“ The Nomin gypsies have a fiddling competition every year, known as the Danse de Velose. Beaters hit out the rhythm on taut drums and the competitors start to play, slowly at first. Youngsters can compete, but are soon pulled away by worried mothers, before the competition becomes too dangerous. After two hours the haunting tune has become dazzlingly fast. You can resign at any time, but the moment you make a mistake you receive an arrow through the neck. Strings may snap, but the players must play on. The whole affair never lasts much longer than three hours, and the last fiddler playing is crowned king of the gypsies.”
“ Other improvisational weapons/tools:
Icicles are useful as daggers,
Bag Of Holding filled with copper pieces used by chucking the contents at foes, (by strolen)
sleeves make useful garrotes. Ya can't cut anyone's neck, but you sure can choke 'em!
Flaming Logs make great clubs, (any Barbarians out there?)
and Bee hives are very effective when thrown at a mob of enemies. :-)”
“ Nearby is a region of many curiously shaped hillocks. Last week a tremendous storm washed one of these half away, revealing a strange shed made of concrete panels. Its long side is aligned east-west, about 4m by 3m and 2.5m high, with a flat roof slightly sloped down to the north . The double doors in the south side have murky glass panels in them, but nothing much can be seen from outside, although it looks a bit like the top of a staircase. Will you dare go inside? What will you find there, and what lies below?”