Beyond the Nightmare Gate
Page 13
Turn to 290.
282
‘I must refuse,’ you say to Spittlethrift. ‘Mine is an urgent quest. The needs of many weigh heavily upon my shoulders.’
‘Ah now,’ Spittlethrift replies. ‘This is unfortunate.’ Suddenly, the many Academicians in the room rise as one and, before you can act, you and Tanith are held firmly by many hands and your Staff is snatched away.
‘Crabkey,’ calls Spittlethrift to the spindly man who now holds Tanith, his dagger at her heart, ‘take the girl away.’
You struggle against the restraining grip of the Academicians. ‘If you so much as harm her … ’
‘Yes, yes,’ says Spittlethrift, smoothly. ‘Fear not.’ Tanith is led from the room. ‘Our intention is merely to persuade you of the importance of our quest. She will be quite safe if you comply with our wishes.’
You cast Spittlethrift a scowl. ‘Very well. Since you offer me no choice … ’
‘Indeed, indeed. I thought you would see things our way. Now, come along — to the laboratory. I will show you the wondrous craft that will take you to the Singing City.’
You are led to a high-ceilinged chamber, lit with a curious, pulsating light and containing many strange and ornate machines of gleaming metal. Having attended to the imprisonment of Tanith, Crabkey enters the laboratory.
‘Allow me to introduce you properly to Mr Crabkey,’ says Spittlethrift. In the lurid glow of the laboratory his shadowed, bulging eyes make him look more sinister than before. ‘Mr Crabkey is the inventor of the machine that will enable you to make your journey, aren't you Crabkey, old chap?’ Crabkey stares at you with his large, baleful eyes. With a slow blink, he makes an unintelligible sound in the back of his throat and nods.
‘Here,’ says Crabkey, ‘is the Ethetron.’ Mounted on a small dais in the centre of the laboratory is a most unusual machine.
Turn to 116.
283
You lack the strength to carry the heavy statue and struggle to bear its weight. Suddenly the Elessin cry out in alarm and rush to take the Statue from you, but before they reach you, the statue slips from your grasp and falls to the ground with a crash. The Threnogem rolls from the mouth of the statue and the Elessin throw themselves to the ground in abject terror.
Turn to 270.
284
Your head is filled with the shrieking agony of the Elessi's pipe. You lose 6 ENDURANCE points. Suddenly, the Elessi turns and runs back towards the city.
If you are still alive, turn to 305.
285
With Tanith at your side, you walk over and investigate one of the strange holes in the cloud. Peering in you see an absolute blackness, silent and still.
If you wish to put your hand into the hole, turn to 329.
If you wish to enter the hole, turn to 269.
286
Your final blow fells the Jahksa. He falls to the ground, a smile frozen on his lips, the Moonstone clenched in his hand. ‘You think you have beaten me,’ his voice echoes. ‘But I am you. You have slain yourself.’
With the Moonstone, an instrument of truth, Shasarak's mockery of you has become truth. You have killed yourself.
You have failed in your quest.
287
Tanith's ringing cry comes to your rescue. Her mastery over animals, taught to her by Mother Magri the Shadakine Wytch, saves you from the wolf. At her command, it shies away and lopes into the darkness.
If you wish to keep the Wolf Key, mark it as a Special Item on your Action Chart.
You now have the choice of the remaining Keys; only one will let you into the Crystal Tower.28
If you choose the Spider key, turn to 252.
If you choose the Eagle Key, turn to 227.
If you choose the Dragon Key, turn to 277.
If you choose the Serpent Key, turn to 240.
[28] You may only choose a Key that you have not already tried.
288
You have now used 2 WILLPOWER points in your use of the Power of Prophecy. You soon come to the dwelling of Oz-na-Mun. He lives in a rough wooden shack within a circle of withered trees. Nearby, there is a vast pit of blood-red soil. You land the Ethetron and call out his name.
Turn to 12.
289
You show the guard the Parchment. He glares back at you and swiftly pulls the hood from your head, exposing your dark hair. He cries out and grabs your arm. Within seconds, a large group of Elessin emerges from a blue glass building by the gate. You are quickly surrounded.
If you wish to try to fight your way out, turn to 313.
If you wish to surrender, turn to 342.
290
The corpse of a slain Chaos-bird collides with the Ethetron and sends it spiralling through the air. You grab for the rail as the flying machine spins towards the Trianon and collides with it, throwing debris and machinery in all directions.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. Add that number to your current WILLPOWER points total.
If the total is 9 or more, turn to 304.
If the total is less than 9, turn to 83.
291
The creature facing you is called a Jahksa. It is a creation of Shasarak: an apparition in the likeness of a living spirit, in this case, yours. ‘Are you afraid, Grey Star?’ taunts the Jahksa. ‘There is nothing to fear but yourself,’ he sniggers.
