The Chasm of Doom

by Joe Dever

  If you wish to stand and fight the horseman, turn to 333.

  If you wish to run back to the watchtower, turn to 107.

  125

  A smile flickers across your face as you give the rope a hefty tug. Confidently you turn to watch your pursuers drop into the gaping mine shaft. Unfortunately the only thing to drop is the heavy portcullis that has now sealed off the entrance to the tunnel. Your enemies cackle with glee and draw their weapons to strike.

  You cannot evade them and must fight them one at a time as they leap from the bridge.

  Tunnel Guard Leader: COMBAT SKILL 20 ENDURANCE 30

  Tunnel Guard 1: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 26

  Tunnel Guard 2: COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 24

  If you win, turn to 261.

  126

  Darkness soon engulfs the Ruanon Pike, and you are forced to stop and pitch camp. A large fire is blazing and a perimeter guard is posted to prevent any risk of a surprise attack during the night. You must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

  The night passes without incident and at dawn you break camp, continuing your ride along ‘Raider's Road’.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number that you have picked is 0–4, turn to 25.

  If it is 5–9, turn to 171.

  127

  As you crawl from under the body of the Elix, you see the desperate struggle still raging in the chamber. Two of your men lie dead, their throats torn out by the ferocious beasts. Another is pinned beneath an Elix, his sword thrust into its side. The other ranger has reached the stairs and is desperately hacking at the head and neck of an Elix whose teeth are sunk into his foot.

  There is no sign of the guards; they have been knocked backwards into the well and have fallen to a watery doom.

  If you wish to help the ranger who is pinned to the floor, turn to 178.

  If you wish to help the ranger who is fighting at the bottom of the stairs, turn to 245.

  128

  You dive towards the trapdoor, but the warrior is rushing to intercept your escape.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If you have the Kai Discipline of Hunting, add 3 to the number you have chosen.

  If your total is now 0–4, turn to 103.

  If it is 5–12, turn to 98.

  129

  You soon arrive at a collapsed section of the tunnel. A wide rift has appeared in the floor, and a makeshift bridge has been thrown across it. In spite of the many gaping holes in the bridge floor you make your way safely to the other side.

  You are hungry and must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. (If you possess the Kai Discipline of Hunting, you are unable to use it within the Maaken Mines to hunt for food.)

  Make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart before turning to 309.

  130

  For over an hour, you follow the river bank as it wends its way into the foothills of the Maaken Range. The River Xane is wide and fast-flowing; there are no signs of any bridges or fords in this direction.

  If you wish to return to the boathouse, turn to 68.

  If you wish to continue following the river towards the east, turn to 331.

  131

  The door is unlocked and opens out into a dimly lit tunnel. This section of the mine looks newly-constructed, for the timbers are clean and the floor has yet to be worn smooth by the passage of miners and wagons. The tunnel heads south for nearly a mile before turning abruptly to the west.

  Turn to 185.

  132

  Your men tether their horses and follow you into the tavern. An old woman stands behind the bar, her face taut and lined as if in pain. She wears men's clothes — a shirt and chequered trousers. The tavern is empty, but the tables are covered with ale mugs, many half full of beer.

  If you feel uneasy about the tavern and wish to leave town, turn to 67.

  If you wish to question the old woman, turn to 287.

  133

  The bandits close on you from three sides and move in for the kill. They attack simultaneously and you must fight all three as one enemy.

  Bandit Patrol: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 35

  If you lose any ENDURANCE points during this combat, even when attempting to evade, turn to 17.

  You may evade combat at any time by running towards Ruanon. Turn to 307.

  If you win the combat without losing any ENDURANCE points, turn to 265.

  134

  You soon arrive at the entrance to a mine. Two sets of footprints disappear into the gloom of the tunnel and, judging by their shape and size, they were made by two of your missing scouts. You shout into the mine but there is no reply to your call.

  If you wish to enter the mine, turn to 91.

  If you decide to call off your search, return along the hill track and turn to 191.

  135

  The bleak, treeless Wildlands offer no cover in which you can hide from the bandit hordes. They outnumber your men by four to one, and the life and death of your entire company now depends on your decision.

  If you wish to counterattack the bandits in the hope that your bold action will scare them off, turn to 284.

  If you wish to split your company, detaching a group of ten rangers to follow you whilst sending the remainder off towards the west in the hope of luring the bulk of the bandit horde away to the Durncrag Mountains, turn to 211.

  If you wish to head south at the gallop, to try to reach the shelter of the Ruanon Forest before the bandits close in, turn to 30.

  136

  The injured man is in a state of shock; his left arm is completely smashed above and below the elbow, and many of his ribs are broken.

  If you have the Kai Discipline of Healing, turn to 313.

  If you do not possess this skill, turn to 216.

