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You wake before dawn and spend an hour cleaning your Weapons and equipment before going downstairs to the taproom of the tavern. Behind the counter the tavern-keeper’s wife is busy preparing breakfast for herself and her family, and she bids you a hurried good morning. Mindful of your need for transport, you ask if there are any horses for sale at the adjoining stables.

‘Only one,’ she replies, wiping her hands on her ale-stained apron. ‘An old mare called Jhani. She’s past her prime but she’s strong and dependable. I can let you have her for 10 Gold Crowns, and I’ll throw in a saddle. What do you say to that?’

You agree to her price and pay her (erase 10 Gold Crowns from your Action Chart. If you have fewer than 10 Gold Crowns, you give all of your remaining Crowns to the tavern-keeper’s wife) and she calls for her husband to bring the horse around to the front door. The chestnut mare is old but she is in fine condition and you are satisfied that you have made a wise purchase. You mount up and bid the taverners farewell before riding out of Bavari by way of its east gate. Your new mount lives up to the woman’s description of her and you cover the first ten miles of your journey along the coast road with ease. As you pass through a grove of toa trees, you see a track branching off the main road. It descends a slope to a cluster of huts that are perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea.

If you wish to go and investigate this village, turn to 6.

If you decide to ignore the village, you can continue your ride along the coast road to Hikas by turning to 89.