by Joe Dever
If you do not possess this Kai Discipline, turn to 9.
237
You soon reach the bottom of a flight of broad stone steps that ascends northwards to a landing, thirty feet above. The centre of each step has been worn smooth by the feet of the countless creatures that once inhabited the lower levels of cold Ikaya. As you climb, you wonder how long you will remain undetected. So far you have neither seen nor heard any other living soul in these deserted passages.
You have the element of surprise on your side; you now pray that Vonotar is unprepared for an intruder from the depths of his own fortress. You reach the landing and pass through an empty hall, towards a darkened archway beyond. Here, the passage splits and branches off towards the east and west. You are hungry and must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
If you wish to take the east passage, turn to 92.
If you decide to take the west passage, turn to 297.
238
The two days that follow are sheer hell. Ridges formed by deeply fissured ice-mounds continually bar your way, and you are forced to dismount and manhandle the sledges across them. Progress is slow. The Kanu-dogs are nervous and take fright at the slightest instance and the sledges frequently capsize and spill their loads.
A haze of fine snow obscures your vision. On two occasions, Fenor and Irian slip into crevasses and have to be pulled out by their safety ropes. Then your sledge meets with a similar mishap. Dyce volunteers to be lowered into the crevasse on the end of a rope, and unloads the damaged sledge so that it is light enough to be hauled out. After two hours of backbreaking effort, the sledge is dragged from the void, but only for you to discover that it is damaged beyond repair and will have to be abandoned.
A gale rises from the west, and blows so fiercely that you have difficulty in standing. Within a few minutes, the conditions have become so bad that you are obliged to pitch a tent and wait for the gale to die down. Hour after hour, the wind buffets the tent relentlessly. As you slowly drift off to sleep, you can only dread what the next morning may bring; you are totally unaware of the amazing sight that awaits you.
Turn to 117.
239
You quickly lose consciousness. You have succumbed to the baneful power of an ancient Doomstone, a power that is deadly to all living creatures. Death is inevitable and comes quickly.
It may be of consolation to learn that your body is soon discovered by an Ice Barbarian guard, who presents it (together with the Doomstone) to Vonotar. The traitor is so elated by your death, that he orders your body to be encased in ice and displayed like a trophy in his hall. However, the radiations of the Doomstone will cause the evil wizard months of suffering and eventually bring about his own death.
Your life and your mission end here.
240
You fall over thirty feet and land flat on your back in the snow-filled crevasse. You are surrounded by sharp stalagmites and jagged ice, but you have miraculously escaped death and injury. Shaken, but thankful to be alive, you stagger to your feet and grasp a crystal stalagmite for support. You slowly become aware that you can see your hands quite clearly. A faint light is seeping from a fissure to your left. With curiosity getting the better of your natural caution, you stagger across the crevasse floor and explore this mysterious cave.
Turn to 284.
241
The Ice Barbarian is on his knees when you enter combat; he cannot react to your attack during the first two rounds. Ignore any ENDURANCE points you lose during the first two rounds of combat.
Ice Barbarian: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 28
If you win the combat, turn to 186.
242
The stone door is perfectly smooth. No hinges, locks, or levers are visible from inside the room.
If you possess the Sommerswerd, turn to 42.
If you do not possess it, you can only leave this room via the passage in the north wall. Turn to 145.
243
You are remarkably lucky. Hidden by the darkness is a deep fissure into which you nearly stepped. With a few extra bruises to your knees and shins, you press onwards towards the distant light.
Turn to 235.
244
You carefully make your way across the temple floor until you are standing next to the altar. The statue seems cold and lifeless, but you sense that someone or something is trapped within. You can almost hear their desperate cries for release.
If you wish to strike the statue with a weapon, turn to 150.
If you do not possess a weapon, or if you wish to leave the temple, head towards the northern archway by turning to 306.
245
As the beast shrieks a ghastly death-cry, the horrible stench of its body fills your nostrils. Even the Kanu-dogs wrinkle their noses in disgust and shy away from the evil smell.
When Irian appears at your side with a skinning knife, you wince at the thought of skinning this dreadful creature. You watch with distaste as Irian cuts open the beast from throat to belly, and peels back the thick white fur. You cannot believe your eyes when he scoops out handfuls of thick oil from inside the skin and smears it all over his face and body. ‘Baknar oil,’ he shouts enthusiastically. ‘Keeps you dry and warm. Better than fur for keeping out the Kalte ice.’ He offers you a handful of the vile oil.
If you wish to accept his offer, turn to 91.
If the thought of smelling like a vat of rancid cheese does not appeal to you, turn to 172.
246
You depress the lever and the stone door slides aside to reveal a large chamber. It is cold, stale, and empty, except for a granite chest lying near the east wall.
If you wish to make a closer examination of the chest, turn to 45.
If you decide to ignore the chamber and continue up the stairs instead, turn to 323.
