### 300

You find yourself standing in a hall that is flanked on either side by a row of human skeletons. They stand at attention with their spines pressed against the stone wall, and clasped in their bony hands are rusty polearms of differing type and origin.

At the far end of this torchlit chamber, you can see a pair of stout wooden doors reinforced with strips of polished steel. Cautiously you advance along the hall under the sightless gaze of the flanking skeletons, and upon reaching the doors you discover that they are secured by a combination lock. A single dial with a brass pointer is mounted upon a circular plate that is numbered 0 to 200 around its bevelled edge. You place the palm of your hand against the door, and a tingle of excitement runs down your spine when you sense that Lone Wolf is being held captive on the other side of these doors.

With the help of your Kai Sixth Sense, you determine that the number which will open the combination lock is the same as the solution to the following puzzle.

If A=1, B=2, C=3 (and so on through the alphabet until you reach Z=26), what is the total numerical value of the fortress of ‘Gazad Helkona’?

When you think that you have calculated the total, turn to the section of this book that is the same as your answer.17

If you calculate incorrectly, or if you are unable to answer this puzzle, turn instead to 183.

#### Footnotes

[17] The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.