Castle Death (8 page)
Taking hold of a crate, you pull open the lid as easily as if you were tearing the peel from an overripe orange. The damp timber crumbles in your hands, falling on the tarnished pewter plates lying within. Your boot staves in the side of another crate, and you hear the dull crunch of shattered porcelain. This one is full of old Kakushi vases, part of a cargo from a trading barge that sank on the reef over a decade ago.
You are about to leave when something unusual catches your eye: the tip of a cylindrical map case is jutting out from behind an empty cask. Unlike everything else in this foul room, it is both dry and quite new. Flipping the brass catch, you tip the contents into your palm: a small piece of parchment and a Diamond (you may keep this Special Item in your pocket). A snake with one large eye is drawn in red ink on the parchment. It is coiled around the number
123
. Make a note of this number in the margin of your
Action Chart
— it may be of use to you later in your adventure.
Satisfied that there is nothing else of use or interest in the room, you leave and press on towards the stairs.
The tapestries are similar to others you have seen in the lower levels of Kazan-Oud; they are extremely beautiful and exceedingly valuable. However, it is what you discover behind them that is of greater interest, for they conceal a secret door. Your basic Kai senses alert you to a tiny button set into the wall. You press it and the door slides open to reveal a circular tunnel of gleaming steel. Quickly you enter and the door slides shut, moments before the hall is filled with Zahda's guards.
Fifty feet along the gleaming steel tube, you arrive at a circular door in the wall to your left.
If you wish to open the door and enter,
turn to 15
.
If you wish to continue along the tube,
turn to 90
.
Your Arrow grazes his shoulder but does not stop him from reaching the rope. In an instant, the harsh clangour of an alarm bell fills the corridor. More armoured guards appear, their weapons drawn and their visors closed for combat. They take one look at their wounded comrade and hurl themselves along the corridor in a frenzied attack. They strike as one and you are forced to engage them as a single enemy.
Zahda Beastmen:
COMBAT SKILL
30
ENDURANCE
39
If you win the combat in three rounds or less,
turn to 248
.
If combat lasts longer than three rounds,
turn to 160
.
The Lekhor twists and writhes in frustrated fury, for it cannot shake you free from its trunk. The head rears up and a droplet of venom splashes the back of your hand. It burns like a red-hot dagger, and you cannot stifle a cry of pain. The serpent snickers, its red forked tongue lashing the air just a few inches in front of your face.
Lekhor:
COMBAT SKILL
16
ENDURANCE
30
Due to your precarious position, you cannot make use of a shield or any two-handed weapon (i.e. Broadsword, Spear, Quarterstaff) during the combat, and, due to the corrosive venom of the Lekhor, you must
treble
any
ENDURANCE
point losses you sustain during the combat.
If you win the combat,
turn to 296
.
A searing pain explodes behind your eyes as the hand clamps itself to your head. As the decaying fingers pierce your scalp, forcing their way through your skull, your vision turns red and your body shakes uncontrollably. The hideous claw burrows deeper, feeding on the only source of nourishment that can sustain its existence: living human brain.
Your life and your quest end here.
The great wolf slams into your chest, ramming you to the ground with the weight of its massive body. Fangs rake your arm and burning saliva splashes your face. Desperately you stab and slice at its throat, fighting with all the strength and skill you can muster to free yourself from this merciless beast. The creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).
Illustration V—The Hound of Death slams into your chest, ramming you to the ground with the weight of its massive body.
Hound of Death:
COMBAT SKILL
22
ENDURANCE
40
If you win the combat,
turn to 341
.
Horror twists the warrior's face as your Arrow whistles through the air. He opens his mouth to scream, but the cry dies in his throat as your shaft buries itself deep in his chest. He staggers, his arms outstretched as if to grab at a rail, and tumbles from the walkway into the smoky chasm.
A hungry shriek resounds from the arch. You draw another Arrow and take aim at the darkness as a murmur of low mutterings becomes audible. The sounds chill you. Gurgling and hissing through clenched teeth, three creatures, their skins as black as night, creep from the shadows and fix you with terrible fiery eyes. They cackle repulsively and slink forward with long loping strides.
If you wish to try to kill all three with your Bow,
turn to 328
.
If you decide to shoulder your Bow and evade them by escaping into the archway opposite,
turn to 241
.
Despite the alarm bell and the sound of running feet, you make a quick search of the bodies before descending the stairs. Your search uncovers the following items:
- 1 Spear
- 2 Short Swords
- 1 Axe
- 2 Daggers
- 1 Mace
- 6 Gold Crowns
If you choose to keep any of these items, remember to make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
.
The speed of your attack catches your enemy completely off-guard. He attempts to parry your first blow with his empty crossbow, but you knock it from his trembling fingers, leaving him without a weapon to hand.
Throne-hall Guard:
COMBAT SKILL
14
ENDURANCE
22
If you win the combat,
turn to 105
.
