### 89

The sun grows warmer as noon approaches and the parched hills around Bavari melt away into a lush savannah of tall grasses, broken occasionally by swathes of loamy soil. The air has become humid and the fertile landscape is rich with fauna. In the distance, the verdant foothills of the Great Masourn Mountains appear in stark contrast to the brown arid wastes through which you have travelled these past few days.

As night falls you find yourself approaching a village which sits astride the border with neighbouring Dessi. It shelters behind a tall palisade which is patrolled by several Vakeros, the indigenous tribesmen of this realm. They are an ancient race whose lineage can be traced back to the Age of the Old Kingdoms, yet the Vassagonians consider them to be primitives and often pour scorn on their simple ways and their tribal culture. Some of Vassagonia’s more ruthless leaders have in the past waged war upon the Vakeros with the aim of stealing their fertile land, but all of these wars have ended in costly defeat for Vassagonia. Dessi is ruled by the Elder Magi whose mastery of Old Kingdom magic is unparalleled and, over many centuries, they have taught the secrets of their battle-sorcery to the Vakeros. Armed with magic, they have kept their land and their culture secure from the ravages of their aggressive desert neighbour.

Since the demise of the Darklords and the fall of Zakhan Kimah—the despised Vassagonian ruler—peace has returned to the border regions of Dessi. Yet, as you approach the palisade, you see that the Vakeros guards are wary and suspicious. One of their elders approaches you and, with a staff of twisted black wood, he signals that he wants you to halt. Your Sixth Sense detects that his staff possesses magical properties; he is using it to assess if you are a threat to his village.

If you possess an Iron Skull, turn to 237.

If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 332.