Castle Death (15 page)
A howling blue fire leaps from Zahda's staff and instinctively you hurl yourself to the floor to evade its searing heat. The bolt screams past into the darkness of the hall, where it explodes in a splash of vivid sparks.
Zahda screams with anger and frustration and attempts to crush your head with one vicious blow, but you save yourself by rolling aside, and the staff cleaves open the black iron floor. A gout of flame rises from the split and blisters the mad lord's hand; he shrieks like a wounded crow, and the staff drops from his fire-blackened fingers.
You see your chance to attack and lash out, but Zahda is quick to react. He leaps backwards, unsheathing a glowing dagger as he steadies himself on the brink of the abyss. Lord Zahda is immune to Mindblast but not Psi-surge.
Lord Zahda:
COMBAT SKILL
25
ENDURANCE
45
If you win the combat,
turn to 149
.
With your trembling hands clasped tightly around the slippery green rope, you fight to lock your feet together to prevent yourself from sliding into the heaving swell. The crack of splintering wood fills the night as the coracle shatters and sinks without trace. A sudden jolt runs the length of the rope, and a snaky head rises from the black water. It dips and swerves upwards, opening its jaws, set with fangs like long yellow knives, and fixing you with its blind white eyes. You are clinging to the body of a deadly Lekhor that is poised to strike.
Illustration XII—You are clinging to the body of a deadly Lekhor that is poised to strike.
If you wish to release your grip of this deadly serpent and dive into the water,
turn to 325
.
If you wish to draw a weapon and defend yourself against its venomous attack,
turn to 76
.
The temperature grows higher with every step you take, but as the first flame washes over your body, you feel no heat or pain at all. The gout of flame feels cool and refreshing, like a breeze on a hot summer's day. You quicken your step and soon emerge from the heatless flames into the empty passage beyond.
You sense that the man is petrified with fear. An aura of evil grows stronger by the second, radiating from the darkened archway like a terrible black heat. The evil is so strong that it blocks your Discipline, and you cannot be sure if the warrior is a friend or a foe.
If you wish to draw a weapon and prepare to defend yourself,
turn to 95
.
If you wish to avoid a confrontation by running into the archway opposite,
turn to 47
.
If you have a Bow and wish to fire at the warrior,
turn to 79
.
You aim and fire a fraction of a second later, hitting the leader in the chest. He tumbles backwards, knocked off his feet by the force of your Arrow. His followers growl their anger, unsheathing long knives and axes as they press forward to wreak their revenge.
Zahda Beastmen:
COMBAT SKILL
28
ENDURANCE
35
If you win the combat in three rounds or less,
turn to 17
.
If combat lasts longer than three rounds,
turn to 160
.
The key fits perfectly. You turn it and the door gives way instantly, forced wide open by the huge weight of water pressing upon it.
The trunk tumbles into the gap, followed by a deluge of rock and rubble. As the dust clears, you find yourself still staring at the staircase above.
If you have a Rope,
turn to 310
.
If you do not possess a Rope,
turn to 211
.
Your killing blow makes the Oudagorg twist back on itself, its head disappearing into the misty ceiling. There is a deafening crack as blue lightning engulfs its neck, crackling snake-like around its horrible body and filling the corridor with the smell of burning meat. The creature thrashes wildly for several minutes, and when its gruesome dance finally ends you see that the canopy of mist is no longer there. In the darkness above you see a deserted walkway and a metal observation platform.
If you wish to climb onto the body of the dead Oudagorg and pull yourself onto the platform,
turn to 294
.
If you wish to climb over the worm-like carcass and continue along the corridor,
turn to 46
.
Once more you call on your Kai Mastery to save you from reptilian threat, and once more it proves effective. The snakes turn away and slither to the safety of their nest, repelled by your presence as if the sight of you were as repulsive to them as the sight of them is to you.
The only way you can cross the gap is by climbing the rock wall. However, the surface is virtually sheer, and any attempt to climb it without proper equipment would be perilous in the extreme.
If you wish to attempt such a climb,
turn to 85
.
If you decide to descend the stairs and continue along the beach,
turn to 348
.
As the Beastman crashes to the floor, two more come rushing in from the cell compound. They growl with anger at the sight of their dead comrade-in-arms and launch themselves in a fearsome attack.
Beastman Gaoler No. 1:
COMBAT SKILL
17
ENDURANCE
23
Beastman Gaoler No. 2:
COMBAT SKILL
16
ENDURANCE
21
If you win the combat,
turn to 80
.
There is a
click
and the panel slides open to reveal the small, dimly lit interior of the sarcophagus. A set of stairs descends to a strong wooden door that is reinforced with strips and studs of iron.
