The Cauldron of Fear

by Joe Dever

  Guyuk, the tavern owner, greets you with a nervous nod of his shiny bald head and shows you to a table. There are no bars or counters in Anarian taverns; instead, the customers sit at long banqueting tables and wait for the owner and his staff to serve them. He smiles uneasily as he answers your enquiry about a room. ‘A single room with a bed would be twelve Lune each.’

  If you have enough money to pay for a room (twelve Lune equals three Gold Crowns), do so and turn to 34.

  If you do not have sufficient Lune or Gold Crowns to pay for a room, turn to 132.

  146

  Soon you arrive at a part of the city that Banedon remembers well. It borders a large public garden called the Rainbow Park, so named because of the vast number of rare and colourful flowers that grow there. The park is now an encampment for those who have answered the President's desperate call for defenders. Survivors from the towns of Resa and Zila have joined forces with green-clad Daroga woodsmen, tough hill-dwellers from the Chah mountain valley, and river-folk from the Churdas, forming regiments to reinforce the Tahou garrison. Their battle-stained banners, lit by the flickering glow of a hundred campfires, flutter above the tents that fill the great park.

  Opposite the entrance stands the Guildhall of Tailors. You turn into an avenue running beside this imposing hall, and then cross into the North District by means of alleys and side streets, and finally emerge at Leech Street, just opposite the house of Chiban the Magician. His is a grand building of polished red stone set with small, diamond-paned windows that twinkle like cat's eyes in the moonlight. You pass beneath its arched gateway and climb the magnificent tiled steps that lead to a black oak door. Banedon raps the knocker and you wait patiently for it to open.

  Minutes later the great door swings aside and the aristocratic figure of Chiban stands framed in the doorway. Keen-eyed and grey-haired, he welcomes you both with surprise and delight.

  ‘Banedon!’ he exclaims, like a father reunited with a long lost son. ‘How good it is to see you. But what brings you to Tahou at this darkest of hours? Have you come to offer your skills in the defence of our beleaguered city?’

  ‘My services are yours to command, my lord Chiban,’ answers Banedon, bowing respectfully to his former mentor. ‘Yet also I return to your esteemed household to seek your help at the behest of King Ulnar of Sommerlund. May I introduce my companion — Lone Wolf.’

  Chiban turns his kindly gaze on you and smiles knowingly. ‘I am honoured to meet you, Kai Lord,’ he says. ‘I have knowledge of that which you seek and I shall aid you all I can in your search for it.’

  He beckons you to enter and the door closes behind you, seemingly of its own accord. You follow Chiban to his study. The musty room is lined with massive wooden racks full of books and papers. At its centre a large, circular table is completely covered with the implements of his magical researches. He clears a space amid the clutter and motions you to sit. ‘You must both be famished after your journey here. Come, eat and enjoy!’ For a few seconds, a shimmering pool of light fills the space, and then fades, leaving a sumptuous meal of grilled trout, baked potatoes, hakeroot, and sparkling Anarian wine.

  If you have lost any ENDURANCE points on your adventure so far, you may now restore 3 points as you consume this delicious meal.

  Turn to 269.

  147

  You are covered in the blood of your foes. The stench is so unbearable that you have to wash in the lake before you can go any further. When you return to the hollow to collect your Backpack, you notice an odd-looking token lying next to one of the dead ghouls.

  If you wish to examine this token, turn to 43.

  If you choose to ignore it and leave this place, turn to 175.

  148

  The Doomwolf breathes its last but its claws remain hooked in your saddle. You strive to cut it away but your horse can no longer bear its weight. With a neigh of terror, his legs buckle and you are thrown to the blood-soaked ground. Before you can regain your feet, you are set upon by the snarling Giak horde.

  Illustration IX—You are set upon by the snarling Giak horde.

  6 Doomwolves and Giak Riders: COMBAT SKILL 38 ENDURANCE 56

  You must fight these creatures as one enemy. Owing to your fall, reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for the first two rounds of combat.

