The Cauldron of Fear (15 page)

The net wraps itself around your legs and brings you down at the top of the stairs. You cannot prevent yourself from rolling forwards and, with a cry of fear and frustration, you tumble headlong down the hard stone staircase to land in a crumpled heap at the bottom: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

Three soldiers are waiting for you. They clutch wooden staves in their sweaty palms with which they hope to beat you senseless. ‘Get 'im!’ they shout, and run forward to strike before you can disentangle yourself from the net.

Senate Guards:
COMBAT SKILL
 28   
ENDURANCE
 32

Because of your fall and your current entangled condition, you cannot make use of a Weapon or Special Item during the first four rounds of combat. As you are unarmed, remember to reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
accordingly.

If you win the combat,
turn to 90
.

You notch an Arrow and let fly at a rider closing in on your left. The shaft pierces one of its eyes and lifts the loathsome creature out of its wolf-saddle, spinning him into the path of the following Doomwolves. His body brings down two of the ravening beasts and their riders, who are slammed into the ground as their mounts crash together in a tangled heap.

Your bow-skill has bought you precious seconds in which to escape from the settlement. Banedon gallops past, his loose robe streaming out behind him like a pair of blue wings. You dig in your heels and urge your horse after him, with the shrill clangour of Giak war-cries ringing ever louder in your ears.

Turn to 293
.

With Bow in hand, you crouch at the gap in the door and launch two Arrows in as many seconds. The shafts strike home with deadly accuracy, piercing an eye of each reptilian and killing them instantly. As they fall, their crystal tube shatters and explodes with a tremendous, ear-splitting crack. The fragments burn fiercely and you are forced to cover your mouth with your cloak as you run, head down, through the billowing smoke and flames to a clearer section of the corridor beyond.

Turn to 241
.

At the end of the corridor a flight of steps leads down to an open prison door. Cautiously you peer around the doorway into the chamber beyond, where you see a man chained to the wall. He is lean and sinewy, with jet-black hair and a moustache, which he has braided into his long sideburns in a style known as ‘Pirazin plaits’, fashionable among Slovian men. He appears to be either asleep or unconscious.

You enter the chamber, moving swiftly and silently towards a staircase on the opposite side, and immediately he springs to life. ‘Hold fast, Northlander,’ he hisses. ‘They'll catch y' for sure if you take the stairs. Let me loose and I'll show you a way to slip out o' here quicker than mist through a net.’

Quickly you consider his offer, but choose to leave him, deciding instead to trust your Kai instincts to aid your escape. You shake your head and turn to leave, but the man is shrewd; he says something he knows will change your mind.

Turn to 316
.

The mouldering bones are encased in the tattered remains of a blue leather tunic and breeches. Both thigh bones are shattered and the skull and spine are cracked in several places, suggesting that this unfortunate man fell to his death from a great height. You can find no weapons, and the backpack and haversack that are strapped to his body are both unbuckled and empty, as if they have been looted. You check the corpse's right hand, but there are no rings on any of the bony fingers — this is not Maghana's son.

When you are satisfied that you have overlooked nothing, you leave the body and investigate the chamber.

Turn to 51
.

Gradually the track narrows, and then disappears altogether, and you find yourselves riding through a sea of tall green wheat. You press on for over an hour until you see a faint glimmer of light stretching across the horizon in the far distance.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery and have reached the rank of Principalin,
turn to 140
.

If you do not possess this skill or have yet to reach this Kai rank,
turn to 74
.

The power of the ring greatly amplifies your psychic energies as you attack the Zakhan. They disrupt his control over the Orb of Death and enable you to penetrate his shield with an ordinary weapon.

Zakhan Kimah:
COMBAT SKILL
 29   
ENDURANCE
 38

If you win the combat,
turn to 350
.

You pull the hood of your cloak up to keep your face in shadow and stride boldly towards the two soldiers. ‘I am in need of some information,’ you say, disguising your Sommlending accent as best you can, ‘and I'm sure you brave fellows can help me.’

‘Maybe we can,’ replies one soldier, stroking his beard and narrowing his eyes shrewdly, ‘if the price be right.’

If you wish to bribe these soldiers with Lune,
turn to 253
.

If you wish to bribe them with Gold Crowns,
turn to 319
.

If you wish to leave the barracks and walk back along Eastwall Lane,
turn to 278
.

If you prefer to continue on your way east,
turn to 284
.

There is very little of use or value in this hut. You discover the following, all of which are Backpack Items:

• Rope
  
• Lantern
  ¹⁰
  
• Blanket
  
• Comb
  

You may keep any of these items but remember to adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly. Banedon reminds you that it is rapidly getting darker, so you leave the hut and press on without further delay.

Turn to 123
.

You try to dodge aside but the mist whirls around you like a snake. An intense heat burns your body — it is as if you are surrounded by coils of white-hot metal — and your mind is filled with terrifying images of the supernatural: lose 6
ENDURANCE
points.