Tanith appears at the door of the shack and looks at the two of you in bewilderment. She sways as if about to faint and you rush to her side. The Jahksa snorts derisively. ‘How weak you are, Grey Star. Petty friendships, loyalties, and your honourable quest for the Shianti stone — how can you expect to defeat the Wytch-king, he who possesses the might of the Shianti and freedom from their foolish teachings, with such weaknesses?’
‘They are my strengths as well, Jahksa,’ you reply, coolly.
The Jahksa spits on the ground at your feet. ‘That for your strength, Wizardling.’ He turns his back to you, and then suddenly spins back, wielding a black staff in a wide arc. But you were expecting a trick and lift your Staff in time to block his blow. As the staves collide, their magical fire crackles and splits the air.
If you wish to fight the Jahksa, turn to 123.
If you wish to evade combat, turn to 131.
292
The tower wall is smooth and sheer, and the climb extremely difficult. Your progress is further hampered by the illusory nature of the tower: crevices and projections that appear to ornament the tower disappear from view when approached from a different angle.
Just as you reach for a projection, you slip and plummet to the ground. The impact kills you immediately.
Your life and your quest are over.
293
Tanith points nearby to a clump of Laumspur, a healing herb. Chew on a clump of the fresh Laumspur to restore 4 ENDURANCE points.
When evening comes you are still high on the sides of the valley. Far below, you can see a settlement, but rather than stumble in the dark, you decide to stay where you are and sleep in the warm, dry air.
Turn to 324.
294
At the cost of 2 WILLPOWER points, you cast a magical veil around the Elessi's mind so that he will not see you passing. You creep out from behind the bushes and enter the city. Hypnotized, the Elessi continues to stare straight ahead, a blank expression on his face.
Turn to 279.
295
With a great roar, the door is thrown open and a huge, brown-skinned lizard moves out onto the landing. It has two stunted forelimbs that end in five-fingered hands and a large, impassive, fish-cold eye in the middle of its head.
If you wish to turn and run, turn to 258.
If you wish to stand and face the lizard, turn to 328.
296
The howling wolf leaps and throws you to the ground. It inflicts a terrible bite, causing the loss of 6 ENDURANCE points. If you are still alive, you must now fight the animal to the death.
Giant Wolf: COMBAT SKILL 20 ENDURANCE 26
If you beat the wolf within three rounds of combat, turn to 106.
297
Staggering under the weight of the statue, you move towards the exit. The terrified Elessin hang back to let you pass, their faces full of fear. You leave the palace and view the long flight of stairs that leads from it with apprehension.
Please stop, pleads the voice that rings in your head. We mean you no harm … What you are doing is madness!
If you wish to do as he says, turn to 4.
If you do not trust the Elessin and are determined to press on, turn to 22.
298
You walk along the corridor and eventually come to the bottom of a flight of stairs. You mount the steps and arrive at a landing. A cell door leads off it. It has been locked, but the key is still in the lock.
If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it, turn to 268.
If you do not have this Power, turn to 295.
299
Unsure that you can trust Spittlethrift, you draw on your Power of Prophecy and try to gain some further insight into the little man's offer. At the cost of 1 WILLPOWER point you probe his mind. You sense that both lies and truths are contained within the Academician's words, though you sense that he means you no physical harm.
If you wish to look into the future to try to find out more about your own possible fate (at the cost of 1 more WILLPOWER point), turn to 317.
If you wish to refuse his request, turn to 282.
If you wish to accept, turn to 210.
300
You steer the Ethetron along a dark tunnel in the mountain, just wide enough to accommodate the craft. An eerie moaning wind passes along the tunnel and you remember why the Moaning Mountain is so called. You see light at the end of the tunnel and, as you approach, a shimmering curtain of water. This is the Gateway to the Vale of Peace.
Turn to 216.
301
You draw out the red jewel and pour the power of your thought into it. At the cost of 1 WILLPOWER point, you stun the Elessi's mind so that he will not see you passing. You then creep from the bushes and through the gate; the guard stares ahead, blankly.
Turn to 279.
302
Eventually you find yourself standing before the tall tower. Its strange, black walls glow with an eldritch quality that is both fascinating and unnerving. You can see no door to the tower but, just above head-height, there is a metal plate. Inscribed upon the plate are some strange symbols. ‘What does it say?’ asks Tanith.
‘I do not know,’ you reply. ‘It is written in a language that I do not recognize.’ Yet, even as you speak, the symbols on the metal plate change, and you find that you can read the inscription after all:
‘From south of here, to west, and north,
Then east and south once more,
A circle's motion rings the charm
That finds the Vanishing Door.’
You ponder the strange words, trying to determine their meaning. ‘A riddle?’ queries Tanith.
If you wish to search for a door on the left side of the tower, turn to 56.