  137

  All around the barricade the enemy are retreating in disorder; bandit war-horns announce the withdrawal, exhorting their defeated warriors to flee the battlefield. A jubilant Captain D'Val emerges from the war-smoke, his eyes shining like jewels beneath the rim of his battered helmet. ‘We have triumphed, Lone Wolf. We have vanquished the foe!’

  All around you, the captain's men are rebuilding the barricade and tending to their wounded comrades. It sorrows you to see Sommlending dead, but you take heart at how few they are beside the enemy's losses.

  The captain ushers you to the watchtower where your wounds are cleaned and dressed with Laumspur. The herbs restore 6 ENDURANCE points.

  ‘We have beaten this foe, but I fear that it is but a temporary reprieve,’ says the captain, his face now composed and sombre. ‘The sacrifice of Baron Vanalund's daughter must be stopped if we are to avoid catastrophe, for our strength will not avail us against a foe freshly risen from the grave.’

  The words of the verse flood into your mind and a chill runs down your spine as you realize what may lie ahead. In three days' time, when the moon is full, Barraka will sacrifice the Baron's daughter at the buried temple of Maaken, a sacrifice that will unleash the dead of Maakengorge — the Chasm of Doom. You know you must prevent the sacrifice.

  Turn to 12.

  138

  You are halfway down the ramp when a guard turns to face you. He blinks and rubs his bloodshot eyes in disbelief. You seize your advantage and sprint at the man, hoping to reach him before he fully comes to his senses. Just as he begins to shout, you strike and send him tumbling over the edge of the ramp. The other guard draws his sword and staggers to his feet. He is obviously very drunk and is maddened by your attack — he springs towards you like a rabid dog.

  Drunken Guard: COMBAT SKILL 13 ENDURANCE 29

  You can evade combat at any time by running into the tunnel on this level. Turn to 81.

  If you win the combat, turn to 152.

  139

  You send three of your men into the valley with orders to scout the highway and its forested borders for bandits. Before the scouts leave, you remind them to report back
within two hours.

  You are hungry and you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. In spite of their fatigue, your men are now alert and ready for action, for it has been over three hours since your scouts departed and not one of them has yet returned.

  If you wish to send three more scouts into the wooded valley, turn to 206.

  If you wish to wait until dawn before you investigate their disappearance, turn to 330.

  If you decide that it is far too dangerous to stay here, you can still ride east towards the town of Eshnar by turning to 92.

  140

  Dusk soon enshrouds the beleaguered outpost of Ruanon and you use the cover of darkness to cross the body-strewn plain towards the south. An old highway trails off to Maaken but it is choked with Vassagonian warriors. They stand about in sullen groups, tending their wounded and brooding on their defeat; however, even demoralized and dejected, they are still a deadly foe. It will be too dangerous to risk passing through their ranks, so you must use the forest to conceal your passage.

  If you wish to venture through the trees to the right of the highway, turn to 70.

  If you wish to pass through the trees to the left, turn to 314.

  141

  You have not ridden far when a storm cloud breaks directly overhead and torrential rain crashes down. Within minutes, the dry and dusty highway is transformed into a quagmire. It will be impossible to set up camp in this storm, so you resolve to continue to ride all night in the hope that the storm will soon pass. During your night ride you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

  By morning the rain has ceased, but you and your men are now very tired from the ordeal.

  Turn to 253.

  142

  Dawn arrives, rain-swept and gloom-laden. A pall of drizzle hangs over the ghost city and the gruesome discord of the wailing winds of Maakengorge makes you feel uneasy. You watch and wait, your Kai cloak drawn close about your shoulders to keep out the chill, damp air.

  It was here, during the Age of the Black Moon, that King Ulnar of Sommerlund killed the mightiest of the Darklords — Lord Vashna. In mortal combat upon the very brink of the abyss, the Darklord was slain by the Sommerswerd. It is said that his death-cry when he fell will echo through the gorge until the day he rises to wreak his vengeance on Sommerlund and the House of Ulnar. Your stomach contracts at the thought that this could be that very day.

  For five hours you observe and take in every detail of the ruined city. The first line of the strange verse keeps repeating itself in your mind. ‘When the full moon shines o'er the temple deep … ’ The temple must be underground and there must be an entrance to it — but where?

  You study every crack in the broken ground and eliminate all but two possibilities: a crypt door guarded by two Vassagonian warriors and a flight of marble steps descending into the earth between two columns of fractured pillars.

  Illustration VIII—The crypt door is guarded by two Vassagonian warriors.

  If you wish to try to enter the temple through the guarded crypt door, turn to 183.

  If you wish to try to enter the temple via the unguarded marble stairs, turn to 270.

  143

  No matter how hard you strike the prop, it will not fall. Suddenly your pursuers charge out of the gloomy tunnel and attack you.

  Although there are only two pursuers, others are close behind. You must fight them one at a time.

