You take a good look at what's left of the castle keep and decide it is probably safe to have a look inside. Most of it doesn't have any ceiling anymore, and many rocks litter the area.

You go through the empty doorway of an almost wholly standing room, and wait for a moment as your eyes adjust to the darkness.

It is cool in here, but not too cold. It might make a good place to camp if you decide to stay for several days, especially if it rains. You check around to see if there is anything left of the old inhabitants' things, but if there once was, it is long gone now. All that remains is a hushed stillness, a sense that this is an old place and still carries traces of the people who once walked the rooms and halls.

Ivy grows up the walls, inside and out. You head back out and decide to climb the stairs to the second floor. You'll have to be careful, the rock is crumbling away a good deal.

You climb up, and sit down for a minute to look at the wonderful view. You can see most of the valley from here, including the bridge you crossed yesterday, far in the distance. In the other direction, on the east, you see a few small farms in the valley.

Standing again, you feel brave, and begin to edge out on a small walkway which connects to another part of the building.

Suddenly, the rock under your foot gives way, and you begin to slide quickly downward.

You bump and scrape along the rocks on your way down, ending up bruised and sore, but still conscious. As you begin to dig your way out of the landslide of rocks which clattered down with you, you see something shiny in the pile.

Curious, you go to investigate. It would seem that when you fell, you dislodged enough stones to reveal a hidden area that was behind a false wall. The glint you saw came from a beautiful sword, made from a bluish- silver metal. You recognize the sword and metal as the work of elves. As you grab it by the hilt to pull it away from the last of the rocks, you feel a warm tingling in your hands. Not only is the sword beautiful, but it appears that it is also enchanted.

The false wall apparently hid a number of treasured items. Within, you also find a crystal ball, even more exquisite than the one your teacher had. You lift it reverently, and carefully place it on the grass away from the stones. A carpet lies in the recess as well. Lifting it and spreading it out, you admire the intricate design woven into it. Truly a beautiful piece of art. It looks nothing like anything you have ever seen before, and you surmise that it must be from a far-away country. Just as you open the last fold, a wand falls out and onto the ground.

You wrap the wand, sword, and crystal ball carefully back up in the carpet, and head back to where you camped. You carefully pack the ball away in your backpack.

You spend some more time climbing about in the ruins of the keep, but find nothing else of particular interest.

Taking a break for lunch, you have a second look at your new-found treasures. You spread the carpet out on the ground and pick up the wand, flicking it about and uttering a few spells you've used with special wands before.

It almost seems that this one is not enchanted. Perhaps it is just a pretty piece of carved and polished wood after all. You flick it through the air again, about to toss it back onto the carpet, when suddenly, the carpet moves. As you watch in amazement, it lifts itself into the air and hovers there.

You've never seen anything like that here in Lindau before, even among the most learned and famous magicians who visited your teacher. Excited, you wave the wand about again. Eventually you figure out that the carpet will move in the direction you point with the wand. Continuing to experiment, you put a rock on the carpet to see if it will carry it. Eventually you decide you trust the carpet enough to try riding it yourself.

You ride the carpet home, taking the magical sword and crystal ball with you. With the superb crystal ball, you soon make a reputation for yourself as a wise and great mage.

Armed with these things, you go on many great adventures throughout your life, always knowing enough about the future to avoid the most dangerous traps and creatures.

Home

*Photo by Kate Tompkins. DO NOT remove and use.