If you wish to search for a door on the right side of the tower, turn to 23.
If you have the Magical Power of Psychomancy and wish to use it, turn to 70.
If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it, turn to 347.
303
Hurriedly, you drag the statue of the Screaming God from the Ethetron and re-board the craft. You pull her into the air, gaining height with all the speed you can muster. A tingling sensation tells you that you are about to leave the Neverness; you glance back at the Crystal Tower. A chilling scream reaches your ears. It grows louder and louder and the tower begins to crumble. Suddenly you realize that you did not warn the Academicians of the peril of the Screaming God. One of them must have taken the Threnogem from the statue and freed the demon. There is now nothing you can do to help as you pass into the Realm of Paradox.
Turn to 174.
304
The force of the impact sends you tumbling through the air. Then a hand grips yours: Tanith has caught you. She has a firm grip on the Trianon and soon pulls you up. ‘How do we get inside?’ she asks.
Turn to 325.
305
The dead bodies of the Elessin lie all around you. Badly shaken by your ordeal, your head still ringing from the assault of the Elessin Pipes, you are too stunned to chase after the surviving Elessin and, instead, subject the bodies to a quick search. You find the following items:
3 Elessin Pipes
3 Emerald Medallions
1 Parchment covered with Elessin script
1 Silver Coin
1 Gold Coin
2 Copper Coins
1 Glass Rod
You may keep any of these items (remember that you may carry a maximum of eight articles in your Backpack). Except for the Coins, which you carry in a pocket of your robe, and one of the Emerald Medallions, which may be worn around your neck, all the items are carried in the Backpack.29
Turn to 332.
[29] If you choose to keep them, note the Coins and a maximum of one Medallion as Special Items on your Action Chart. If you choose to keep more than one Medallion, the rest must be carried in your Backpack where they take up one space each.
306
You thank the Vale people for their kindness but insist that your quest is urgent and will brook no delay. You ask if they will show you to the Gateway to the Realm of the Moonstone, and they agree. That night they take you to the Silver Lake, which lies high in the mountains. They instruct you and Tanith to climb aboard the Ethetron and fly above the lake. As the night grows older, and the moon climbs higher in the sky, the waters are bathed in a beautiful shimmering light, like that of polished silver. Then, they say, must you fly into the lake itself, for it is the Gate and the moon its key.
Illustration XX—The Vale people take you to the Silver Lake which lies high in the mountains.
You do exactly as they say and when you reach the surface you discover no water at all: merely the passing touch of something as light as gossamer.
Turn to 247.
307
As you approach the gate, the guard speaks to you in his own tongue. ‘Meski?’
A knot of panic twists in your stomach as you try to guess what he has said.
If you wish to nod your head and pass through the gate, turn to 38.
If you wish to shake your head and pass through the gate, turn to 52.
If you wish to try pointing behind you, turn to 95.
If you wish to say nothing and hurry through the gate, turn to 157.
308
Staff raised in readiness for battle, you turn to attack the lizard. But one chilling glance from its cold and deadly eye transforms you to stone where you stand.
Your life and your quest end here.
309
The Chaos-master's braying laughter fills the hall as he watches the stunned expression on your face. ‘Are you not amused?’ he roars.
You study your identical twin opposite and sense an aura of evil. It is a creation of Shasarak, sent to thwart your final bid to claim the Moonstone. In the Shianti language such a creature is known as a Jahksa, the spiritual apparition of one already living, a perversion of nature and a being of great evil. Without the human emotions of guilt, remorse, and sorrow, a Jahksa has no conscience or morals, and is a passionless killer.
‘And now,’ intones the Chaos-master, when the echo of his laughter has finally subsided, ‘tell me what it is you seek?’ Carefully, you weigh in your mind what you should ask.
If you possess a Cloth Map of the Moaning Mountain and wish to ask for Tanith to be returned to you, turn to 20.
If you do not possess this Special Item, but still wish to ask for Tanith's return and enquire how you may reach the Realm of the Moonstone, turn to 62.
310
Suddenly, withi
n the space of a heartbeat, the white-light horizon appears to turn inside out, its near and far sides interchanging. Then, with a lurch, you are hurled into a bright shaft and catapulted into a clear, sunlit sky. Wind rushes at your face and the land far below is as green and fresh as that in your own world. Buffeted by the wind, you struggle to control the Ethetron as it rocks and reels wildly in the wind-torn sky. Still dazed by the experiences of the past few minutes, you cannot help but manipulate the control clumsily.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess the Talisman of the Shianti, add 2 to this number.
If your total is now 0–3, turn to 13.
If your total is now 4–11, turn to 77.
311
You are standing exactly in the centre of the room. Anxiously you glance up at the lethal sword-points poised above your head. You are facing the stairway, with the smaller doorway to your left and the main entrance behind you.