Wolf's Bane

by Joe Dever

  You can feel a warm breeze wafting along this hall and you sense that it comes from a stairwell at the far end. When you investigate it, you rediscover Wolf's Bane's footprints on the stone steps. You cast your hands over them and detect that this is not a false trail: your enemy passed this way sometime within the last hour.

  Slowly you ascend the stairs and arrive at the arched entrance to a large, vaulted stone chamber. Gathered around a fountain set into its north wall are a group of six grey-skinned humanoids. They are busy drinking a clear, oily fluid that pours from the fountain's spout into a semicircular trough. All are barefoot and clad in rags, and they are each armed with a spear and a bow. The only exit from this chamber appears to be an archway set high in the north wall. There is a balcony in front of it that can only be reached by two flights of stairs which rise up on either side of the fountain.

  Quietly you observe the creatures slaking their thirsts, and you try to formulate a way in which you can get past them and reach the balconied exit in the north wall.

  If you possess a Bow and the Discipline of Magi-magic and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian, turn to 138.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy and have attained the rank of Grand Crown (and wish to use it), turn to 26.

  If you do not possess these skills, or a Bow, or if you have yet to attain the required levels of Kai Mastery, or if you choose not to use either of them, turn to 121.

  258

  The tracks lead out of the tunnel and across a clearing before disappearing into the jungle perimeter. Deeply suspicious, you peer through the curtain of vines and scan along the jungle's edge for signs of your adversary.

  If you possess Grand Pathsmanship and Grand Huntmastery, turn to 68.

  If you do not possess both of these Grand Master Disciplines, turn to 317.

  259

  A white-hot spike of pain penetrates deep into your chest as the onrushing bolt hits you and slams you against the moving wall of the shaft: lose 6 ENDURANCE points.

  If you survive this wounding, adjust your Action Chart accordingly.

  To continue, turn to 37.

  260

  Baron Caldar escorts you and Banedon to the roof of his castle's main tower where, hovering above, you see the great gleaming hull of the Guildmaster's skyship — Cloud-dancer. At Banedon's signal a cage is lowered from the stern of this magical vessel and, after bidding farewell to the Baron, you are both hoisted aboard. The crew, some of whom are survivors from his previous skyship — Skyrider — are clearly agitated by your unexpected appearance; the sibilant hiss of their fearful whispers echoes softly along the deck. But immediately Banedon vouches that you are not the impostor who has terrorized Sommerlund these past few weeks and this swiftly allays his crew's suspicions. As you accompany the Guildmaster to his quarters, the mood of the men and dwarves of the ship's complement changes. Respectfully they salute you and welcome you with pride aboard their wondrous craft.

  The Cloud-dancer sets sail and follows a southwesterly bearing for the city of Tyso, over one hundred miles distant. The night sky is clear and Javano, the ship's pilot, is confident that you will arrive within the hour. During the brief voyage, Banedon communicates magically with the elders of his Brotherhood in Toran. He informs them of your safe return and tells them of your plans to track down the impostor. In response they assure him that word of your return will be conveyed at once to the King in Holmgard, and to your beleaguered kinsmen at the Kai Monastery. This glad news does much to lift your bruised spirits.

  It seems as if you have been aboard the Cloud-dancer for no more than a few minutes when a message arrives from the forward lookout: ‘Tyso lights due south.’ You leave Banedon's comfortable quarters below deck and accompany him to the prow rail from where you catch your first aerial glimpse of the distant city-port. The warm lantern light of hovels and taverns shimmers like a captive cluster of stars within the city's protective wall. At the Guildmaster's command, Javano begins the skyship's descent and, as the twinkling lights loom larger, you are able to make out the silhouette of a grand castle that is perched on a headland overlooking the harbour.

  ‘There's our destination, Lone Wolf,’ says Banedon, cheerfully, ‘the castle of Baron Tor Medar — the Seneschal of Tyso.’

  Turn to 7.

  261

  Now you can hear the creature loping towards you. The squeal of its metal joints merges with the whirring clack of its great iron jaw. The sound unnerves you and, for a terrifying moment, your sweat-slick fingers cannot grip the disc in your tunic pocket. Then you have it and quickly you insert it into the slot in the wall.

  The door opens with a hiss. You rush forward and immediately sidestep to place a solid wall between you and the steel monster. The door slides shut and, a few moments later, you feel a shudder run through the wall as the creature slams head-first into the portal and shatters its skull.

  Your swift escape may have saved your life, but in your haste to evade the mechanical wolf you left behind the key which opened the portal (erase the Iron Disc from your Action Chart).

  To continue, turn to 83.

