The Cauldron of Fear (12 page)

With the grace of a panther you leap from the swinging ladder and land safely in the centre of the narrow ledge. You advance along this rubble-strewn shelf of black stone, following it as it descends through a layer of swirling mist that glows with a faint blue-green luminescence. Below the mist lies a chamber; its walls are scarred with deep furrows, as if it was excavated from solid rock by a huge clawed hand.

Close to the wall lies what appears to be a large bundle of rags. But as you approach them you suddenly realize that they are more than simply rags: they contain the skeletal remains of a human body.

If you wish to examine the body,
turn to 186
.

If you wish to ignore it and explore the chamber,
turn to 51
.

‘The lever that opens the exit panel is near the ceiling,’ whispers Sogh, casting nervous glances over his shoulder. He can hear the guards scratching at the wall behind, trying to locate the brick which opens the concealed entrance. Your fingers find the lever and you pull it. The panel slides aside and you both step out into an empty horse stall. As the panel slides back into position, you jam it with a piece of timber. Fortunately the stables are empty of guards and it is easy to make your escape through a side window that gives access to an alley.

‘Good luck, Northlander. I hope you find your friend. Remember, they have him locked up at the Eastgate Barracks,’ says Sogh. You bid him farewell, and as you watch him disappear into the shadows, you consider your best course of action.

If you decide to make your way to the Eastgate Barracks,
turn to 23
.

If you decide to seek the help of Chiban the Magician, Banedon's former teacher,
turn to 221
.

Using your Magnakai skill, you concentrate and focus your telescopic vision on the distant horizon. Gradually the image magnifies until you can see clearly that the glimmer is a wide, fast-flowing river. Your basic Kai sense of tracking tells you it is the River Churdas.

If you wish to continue your ride towards the River Churdas,
turn to 40
.

If you wish to retrace your tracks to the highway,
turn to 222
.

You fall like a stone into the whirling blackness. In desperation you thrust out your arms, hoping to seize an outcrop or ledge, but there is nothing in the void for you to grasp. The freezing wind screams past your face and your senses are overwhelmed by the horror of your impending doom. Suddenly an icy shock engulfs you as you strike the surface of a lake and plunge into its lightless depths. Stunned by the sudden impact and numbed by the icy water, you sink several fathoms before you can muster your strength and strike out for the surface.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, add 4 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–3,
turn to 4
.

If it is 4–7,
turn to 289
.

If it is 8 or more,
turn to 114
.

The courthouse of the Chief Magistrate is a grim, grey building. Devoid of any decoration or embellishment, its stark bare walls serve to remind the Tahouese of its sober purpose. It is a place where justice is meted out to wrongdoers. Harsh punishments are imposed: floggings and executions take place here every day of the week. All trials are conducted before a magistrate, and his decision is final as there are no juries in Tahou. The Chief Magistrate presides over crimes that are serious enough to warrant the death penalty, and your heart sinks when you learn that he is to sit in judgement of you.

You put up quite a struggle, but your shackles prevent you from breaking free of your armed escort. They drag you into the courtroom and throw you face down into an iron cage that stands before the Chief Magistrate's chair. A bell is struck to signal the arrival of the Chief Magistrate and he enters the court surrounded by an entourage of scribes. The bell rings once more and the scribes say with one voice, ‘This hearing is now in session.’

If you have ever visited the city of Varetta or a hut on the Ruanon Pike in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 294
.

If you have never visited either of these places,
turn to 54
.

You detect that someone is hiding in a cellar, located directly below where you are now standing. Access to this hiding place is via a trapdoor in the far corner of the hut, close to the fireplace.

If you wish to open the trapdoor and demand that the person show himself,
turn to 206
.

If you choose to ignore the trapdoor and search the hut instead,
turn to 190
.

If you wish to push the bed across the trapdoor, thereby sealing it,
turn to 225
.

Using your improved mastery, you move forward silently, pillar by pillar, until you are within a few feet of the creatures. Their heads resemble those of baby crocodiles, but their bodies and forelimbs are toad-like and covered with hard, shiny scales. They chatter incessantly and, judging by their behaviour and speech patterns, they are sentient beings.

If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Divination,
turn to 77
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 313
.

The afternoon passes swiftly as you ride across endless miles of treeless grassland. You stumble upon no village or hamlet and spend the hours listening to Banedon's account of recent events in Sommerlund and the Lastlands. Three years have passed since you were last in the land of your birth, and you are hungry to hear all that has transpired since then.

It is an hour past sunset and night is drawing its black cloak around you when you see a flickering red light on the road ahead: it is the village of Chadi. A great fire roars in the hearth of Guyuk's Tavern in Chadi, inviting the travel-sore to stop and warm their weary bones. You decide to stay overnight and, as soon as you have stabled your horses, you enter the tavern to ask the price of a room. The taproom is surprisingly quiet. It is full of villagers and farmers but they are a sullen crowd, content to sit in silence and brood over their glasses of lovka, a strong Slovian rye spirit named after the town where it was first distilled.

