do, and you wish to show this to Katarina, turn to the paragraph which is twice the number of the magic page in that book (so, if the magical page is page 70, turn to paragraph 140). If you don’t have this book or if you have it and you don’t want to let her know about it, turn to 119.

The lifeless body of the would-be ruler of Castle Heydrich falls to the floor. There is no hideous shriek, like the soul-rending cry of the Count dis patched to hell, but simply the choking sigh of an evil woman meeting her just end. As she falls, her appearance changes. The illusion of her youth dis appears, and a wizened old crone lies at your feet. Nastassia gasps in horror and looks away, burying her face in your chest. You put an arm round her and lead her slowly up the stairs, away from this evil place. Turning as you leave the Crypt, you see the shade of Siegfried standing behind you, waving a last farewell. At last I can rest in peace, you sense him feeling, and you wave back as he makes a last gesture of blessing upon a warrior as brave as, but more successful than, he was. Castle Heydrich has been cleansed of its timeless, elemental evil by your hand. You sheathe your sword and lead the girl back home, to the hero’s welcome that rightly awaits your return.