247
The old man slowly raises his head. His eyes look tired and bruised. The congealed blood of several wounds mats his long grey beard. He struggles to his feet and peers into the darkness above. ‘Who lurks there? Is that you Vonotar? Show yourself, worm, or be gone. I'll not cower from you, nor will I hide my loathing. You will never break me, traitor!’ he shouts, defiantly shaking his scrawny fist in the air.
You cannot mistake his accent, for it is identical to your own. The old man is one of your countrymen, a Sommlending from the northern port of Toran.
If you possess a Rope, you can lower it to the floor and rescue the old man from the cell by turning to 118.
If you do not have a Rope, or if you do not wish to rescue him, you can continue along the passage by turning to 30.
248
About three hundred feet from the base of the ice staircase, you become dizzy and lose your footing. You try desperately to hang on to the rock-face, but your fingers are numb with the cold and you fall to your doom in the valley below. The perfectly preserved remains of your body will be found by explorers, two thousand years from now.
Your mission and your life end here.
249
You sense that a group of warriors is approaching from the south.
Take the north corridor by turning to 104.
250
The glass shatters in your hand, and the black liquid splashes over the stone table. Cursing your misfortune, you carefully sniff the few remaining drops lying in a curve of jagged glass.
If you have ever visited the Graveyard of the Ancients, turn to 77.
If you have not, you are suspicious of this pungent liquid and quickly discard the broken glass. Return to 10 and choose your next course of action.
251
In the afternoon, your journey towards the glacier gradually becomes far more laborious. The blood vessels in both your eyes begin to swell until you feel as though your eyeballs are being tattooed with red-hot needles, or as if your eyelids are full of grit and sand.
Fenor is the first to notice your condition, and he halts the sledges. ‘Snow-blindness,’ he says, tearing an old rag into long strips of bandage. ‘If you go
on like that, you'll go mad with pain before nightfall.’
You lose 2 ENDURANCE points. Your sore eyes are swathed in bandages and you are made to lie amongst the equipment at the rear of the sledge. Then the trek continues. By nightfall, you reach the edge of the Viad Glacier.
Turn to 62.
252
‘Your time has come,’ shouts a voice, but it is Loi-Kymar and not Vonotar who now speaks. A knot of herbs flies through the air and hits Vonotar squarely in the chest. In an instant, the hunchback wizard is engulfed in a tangle of vines that ensnare him from head to toe. Loi-Kymar bridges the moat with more creepers and joins you on the platform.
Illustration XIV—In an instant, the hunchback wizard is engulfed in a tangle of vines.
‘Be sure to remove his rings and amulets,’ he says, as he busily searches for his Guildstaff. ‘He is a master of trickery. We would not want him to miss the special homecoming that awaits him in Sommerlund.’
You marvel at the old man's composure. After such a desperate fight, he seems completely unruffled. ‘Ah! Here she is,’ he announces triumphantly as he withdraws his Guildstaff from beneath the Brumalmarc throne.
You pass him your map of Kalte and point out the location of the Cardonal. ‘I'll not be needing that,’ he replies, a little contemptuously. ‘Maps are invariably wrong — I prefer to rely on my own sense of direction.’ The old magician raises his staff and a dazzling beam of light shoots from its tip. He makes three wide sweeps of the air and the Hall of the Brumalmarc is transformed into an umbrella of colour.
Turn to 350.
253
The Kalkoth hits you with such force that you tumble backwards onto the thin ice of the lake. You are concussed, and unconscious of the sharp teeth that now engulf your sinking body.
Your life and your mission end here.
254
On the west wall of the corridor you see another stone door, with a small spy-hole cut into the centre revealing a cell on the other side. An old man is huddled in the far corner of the cell, his face and hair matted with blood and dirt. His blue robes are so filthy that the crescents and stars embroidered on them are almost totally obscured.
If you wish to open the cell door, turn to 56.
If you decide to ignore this old man and continue along the corridor, turn to 276.
255
Your Kai Discipline of Tracking reveals to you that the left tunnel heads north and the right tunnel heads east. Ikaya is about fifty miles to the north.
If you wish to take the left tunnel, turn to 125.
If you decide to take the right tunnel, turn to 184.
256
The door crashes shut, sealing the exit to the passage outside. Gradually you become aware of a vibration in the floor; but it lasts for only a few seconds and is followed by a dull click. Your gaze is drawn back to the black monolith. A crack has appeared in its surface. It runs the entire circumference of the slab and it is getting wider and wider.
If you wish to prepare for combat, turn to 217.
If you decide to press yourself into a corner of the chamber and take cover beneath your cloak, turn to 7.
257
A shiver runs up your spine as Dyce's screams fade away into the dark gorge. You are staring into the inky blackness when Irian suddenly shouts: ‘There … over there. I'm sure I saw something.’
