The Cauldron of Fear (21 page)

You grip the sun-sword in both hands and strike out at the bolt as it surges towards your chest. There is a terrific jolt and a splash of white sparks as the sword deflects the bolt, sending it screeching back along the corridor. It explodes among the reptilians with an ear-splitting crack, destroying them and their weapon and scattering their burning remains all over the walls and floor. You cover your face with your cloak and run, head down, through the billowing smoke and flames to a clearer section of the corridor beyond.

Turn to 241
.

Suddenly a tremendous noise fills your ears as a huge snake rises above the crops ahead, propelled into the air by a pair of powerful feathered wings. Two vulture-like forelimbs, tipped with sharp rending claws, scrabble the air as it dives towards your chest.

Turn to 82
.

You dive, roll twice, and bounce to your feet, suffering nothing more serious than a scratched shoulder and a bruised knee: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.

To enter the tower,
turn to 131
.

Gradually, as the feeling returns to your frozen limbs and your heart ceases to hammer in your chest, you feel bitterness and resentment welling up inside. You lift your face and give vent to an angry shout, cursing Senator Chil for his act of callous treachery that so nearly sealed your doom. Your voice travels through the dark towards a tiny speck that is the shaft of the Cauldron, 500 feet above, but none hear your cry. The Senate is convinced that you have perished in the fall and have ordered the plug to be lowered back into position. Helplessly you stare into the void and watch, with fear and frustration, as the tiny speck flickers and then disappears.

Turn to 218
.

You follow the old hermit back into the gorge and along the dry watercourse. He leads you to a cave, its entrance partially hidden by a rockfall. ‘Enter and follow the tunnel through the hillside and you will soon arrive at a place close to the capital.’ Before you can thank him, he turns and hobbles away, eager to return to the warmth of his hut.

Turn to 31
.

The great flagstoned precinct at the entrance to the Anarium is packed with hundreds of people. Senate officials, soldiers, and citizens crowd the steps that give access to the grand foyer and outer chambers of the hall. You notice that a side entrance is being used exclusively by army scouts who arrive with dispatches and leave with orders for the lookouts hidden in the surrounding hills. You take a calculated gamble and order the carriage driver to draw up at the side entrance. This bold move pays off; upon seeing your presidential scroll not only do the guards allow you into the Anarium, but you are escorted to the Appellant's Gallery inside the assembly hall itself.

Illustration XVII
—President Toltuda occupies a seat in the centre of the hall and presides over a heated discussion.

From your seat in the gallery you stare down at an oval hall, ringed by twelve arches beneath which the senators of Anari sit upon their throne-like chairs of lacquered oak. President Toltuda occupies a seat in the centre of the hall and presides over a heated discussion that is raging back and forth. Having heard all sides of the argument he calls for a vote, and the issue is decided by a show of hands.

‘We now come to a quite extraordinary matter, which has been raised by one of our most eminent citizens,’ says President Toltuda, introducing your appeal to the Senate. He turns to the gallery and calls out, ‘Sommlending Lord, Lone Wolf, please make yourself known to the assembly.’

You rise from your seat and bow to the senators. ‘Please present your request to us, Lone Wolf,’ says the President, and a hush descends on the hall as you explain the purpose of your journey to Tahou. When you have finished, the President calls upon the senators to speak.

‘I say we should help the Sommlending,’ pipes the shrill voice of Senator Zilaris. ‘If he finds the Lorestone, its power could turn the tide and save Tahou from the clutches of Darklord Gnaag.’ A murmur of agreement stirs in the hall.

‘And I say we should refuse to open the Cauldron,’ booms the powerful voice of Senator Chil. ‘I say that if it were not for his presence in our city, we would be spared the attention of the Darklords. He is the object of their anger and spite. I say we should give him to them, and in doing so we will save our city, our country, our people, and ourselves!’ A surge of support echoes from the arches, and your skin prickles at the thought of what could happen. President Toltuda calls for a vote to decide whether the Senate should allow you to enter the Cauldron, or use you to bargain for peace with the Darklords.

Tensely you await the result. The votes are cast and counted and the Senate is split evenly: six votes for you and six votes against. The decision now rests with the President himself. He must cast the deciding vote.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 58
.

If the number is 5–9,
turn to 137
.

You are in combat with a powerful denizen of Zaaryx. There is no time to evade its attack and you must fight it to the death.

Psi-ghoul:
COMBAT SKILL
 20   
ENDURANCE
 30

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
.

‘Never mind, stranger; you are not the only one who does not know the answer,’ says Khmar, motioning towards the plains farmers who are frowning and scratching their heads. He and his sons gather up their belongings and bid you goodnight. The farmers soon follow suit, leaving you and Banedon seated alone at the end of the table.

If you wish to talk to Guyuk the tavern owner,
turn to 268
.

If you wish to order a meal,
turn to 88
.

If you decide to call it a day and retire to your room,
turn to 156
.

With their leader slain, the Giaks suddenly lose their nerve and fall back to their ladder. You leap forward and help them on their way with a flurry of blows that leaves six dead at your feet. Several leap from the battlements into the moat rather than stand and face your deadly counterattack. Within minutes the wall is cleared of the enemy and a squad of Slovian mercenaries arrives to plug the gap.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery and have reached the Kai rank of Principalin,
turn to 35
.