If you wish to enter the sarcophagus,
turn to 37
.
If you decide not to enter,
turn to 102
.
The iron door is several inches thick and will demand a tremendous effort to raise it high enough off the floor for you to escape underneath it.
To raise the door follow the normal combat rules as if you were unarmed (subtract 4 points from your
COMBAT SKILL
total). If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, you need not deduct any points from your
COMBAT SKILL
score. Any
ENDURANCE
points that you lose during this ‘combat’ represent the fatigue you suffer as you strain to lift the heavy door.
9
Tunnel Door:
COMBAT SKILL
19
ENDURANCE
(
RESISTANCE
points) 50
You may cease ‘combat’ at any time and explore the tunnel instead;
turn to 277
.
If you reduce the door's
RESISTANCE
(
ENDURANCE
) to 0,
turn to 114
.
[9] It is unclear, but you may be able to use the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge to aid you in this fight (cf.
The Kingdoms of Terror
Section 259).
As you peer at the horrible hand, it suddenly leaps at your face. You scream with terror, instinctively lashing out to deflect its attack. You strike it hard and send it spinning towards the green pillars and the passage beyond. Just as it draws level with the pillars the hand explodes: it has spun straight into an invisible barrier of destructive energy that flows between the pillars. As the hand disintegrates into thousands of tiny fragments you feel elated that, at last, victory is yours.
To your relief you discover that the door is unlocked and unguarded. Beyond it, a torchlit corridor descends through a series of deserted chambers, each one defaced by years of neglect and decay. Rotting curtains and mouldering furniture are all that remain of a sumptuous abode, a luxurious underground retreat for the Lord of Kazan-Oud.
You are about to enter another of these chambers when the sound of muttering stops you dead in your tracks. Three spindly-limbed creatures are seated at a table in the centre of the room. They chatter excitedly in a language that is alien to your ears and point with slim, green fingers at a parchment spread out before them. They wear long, hooded robes of purple silk and appear to be unarmed.
If you have completed the Lore-circle of Solaris,
turn to 244
.
If you wish to launch a surprise attack on these unsuspecting creatures,
turn to 295
.
If you wish to try to sneak through the chamber and attempt to reach the opposite corridor unseen,
turn to 343
.
The strength of your Kai Mastery overcomes the pain that tears at your mind, and you swiftly regain full control of your body. Snatching up your weapon from the hot black sand, you lash out at the tendril, severing its tip. But instead of blood, or what would pass for blood in the body of this ghastly creature, a flame sparks into life like a sputtering fuse. The brain ceases to move, hovering motionless above the sand, as the spitting flame burns fiercely along its thin tube of sundered flesh.
The first bubble bursts with a loud
bang
that causes the creature to howl with fear. You watch as the great black hound scrambles to a halt, its horrible face lined with fear. Whimpering pitifully it backs slowly up the corridor. At the corner it howls with frustration before slinking away out of sight.
You lash out at the monster's eyelid and open a terrible wound. But before you can deal another a bolt of red fire screams down from the grating, hits your shoulder, and paralyses your whole arm with a sickening pain. You reel back, your weapon clattering to the ground as your fingers are robbed of all feeling (lose 6
ENDURANCE
points).
The snake writhes and twists in blind rage, its open jaws seeking you out to exact its revenge. It soon picks up your scent and attacks with frightening speed.
Giant Hactaraton:
COMBAT SKILL
20
ENDURANCE
45
Your weapon lies on the ground near your feet, and you must deduct 4 points from your
COMBAT SKILL
total for the first two rounds of combat. If you are still alive at the beginning of the third round, you can retrieve your weapon. Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing double all
ENDURANCE
points that you lose during the combat, due to the venomous bite of your enemy.
If you win the fight,
turn to 21
.
Your companion rolls the body over and unsheathes a Short Sword and a Dagger from the belt. You may take the Axe that was used in combat and the Dagger, if you wish.
At the bottom of the stairs is a deserted hallway at the end of which are two great doors of gleaming bronze. Sumptuous tapestries and statuettes of gold line the walls on either side, and an ornate fountain of silvered marble fills the hall with a melodious bubbling sound.
You have covered less than twenty feet when an armoured guard steps into view from behind the fountain. He raises a crossbow and you shout a warning to your newfound partner — but you are too late. The bolt hisses through the air, hitting him with such force that he is knocked off his feet and sent crashing to the ground. The guard fumbles in a leather pouch for another quarrel with which to dispatch you.
If you wish to aid your wounded companion,
turn to 28
.
If you decide to attack the guard before he can reload his weapon,
turn to 81
.