by Joe Dever
Make all the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart before turning to 79.
[7] You may choose which Weapon to discard if you have two.
273
You have ridden less than five miles when you see a group of wagons on the highway ahead. They are painted in a gaudy mix of bright colours and drawn by teams of oxen. A huge tasselled banner flies above the leading wagon, which bears the following proclamation:
The Famous Asajir Players — Troubadours to the Imperial Courts of Magnamund
Illustration XVI—You see a group of wagons on the highway ahead.
If you wish to stop to question these travelling minstrels, turn to 37.
If you wish to ignore them and let them pass, turn to 126.
274
Barraka draws a razor-sharp scimitar, holding its mirror-like blade in his other hand. He advances towards you with deadly grace; you can sense his warrior prowess, his ice-cold nerve. Your fight will be hard and to the death.
If you possess a Flask of Holy Water, turn to 283.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 325.
275
With one slice of your golden sword, the timber splinters in two. A shudder runs through the ground, and with one mighty roar, a deluge of earth and stone completely fills the tunnel. Clouds of dust engulf you, and the force of the blast throws you to the floor; all the torches are extinguished. You lose 1 ENDURANCE point. Staggering to your feet, you hurry along the dust-choked tunnel to where the wall torches are still burning.
Turn to 335.
276
A hideous groan reverberates through the chamber making everyone freeze in mid-step. With mounting horror, you watch as the far wall suddenly moves towards you. A crack appears, widening to reveal a row of razor-sharp teeth. You have awoken a hungry Stoneworm, and it intends to feast on your flesh. Your men unsheathe their swords and prepare for combat; it is too late for them to turn and run.
If you wish to stand and fight the Stoneworm, turn to 88.
If you wish to escape from the chamber, you run back to the ladder and turn to 26.
277
You kick the dead Warhound away and steel yourself for another onslaught. Three more of the snarling beasts are ready to pounce, and you must fight them as one enemy.
Vassagonian Warhounds: COMBAT SKILL 22 ENDURANCE 35
If you win the combat, turn to 155.
278
Your lightning reactions have saved you from certain death. The deadly disc whistles past, embedding itself deep in a wheel. Rolling clear of the wagon, you sprint along a narrow alleyway leading to a knot of densely packed firs. You reach the trees, but as you dive for cover, you hear the shouts of bandits close behind.
If you wish to press on through the trees towards the south, turn to 123.
If you wish to change direction and head west, turn to 169.
279
As you unfurl the Scroll and begin to read its ominous contents, the Baron struggles to his feet. Word for word he echoes the prophetic verse.
When the full moon shines o'er the temple deep,
A sacrifice will stir from sleep
The legions of a long forgotten lord.
When a fair royal maid on the altar dies,
The dead of Maakengorge shall rise
To claim their long-awaited reward.
‘You must save her, Lone Wolf. You must prevent the sacrifice.’ The Baron's voice is choked with emotion.
‘Save who? Who must he save?’ questions Captain D'Val, as he tries to calm the distressed Baron.
‘My daughter, Madelon. Barraka has found the Dagger of Vashna. He plans to sacrifice my daughter upon the altar of Maaken to release the undead of Maakengorge.’
The Baron explains that during the Age of the Black Moon, King Ulnar of Sommerlund killed the mightiest of all the Darklords, Vashna, with the Sommerswerd, the sword of the sun. His body and the bodies of all his soldiers were hurled into the bottomless abyss of Maakengorge. ‘He plans to lead the dead to victory first to conquer Sommerlund and then all of the Lastlands,’ he says in despair.
You stare at the Baron in stunned silence. If Barraka completes the sacrifice, all is lost. What mortal army can stand against a legion of the dead?
Captain D'Val ushers you from the chamber and closes the door. ‘I feared he was insane, but your Scroll confirms my worst nightmare. He speaks the truth!’
As the dreadful significance of the verse begins to sink in, your thoughts are broken by the shrill blast of a war-horn. Captain D'Val strides over to an arrow slit and peers out across the plain. As he turns to speak, you notice that his face is ashen grey. ‘The bandits … they're launching an attack!’
If you possess Captain D'Val's sword, turn to 327.
If you do not possess it, turn to 289.
280
You roll the body over onto its side and make a quick search. You discover:
3 Gold Crowns
Enough food for 1 Meal
Sword
You may take whatever you wish before crossing the bridge, but remember to make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart. Upon reaching the far side, you detect the sound of running footsteps somewhere in the distance. You decide against waiting to see who it is and leave the chamber by a tunnel in the west wall.
Turn to 348.
