### 177

You scoop the strongroom key from the guard’s belt and hurry towards the gates while Sogh retrieves his silver. Once you are both safely inside the strongroom, you lock the heavy doors and begin to search for your equipment. The room is stacked to the ceiling with all manner of goods and articles that have been confiscated by the gatehouse guards. Contraband, stolen goods, and illegal cargoes impounded at the South Gate are stored here before being either destroyed or sold at auction. It is rumoured that the gatehouse guards cream off the best booty for themselves, and it is no secret that the post of gatehouse commander is the most coveted of all in the Anarian army.

You discover all your Special and Backpack Items, but your Weapons are nowhere to be seen. However, there are several fine weapons lying on the shelves and you may rearm yourself with any of the following:

- Sword
- Axe
- Bow
- Quiver
- 6 Arrows
- Broadsword
- Warhammer

Sogh is busily sifting through a mound of silver and antique jewellery, pocketing the choicest items and tossing aside the rest. He comes across a diamond and obsidian signet ring, and beams with delight. ‘Ah! I knew it was here,’ he says, and slips it inside his codpiece for safekeeping.

‘Come, we’ve both got what we want; we’d best leave now before they discover the dead guards.’ He beckons you to help him drag a table away from the wall and then proceeds to tap at the brickwork with the hilt of a dagger. Two minutes later he is becoming agitated, having tapped every brick over six square feet of wall without any result. You cast your eye over the surface and your Kai sense draws your attention to a brick in a different part of the wall. You tap it casually with the toe of your boot and a panel slides aside to reveal the secret passage.

‘How did you … ’ gasps Sogh, his eyes open wide with amazement.

‘A lucky guess,’ you reply, modestly, and enter the dark tunnel. Sogh follows and the panel slides closed just as a patrol of angry guards force open the strongroom door.

Erase the ‘x’ marks from your Action Chart to restore your rediscovered Special Items9 and Backpack Items, and remember to alter your Weapons List accordingly.

Turn to 197.

#### Footnotes

[9] You do not find any weapon-like Special Items. Keep them marked with an ‘x’ on your Action Chart since you may still be able to retrieve them.