The Curse of Naar (32 page)
As you crest the lip of the crater you see that the lining of the cone is unusually smooth. You peer down towards the vent at its centre and your suspicions are further aroused when you note that this hole is perfectly symmetrical. No natural volcanic forces could have created this precisely circular vent and it prompts you to take a closer look. When you reach the base of the cone you discover a circular platform of carved stone blocks constructed around a well-like opening. When you look down into this well you are half-expecting to see smoke, or perhaps the glow of molten lava, but to your surprise you discover it is filled with a shimmering blue light.
Fortunately, the Lavas fail to see you hit the ground and take cover beneath the basalt slab. Through a crack in the rock you watch as they encircle and attack the dragon, and then drag it to the ground. They are angry that the lumbering beast has lost its cargo and they berate and chastise it unmercifully.
While the Lavas are busy bullying the luckless dragon, you escape across this derelict piece of waste ground and hurry towards the construction area which lies close to the main temple.
Lord Rimoah steps towards the table and picks up a seemingly ordinary scabbard.
‘Here, take this,’ he says, placing it into your hands. ‘It is woven from strands of pure korlinium. It will keep secret the true powers of your mighty blade.’
You exchange your old scabbard for this new one and affix it to your belt. (Record the Korlinium Scabbard as a Special Item on your
Action Chart
. You need not discard another item in its favour if you already carry the maximum permissible.)
‘Your new scabbard will shield your goodly blade, Grand Master;’ comments Lord Ardan, ‘but what of yourself? You are imbued with Kai powers that may readily be detected. Your formidable skills of body and mind could alert Naar's minions to your presence.’
If you possess a Platinum Amulet,
turn to 53
.
If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 296
.
As you are about to leap from the wagon you are gripped by an all-consuming nausea. This insidious wave of radiation sickness bleeds strength from your limbs, causing you to fall headlong from the wagon and crash heavily onto the unyielding tunnel floor: lose 10
ENDURANCE
points.
If you survive this calamity, make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
and
turn to 88
.
The portal opens into a vaulted corridor lined with wall-paintings that exude a crude aura of evil. This procession of gaudy murals depict nightmarish scenes: diseased creatures, alien landscapes blighted with pestilence, hosts of larvae writhing in awful triumph over the goodly forces of Kai and Ishir. This macabre celebration of decay fills you with revulsion, yet it pales in comparison to the sight awaiting you at the corridor's end.
Beyond the corridor lies a vast chamber, rough-hewn from the bedrock of this rotting land. The decomposing carcass of a gigantic reptile rests here upon a floor which shimmers in the eerie yellow half-light. Bile rises in your throat when suddenly you realize why the floor is shimmering: it is carpeted with a seething sea of maggots. Gagging with fear and nausea, you snatch your cloak to your mouth and steady yourself against a pillar as you survey this ghastly hall. Mounted upon the broken back of the great reptilian carcass are two throne-like chairs carved from black wood. Between and below them, lying deep within the creature's exposed rib cage, is a dark semicircular shadow that resembles the entrance to a cave. Drawing upon your Magnakai Discipline of Divination, you scan the hall and quickly determine that all is not what it seems. You detect the presence of three powerful entities protected by spells of illusion and invisibility. You feel sure that two of them are the Künae, the rulers of this hellish domain, but the third eludes you. Its aura feels oddly familiar, yet you cannot readily determine its location or identity.
If you have ever visited Mogaruith, Kaag, or Helgor in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 18
.
If you have never visited any of these places,
turn to 320
.
Suddenly the fearsome Dragonlord ceases to roar and spit fire. The wounds you have inflicted have weakened him and he is forced to retreat from the combat momentarily in order to recoup enough strength to continue. Before he can strike again, you use the lull in the deafening noise that has accompanied this fight to shout out the Dragonlord's secret name.
‘Zheva!’ you cry. Huan'zhor shudders when he hears the name, and a naked panic grips his heart. Bleating like a frightened lamb, the great dragon takes to the air and flees in terror. You watch him fly back across the chasm and soar upwards into the vent in the ceiling of the titanic cavern, from where he first appeared. Your swift and timely use of Huan'zhor's secret name has routed your enemy. Yet, unfortunately, the Lavas and the reptilian minions do not follow the example of their terrified leader. Sensing an enemy in their midst, they rapidly muster their numbers and encircle the temple. Through the wall of flames you glimpse several dozen Lavas approaching the nest by air from the far side of the chasm. Rather than risk being caught here when they launch their attack, you walk across the floor to the apex of the transporter beam and step in.
You draw your weapon and strike out, cleaving through its middle. The vine emits a high-pitched squeal as it recoils, trailing a spray of sticky green slime from its sundered torso. Gagging at the stench of the creature's foul ichor, you pull yourself upright and stagger away along the trail. You are within a few yards of the beach when your escape is suddenly blocked by a wall of flailing vines which descend with alarming speed from the canopy of low branches. You must fight them.