Confident that it has ensnared another victim, the grey ghoul stalks forward. You fight to clear your mind of the swirling visions as the creature raises its hand and prepares to strike you down with a pitted iron spike.

Psi-ghoul:
COMBAT SKILL
 20   
ENDURANCE
 30

Owing to the power of its psychic attack, you must reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 4 points for the duration of the fight. If you wield the Sommerswerd in this combat, you may double this undead creature's
ENDURANCE
point loss.

If you win the combat,
turn to 87
.

‘Hold him tight, lads,’ instructs the officer, as his men grab your cloak and tunic. ‘They want this Northlander at the South Gate. Seems he's been making a nuisance of himself.’

They march you back along Eastwall Lane. Minutes later you reach the tower, and the officer delivers you into the clutches of the angry gatehouse guard.

Turn to 162
.

Slowly the cavalry draws nearer; the faces of the soldiers are stern and unsmiling beneath the peaks of their winged helmets. Their leader, a sergeant, makes a signal and the horsemen change formation, drawing into a circle that quickly closes around you. ‘State your business here!’ bellows the sergeant. ‘Why do you ride to Tahou?’

At first you are suspicious of their identity, but your basic Kai Sixth Sense tells you that these men are genuine Anarian rangers.

If you wish to tell the sergeant the real reason you are riding to Tahou,
turn to 279
.

If you have an Invitation and wish to show it to him,
turn to 136
.

If you demand what right they have to hinder your passage to the capital,
turn to 343
.

Your light flares into life, illuminating the rubbish-strewn passage. A moving shadow in the distance betrays the pickpocket, as he dives into a side entrance of a large, three-storey building. (If your source of light is a Torch, remember to erase it from your
Action Chart
.)

If you wish to follow him into the building,
turn to 217
.

If you decide to let him escape, you walk back to Brooker Court and continue on your way;
turn to 334
.

You throw out your hands to claw at the rope ladder but your fingers are numb with cold. You cannot close your grip, and with a scream of anguish, you slip and fall backwards into the black abyss. Your scream grows until you impact into a cold, wet avenue of Zaaryx, 200 feet below.

Your life and your quest end here.

The guards look at you with distrust in their eyes. They order you to dismount, and one of them hurries off to fetch the gatehouse commander. Minutes later the officer strides into the enclosure, his face wearing the frown of a man who has gone without sleep for many nights. Wearily he casts his eye over you both. ‘So you want to fight for Tahou, do you?’ he says, sarcastically. ‘How do I know you're not spies or saboteurs?’

If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility,
turn to 42
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 109
.

The passage is dark and very narrow, and you are forced to turn sideways in order to move along it. To make matters worse, the floor is littered with large rocks that graze and bruise your legs, making it difficult for you to stay on your feet.

If you have a Kalte Firesphere, a Lantern, or a Torch and Tinderbox,
turn to 14
.

If you possess none of these items,
turn to 327
.

Your shaft pierces the engineer's throat, sending him toppling into the moat. In panic, the soldier drops his screen and runs back across the bridge towards the Drakkarim. They view this as an act of cowardice and kill him out of hand as a warning to the Salonese.

Your bow-skill has bought the defenders at the West Gate precious time to patch their battered defences. You are about to help them when a new threat looms to the north.

Turn to 249
.

Your Magnakai Discipline of Divination screams a silent warning that the village harbours hostile enemies.

If you wish to investigate who these enemies might be,
turn to 103
.

If you choose to heed your Kai sense and ride back into the wheat fields,
turn to 111
.

You follow her along passages and sloping tunnels, down long flights of stairs and through magnificent chambers that no human eye has ever seen before. The alien splendour of this ancient city leaves you in awe of the race that once dwelt in these halls. For interminable hours you follow in her wake until you arrive at a circular chamber of rust-red stone. The floor descends in a series of wide steps that encircle the room, and in the middle of the tiers is a shallow pit with a stone dais at its centre.

Illustration XII
—At your approach, the dais glows with a crimson light and pulses like a living heart.

At your approach, the dais glows with a crimson light that pulses like a living heart. Shimmering waves of silvery radiance sweep the steps and a chorus of voices, soft and sirenic, echo through the upper reaches of the chamber. You surrender yourself to instinct and step upon the dais, cupping your hands before you and raising your face to the roof. A golden light pours out of the darkness, soaking you in its brilliance and filling your senses with a glowing warmth. A gasp of awe arises from the tiers, now crowded with reptilians. They are the Crocaryx, the guardians of this city, the stewards of the Lorestone, who were placed here by the great God Kai. With joy and sorrow they have gathered to witness the fulfilment of their purpose, for your coming marks the end of their stewardship and the beginning of their demise.

High above you a shadow is taking form at the core of the golden light. It is dark and leathery and shaped like an egg. Slowly it breaks and peels open to reveal a sparkling crystal sphere: it is the Lorestone of Tahou, the object of your quest.

Turn to 150
.