  Tunnel Guard 1: COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 22

  Tunnel Guard 2: COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 21

  If you manage to kill the first guard, you can evade further combat by turning to 87.

  If you kill both guards in combat, turn to 230.

  144

  You vault over the edge of the wagon and run, little dreaming of what lies ahead. The causeway wall is high and you cannot stop yourself in time from falling over the edge. You crash head-first into a quarry over one hundred feet below, glimpsing the horrified expression of your unknown friend as you fall.

  Your life and your mission end here.

  145

  The tunnel descends for miles into solid rock. You are occasionally startled by unexpected swarms of glowing mine flies or fluttering bats swooping out of the darkness, attracted by your body heat.

  You eventually reach a chamber where a small wooden hut has been built against the wall. You are now desperately tired and in need of sleep.

  If you wish to rest in the hut, turn to 322.

  If you wish to press on regardless of fatigue, turn to 162.

  146

  The bandit tumbles into the rushing water and disappears from view. You leap from stone to stone in pursuit of the two bandits who have survived the ambush and who are now scurrying off towards the far bank to alert the other bandits inside the wagon. As the bandits emerge from the wagon, to your horror, you notice they are all armed with bows which they train upon your advancing rangers with deadly precision.

  As you shout a warning, an iron-tipped shaft creases your scalp and you are knocked backwards into the swift dark waters of the River Xane.

  Turn to 272.

  147

  The guard hears you approaching and spins round. He stares at you aghast and unsheathes his sword. Due to the surprise of your attack, you may ignore any ENDURANCE points lost in the first round of combat.

  Bridge Guard: COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 23

  If you win the combat, turn to 280.

  148

  ‘To me! To me!’ Captain D'Val's voice booms out above the battle noise. ‘Rally to me, Sommlending.’

  The brave captain draws about him a shielded wedge of soldiers and charges into the flank of the horsemen. They reel and buckle as the shield-wedge hews its way through their company. A Vassagonian herald, his crimson armour torn and his face smeared with blood, breaks free from the battle and sounds the retreat. You watch as the surviving bandits spur their mounts to the gallop, desperate to escape through the ragged hole in the barricade. Gripped by panic and fatigue, they ride through their own foot soldiers who are advancing to support them. The infantry falter and collapse as the cavalry ride them down.

  Illustration IX—A Vassagonian herald breaks free from the battle and sounds the retreat.

  Captain D'Val leads his men to the barricade and directs a lethal volley of arrows into the shattered infantry. It is the last straw. They throw down their weapons and flee from the clouds of arrows raining down on them from out of the smoke-filled sky.

  A battle-cry, proud and strident pursues them across the plain: ‘For Sommerlund, for Sommerlund!’

  Turn to 137.

  149

  A dreadful feeling of guilt sweeps over you as you recognize these amulets. They are the symbols of a holy order of monks known as ‘The Redeemers’, a silent order devoted to pilgrimage, prayer, and the healing arts.

  You curse your hasty action and carefully replace the amulets around the necks of the holy men.

  Turn to 188.

  150

  The tracks lead to the overgrown entrance of a mine tunnel. You peer into the gloomy passage to see that many of the beams and props that once supported the roof have now collapsed. Mounds of moss-covered earth litter the tunnel floor, and a rivulet of ore-stained water trickles a winding course around them.

  The hoof prints end at the entrance but two sets of footprints continue into the mine.

  If you wish to send your men in search of the missing horses, turn to 164.

  If you wish to follow the footprints into the mine, turn to 288.

  If you wish to call off the search, you can return along the hill track by turning to 6.

  151

  The floor of the tunnel is covered with the decaying remains of rodents. The sound of cracking bones makes you wince with disgust as you and your men step gingerly through the foul-smelling debris.

  You reach a section where the tunnel curves abruptly to the east, revealing the reflections of torchlight on the rough stone walls. A quick check ahead confirms your suspic
ions; two armour-clad warriors stand guard at a well sunk into a torchlit chamber.

  If you wish to signal to your men to attack the guards, turn to 320.

  If you wish to try to lure them into the tunnel and capture them alive, turn to 197.

  152

  A quick search of the body reveals the following items:

  Sword

  6 Gold Crowns

  Enough food for two Meals

  Brass Key

  You may take any of these items but remember to mark them on your Action Chart.

  As you turn to enter the tunnel, a guard appears on the ramp below. He sees you and sounds the alarm by blowing on a war-horn strung around his neck. You do not stay to witness the response to his alarm signal. With its sound ringing in your ears you escape into the tunnel at a run.

  Turn to 81.

  153

  You release the shaft and it whistles towards the bandit leader, but he sees its deadly approach and raises his polished steel shield. Your heart sinks as the arrow is turned aside; it shatters harmlessly against the watchtower wall. Before you can fire again, the bow is suddenly kicked from your grasp. You are confronted by an armoured warrior. He stands above you on the barricade wall, and you cannot evade his attack.