As you mount the slippery stone steps, a roll of distant thunder rumbles across the lake, and a few drops of rain spatter the hood of your Kai cloak. A great storm is brewing. By the time you have climbed all the way to the cave mouth, a fierce wind lashes the rock wall, and the ground vibrates with every clap of thunder that follows flashes of awful green lightning. Foul air greets your arrival. You are anxious to be out of the storm, but the sweet stench of decay that assails your nostrils makes you hesitate at the entrance of the cave.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship,
turn to 65
.
If you wish to enter the cave,
turn to 277
.
If you decide not to enter, you have no other option but to descend the stairs to the beach below;
turn to 30
.
The sarcophagus is covered with intricate carvings depicting a procession of strange creatures: some are part human, part animal; others are wholly alien to anything you have ever encountered before. One carving in particular holds your attention: that of a snake coiled around a row of three stone buttons. It reminds you of a lock designed by the locksmiths of Holmgard, the capital city of your homeland.
Your keen eyes are drawn to a faint crack that runs vertically through the stone. You follow the line of the crack and discover that it marks the outline of a concealed door.
If you wish to try to open the concealed door,
turn to 115
.
If you prefer to leave the hall by the tunnel to your right,
turn to 323
.
If you wish to leave the hall via the tunnel to your left,
turn to 201
.
You meet with no resistance: your hand pushes through the bubble's skin as if you were dipping it in water. However, when you try to withdraw it, the transparent membrane closes around your wrist in a vice-like grip. As the wolf's jaws snap shut around your legs, the bubble envelops the upper half of your body.
In the space of one grisly minute, you are simultaneously suffocated and torn to shreds.
Your life and your quest end here.
The climb proves to be one of the most difficult you have ever attempted. There are precious few places for you to put your feet, and for much of the climb, your arms have to support all your weight. Progress is slow and painful, and your efforts are further hampered by gusts of wind and rain.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
and add 2. If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery and have reached the Kai rank of Primate you may deduct 2 from this total figure. Your final figure equals the number of
ENDURANCE
points lost due to wounds and fatigue before you reach the opposite side.
Aching and exhausted, you climb to the top of the stairs and approach the breached fortress wall.
You press yourself between two of the silky cocoons hanging from the wall and use your Magnakai skill to mask the heat and scent of your body. The hideous worm-like creature halts, its clicking mandibles snapping the air in frustration. You turn your head away and look straight into one of the cocoons. A chill runs down your spine, for the decaying remains of a female warrior's face stare back at you from inside the web-like strands of the cocoon.
The sudden shock makes you draw breath sharply. Immediately, the worm-like thing slithers forward, propelled by its short, rubbery legs. You can only pray that it has not detected your hiding place.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 109
.
If it is 5–9,
turn to 278
.
‘Stick with me,’ shouts the warrior over his shoulder as you race along the walkway, the creatures hot on your heels. Events are happening too quickly for you to rationalize your actions; instinct is now your only guide. At the arch he suddenly stops, throwing his arms out wide to hold you back. You run headlong into him with a jolt that leaves you breathless, but his strong hands grab your Backpack and keep you on your feet.
‘Snake-trap!’ he shouts, pointing to a stone slab set into the floor. ‘Curse this infernal place; is nowhere safe from Zahda's devilry?’ A shriek of malicious glee makes you turn your head; the creatures are closer than you feared. ‘Jump!’ cries the warrior. ‘For pity's sake, jump!’
If you wish to jump across the slab,
turn to 268
.
If you decide to stand and fight the onrushing enemy,
turn to 299
.
Jets of fire spurt from the floor and walls momentarily blinding you. A wave of searing heat buffets your face, singeing your hair and eyelashes (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points), and forcing you to retreat for fear of being burned alive.
Suddenly there is a ghastly scream. Something is approaching you through the flames. In the next instant, a blazing human form staggers into view; it shrieks in agony and lurches out of the fire-jets, its arms flailing wildly as it launches an attack.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus,
turn to 72
.
If you wish to prepare to defend yourself,
turn to 126
.
If you wish to run past the fiery attacker and into the blazing inferno,
turn to 204
.
If you wish to evade both by running back along the tunnel,
turn to 320
.
You sense that the bridge is strong enough to support your weight, so long as it is not subjected to any sudden or violent shock. Such a shock could easily open up one of the many cracks that riddle its core.
Forewarned by your Kai Mastery, you step onto the bridge and advance carefully.
As you walk the temperature steadily rises until you are bathed in sweat. The steel plates of the tunnel become too hot to touch, and wisps of smoke rise from the soles of your boots, where the leather is close to igniting.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus or a Kazan-Oud Platinum Amulet,
turn to 24
.
If you have neither the skill nor the Special Item,
turn to 324
.
To your dismay, you discover that the tunnel is no more than a shallow cave that shelters a clutch of eggs, each one as large as a barrel of ale. They lie upon a bed of packs and torn clothing, all that remains of previous adventurers who fell foul of the giant snake. An angry snickering and a stabbing forked tongue force you to the back of the tunnel, warning you that a similar fate may lie in store for you.
If you wish to examine the eggs more closely,
turn to 148
.
If you wish to search for a way to escape from the tunnel,
turn to 346
.