  If you win the combat, turn to 66.

  149

  The window is bolted shut. If you are determined to escape this way you will have to take the risk of jumping through a pane of thick glass.

  If you still wish to escape through the window, turn to 266.

  If you choose to escape along the corridor instead, turn to 121.

  150

  A warm tingling runs through your body as the Lorestone descends into your hands and, as you touch the crystal, your senses become charged with a new vitality that obliterates the fatigue of your ordeal and fills you with newfound wisdom and strength (restore your ENDURANCE score to its original total).

  Then a swirl of colour engulfs your body and you feel yourself fall forward into the throat of a spinning vortex. The chamber dissolves and you begin to rise at an ever-increasing speed, as if you were falling upwards. A surge of light makes you close your eyes, but it passes in an instant and you find yourself staring down at an incredible and terrible sight.

  Turn to 2.

  151

  As the sky-snake rears to avoid your blow, Banedon steps forward and launches a bolt of lightning from his open hand. The pulse of energy tears into the creature's neck, almost severing its head from its body as it sends it spinning into the tall crops. Wiping the sweat from your brow, you thank your companion for a most effective helping hand.

  Turn to 247.

  152

  A deafening roar fills the stairwell as a bolt of raw energy hurtles from the rod. You stare aghast as it speeds towards your chest and explodes with a splash of colour that is the last you will ever see.

  In the council chamber of the Elder Magi in Elzian, the golden torch flickers and dies. The members of the High Council hang their heads in sorrow for they know that your life and their hopes have ended here in Zaaryx.

  Your quest is over.

  153

  The gap between each rung measures approximately one foot, and you gather in over 400 rungs before reaching the end of the ladder. The thought of having to descend such an enormous depth fills you with dread, but your desire to find the Lorestone overcomes this fear. You feed the rope ladder back into the void and begin your descent.

  Turn to 231.

  154

  As you kneel by the trapdoor, your basic Kai sense of Hunting reveals to you that someone is hiding in the cellar below. Carefully you raise the trapdoor and demand that the person show himself to you.

  If you decided to keep any of the items you discovered in the hut, turn to 232.

  If you did not keep any of the items, turn to 206.

  155

  You search the clothes and backpack of the dead pickpocket thoroughly and retrieve your stolen property. You also discover the following items which the thief has hidden about his person:

  Dagger

  Enough food for 2 Meals

  28 Lune (equivalent to 7 Gold Crowns)

  Blanket

  Vial of Blue Pills

  If you wish to keep any of the above items, remember to amend your Action Chart accordingly.

  If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing you can identify the Blue Pills: turn to 29.

  If you wish to return to Brooker Court and continue on your way, turn to 334.

  If you wish to continue along the alley instead, turn to 278.

  156

  The room, which overlooks the courtyard and stables, is small yet surprisingly clean and comfortable. You sleep well, but you are rudely awoken at dawn by the clang of a brass hand-bell. Guyuk's wife is walking around the courtyard ringing it for all she's worth. ‘Daybreak, daybreak! All awake, all awake!’ she cries, her voice only slightly less piercing than her
bell. Quickly you wash and dress before gathering together your equipment and heading for the stables. Banedon is already there, having risen before dawn to prepare the horses.

  The sky is cloudless and the air is warm and still as you ride out of Chadi. Open grasslands stretch before you, broken occasionally by the low, whitewashed farm buildings and peasant dwellings. It is noon when you arrive at a mass of standing stones that line the highway approaches to the village of Phea. Banedon recalls a local legend that the Black Zakhan of Vassagonia once came to wage war on the defenceless inhabitants of Phea, who had no army. The besieged people offered up prayers to the Goddess Ishir, who was sufficiently moved by their plight to cause the wicked Vassagonians to become petrified right where they stood, clad in full armour and clasping their weapons. It strikes you that the Pheans may very soon have cause to pray for Ishir's help a second time.