281
The creature vanishes and you find yourself lying on the tunnel floor. You are breathless, your heart is pounding, and your skin feels cold and damp. You begin to realize what must have happened to you. The fungi spores were making you hallucinate; the Tunnel Fiend existed only in your mind, it was nothing more than an illusion. Unfortunately, any ENDURANCE points you lost in combat with this mere illusion cannot be restored: you inflicted the wounds on yourself, striking your body against the jagged tunnel walls.
As the effects of the spores begin to fade, you are overwhelmed by fatigue and lose consciousness. Many hours pass before you awake to a painfully sore throat and aching head. You relight your torch and push on along the tunnel.
Turn to 185.
282
The lock is rusty and stiff, but eventually it gives, and the door opens. You enter a narrow passageway that descends to another door fifty feet away. You order your men to go on ahead while you secure the door. It takes a great effort to force the lock closed. You hear the hollow click of the lock, but this is echoed by a click far louder. A trap has been sprung. The floor opens in the centre of the passage and swallows all your men, screaming with terror, into the void below. With fear rising in your throat, you race to the edge and peer into the inky black pit. The walls are sheer and its depth unknown. A cold breeze on your face and the eerie sound of wind whistling through the chasm is all that meets your desperate stare. With heavy heart, you bid a silent farewell to your lost men and hurry towards the distant door.
Turn to 257.
283
You grasp the Flask, take careful aim, and hurl it straight and true. Barraka stares open-mouthed as the container shatters against the black steel dagger. There is an explosion of searing white flame. The heat scorches your face, and you are thrown to the floor. You lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
You stare in horror as Barraka, his arm torn from his body by the blast, staggers backwards across the temple. He has been blinded by the fire, and he claws at his sightless eyes with his remaining hand. You watch in silence as he stumbles through the black skull doors and plummets into Maakengorge, swallowed up by the Chasm of Doom.
Turn to 350.
284
You order your men to form a line and advance towards the oncoming bandits. They are less than a hundred yards away when you give the order to charge. The wind whips your face, carrying the echo of battle-cries across the plain as you close on the enemy. As your forces clash, you are stunned by the shock of impact. Your horse collides with the flank of a bandit steed, hurling it and its rider to the ground. You reel in the saddle and are unable to avoid a spear th
rust that opens a wound in your thigh. You lose 3 ENDURANCE points before turning to face your attacker.
Bandit Warrior: COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 25
You can evade combat at any time by turning to 89.
If you win the combat, turn to 7.
285
You storm the steps and attack. The guards fire a volley of deadly bolts, and a metal-tipped shaft passes straight through the hood of your cloak. Miraculously, you are unharmed. You raise your weapon and strike, cracking the neck of the guard who fired at you. No sooner has he fallen than another steps forward to take his place. There is no room to evade combat, and you must fight him to the death.
Guard: COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 28
If you win the combat, turn to 71.
286
You wait with bated breath as a line of haggard men file past your barely concealed hiding place. An escort of bandit warriors urge them forward, beating any who falter or step out of the line. Then each man is forced to take hold of a wagon and push it back along the tunnel. Soon they have all disappeared from view.
You wait, and when you are sure that the coast is clear you step back into the tunnel and press on, taking care to keep well in the shadows. You finally reach a point where the tunnel emerges into daylight. To your left, a dense copse has been cut back from the entrance, and wagon tracks lead to a timber gantry above a mound of ore. The men and the guards who passed you are now at the gantry, but they fail to see you sprint from the entrance and dive into the trees. A brief pause for breath is all you allow yourself before setting off through the trees towards Ruanon.
Turn to 200.
287
You have barely taken a dozen steps when the old woman drops to the floor. A ranger shouts ‘Ambush!’ It is the last word he will ever speak. A razor-sharp disc of metal whistles down from the balcony above and sinks into his chest. Then, suddenly, the tavern is full of bandits, pouring in through windows and doors. Three charge straight at you, their battle-cries loud and savage. You draw your weapon and strike, beheading two of the dark-skinned warriors with a single blow. The third bandit is upon you before the bodies of the others have fallen to the floor.
Bandit Warrior: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 27
If you win the fight, turn to 75.
288
You leave three men to guard the horses and take four men into the mine. It is pitch dark but you are quick to notice that unlit torches line the damp walls at regular intervals. You each take a torch and light it before going any further. Now the footprints can clearly be seen on the muddy floor. They lead to a collapsed section of the tunnel where they disappear over the top of a massive earthfall.
If you wish to climb the mound of earth and squeeze through the narrow gap between the top of the mound and the ceiling, turn to 254.
If you decide to call off the search and return to the mine entrance, turn to 187.
289
You follow Captain D'Val as he hurries down the broad watchtower steps and out to the barricade. A rolling sound like distant thunder fills the air. Cavalry are pouring onto the plain from all sides, grouping up into battalions in preparation for the advance. Columns of foot soldiers in bright scarlet armour march through their ranks, herding a frightened wall of people before them.
