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that adorn the wall. The centrepiece is a stag’s head, with enormous spiked antlers stretching across the ceiling. There
is also a grey wolf, a brown bear and a ghost lynx’s head. Each one has its mouth agape, teeth bared – their twisted visages as menacing in death as they must have been in life.
    ‘It’s an impressive collection,’ you remark, leaning closer to the brown bear. You could almost fit your head inside its fanged jaws. ‘Are you a hunter?’
    ‘I am, yeah,’ sniffs the shopkeeper. ‘I sold a few of my best, but those are for keeps.’
    ‘You sold this one?’ you ask, tapping your finger on an empty plaque where you assume a head had once rested.
    ‘That space is reserved,’ growls the hunter. ‘For the black shuck. A hellhound that stalks the western fens. I seen it only once – a terrible thing it was, the biggest
hound you ever saw, with eyes of fire and a hide black as midnight. I’d give my right hand to get close to that one again.’ He slams the point of his dagger into the counter, twisting
it round with a cruel sneer.
    If you have the
hound’s head
turn to 305 . Otherwise, you may ask to see the shopkeeper’s wares (turn to 235 ) or leave
the shop (turn to 199 ).
    13
    (If you have the word
mixer
on your hero sheet then turn to 328 .)
    A rope ladder has been strung over the side of the well shaft, offering a route down into the smoky depths. Steeling yourself for what you might find at the bottom, you slide over the side and
start clambering down the ladder.
    As you descend, the air grows thicker, reeking of brimstone and sulphur. When the ladder ends, you are forced to drop the last few feet, landing up to your waist in a sickening-looking sludge.
You assume that this was once the well water, before it became poisoned.
    Through the putrid yellow smoke you spy a circular side-passage leading through into a larger chamber. From inside you can hear the sound of glass smashing, accompanied by a series of
dull-witted mutterings. Drawing your weapons you wade through the slime, cautiously emerging from the passage into the next room.
    It appears to be a laboratory. Steps rise up out of the yellow sludge to a stone-paved platform. Here, a number of tables have been arranged in a semi-circle, covered with a complex array of
scientific apparatus. A large creature is currently shuffling around the space, knocking over bottles and vials. You can’t tell if it is human, undead or both – its body is swollen,
covered in vile blisters and pustules. From its back, yellow tentacles writhe back and forth, their lengths covered in dripping slime.
    The creature appears to sense you, twisting its head around to reveal bulging bloodshot eyes. Around its wobbling neck is a metal dog tag, engraved with the number thirteen. The monster emits an
inhuman roar, then charges forward, flinging tables out of the way in its haste to clobber you. It is time to fight:
     

    Special abilities
    Unlucky for some: Each time you roll afor your hero
     in this combat, you are hit by the creature’s flailing tentacles. This automatically inflicts 2 damage, ignoring
armour
. If you have an ability that lets you re-roll dice, then you
     can use this to try and avoid the damage.
    If you manage to defeat this grotesque creation, turn to 300 .
    14
    Quest: King of the hill
    Ahead, dark shapes loom out of the mist: a series of earthen mounds, carpeted with moss and heather. In the distance a solitary wolf howls. It is a sad, mournful noise, which
seems perfectly in keeping with this drab and remote area of moorland.
    The traveller had convinced you this was a good idea. ‘Yeah, the barrows, my friend. If you’re looking to get some fast treasure – get yourself suited and booted – then
those ancient graves are just offering it up.’
    As you gaze upon the eerie collection of mounds, many ringed by standing tablets of stone, you start to wonder if the traveller had been a little crazy.
    ‘Well, I’ve come