Vampirium (14 page)

You move quickly to seize this chance to cross the river before the soldiers return. You are the first to wade out into the water. You strike out against the current and reach the first stone pillar. Once you have a secure handhold, you signal to Gildas to follow. Soon you are all in the water, linked together by your hands and secured by the stone pillars, like a human chain. Gradually you work your way across to the far side, and together you approach Zuda under cover of darkness.

The road into the town is heavily patrolled by Bhanarian soldiers. When you nearly collide with one of these patrols, you are forced to seek cover in an empty woodcutter's hut.

To continue,
turn to 3
.

‘Come! We must pursue the enemy without delay,’ says Gildas, excitedly. ‘They must not be allowed to steal away the Claw.’

‘Hold, Captain,’ you retort. ‘The enemy is too strong. They outnumber us, and they possess a weapon that can slay us all but with one bolt. Do you not recall what happened at Sunderer Pass? You have lost one good man already. Surely you have no wish to risk our lives in a reckless pursuit.’

‘Are you abandoning your mission, Sir Kai?’ he asks, reproachfully.

‘No, Captain,’ you reply. ‘My vow to retrieve the Claw and oversee its destruction remains true. I merely propose we pursue the enemy at a safe distance. They may run with the Claw of Naar, but they cannot keep it from us forever. The tracker-gem that you placed in the haft will lead us to it, no matter where they may choose to carry it.’

‘You are right, Sir Kai,’ says Gildas, apologetically.

‘Firstly, we shall rest and recover our strength,’ you say. ‘Then we shall hunt down our enemies and reclaim that accursed artefact before it can be delivered to Autarch Sejanoz.’

Unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 201
.

After several minutes and a great deal of effort, the lock disengages and the doors of the stables swing open.

To continue,
turn to 168
.

For most of the day you ride across a seemingly endless expanse of grassland without once catching sight of the enemy you are pursuing. It is nearly dusk before your keen eyes detect a column of wood smoke on the horizon, rising vertically in the still evening air. You call the rangers to a halt and then magnify your vision to take a closer look at the source of the smoke. It rises from a small copse of trees and you suspect that the enemy have set up a camp there for the night. The smoke tells you that they are cooking food, confident in the false belief that they have safely outdistanced you and your companions.

You inform the others of what you have seen before continuing your ride along the plains road. When you are within a mile of the copse, you leave the trail and dismount. Sergeant Paviz and Ranger Yalin are told to stay and hold the horses while you and the captain go forward to scout the enemy encampment.

Together you crawl towards the copse, side by side, concealed by the approaching darkness and the waist-high grass. You are within 100 yards of the enemy campfire when Gildas makes a sharp intake of breath. You glance at him and your blood freezes when you see that his face is inches from a grey conda — a deadly Bhanarian plains snake. The serpent's neck is raised and its wedge-shaped head is drawn to strike at your companion's eyes.

Illustration VIII
—The deadly grey conda is only inches away from his face.

If you possess Animal Mastery or the Eye of Lhaz,
turn to 70
.

If you do not,
turn to 56
.

The tavern-keeper's blast of buckshot peppers your side (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points) and damages your Quiver. You must now erase half of all the Arrows you carry, rounding the number of Arrows lost up to the nearest whole number where appropriate.

To continue,
turn to 287
.

You lead your company off to the east, but to your dismay you soon discover that the route ahead is blocked by a dozen fearsome Xanon. Reluctantly you are forced to turn about and return to the ancient ruins for fear of being run down and trampled beneath their pounding hooves.

As you are nearing the outskirts of the ruins, a volley of iron darts comes whistling past your head They have been hurled by the leading Xanon in an attempt to slay you before you reach the cover of the ancient stone walls.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Assimilance, add 1 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is now 4 or lower,
turn to 145
.

If it is 5 or higher,
turn to 193
.

You pay the toll, but the corporal becomes suspicious when he examines the two gold coins. Sommlending mintage is a rarity in this part of Magnamund.

If you wish to ask the corporal to raise the barrier and let you cross,
turn to 231
.

If you decide to give him another 2 Gold Crowns to help him allay his suspicions,
turn to 280
.

You tell your companions to raise the hoods of their robes to keep their faces hidden, and then you beckon them to follow as you approach the rear of a canvas-covered wagon that is queueing outside the main entrance. Swiftly you clamber over its tailgate and hide yourselves among its load. Several minutes later, the wagon begins to move. You tear a hole in its canvas cover through which you can see the inner buildings of the barracks complex as they pass. The wagon trundles along a passageway towards a parade square, beyond which lies its final destination — the kitchen store rooms. You clamber to the rear of the wagon and crouch beside the tailgate. Then, at the moment the vehicle emerges from the passageway, you signal to your companions to leave. One after the other, you leap from the back of the moving wagon.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 1 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is now 3 or lower,
turn to 165
.

If it is 4 or higher,
turn to 66
.

You quickly recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Invisible Shield
. As the last spell-word leaves your lips, a translucent disc shimmers into being and the falling rock slams into it with a loud
Thwack!
The rock shatters into hundreds of stone splinters, some of which pepper your legs and abdomen: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.

