The Cauldron of Fear (22 page)

The creatures possess some psychic skills that afford them a limited sixth sense. Their leader, a female who is taller and much lighter in colour than the others, suddenly detects your presence. The sight of you frightens the creatures and they slink quickly down the stairs, cradling their egg protectively in their webbed hands. You run forward in time to see them disappear into the dark stairwell.

If you have a Kalte Firesphere, a Lantern, or a Torch and Tinderbox,
turn to 33
.

If you have a Fireseed and wish to throw it down the stairs,
turn to 106
.

If you choose to unsheathe a hand weapon and descend the stairs into darkness,
turn to 224
.

Your suspicions are aroused as you ride towards the watchtower. No flag flutters from its battlements and no guards appear to challenge your approach. You pass along a roadway littered with clothes and belongings, and the settlement looks deserted; it is as if the inhabitants have left in a great hurry. You are about to spur your horse to a canter when your Kai instincts warn you that danger lies ahead.

Like demons from a nightmare, a host of snarling Giak wolf-riders bursts into view, streaming out from their shadowy hiding places behind the empty huts. They thunder towards you on every side, shrieking and thrusting their spears at the darkening sky.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 183
.

If you wish to draw a hand weapon and prepare for combat,
turn to 244
.

If you wish to try to escape this ambush by galloping along the pass, pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–3,
turn to 293
.

If it is 4–9,
turn to 257
.

‘Find somewhere else to sit, stranger: that place is mine,’ he demands, grasping the hilt of his dagger with his free hand. You sense movement outside in the street and you glance nervously at the cellar door. ‘Get up,’ growls the man impatiently, drawing his dagger slowly from its sheath. ‘If you dare cross Sogh of Suentina, you'll not live long enough to regret it!’

At that instant the door bursts open and in rush six heavily armed Senate House guards. Thinking that the ale cellar is being raided, something of a routine event here at the Purple Purse, the shady patrons drop their drinks and flee towards the open door in an attempt to escape arrest. Sogh, the thief who threatened you, heads towards a shadowy arch. You run after him and grab him by the arm.

‘Get me out of here,’ you plead, ‘you can name your price.’ The wily thief smiles at the thought of making some easy money and holds out his hand.

‘Give me your money pouch and I'll save your skin.’ Grudgingly you hand over your gold and follow the thief into the archway. Delete any Gold Crowns or Lune you have recorded in the Belt Pouch section of your
Action Chart
.

Turn to 135
.

‘I know where your friend is,’ he says, a note of desperation creeping into his voice, ‘and I know where they've stowed your equipment. Let me loose and I'll show you.’ Grudgingly you undo the manacles that encircle his wrists.

‘A thousand thanks,’ he says, massaging his aching arms. ‘My name is Sogh, master-thief of Suentina; at your service.’ He bows then motions you to follow him to a closed door behind you, next to the open one through which you entered the chamber. ‘This is the second time I've been invited to stay at these lodgings,’ he whispers, working on the lock with a length of wire taken from the sleeve of his leather tunic. ‘Because I decided to cut short my last visit they thought it best to keep me chained up this time.’

There is a soft
click
and Sogh smiles proudly as he removes the wire from the lock. ‘Ha! That was easy!’ he says, pushing open the door. Standing in the doorway are two burly guards, one clutching a bowl of food and the other holding a large iron key. ‘Hmm … I thought that lock opened a bit too easily,’ mumbles Sogh, as he backs away from the advancing guards. They drop what they are carrying and draw their swords; they are determined to prevent your escape.

Illustration XVIII
—The advancing guards drop what they are carrying and draw their swords.

Gatehouse Guards:
COMBAT SKILL
 20   
ENDURANCE
 26

Make the proper adjustments to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this fight, as you are without a Weapon.
¹⁴
You fight alone: Sogh is cowering behind you, using your body as a shield.

If you win the combat,
turn to 259
.

You leap from the swinging ladder a fraction too late, overshoot the ledge, and crash painfully against a wall of rough, jagged rock. As you rebound from the wall you land on the ledge and manage to cling to the boulders that litter its surface. You have suffered cuts to your face and chest, and your side is gashed and bruised — lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.

Turn to 157
.

Five miles along the highway you reach another junction, where a cart track bears off to the west. A whitewashed stone marker at the side of the road says:

If you wish to follow the cart track to Sidara,
turn to 45
.

If you wish to stay on the highway to Tahou,
turn to 145
.

The soldiers demand one Crown each before even hearing your question. You pay them their price (remember to deduct this from your
Action Chart
) and ask if a blond-haired Northlander, dressed in blue robes, is being held under arrest here.

