The Curse of Naar (9 page)

The seven riders keep their distance, yet they pass close enough to satisfy their curiosity before they turn and speed away into the void. As you watch them disappear, a deep sense of unease grips you. You are relieved to have avoided a confrontation yet you sense that their departure is but a temporary reprieve; they may yet return in greater numbers.

Shortly after, you witness several objects that appear like comets encircling a cluster of distant stars. As you glide towards these stars the comets break away from their orbit and come soaring to meet you, racing with each other to reach you first. A collision looks imminent, but your mounting fears are soon forgotten when the surfaces of these shooting stars undergo a stunning transformation. Their leading surfaces take on the semblance of human faces.

If you have ever been to the city of Torgar in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 127
.

If you have never visited this city,
turn to 91
.

You draw upon your Grand Mastery to supply a burst of life-saving vitality (restore 20
ENDURANCE
points).
⁶
As this wave of Kai energy surges through your battered body, you find the strength to scramble to your feet and rush towards the glowing portal. You leap through it just as the retracting coil of rock reaches the mouth of the dragon-gate, and the crash of stone echoes in your ears as you fall headlong through the corridor of swirling flame that lies beyond this mysterious portal. Your Platinum Amulet protects you from the fierce conflagration, and it also feeds you with a steady warming stream of energy which radiates from the centre of your body outwards to soothe your aching limbs.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
(0–10). Now double the number you have picked. This total equals the number of
ENDURANCE
points you may restore as a result of the healing effects of the Platinum Amulet. (Remember: your
ENDURANCE
score cannot exceed the total with which you began this adventure.)

After a short time the swirling corridor of flame gradually darkens and you feel the speed of your fall begin to decrease. Then, in a breathtaking instant, your feet slam into hot, cindery ground and you crash forwards to land in a tangled heap.

If you have ever visited the Palmyrion town of Scade in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 125
.

If you have never visited this town,
turn to 215
.

Drawing upon your Grand Mastery, you are able eventually to haul yourself free from this sticky mire and reach the distant knoll (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points due to fatigue).

The boughs of the thorny-barked trees of this swamp island are tightly intertwined and form a formidable barrier. Through a gap in their tortured branches you can see a clearing at the centre of this copse and, when you magnify your vision, you glimpse part of a crude stone hut. You unsheathe your weapon and cleave a path through the trees to the clearing where you discover that the hut is surrounded by a moat brim-full of gelatinous black mud, the surface of which is pitted with a myriad of animal tracks. Sensing that the hut is empty, you leap across the moat and take cover inside from the corrosive rain.

If you possess Telegnosis and have reached the rank of Grand Thane or higher,
turn to 269
.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 348
.

Ardan and Rimoah are honoured that you have chosen to take this sword which they have spent many months creating. (Record this sword, Skarn-Ska, on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item. When used in combat it will add 5 points to your
COMBAT SKILL
. This sword possesses other attributes which will be revealed when it is used in combat.)

You take hold of Skarn-Ska and essay a few strokes in the air to gauge its weight and balance. It does not take you too long to discover that this is an exceptionally fine blade. You feel your spirits rise, for now you possess at least one effective weapon against the horrors that may be encountered on your quest for the Moonstone.

‘We are delighted that you approve of Skarn-Ska, Grand Master,’ says Rimoah, ‘but you must be sure to use it with discretion. It has magical properties which give off a strong and goodly aura. In Naar's domain these radiant energies could attract the unwanted attentions of those who dwell therein.’

Lord Ardan picks up a seemingly plain leather scabbard from the table and offers it to you.

‘Here, Grand Master. I urge that you sheathe Skarn-Ska with this. It is woven from strands of pure korlinium and it will keep hidden the blade's true power from Naar's foul spawn.’

You accept the scabbard from Ardan and affix it to your belt. (Record this Korlinium Scabbard on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item.)

‘The scabbard will shield your blade, Grand Master,’ comments Lord Rimoah, ‘but what of yourself? You are imbued with Kai powers that may readily be detected. There is a danger that your natural skills could alert Naar's minions to your presence among them.’

If you possess a Platinum Amulet,
turn to 180
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 296
.

Swiftly you draw an Arrow to your Bow and take aim at the beast's snout. The creature narrows its evil eyes and begins to sway from side to side. It is as if it senses the danger that your missile poses and it is trying to reduce its chances of being struck.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Weaponmastery with Bow, add 5 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is 7 or lower,
turn to 175
.

If it is 8 or higher,
turn to 203
.

Freed from the constraints of the force-field, Alyss is able to use the power of the Moonstone to bring into being a Shadow Gate which materializes in the floor of the chamber.

‘Come, Grand Master,’ she implores as she gets ready to step into the whirling black abyss. ‘Follow me!’

And with these words she is swallowed up by the inky abyss. Seconds later, you drop the heavy axe and take a running leap into the Shadow Gate, escaping in her wake barely moments before a pack of screeching, gnawing, parasitic horrors engulf the place where you last were standing.

Turn to 350
.

You reach to your throat, unbutton the collar of your Kai robes, and withdraw the Platinum Amulet by its braided cord.

‘Ah, I see that you already possess a sigil of power,’ says Lord Rimoah, approvingly. ‘It seems you are better prepared for the quest than we had anticipated.’

With a nod of his head he motions to Lord Ardan who then retrieves an almost identical amulet from among the items on the table. Ardan gives the amulet to Rimoah and he slips it into his pocket.

‘You'll not be requiring this after all,’ he says, ‘but there is something which I'm sure you will find most useful. And I'm certain that you have not come across anything of its like before.’

