Castle Death (6 page)
Your attack is swift and deadly. You dispatch all three of them in as many blows and cover their dead bodies with a tapestry torn from the wall. There is nothing of value in the pockets of their robes, but lying on the table, you find a Skeleton Key and a Parchment. Both items look as if they could be of use, and you decide to keep them. (Mark them as Special Items on your
Action Chart
, to be kept in the pocket of your tunic.)
You leave the chamber, but as soon as you set foot into the corridor beyond, you are confronted by an armoured guard. He screams a cry that is muffled by the visor of his helmet and turns to run towards a bell-rope hanging from a hole in the ceiling.
If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 266
.
If you do not have a Bow, or if you do not wish to use it,
turn to 40
.
As the tip of your weapon flicks the lever down, you feel a surge of water engulf your arm. The flow is reversed: the statue is sucking water from the chamber at a tremendous rate. Your weapon is torn from your hand (remember to erase it from your
Action Chart
), but you manage to wrench your arm clear and swim to the surface uninjured.
Within minutes, the water drops to the level of the statue's mouth and remains there. Suddenly, the door emits a
click
and is forced wide open by the weight of the remaining water pressing upon it.
At first there is silence. Then a faint squeak grows to a shuddering rumble as the cogs of a hidden counterweight grind into action. The squeal of tortured metal resounds in your ears as the portcullis rises jerkily into the soot-blackened ceiling.
Wasting no time you duck under the rising bars and hurry into the tunnel beyond.
In reply to your correct answer,
5
the oval door emits a
click
and slowly swings open. You step through and descend a steep ramp to a long corridor whose walls are covered with what appear to be gigantic cocoons that stretch into the distance for as far as you can see. The oval door clicks shut but the clicking continues, like an echo, only growing steadily louder. In the gloomy corridor ahead you can see that something is moving. A huge worm-like creature with great black eyes and horny mandibles is slithering towards you, a purple froth bubbling from its mouth as it picks up your scent.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility,
turn to 86
.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control and have reached the Kai rank of Primate,
turn to 130
.
If you have a Silver Whistle,
turn to 347
.
If you have neither of these skills nor the Special Item,
turn to 233
.
[5] This section is the correct answer to the Zakhan's riddle from
Section 100
.
By sheer force of will, you focus your skill through the pain that fills your head and try to command the sphere to stop its psychic attack.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have reached the Kai rank of Primate, you may add 1 to the number you have picked.
If your total is now 0–4,
turn to 97
.
If it is 5 or more,
turn to 246
.
An opening to your right reveals a spiral staircase, and you can distinctly hear the sound of approaching footsteps. Judging by the noise, you estimate that at least a dozen iron-shod warriors are descending the stairs to this level.
If you wish to stand and face the approaching enemy,
turn to 273
.
If you wish to descend the stairs as quickly as possible,
turn to 55
.
In a matter of seconds, the exit is sealed off completely. A loud hissing fills your ears, and a strangely bitter smell assails your nostrils. By the time you realize that the air is being flooded with a powerful sleep gas, pumped in through tiny vents near the door, you are already succumbing to its irresistible power.
Your psychic senses tell you that what you see before you is an illusion. The Oudakon is a spectral force, placed here by a powerful magician and activated by anyone or anything that dares to approach the door of the Great Hall.
Mustering your courage, you challenge the illusion by commanding it to disperse. The shadow, which, seconds before, looked all too real, dissolves like mist into the chill night air. All that remains is a fading cry of frustrated anger that echoes through the ruins of the keep.
You sense that a bridge, hidden by a powerful spell of invisibility, spans the pit. Kneeling at the edge, you sweep your hand back and forth in the hope of locating it, but a noise in the passage behind makes you stop and turn. The sound of heavy footsteps grows louder, but the passage looks deserted. Frantically, you continue your search for the invisible bridge.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 344
.
If it is 5–9,
turn to 58
.
The guard tugs the rope and the corridor is filled with the harsh clangour of an alarm bell. More armoured guards appear, their weapons drawn and their visors closed for combat. They take one look at you and hurl themselves along the corridor in a frenzied attack. They strike simultaneously and you must fight all four of them as one enemy.
Zahda Beastmen:
COMBAT SKILL
30
ENDURANCE
39
If you win and combat lasts three rounds or less,
turn to 248
.
If combat lasts more than three rounds,
turn to 160
.
A terrible growling follows you across the bleak shore as you race towards the high rock wall that is the base of Kazan-Oud. At first the sand felt comfortably warm, but now your boots have become unbearably hot.
