The Kingdoms of Terror (4 page)

Several of the smaller stoppered glass jars contain potions that could be of use to you on your quest. As you peer along the shelves you look carefully at their labels:

• Potion of Laumspur (restores 4
  ENDURANCE
  points per dose) — 5 Gold Crowns
  
• Potion of Gallowbrush (induces sleep for 1–2 hours per dose) — 2 Gold Crowns
  
• Rendalim's Elixir (restores 6
  ENDURANCE
  points per dose) — 7 Gold Crowns
  
• Potion of Alether (increases
  COMBAT SKILL
  by 2 for the duration of one combat) — 4 Gold Crowns
  
• Graveweed Concentrate (causes death if swallowed) — 4 Gold Crowns
  

You may purchase any of the above potions, all of which are Backpack Items.

If you wish to look at some of the other shops in this street,
turn to 152
.

If you decide to wait for the captain to be served,
turn to 231
.

At the top of the hill the track comes to an abrupt end at a tall circle of stones. A bundle of firewood is stacked in the centre of the circle and a Torch, wrapped in oilcloth, lies nearby. You recognize this as a signal beacon, for they are very common in Sommerlund, especially along the border with the Durncrag Mountains. If you wish you may take the Torch before heading back along the track.

Turn to 330
.

As you move the strands aside they suddenly begin to writhe and twist like a seething mass of snakes, coiling round your weapon and turning it back towards your hand. You release your grip and fall back in horror as your weapon is consumed in their corrosive grasp.
¹

You turn and run back towards the junction, your stomach churning as you realize how close you came to a grisly death. Erase your lost weapon from your
Action Chart
before choosing which channel to take.

If you wish to go straight ahead,
turn to 339
.

If you wish to take the channel to your left,
turn to 269
.

A shrill cockcrow heralds the break of day. By the time you have dressed and gathered together your equipment, Cyrilus is waiting for you in the courtyard below.

‘A glorious day,’ he says cheerfully, pointing up at the cloudless sky with his slender oaken staff. ‘We'll have no difficulty reaching the Halfway Inn by nightfall.’

You bid farewell to the innkeeper and his son and urge your horses out onto the narrow street that leads to the west gatehouse. By mid-morning you are riding across gentle hills crested with yellow-leaved trees. The hilltops are shrouded with mist, but occasional rays of sunshine break through to lighten the lush green fields below. Time passes swiftly as Cyrilus recounts the histories and legends of the area. You learn that the rich and fertile kingdoms bordering the River Storn have a wild and turbulent past, swept by wars, divided by empires, split by national rivalries and the ambitions of petty princes who prey upon one another and the rest of the populace. Lyris is embroiled in war with Magador, Delden with Salony, and Salony with Slovia. Battles are fought, lives are lost and the land is pillaged with grim regularity — only the mercenaries and the crows seem to prosper from the continual conflicts.

It is mid-afternoon when you catch sight of a small village on the road ahead. There are many wagons parked at the side of the highway, and a crowd has gathered in a field nearby. As you ride past, you notice a large placard nailed to one of the wagons:

If you wish to enter the tournament,
turn to 141
.

If you do not wish to or cannot afford to enter, continue on your way and
turn to 210
.

‘Calm yourselves, my brothers. It is he — it is the Kai Lord.’

Slowly, as the startled old men regain their composure, their shocked expressions change to ones of awe and reverence.

‘I am Gwynian,’ says their leader. ‘We have been expecting your arrival.’ He points to the charts that cover the table and to a massive telescope that is fixed to a platform in the domed ceiling.

‘The stars divine the shape of things to come — they are our advisors. We know of your quest for the Lorestone. We know that it is the true quest and we pledge our help, but there are many of our brethren who fear its power. They choose to ignore the wisdom of the stars and they have pledged themselves to a foolish and dangerous vow to keep hidden the location of the Lorestone and to kill all who seek it, for fear they would use it for their own ends.’

Suddenly, his words are cut short by the beating of fists against the observatory door: your horse has been discovered.

‘Give him to us!’ shouts a chorus of angry voices.

‘Quickly, we must leave,’ says Gwynian, and he ushers you into a smaller room. A hidden catch is pulled, and a secret panel opens to reveal a passage. As you follow the sage and his companions into the darkness, you hear the door to the observatory splinter and break.

Turn to 158
.

You sense tension and imminent danger all around you. The quiet serenity of this little hamlet is deceptive — beneath it is hidden a deadly threat to your safety. Instinctively, you unsheathe your weapon and prepare to defend yourself in case of a sudden ambush.