Guyuk, the tavern owner, greets you with a nervous nod of his shiny bald head and shows you to a table. There are no bars or counters in Anarian taverns; instead, the customers sit at long banqueting tables and wait for the owner and his staff to serve them. He smiles uneasily as he answers your enquiry about a room. ‘A single room with a bed would be twelve Lune each.’

If you have enough money to pay for a room (twelve Lune equals three Gold Crowns), do so and
turn to 34
.

If you do not have sufficient Lune or Gold Crowns to pay for a room,
turn to 132
.

Soon you arrive at a part of the city that Banedon remembers well. It borders a large public garden called the Rainbow Park, so named because of the vast number of rare and colourful flowers that grow there. The park is now an encampment for those who have answered the President's desperate call for defenders. Survivors from the towns of Resa and Zila have joined forces with green-clad Daroga woodsmen, tough hill-dwellers from the Chah mountain valley, and river-folk from the Churdas, forming regiments to reinforce the Tahou garrison. Their battle-stained banners, lit by the flickering glow of a hundred campfires, flutter above the tents that fill the great park.

Opposite the entrance stands the Guildhall of Tailors. You turn into an avenue running beside this imposing hall, and then cross into the North District by means of alleys and side streets, and finally emerge at Leech Street, just opposite the house of Chiban the Magician. His is a grand building of polished red stone set with small, diamond-paned windows that twinkle like cat's eyes in the moonlight. You pass beneath its arched gateway and climb the magnificent tiled steps that lead to a black oak door. Banedon raps the knocker and you wait patiently for it to open.

Minutes later the great door swings aside and the aristocratic figure of Chiban stands framed in the doorway. Keen-eyed and grey-haired, he welcomes you both with surprise and delight.

‘Banedon!’ he exclaims, like a father reunited with a long lost son. ‘How good it is to see you. But what brings you to Tahou at this darkest of hours? Have you come to offer your skills in the defence of our beleaguered city?’

‘My services are yours to command, my lord Chiban,’ answers Banedon, bowing respectfully to his former mentor. ‘Yet also I return to your esteemed household to seek your help at the behest of King Ulnar of Sommerlund. May I introduce my companion — Lone Wolf.’

Chiban turns his kindly gaze on you and smiles knowingly. ‘I am honoured to meet you, Kai Lord,’ he says. ‘I have knowledge of that which you seek and I shall aid you all I can in your search for it.’

He beckons you to enter and the door closes behind you, seemingly of its own accord. You follow Chiban to his study. The musty room is lined with massive wooden racks full of books and papers. At its centre a large, circular table is completely covered with the implements of his magical researches. He clears a space amid the clutter and motions you to sit. ‘You must both be famished after your journey here. Come, eat and enjoy!’ For a few seconds, a shimmering pool of light fills the space, and then fades, leaving a sumptuous meal of grilled trout, baked potatoes, hakeroot, and sparkling Anarian wine.

If you have lost any
ENDURANCE
points on your adventure so far, you may now restore 3 points as you consume this delicious meal.

Turn to 269
.

You are covered in the blood of your foes. The stench is so unbearable that you have to wash in the lake before you can go any further. When you return to the hollow to collect your Backpack, you notice an odd-looking token lying next to one of the dead ghouls.

If you wish to examine this token,
turn to 43
.

If you choose to ignore it and leave this place,
turn to 175
.

The Doomwolf breathes its last but its claws remain hooked in your saddle. You strive to cut it away but your horse can no longer bear its weight. With a neigh of terror, his legs buckle and you are thrown to the blood-soaked ground. Before you can regain your feet, you are set upon by the snarling Giak horde.

Illustration IX
—You are set upon by the snarling Giak horde.

6 Doomwolves and Giak Riders:
COMBAT SKILL
 38   
ENDURANCE
 56

You must fight these creatures as one enemy. Owing to your fall, reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 2 points for the first two rounds of combat.

If you win the combat,
turn to 66
.

The window is bolted shut. If you are determined to escape this way you will have to take the risk of jumping through a pane of thick glass.

If you still wish to escape through the window,
turn to 266
.

If you choose to escape along the corridor instead,
turn to 121
.

A warm tingling runs through your body as the Lorestone descends into your hands and, as you touch the crystal, your senses become charged with a new vitality that obliterates the fatigue of your ordeal and fills you with newfound wisdom and strength (restore your
ENDURANCE
score to its original total).

Then a swirl of colour engulfs your body and you feel yourself fall forward into the throat of a spinning vortex. The chamber dissolves and you begin to rise at an ever-increasing speed, as if you were falling upwards. A surge of light makes you close your eyes, but it passes in an instant and you find yourself staring down at an incredible and terrible sight.

Turn to 2
.