You turn to see him pointing not at the gorge but towards the west. ‘Look, over there,’ says Fenor, who is also pointing, but at a ridge of ice in the middle distance. Two fur-clad warriors are standing on top of a large slab of ice. They stare in your direction, alerted no doubt by Dyce's scream.
‘Ice Barbarians,’ whispers Irian, his voice shaking with fear. ‘If they reach Ikaya before us, we're as good as dead.’
You are still fifteen miles from the ice fortress and less than three hours of daylight remain.
If you wish to try to outrun the Ice Barbarians and press on to Ikaya, turn to 327.
If you decide to attack them to prevent them raising the alarm, turn to 307.
258
Sweat breaks out on your forehead as you concentrate on shielding your mind from this psychic attack. Your assailant, whoever or whatever it is, is a very powerful enemy; you know that you must rid yourself of the Bracelet if you are to survive the agony of this mind combat. In order to discard the Gold Bracelet, you will have to break your Mindshield.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table (0 = 10). If you possess the Kai Discipline of Hunting or Sixth Sense, you may deduct 2 from the number you have picked. The resulting total is the number of ENDURANCE points you lose before ridding yourself of the accursed Bracelet.
If you are still alive, make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart and turn to 63.
259
Fenor suddenly leaps to his feet and grabs his sword. ‘It's a Kalkoth. Quickly, arm yourselves or we are done for.’ The others fumble for their weapons as Fenor disappears out into the snow. Almost immediately, there is a piercing scream of agony and something is hurled against the tent. The tent collapses and you find yourself lying face to face with Fenor's mutilated body.
Gripped by sudden fear and panic, you scramble out of the tangled chaos and unsheathe your weapon. The hideous shape of a large, four-legged monster leaps at you. Its red eyes glow like hot coals and its fanged mouth is wide open to reveal a long barbed tongue. It is upon you and you must fight it to the death.
Kalkoth: COMBAT SKILL 11 ENDURANCE 35
If you lose any ENDURANCE points during this combat, turn immediately to 129.
If you kill the creature without losing any ENDURANCE points, turn to 151.
260
Due to the surprise of your attack, you strike twice before the Ice Barbarian can react. You do not lose any ENDURANCE points during the first two rounds of combat. If the Ice Barbarian is still alive for the third round of combat, he draws a bone scimitar and attacks you. He is immune to Mindblast.
Ice Barbarian: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 29
If you win the combat, turn to 210.
261
As you reach the landing below, you stumble and graze your leg. Sprawled on the stone steps, you notice a gap in the left wall. A door has been cunningly concealed by the intricate carvings. Looking more closely, you see a small lever, which you quickly pull.
Turn to 290.
262
The child kicks and bites at your arm like a wild animal.
If you possess the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense, turn to 71.
Otherwise, pick a number from the Random Number Table to see if you manage to hang on to him.
If the number you have picked is 0–6, turn to 320.
If the number you have picked is 7–9, turn to 140.
263
Because the passage is narrow, you must fight the Kalkoth one at a time. Their long venomous tongues flicker, ready to sting you.
Kalkoth 1: COMBAT SKILL 11 ENDURANCE 35
Kalkoth 2: COMBAT SKILL 10 ENDURANCE 32
Kalkoth 3: COMBAT SKILL 8 ENDURANCE 30
If you lose any ENDURANCE points during the combat, even when attempting to evade, turn immediately to 66.
You can evade the fight at any time by turning to 277.
If you win the combat without losing any ENDURANCE points, turn to 25.
264
You enter a massive chamber, ill-lit and icy cold: a hidden temple of the Ancients. The floor is made from slabs of quartz and granite and is littered with rock and ice. Your eye follows a line of tall pillars leading towards a sacrificial altar set into an alcove in the northern wall. Upon this altar lies a strange statue, which seems to be carved from smooth white stone. At its head and feet, black staves rest upright in holes bored into the altar stone.
To the left of the altar there is a darkened archway, through which a flight of stairs ascends out of view.
If you wish to cross the temple and advance towards the staircase, turn to 60.
If you wish t
o cross the temple floor by stepping only on the quartz flagstones, turn to 168.
If you wish to cross the temple by stepping only on the granite flagstones, turn to 244.
265
This strange creature is a Crystal Frostwyrm, a scavenging beast now living on the remains of the unfortunate creatures that have entered the cavern. Its hard skin is almost transparent, and its internal organs can be seen pulsating inside. A large mouth opens in the crystalline head to reveal row upon row of jagged crystal teeth. Your back is pressed to the stone door and there is no way to evade the monster. You must fight the creature to the death. It is immune to Mindblast.
Illustration XV—This strange creature is a Crystal Frostwyrm and you must fight it to the death.
Crystal Frostwyrm: COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 30
If you win the combat, turn to 3.
266
You desperately try to release your foot but the sledge is already toppling into the void. With one last effort, you wrench your foot clear, but it is too late to avoid the fall. As you tumble into the crevasse, you hear the horrified screams of your guides fading above you.