  262

  The tunnel twists and turns for several hundred yards before entering a large vault that is knee-deep in brackish grey slime. A huge black iron pot hangs suspended by a large chain in the middle of the vault, ten feet above the surface of the slimy floor. The oily chain runs around a large wheel fixed near the ceiling and drops through the centre of a slit, high up in the opposite wall. Carefully you approach the entrance to the vault and, using your Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, you detect that the pot hides two creatures. They are lying in ambush. There is an exit on the far side of the vault, but in order to reach it you will have to pass directly below the hanging pot. Using the cover of shadows at the entrance to the vault, you look to the far exit and consider how you can reach it unscathed.

  If you possess the Discipline of Assimilance and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher, turn to 94.

  If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery, turn to 225.

  263

  The creature that is diving towards you suddenly freezes in mid-air. The morbid fear of death that had gripped your heart quickly evaporates, but you are left with a feeling of deep unease as your Kai senses detect that something extraordinary is taking place around you. The hall has become filled with a deadly silence and everything, including the tongues of flame trailing from the creature's sword, and the blazing fire in the grate, is utterly frozen. It is as if time itself is standing still.

  Wolf's Bane is a frozen statue, his face fixed in the malevolent sneer he was wearing in gleeful anticipation that you were about to meet your doom. You are beginning to think that perhaps you have been killed and that this is life after death, when suddenly you glimpse a blurred movement at the corner of your eye.

  From out of the shadows cast by the gallery steps a young teenage girl, dressed in a leather jerkin and threadbare trousers. You recognize her at once — it is Alyss, the strange enigmatic creature who helped you once before, during your confrontation with the Demoness Shamath.

  ‘Wh … what are you doing here?’ you stammer. Casually she walks towards you and reaches up to touch a finger to the frozen fiery sword clutched in the taloned hands of Wolf's Bane's winged minion.

  ‘Why, doing what I like doing best,’ she replies, airily, ‘minding other people's business.’

  She prods the frozen sword with the tip of her finger and there is a gentle Pop! Instantly the creature disappears.

  ‘I do hate cheats,’ she says, as she wanders over to where Wolf's Bane is standing immobile. Cheekily she pokes out her tongue at him and then she spins on her heel to face you.

  ‘Now, perhaps you can finish what you came here to do, Lone Wolf,’ she says, and claps her hands three times. A sudden rush of noise assails your ears and your senses reel as the reality of time comes flooding back into the hall.

  Turn to 29
6.

  264

  The thick, trunk-like stamen is covered with fine hairs which help you to make the long climb towards the amber-coloured light far above. However, as you get nearer to the light, the stamen hairs become coated with lumps of sticky, sweet-smelling yellow pollen. These pollen clusters hamper your progress as you have to struggle to unglue yourself from them every time you shift your position.

  You are nearing the stamen's bud-like top when you become aware of a distant buzzing sound. Rapidly the noise gets louder until you are suddenly plunged into semi-darkness. A huge winged insect is hovering directly above you, its multi-coloured body blotting out most of the pale amber sky. It lunges back and forth with its great head as it sucks away clumps of pollen from surrounding stamens with its long, spear-like proboscis. Then the creature detects your presence and the deafening noise of its wings changes pitch. It rises several feet above the stamen and hovers there for a few moments while it studies you with massive composite eyes. Unfortunately it takes only a few seconds for the creature to decide that it wants to vary its diet of pollen. With a sinister nod of its head, it extends its proboscis and then stabs its sticky point towards your unprotected back.

  If you wish to attempt to defend yourself from this creature's attack, turn to 135.

  If you decide to attempt to evade it, turn to 214.

  265

  You draw upon your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen to repel this psychic attack, but your defence is not sufficient enough to completely protect the fabric of your mind: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

  The surprise assault on your mental defences has bought this castle guardian the precious few seconds it needs in which to advance upon you. As the pain in your head recedes, you see the armoured warrior striding towards you with its sword raised high, poised ready to deal you a mighty blow.

  Meghanic: COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE 48

  This being is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

  If you win the combat, turn to 338.

  266

  The arrows splash into the mire, dangerously close to where you are standing. You sense that the volley was not aimed at you; it was let loose in the hope of hitting you by chance. You suspect that the creatures who fired these arrows have an exceptional hearing ability, and rather than risk them getting lucky with their second volley, you decide to throw caution to the wind and make a dash for the exit tunnel.

  Turn to 309.

  267

  There is no door to the entrance of this derelict dwelling and, after checking that Wolf's Bane has left no unwelcome surprises, you enter and find a foyer strewn with mouldering masonry. Two staircases lead off this small entrance hall: one ascends to the floor above; the other descends to the basement. The stairwell down is blocked by timbers and sheets of crumpled iron. It shows no signs of having been disturbed for years and so you choose instead to explore the upper floor.

  At the top of the stairs you make an unexpected discovery. You emerge into a corridor that is lined with a seamless metallic skin. Unlike the dereliction you have so far witnessed, the walls and floor of this passage bear no signs of neglect or corrosion. They gleam like highly polished steel.

  You explore the corridor and come to what, at first sight, appears to be a dead end. Then you hear a loud hiss and a concealed panel slides open to reveal another steel-lined passageway. You pause to examine the panel but you can detect no traps or residues of magic.