A few yards ahead, a line of stepping stones rises out of the scorching black sand. The stones lead away towards a jagged fissure in the rock wall.
If you wish to leap onto the nearest stone slab,
turn to 177
.
If you choose to avoid the stepping stones and press on through the burning sand,
turn to 104
.
Your heart pounding, you reach for the Lorestone, your fingers trembling in anticipation of the moment when, by merely touching its crystal shell, you will absorb its vast wisdom. You feel giddy with excitement as your hand draws closer. Then suddenly a severe pain burns your fingers, jolting you to your senses: a gout of black fire has sprung from the dark crystal, stabbing you viciously with its spiky flame (lose 3
ENDURANCE
points). Lightning dances around the crystal, fusing it to the Lorestone with a crackling fire. A cone of light bathes the throne and, in its shadowless glare, Lord Zahda appears, gaunt and wild-eyed; in his hand he holds a rod of inlaid platinum, which he now points directly at your head.
If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 174
.
If you do not have this Special Item,
turn to 202
.
The Blue Pills are made from the dried and crushed roots of the Sabito plant, commonly found in the Boari Jungle, but rare in any other part of Magnamund. They enable the human body to extract oxygen from water by absorbing it through the skin, thereby allowing anyone who swallows Sabito root to ‘breathe’ underwater.
There are enough pills for one full dose. Record them as Sabito on your
Action Chart
.
Your bleeding hand strikes something close to the edge of the pit that feels like a narrow plank. You thank your good fortune, but before you can scramble across it, a blow catches you in the ribs and leaves you gasping for air (lose 3
ENDURANCE
points). You have been dealt a vicious kick that leaves you sprawled over the edge of the pit.
If you wish to get to your feet and try to retaliate,
turn to 257
.
If you wish to pull yourself onto the invisible beam and try to struggle across to the other side,
turn to 166
.
If you wish to risk diving into the pit,
turn to 275
.
Unsheathing your weapon, you dig your heels into the wet sand and face the seething tide of rats. The damp air is now filled with the choking stench of their bodies, and your stomach knots as they scuttle nearer and nearer.
Illustration III—You dig your heels into the wet sand and face the seething tide of rats.
If you have completed the Magnakai Lore-circle of Light (i.e. you possess the Disciplines of Animal Control and Curing), you may add an additional 2 points to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this fight.
Flood of Giant Rats:
COMBAT SKILL
15
ENDURANCE
80
You can evade after three rounds of combat by climbing over the reef of jagged rocks;
turn to 336
.
If you win the combat,
turn to 283
.
The passage opens out into a hexagonal chamber. There are two exits, both leading away beneath horseshoe arches of gleaming crystal. The arch to your left is carved from solid red ruby; the arch to your right, from solid green jadin.
If you have the Magnakai Disciplines of Invisibility, Pathsmanship, or Divination,
turn to 2
.
If you wish to pass under the red ruby arch,
turn to 349
.
If you wish to pass under the green jadin arch,
turn to 163
.
You are ten feet from the archway when a ghastly scream freezes you in your tracks and forces you to glance over your shoulder at a terrible scene. Three creatures, no taller than men but with shiny skin as black as night, claw at the warrior in a grisly tug-of-war. The snapping of bone and tearing of flesh makes you shudder, and the sight of the dead man's limbs being swallowed whole makes your stomach churn uncontrollably. The ghoulish creatures gurgle their delight, their jaws dislocating to accommodate their feast. As their fiery eyes fix themselves on you, a cold dagger of fear stabs into your mind. Blinded by panic, you turn and flee into the darkness of the archway.
You have barely covered a hundred yards when a blood-curdling howl echoes along the passage behind. Spinning round, you see the outline of a gigantic black wolf loping towards you at a frightening pace. Its evil eyes flash in the dim light, and its great fanged jaws hang open in eager readiness to bite.
If you wish to stand and fight this ravenous monster,
turn to 78
.
If you wish to run from the monster as fast as you can,
turn to 287
.
As the glow of your light fills the cave, you notice that the uneven floor is covered with chunks of mouldering rubble, spattered with blotches of dried blood. You are about to investigate a narrow tunnel that winds deeper into the solid black rock when your Kai instincts alert you to a shallow step that crosses from one side of the cave to the other. A closer look reveals the step to be a perfect square of marble that covers the first ten feet of the tunnel floor.
If you wish to prod the marble slab with a weapon to test for a trap,
turn to 183
.
If you wish to jump across the slab into the tunnel beyond,
turn to 127
.
If you decide to enter the tunnel by walking across the slab,
turn to 277
.