Once again Rimoah motions to Ardan and the elderly wizard responds by taking up a small package that is wrapped in a silk handkerchief. Carefully he unfolds the patterned silk square to reveal a book which is bound in jet-black hide. A wave of nausea makes you swallow hard as your natural Kai instincts detect that the origins of this book are wholly evil. Ardan offers it to you and, reluctantly, you take it from him.

‘It was discovered a decade ago in Northern Dessi,’ says Ardan. ‘A party of our brethren found it on the Isle of Khor. It was buried in the ruins of Kazan-Oud.’

Carefully you open the stiff black cover and, to your surprise, you discover that the inner pages comprise several sheets of pliable metal. They have the feel of parchment but they sparkle and glimmer like plates of polished steel. You turn through the pages and note that every one appears to be empty, devoid of script, pictures, or diagrams of any sort.

‘I do not see how this book will help my quest,’ you say, as you flick back and forth through the seemingly empty pages.

‘This may be true while you are here in Sommerlund,’ replies Lord Rimoah, ‘but once you arrive upon the Plane of Darkness I suspect that its secrets will be revealed. We of the High Council believe it contains information about the many realms and territories within Naar's domain. It may help guide you to the location of his throne hall and, with luck, to the Moonstone of the Shianti.’

You are dubious as to the true value of this item but, in deference to Lord Rimoah's judgement, you agree to take it. (Record this Tome of Darkness on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item. You need not discard another Special Item in its favour if you already hold the maximum number permissible.)

To continue,
turn to 329
.

The Demoness and her minions sense that they have wounded you and they howl with undisguised glee. But this sudden lull in the psychic combat allows you precious seconds in which to recover and strengthen your damaged mental defences. When they cease their cawing and launch their second attack, your defensive protections prove strong enough to deflect all of the combined psychic energies that are ranged against you, and the power of their attack rebounds upon them with devastating effect. The Lieutenants of Night fall screaming to the floor where they writhe in agony like wounded snakes. The Demoness reels and totters backwards, slumps down heavily upon her throne, and then grips her disfigured head in both hands as she struggles in vain to regain control of her disrupted mind.

Seizing your advantage, you unsheathe your weapon and rush forward. With two swift and deadly blows you dispatch the lieutenants in passing and then rush towards Shamath's gigantic throne. Through the red haze of the agony that fills her head, the Demoness sees you approaching. Immediately she slams her right hand down upon the arm of her throne, to where a glowing opal is set into the stone.

‘Gnekasha!’ you scream, giving voice to her secret name, and she freezes as still as a stone statue. But not before her clenched fist has struck the glowing gem.

Suddenly you hear a terrible sound: it is the screams and cries of Shamath's vengeful legions. With dread you glance over your shoulder and look to the source of the cacophony: the chamber of tunnels beyond the archway of the Throne Room. What you see there sends an icy cold shiver of fear coursing down your spine.

Turn to 201
.

You throw yourself towards the adjoining tunnel, but in your desperate effort to get clear, you trip and fall in the path of the onrushing leviathan. This gigantic beetle-creature flattens you beneath its vast bulk, yet amazingly you survive this collision — but not for very long. Trailing in the creature's wake is a long line of wagons piled high with grey metallic ore. You are hit by several of these heavy iron carriages and killed instantly.

Sadly, your life and your quest end here in the Mines of Zantaz.

You shout the name ‘Lukha’ aloud but it has no effect. For a moment there is an uneasy silence; then the rubbery mouth of Nza'pok emits a hideous, bubbling laugh. He is mocking your futile attempt to save yourself by calling upon the powers which bind him in fealty to the Dark God. As his foul form wobbles with undisguised mirth, you quickly unshoulder your Backpack and tear open the flap to retrieve the Tome of Darkness. Nza'pok ceases to laugh when he glimpses its jet-black cover for he is aware of its origins and the powerful secrets it contains.

With a terse growl, he gives the signal to his minions and they hurl their spears into the pit with chilling accuracy. You are struck by more than a dozen of these deadly lances and, unlike most who have fallen foul of Nza'pok, your death is mercifully swift and almost painless.

Sadly, your life and your quest for the Moonstone end here.

As you pass through the curtain of black flames, the three magical items vanish from your hands. (Erase the Nza'pok Amulet, the Künae Ring, and the Scarab of the Wingless Dragon from the Special Items section of your
Action Chart
.)
⁷
Beyond the flaming curtain lies a hall of grey adamanite which is seemingly devoid of all life. You scour this eerie chamber and your senses detect Alyss's life-force. Hers is the only goodly presence, save your own, in the whole of this evil stronghold, and although her aura is weak, it is sufficient enough for you to be able to track it.

Guided by your instincts and shielded by your Kai Disciplines, you follow Alyss's trail as it wends its way deeper into the heart of this citadel of Evil. During your exploration you encounter many of Naar's newest creations who populate the halls and dungeons of Dazganon. Their repugnant forms and depraved and brutal behaviour provide you with an unsavoury insight into Naar's seemingly infinite capability to create evil and monstrous life forms. You shudder to imagine these foul beings running loose upon your home world of Magnamund, and the thought strengthens your resolve to fulfil your quest for the Moonstone.

For what seems like an hour, your camouflage and psychic skills make you invisible to the creatures that dwell within Dazganon. It is not until you reach a busy junction at the heart of a maze of tunnels that your skills are truly put to the test. Your senses detect the presence of Alyss at the end of an adjacent tunnel, yet the entrance to this wide passage is virtually blocked by creatures who are bickering with Naar's armed guards.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Assimilance, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, or Grand Pathsmanship, add 1. Also, for every level of Kai Mastery you have attained above the rank of Kai Grand Guardian, add a further 1.

If your total score is now 3 or less,
turn to 189
.

If it is 4 or higher,
turn to 116
.