If you do not possess this skill or have yet to reach this level of Magnakai training,
turn to 168
.

A tingle runs down your spine as you recognize the Chief Magistrate. It is Gwynian, the Sage of Varetta, the man who foretold the dangers of the Chasm of Doom and helped you find the Lorestone of Varetta. ‘Come hither, Lone Wolf,’ he beckons. His words sound in your head as if he were standing beside you, whispering them in your ear. ‘Destiny has decreed that we should meet again.’

Drawn by his words and your own curiosity, you climb the steps of the Magistrates' Court and follow him to his private chambers.

Turn to 76
.

The man smiles smugly as you recount everything about yourself, your quest for the Lorestone, and your ordeal at the Senate House. When finally you reach the end of your account, he gives vent to a long, sardonic laugh. ‘I, Maghana, the Guildmaster of Thieves, in all the years I have dwelt beneath the velvet fortress, I have dispatched many men to the Tahou Cauldron to seek out ancient treasures, though few have gone willingly, and fewer still have returned alive. Know you this, Sommlending: the Cauldron is but one way to enter the main shaft to Zaaryx. There are other routes, other shafts, and all of them are known to me. I will show you one such shaft, but you must do something in return. Is it agreed?’

Cautiously you ask his terms. ‘My son, Aiebek, entered the shaft three moons ago, drawn by the stories of dragon gold. He has not returned. All I ask is that if you find his body, you bring me the ring he wears upon his right hand.’ Without hesitation you agree to these terms, for they seem most reasonable. He smiles, but this time his eyes glow with a strange intensity, as if he were a man on the brink of madness. ‘Do not fail me,’ he says, softly, holding aloft the sparkling mind-gem. ‘I shall know if you lie.’

Turn to 275
.

The dead Doomwolf drops heavily to the ground and your horse rears up on its hind legs, churning the air with its forehooves, which strike like steel hammers amid the remaining wolf-riders. More than one ends its days with your horse's hoofprint stamped upon its shattered skull. A gap appears and you see Banedon gallop past, his loose robe streaming out behind him like a pair of blue wings. You dig in your heels and urge your brave horse after him, fleeing the battleground as yet more of the wolf-riders loom into view.

Turn to 293
.

Suddenly you are bathed in a white light that shines upon you from holes in the stone ceiling, and at once you see the bottom of a staircase twenty yards ahead. In the corridor beyond, a door swings open to reveal two reptilians, supporting on their shoulders a huge rod of crystal, encircled with tubes and with glowing metallic buttons. Terror grips your heart as you watch the rod become charged with a bolt of power that is aimed at your chest.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 27
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 152
.

‘Your actions betray your guilt,’ growls the mercenary leader. Contemptuously he hurls aside the trembling soldiers and draws his sword. ‘Get 'em, lads!’ he cries, and leaps to the attack.

Deldenian Mercenaries:
COMBAT SKILL
 26   
ENDURANCE
 34

If you wish to evade after one round of combat,
turn to 223
.

If you win the combat,
turn to 174
.

You throw yourself to the ground to avoid the deadly shafts but one pierces your left arm and knocks you back several feet. You fall awkwardly, cracking your head on the hard stone floor, and opening a jagged gash above your eye: lose 8
ENDURANCE
points. Blinking away the blood, which is streaming down your forehead, you grit your teeth and stagger to your feet. The sergeant yells, ‘Take him!’ and all six of the soldiers unsheathe their weapons and run at you. You cannot evade this combat, and because the corridor is narrow, you must fight the guards two at a time.

Tower Guards 1 and 2:
COMBAT SKILL
 17   
ENDURANCE
 29

Tower Guards 3 and 4:
COMBAT SKILL
 18   
ENDURANCE
 32

Tower Guard and Sergeant:
COMBAT SKILL
 20   
ENDURANCE
 32

If you defeat the pair of Tower Guards, Sogh will fight by your side and you may add 2 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of the subsequent combats.

If you win the combats,
turn to 177
.

You steel yourself to renew your aim as the flying serpent makes its attack. At the last possible moment you release the Arrow, sending it burrowing into the creature's pear-shaped skull. It gives vent to a chilling sound and somersaults backwards in the air, its wings thrashing wildly as it crashes to the ground amid a spray of blood and broken feathers.

Turn to 247
.

You reach the end of the alley where it joins a wide, cobblestoned avenue lit by street lanterns. A large, three-storey building stands on the corner; its windows are boarded and its doors are all locked, except for one at the side which is suspiciously ajar.

If you wish to investigate this building,
turn to 217
.

If you wish to ignore it and enter the street ahead,
turn to 278
.

If you decide to call off the chase, walk back to Brooker Court, and continue on your way,
turn to 334
.

A troop of guards enters the enclosure at the double. They strip you of all your Weapons, Special Items, and Backpack Items, and then escort you to a cell located high in the South Gatehouse tower. Banedon is led away to another part of the city wall, to be interrogated by the gatehouse commander.

Place an ‘x’ beside each of the Special Items, Backpack Items, and Weapons that you have listed on your
Action Chart
to indicate that they are no longer in your possession. Only if you rediscover them at a later stage of your adventure may you erase each ‘x’ and reuse them.

Turn to 134
.