‘Wait here,’ says the bearded soldier, and enters the barracks. Suddenly his companion takes a swipe at you with the shaft of his halberd. Instinctively you duck, avoiding the full force of the blow, but it still catches your temple and leaves you stunned: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point. ‘There he is!’ says the bearded man, who has reappeared with a dozen of his comrades. ‘Don't let 'im get away. They want him down at the South Gate. Seems he's been givin' them a bit o' trouble.’

They surround you with a circle of spears and march you back to the South Gate tower. On the way you overhear the bearded mercenary say to another soldier, ‘If only he hadn't tried to bribe us with Northland coinage, he'd have got clean away!’

Turn to 162
.

The lock makes an odd clicking sound but both doors remain firmly shut.
¹⁵
Repeatedly you press the top button, running through all the numbers in the hope that it will open, but the doors do not move. You have entered part of the combination out of sequence and the lock has immobilized itself.

Turn to 207
.

The guards inspect the Invitation, their expressions conveying their doubt that the signature it bears is genuine. They order you to dismount and one of them hurries off to summon the gatehouse commander. Fortunately, when he arrives he recognizes Lortha's mark and allows you to leave the enclosure, although he impounds both your horses. You protest and demand that they be returned, but to no avail.

‘Orders of the Senate,’ says the commander, offhandedly; ‘an emergency decree. All horses belonging to the civil population must be delivered into the care of the garrison stables until the state of emergency is lifted.’

Reluctantly you allow the guards to take your steeds and, as they are being led away, the commander hands you each a piece of vellum stamped with a date and a number. ‘Receipts,’ he explains, his tone noticeably more friendly. You pocket your Receipt (mark this as a Special Item on your
Action Chart
; owing to its size, you need not delete another Special Item should you already carry the maximum quota) and are about to walk away when he calls out, ‘Report to the citadel first thing in the morning. You'll be allocated your battle positions for when the enemy attack.’

Turn to 242
.

No sooner have you managed to prise the dead ghoul's hands from around your throat than his brethren reach the hollow. Your skin crawls at the touch of their slick, clammy flesh, but you struggle against your rising nausea and counter their attack.

Ghoul Pack:
COMBAT SKILL
 24   
ENDURANCE
 35

If you wield the Sommerswerd in this combat, you may double these undead creatures'
ENDURANCE
point loss.

If you win the combat,
turn to 147
.

It is a grim grey building, devoid of decoration or colour, its stark bare walls serving to remind the Tahouese of its sober purpose. It is a place where justice is meted out to wrongdoers and harsh punishments are imposed. All trials are conducted before a magistrate and his decision is final; there are no juries in Tahou. The Chief Magistrate presides over crimes that are serious enough to warrant the death penalty and, as you stare at the courthouse from the shadows of a doorway, your pulse quickens when you see his carriage draw up outside. An old man with long grey hair and a beard, he is wearing the purple and silver robes of the judiciary. He is accompanied by court guards and scribes, who help him to climb the steps to his private chambers located within the court building. When he reaches the top step he halts, turns, and points his finger at you.

Illustration XIX
—An old man with long grey hair and beard halts at the top step and points his finger at you.

If you have ever visited the city of Varetta or a hut on the Ruanon Pike in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 304
.

If you have never visited either of these places,
turn to 263
.

Pressing your shoulder to the door you force it open and advance into the corridor beyond. But a shock awaits you: two reptilians kneel at the end of the passage, supporting on their scaly shoulders a huge rod of crystal encircled with tubes and glowing with metallic buttons. Terror grips your heart as you see the rod become charged with a bolt of power that is aimed at your chest.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 295
.

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

Your weapon has just cleared the scabbard when there is a tremendous noise. The snake rises into the air, its huge tree-thick body propelled by powerful feathered wings. Two vulture-like forelimbs, tipped with sharp, rending claws, scrabble at the air as it leaves its hiding place and streaks towards your chest.

Turn to 82
.

There is a soft whirr as the mechanism of the lock disengages,
¹⁶
but the door does not open.
You will need this key,
 — the words sound in your head.

You spin around to see a female reptilian, the leader of her kind. She moves towards you from an archway to your right, holding a rod of Korlinium in her webbed hand. The glint of several eyes in the darkness of the other arches warn that she is not alone. Telepathically, she calls to you.
You are unlike the other man-things that have dared to enter Zaaryx. What is it that you seek?

If you wish to tell her why you are here,
turn to 256
.

If you choose to prepare to defend yourself in case you are attacked,
turn to 83
.