‘They're Ruanese!’ cries D'Val, his hand shielding the light from his eyes. ‘That cur Barraka; he's using them as a shield!’
All around you, the captain's men have drawn their bowstrings, awaiting his signal to fire. But it is an order he dare not give. Suddenly a hidden catapult hurls a massive black rock through the air, straight towards the barricade. You stare in horror as it bursts into flame and disintegrates, showering a rain of blazing oil on everyone beneath. The soldiers cannot evade the deluge, and many are badly burnt before the flames are smothered. A battle-cry resounds from the enemy ranks: the signal to attack. The Ruanese are pushed aside and trampled by the onrush of scarlet warriors who now race towards the barricade.
Illustration XVII—You stare in horror as a deluge of blazing oil rains down.
The blazing oil has scattered D'Val's men, and the barricade is poorly defended. You hear D'Val shout your name. His cloak and tunic are ablaze, and he is screaming for your help.
If you have reached the Kai rank of Warmarn (you possess 8 Kai Disciplines), turn to 255.
If you wish to help the captain, turn to 5.
If you wish to rally the defenders before the enemy reach the barricade, turn to 86.
290
The ruins are overgrown with weeds and roots, but you can make out the shape of the inner sanctum of the temple quite distinctly. The huge marble canopy is still intact and will serve as an excellent shelter from the storm. As you tie your horse to a withered shrub, you glance up to see two men hiding beneath the canopy, dressed in long black robes. You order them to come out and identify themselves, but they neither move nor answer your call.
If you wish to signal your men to attack the robed strangers, turn to 44.
If you wish to try to capture them alive, turn to 102.
If you decide to sheathe your weapon and approach them, your hand extended in a gesture of friendship, turn to 78.
291
The passage leads to an iron-studded door. Placing your ear to the rough wood, you detect the sound of voices.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Camouflage, turn to 172.
If you do not possess this skill, you can draw your weapon, open the door, and turn to 93.
Alternatively you can retrace your steps back to the gallery and take the other exit by turning to 55.
292
You draw the sword just in time to save yourself. The deadly disc is sliced in two on the edge of your golden blade, and the semicircles of twisted steel scream past barely inches from your cheeks. You roll away from the wagon and sprint along a narrow alleyway leading to a bank of dense trees. As you enter the trees, you hear the shouts of the bandits close behind.
If you wish to press on towards the south, turn to 123.
If you want to change direction and head west, turn to 169.
293
You follow the track as it wends its way through the forested hills. You soon come across fresh hoof prints in the soft earth of the track.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Tracking, turn to 18.
If you do not possess this skill, turn to 150.
294
The wagon halts in the centre of the timber gantry, and the men are herded back into the tunnel. You wait for over an hour before the entrance is free of guards, and then you slip out of the wagon and run back along the gantry. A copse of densely packed trees lines one side of the track and along the other is a sheer drop into the quarry. As you dash into the foliage, you suddenly realize that the whispering stranger had been trying to help you escape. You bid him silent thanks and press on towards Ruanon.
Turn to 200.
295
The bandit warrior lies dead at your feet. ‘For Sommerlund!’ you cry, as the enemy shield-wall falters and falls. Your men take up the battle-cry and hurl themselves against the foe. Swords whine and men and metal cry out in pain. The fight is desperate but swift. The bandits throw down their shields and flee the tavern, melting away into the rain-filled darkness. You rally your troops and run to the stables, but your heart sinks when you see the doors are wide open. You fear the worst.
Turn to 345.
296
If you possess the Sommerswerd, turn to 122.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 274.
297
It is noon before you are forced to call a halt. You have reached the edge of a ridge where the highway begins a long descent towards a wide wooden bridge. This is the Ruanon Bridge: you recognize its stout black timbers and the dark waters of the River Xane that flow beneath. On the far side of the bridge lie the fire-blackened ruins of an inn and the unmistakable silhouette of bandit horsemen. At the entrance to the bridge is a white sig
npost pointing across the bridge to the south.
RUANON — 12 MILES
You know it would be suicidal to attempt to cross the bridge: the bandit horsemen each carry a heavy crossbow slung from their saddle.
If you wish to try to cross the river further upstream to the west, turn to 113.
If you wish to try to cross the river downstream, to the east, turn to 252.
298
Suddenly the Tunnel Fiends that are screaming and writhing beneath your blows fade and disappear. You shake your head in disbelief and rub your eyes, but no trace of their bodies remains. You slowly begin to realize what has happened. The fungi spores are making you hallucinate; the creatures existed only in your mind and were nothing more than illusions.
Unfortunately, any ENDURANCE points you lost in combat are not restored — during the ‘fight’ you have collided many times with the jagged tunnel walls. You sheathe your weapon and stagger away from the fungi, eager to leave them far behind.