  If you wish to enter the new passageway, turn to 252.

  If you choose not to enter, turn to 274.

  268

  The buttress and the rope plummet into the fissure and are lost to an underground river far below. For a few terrible seconds Steel Hand swings precariously from the ceiling; then his fingers lose their purchase and he, too, tumbles into the abyss.

  You and your young Kai comrades rush to the edge of the fissure, fearing the worst. But Steel Hand has not fallen into the raging river to be carried out to sea; he is still in sight. Your infravision reveals him to be lying on a rocky ledge less than twenty feet below. He has been knocked unconscious by the fall but thankfully he is still alive.

  It takes nearly an hour to retrieve Steel Hand from the ledge and then cross safely to the far side of the fissure. During this time, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

  ‘Come, my lords,’ you say, mindful of the unwelcome dangers and delays you have so far endured, ‘we must press on. We've yet to find our quarry's trail.’

  Turn to 160.

  269

  With mounting dread, you watch as the seconds tick away. When the illuminated display reaches zero, there is a sun-like burst of light which totally obliterates your senses; it is the last light that you ever see. The bomb detonates and explodes with terrific force, destroying the dragonfly pens and several of the upper storeys of the tower.

  Sadly, your struggle against Wolf's Bane has ended in defeat, leaving the way clear for Naar's forces to invade and conquer Magnamund. Your life and your duel end here.

  270

  Hurriedly you spit out the words of the Brotherhood Spell Invisible Shield and sweep your hand in a circle before your face. You complete the spell barely seconds before the deadly shaft splinters against this magical protection and falls in pieces to the ground.

  Turn to 133.

  271

  Your search uncovers many interesting and rare items, but few which are of any practical value. The only item worthy of consideration is a valuable goblet, crafted from gold. (If you wish to take and keep this Gold Cup, record it on your Action Chart as a Special Item.)

  To continue, turn to 12.

  272

  You recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell Strength, and feel a wave of vibrant energy course through your body and limbs. Charged with the power of this spell, you take a firm grip of the portcullis with both hands and lift with all your might. The heavy iron portal creaks and shudders; then its hidden counterweights bow to your efforts. The portal rises and you are able to make a swift escape from the clutches of the chained serpent.

  You retrace your steps along the tunnel, passing the place where you first appeared in this subterranean labyrinth, and continue on until you reach a large vault that is knee-deep in brackish grey slime. A huge black iron pot hangs suspended by a large chain in the middle of the vault, ten feet above the surface of the slimy floor. The oily chain runs around a large wheel fixed near the ceiling and drops through the centre of a slit, high up in the opposite wall. Carefully you approach the entrance to the vault and, using your Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, you detect that the pot hides two creatures. They are lying in ambush. There is an exit on the far side of the vault, but in order to reach it you will have to pass directly below the hanging pot. Using the cover of shadows at the entrance to the vault, you look to the far exit and consider how you can reach it unscathed.

  If you possess the Discipline of Assimilance and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher, turn to 94.

  If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery, turn to 225.

  273

  You feel your throat tightening as the air is sucked out of the chamber. The whirling flames of the fire have rapidly transformed into a raging vortex which is dragging into its core every loose item in the banquet hall. You and Alyss hang on to the banister rail affixed to the gallery stairs, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain your grip. Chairs, tapestries, tables, and other furniture batter you as they tumble past to be sucked into the vortex (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). Then the rail collapses and the two of you are drawn into the raging heart of this fearsome whirlpool.

  Turn to 170.

  274

  You return to the stairs and descend to the foyer. Mindful of your enemy's skills of deception and illusion, you take a closer look at the debris which blocks the stairs leading down. But you cannot detect any tracks or evi
dence that Wolf's Bane has come this way. You are about to abandon the stairwell and leave the building when something catches your eye. Protruding from the dust that covers the top step is a small disc of iron engraved with runic symbols. (If you wish to keep this Iron Disc, record it on your Action Chart as a Special Item.)

  To leave the building and continue, turn to 71.

  275

  Lining the walls of this passage are countless thousands of small alcoves, each one occupied by the skull of an ancient Tysoan. Occasionally this macabre display is punctuated by a sealed tomb or burial urn, but in the main the parade of mirthless skulls seems to go on forever.

  At length you come to a circular vault where, unexpectedly, you can hear the sound of the sea. Using your infravision to scan the dark chamber before entering, you note that a wide section of its stone floor has collapsed. The sound of the sea breaking against a distant shoreline wells up from this gaping hollow.

  With caution guiding your step, you enter the inky black chamber and inch your way to the edge of the fissure. You can detect no living creatures or other sources of heat, but using your Kai senses you are able to determine that the hollow is more than one hundred feet deep. There is one exit from the vault, but it lies over forty feet away, on the opposite side of the fissure.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it, turn to 66.