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Hanging by your fingertips on to the underside of the descending drawbridge, you are slowly lowered into the icy cold waters of the lake. The bridge stops with a jolt, leaving you dangling waist-deep in the water and feeling all-too-vulnerably like a piece of Dholdaarg bait.

You hear the rasp of clawed feet scurrying across the bridge and a voice, unmistakably Cenerese, echoes from the opposite side of the cave. Despite the pain in your fingers and forearms, you remain absolutely motionless as the rat-like Vazhag cross the bridge and descend to the muddy shore. One or two remain on the bridge directly above you, and you can see them through the cracks in the timbers. They are squeaking and pointing at the oily green pools of blood that stain the surface of the lake.

Drawn by their comrades' squeaking, you see two Vazhag leap from the platform and pad down towards the water's edge.

If you possess Assimilance, turn to 195.

If you do not possess this Grand Mastery, turn to 130.

Text copyright © 1990 Joe Dever.
Illustrations copyright © 1990 Brian Williams.