Haemodyls:
COMBAT SKILL
49
ENDURANCE
47
These creatures are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-blast and Kai-ray. If you possess Animal Mastery, you may add 2 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this fight.
If you win the combat,
turn to 19
.
You are horrified to discover that you have insufficient strength left in your battle-weary limbs to be able to lift this heavy axe.
Without warning, and with devastating speed and ruthlessness, a host of monstrous creatures bursts forth from the smoky walls of the inner sanctum and descends on you from all sides. You fight bravely but your resistance is ultimately to no avail; you are captured, disarmed, blinded, and hurled from the battlements of Dazganon out onto the Plain of Despair, where you are attacked by thousands of vengeful spirits, many of whom were slain by your hand. Your physical death is swift, but tragically your spirit is doomed to spend the rest of eternity running endlessly with the host of lost souls upon the Plain of Despair.
Tragically, your life and your quest end here.
You draw Skarn-Ska from its Korlinium Scabbard and sense at once that its mere physical presence within this throne hall is causing the Künae a great deal of discomfort. You detect a surge of anxiety in the mental communication passing between them. The creature seated upon the left throne becomes agitated and begins to flail the foul air with its snaky limbs. Then it utters a sinister command to its partner and you hear the words echo in your mind:
Slay him, Jantoor!
The creature seated upon the right throne responds immediately. It raises its right limb and a gout of fire shoots from the palm of its leprous hand and comes speeding towards your chest.
If you wish to attempt to dodge this gout of fire,
turn to 130
.
If instead you wish to try to deflect it with the blade of your sword,
turn to 319
.
You settle yourself down on the stone floor of the empty hut and, as you wait for the rain to abate, you busy yourself by cleaning the acidic rain from your equipment. After a few minutes your Sixth Sense warns you of approaching danger. You peer out through the open doorway and catch sight of a flock of bat-winged creatures that are flying low over the surrounding trees. Suddenly they turn in mid-air and come swooping down from out of the rainy sky towards your hiding place.
If you have ever been to the Ruins of Maaken in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 107
.
If you have never visited this place,
turn to 252
.
You utter the words of the Old Kingdom Spell
Invisible Fist
and thrust your clenched right hand at the attacking creature. The beast is in mid-air when an invisible shock wave hits it squarely in the face and sends it spinning head over tail to crash heavily against the wall. Limp and unconscious, the beast slides down the moisture-slick wall and arrives at the bottom of the ramp in a tangled heap.
While it is still unconscious you turn your attention to the portal and examine its surface in an attempt to find a way to open it. Using your advanced Kai skills you are able to decipher enough of the runic text to discover the secret code which keeps it secure. Confidently you press a section of the surface and, just as you believe it will, it moves inwards with an audible
clunk!
Moments later the portal creaks open and you hurry through, slamming it shut behind you to prevent the beast from following in your wake when eventually it recovers its senses.
As you tumble into the dark vortex of this newly-created Shadow Gate, you see the glow of the Moonstone illuminating the silhouette of Alyss in the middle distance. Behind and above, the mouth of the gate by which you entered the abyss is rapidly shrinking. Alyss is using the power of the Moonstone once more, this time to seal the gate in Naar's inner sanctum to prevent his fell minions from following you home to Toran.
The deeper you fall into the spiralling darkness so it seems the stronger Alyss becomes. Gripping the precious Moonstone with both hands, she extends her arms and glides easily through the whirling funnel towards you. As she draws level, you hear her speaking softly in your mind:
Thank you, Grand Master. I shall never forget what you have done for me. Had you not returned when you did I would have forfeited my freedom to the Dark God. And freedom, to me, is the most precious of things. For without freedom I would cease to be.
For a moment, the whirling frigid darkness of the Shadow Gate is illuminated brightly by the flaring rays of the Moonstone. Alyss passes the sacred artefact into your safekeeping, kisses you fondly on the cheek, and with the parting words —
Farewell, Lone Wolf. Kai and Ishir should be proud. You are indeed their most worthy champion
— she flashes you an impudent smile and in the blink of an eye she is gone.
Congratulations, Grand Master, for you have braved the many terrors of the Plane of Darkness and emerged triumphant, your quest fulfilled. By denying the Dark God the power of the Moonstone you have won a great and lasting victory which will help keep your world secure. Your achievement will live forever in the legends of Sommerlund, and the tales that will be told of your valiant deeds will inspire future generations of Sommlending to follow the ways of the Kai.
Your triumph over Naar paves the way for your accedence to the rank of Kai Supreme Master. It also heralds the dawning of a new age, when new challenges will arise to test the courage and bravery of your New Order Kai. Under your paternal stewardship, the first of the New Order adventures is about to begin with the return of the fabled Moonstone to the remote and mysterious Isle of Lorn. If you wish to accept the challenge of the new era, the first exciting quest awaits you in the next
Lone Wolf
adventure which is entitled:
Voyage of the Moonstone
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