To continue,
turn to 339
.

You follow Gildas and the others as they climb a wide flight of spiral stairs to the top of the tower. As you ascend, lanterns set at intervals in the wall spontaneously ignite, bathing the stone steps with a warm, yellow light. A sumptuous chamber occupies the top floor of the tower. By the time you arrive there, its many lanterns are aglow, and its great log fire is blazing warmly in the grate. The light and heat make for a welcoming arrival, but they give a false impression. Dust lies thickly on the surfaces of every bookshelf, table, and chair. This chamber is well appointed, but it has lain neglected for more than a year.

One entire half of the great circular room is dominated by a huge latticed window, through which you can see every rooftop in Zuda. You hurry across the chamber and peer down through the glass at the courtyard below. It is teeming with Bhanarians and you fear that they now have you trapped like rats in a very comfortable cage. You raise your eyes and look towards the market square. The Autarch's tent can clearly be seen, with the tiger's-head shrine standing near. You see its head slowly rotating towards the tower. In the next instant, two pencil-thin beams of red light come shooting from its eyes. Before you can look away, they hit the window, and you are blinded by their terrific glare.

If you possess Deliverance,
turn to 171
.

If you do not,
turn to 188
.

Behind the portrait you discover a safe embedded in a granite wall. There is a dial set near the middle of its iron door, and it is ringed with numerals ranging from 0 to 9. Your Sixth Sense reveals to you that by turning the dial consecutively to the correct three numbers, you will cause the lock to disengage and the door to the wall safe will open.

The first number in the sequence is equal to the levels of Kai rank a Sun Prince is superior to a Grand Thane.

The second number is equal to the original total of rangers in Gildas' command, including the captain himself.

The third number is equal to twice the number of islands in the northern gulf of the Chai Sea.

When you think you know the three-digit answer, note down the figures in order and
turn to the section of this book
which is the same as your answer.
¹⁶

If you are unable to determine the correct solution,
turn instead to 294
.

The tall grass gives way to shorter vegetation as you draw closer to the ruins. You are riding along the dried-up river bed that divides this ancient site when suddenly you hear a sound like thundering hooves. The noise is coming from the north and you command your companions to rein their mounts to a halt. To get a better view, you stand upon your horse's back and magnify your vision. A tingle of shock runs down the length of your spine when you catch sight of a group of strange creatures approaching the ruins at a terrific pace. They have black bull-like bodies, yet their heads are crocodilian in shape and a spiky mane of hair runs the length of their muscular backs. They possess four legs and two forelimbs, tipped with claws, in which they cradle cumbersome lances crudely pared from the trunks of Vanchou pines.

You inform Gildas of what is approaching the ruins and he gasps with fear. ‘Xanon!’ he exclaims. ‘Ishir save us!’

If you wish to stand and fight these fearsome creatures,
turn to 245
.

If you wish to attempt to flee from them,
turn to 132
.

The mounted patrol approaches and encircles and you. The officer is an aristocratic-looking soldier with a pencil-thin moustache, and he looks at your dishevelled robes with disdain. ‘What are four lowly plains-herders doing abroad in the city tonight?’ he asks.

‘We came to deliver horses to the barracks,’ you reply. He shakes his head slowly; he does not believe your story. ‘You are all under arrest,’ he says, and with a flick of his riding crop he motions his men to dismount and detain you. Gildas is the first to react. He grabs the officer by his sword belt and pulls him out of the saddle. You and the others follow Gildas' lead, and quickly you unhorse and overpower the officer's men. Then you mount their horses and gallop away along the street, leaving the patrol lying unconscious in the gutter.

To continue,
turn to 212
.

You flip open the tube's hinged lid and shake a rolled piece of papyrus into your palm. On this scrap of material is a hastily-written message from Rimoah, telling you that the Claw of Naar must not be allowed to fall into the hands of Autarch Sejanoz. He urges you to find and destroy it. If that should prove impossible, you must take it to the city of Pensei. There you should make contact with Lord Ghadra, the Dessian envoy, and he will see to its destruction. He will also help you to return home to Sommerlund.

To continue,
turn to 310
.

The sergeant raises the alarm and you and your companions are quickly surrounded. The gate guards encircle you with a ring of spears, forcing you to surrender. Then the sergeant denounces you as would-be thieves out to steal their provisions, and he orders that your weapons and equipment be confiscated before you are led away and thrown into the dungeons.

As the heavy door to your cell slams shut, you immediately look for a way out of this grim prison chamber. You try to pick the lock, but your attempt is thwarted when the sergeant and his guards return. With them is a squad leader of the Imperial Guard, the same man from whom you took the Claw of Naar. He is carrying the accursed artefact, and when the iron door is opened, he points it at you and triggers a fearsome blast of raw energy. In the cramped confines of the cell, there is no hope of escaping from its terrible power. In the blink of an eye, you and your brave companions are engulfed and consumed by the searing ball of white-hot fire.

Tragically, your life and your mission end here in the barracks dungeon of Yua Tzhan.