Turn to 258
.

Chanda gasps and shudders as your final blow robs him of all his strength. He tries to curse you, but the words stick in his throat. As he fights to speak he stumbles and falls dead at your feet.

You turn him over with the toe of your boot and make a quick but thorough search of his body. You discover a pouch containing 10 Gold Crowns, a Potion of Laumspur (enough to restore 3
ENDURANCE
points), and a Map of Varetta. Mark this as a Special Item on your
Action Chart
. You may take any of these items if you wish and leave this eerie shop.

Turn to 16
.

The guards exchange glances and nod their heads in agreement. ‘Ten Gold Crowns will make you a welcome guest in our town, stranger,’ whispers the shorter of the two men, holding out his gauntleted hand in expectation.

If you wish to pay the bribe,
turn to 332
.

If you do not wish to pay so large a sum and wish to try to ride past them,
turn to 261
.

If you wish to refuse politely their offer and attempt to enter the town by the north gate,
turn to 137
.

A jovial man, with long strands of hair hanging down from the point of his chin, lies in a hammock suspended at the end of the gangplank. One eye pops open as you walk onto the deck and, as quick as a flash, he jumps down and produces a fistful of tickets from his breast pocket.

‘Welcome aboard the
Kazonara
,’ he says excitedly, ‘the best riverboat that ever sailed the Storn.’ You glance back at the board and note the prices: 10 Gold Crowns to Luyen, 15 to Rhem and 20 to Eula.

‘We leave at midnight, sir, so's you best be a'boarding your horse in the hold without delay.’ Once you have decided which Ticket you wish to buy, pay the man and erase the Gold Crowns from your
Action Chart
. Mark the Ticket as a Special Item that you keep in your pocket.

Turn to 82
.

The town of Eula has been turned into a huge army encampment, its people having long since fled to the north, abandoning their homes and livestock to the gold-hungry soldiers. Soldiers from a dozen different nations rub shoulders with fighters of a less-than-human origin, united by their common greed. As you watch endless columns of soldiers marching towards the pall of black smoke rising in the south, your heart begins to sink. The city in which the Lorestone lies, Tekaro, is a city under siege, a city that can withstand the onslaught of ten thousand fighting men. As you ride across the soot-blackened fields towards the siege-works and entrenchments at the bank of the River Quarl, you curse the war that threatens to defeat your quest.

Illustration I
—The town of Eula has been turned into a huge army encampment.

Turn to 280
.

The Arrow thuds into its right leg causing it to shriek and lose its footing. Your quick thinking has bought you enough time to unsheathe a hand weapon and attack the monster.

Yawshath:
COMBAT SKILL
 22   
ENDURANCE
 32

Because the creature is now lying face down, do not deduct any
ENDURANCE
points you may lose in the first two rounds of combat.

You may evade combat at any time by escaping through the arch by which you entered the chapel.

If you wish to evade combat,
turn to 305
.

If you win the combat,
turn to 112
.

Expertly you move through the undergrowth without making a sound until you come to the edge of a small, rocky clearing. A group of ten hooded men stand in a circle around an altar stone. Their leader, a tall thin man wearing a hideous mask of green glass, spins a golden rod around the head of a gigantic toad-like creature spread-eagled on the altar. Lightning writhes like a sparking serpent around the creature's body, and as the chanting rises in pitch, the beast's body floats upwards, hovering in mid-air a few feet above the altar.

Suddenly, the leader shrieks with anger and turns in your direction. He has somehow detected your presence, and you feel his blazing fury. He points the golden rod towards you, and a charge of energy snakes through the air.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 56
.

If you wish to draw your weapon and prepare for combat,
turn to 295
.

If you wish to flee,
turn to 182
.

Suddenly, the riders appear and spread out in a semicircle to surround you. ‘We have a debt to settle, Northlander,’ hisses Roark, his lips drawn back from his teeth in a contemptuous sneer. ‘I demand payment in full!’

Madness flashes in his glaring eyes as he removes an amulet from around his neck and holds it high in the air.

‘Come, come Tagazin, I summon thee. From the pit of eternal pain, I summon thee!’

The skin on your arms and neck prickles with dread at the sound of Roark's terrible invocation, and you cast your eyes around you for an escape route. Only the churchyard offers a way past Roark and his men, but as you spur your horse through the stone gateway, you are suddenly frozen with terror by what you see before you.

Turn to 270
.