  A mile beyond the village you see a cloud of dust on the highway.

  If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery and have reached the rank of Principalin, turn to 69.

  If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to reach this Kai rank, turn to 240.

  157

  You dress your wounds as best you can before advancing along the rubble-strewn ledge. You descend through a layer of swirling mist that glows with a faint blue-green luminescence. Below the mist lies a chamber; its walls are scarred with deep furrows, as if it was excavated from the solid rock by a huge clawed hand.

  Close to the wall lies a bundle of rags. As you approach it you suddenly realize that the skeletal remains of a human body are contained within the rags.

  If you wish to examine the body, turn to 186.

  If you wish to ignore it and explore the chamber, turn to 51.

  158

  Your passage along Brooker Court is hampered by the companies of militiamen that march to and from the centre of the city. The majority of them are oafish peasants, hastily armed with spear and sword, and bullied into a semblance of soldierly order by guardsmen from the Tahou garrison. You wait in shadowy doorways and allow them to pass before continuing on your way towards the city's North District.

  You are nearing the end of Brooker Court when a man dressed in an ill-fitting tunic staggers drunkenly out of a tavern and collides with you. ‘Shorry!’ he hiccups, and wanders off along an alley to your left.

  If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination or Huntmastery, turn to 201.

  If you do not possess either of these skills, turn to 273.

  159

  You focus your improved Kai Mastery at the flames that engulf the top of the staircase. Within a few seconds they flicker and die, allowing you to reach the first floor in safety. The captain is crouched over his brother, protecting him with his body from the fiery debris that is raining down from the roof. Swiftly you pull him to his feet and motion him to help carry his wounded brother out of the house. As you reach the street below, the roof collapses and the whole of the first floor is swallowed by flame.

  ‘We owe you our lives,’ says the captain, gratefully, as his men load his brother onto an open-backed wagon. ‘I must return to my command at the North Gate — will you join me? I would be honoured to fight by your side.’

  If you wish to go with the captain to the North Gate, turn to 108.

  If you choose to decline his offer, you continue along the street towards the West Gate; turn to 179.

  160

  Your senses tingle with a premonition of danger — you are sure that the watchtower and huts conceal an enemy, lying in ambush. You tell Banedon your fears and he looks ahead, his keen eyes narrowing, but the pass is dark with the gathering dusk and he cannot detect anything unusual about the settlement, except that it appears deserted.

  ‘If we avoid the pass, we'll have to make a wide detour and rejoin the highway at a place deeper in the hills,’ he says, scanning the shadowy highlands. ‘Even if we don't get lost, we'll be lucky to reach Tahou before nightfall.’

  If you wish to avoid the settlement and make a wide detour, turn to 335.

  If you decide to gallop through the pass despite the risk of an ambush, turn to 92.

  161

  With the experience of what happened when you last touched one of these strange tokens still fresh in your mind, you avoid picking up this one. However, this does not stop you from looking at its intricate design. This token is engraved with a mathematical equation and you calculate the answer to be 320. (Make a note of this number in the margin of your Action Chart, beneath the number you already have listed, as it may well prove useful at a later stage of your adventure.)

  Turn to 130.

  162

  Once again you come face to face with the sergeant. He curses and strikes you across the cheek with the hilt of his sword, leaving you stunned and bloodied: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.

  You are dragged back to your cell and four armed guards are placed outside the door with orders to shoot to kill if you should attempt another escape.

  Turn to 227.

  163

  Deduct from your Action Chart however many Gold Crowns (or Lune) you wish to give to the poor villagers.

  If you give them three Gold Crowns (twelve Lune) or more, turn to 28.

  If you give them less than three Gold Crowns, turn to 235.

  164

  At once you recognize Sogh, the thief who helped you escape from the South Gate tower. ‘Hail, Northlander,’ he says, a wide grin spreading across his mouse-like face. ‘So we meet again. What prompts you to visit the Purple Purse ale cellar?’

  Before you can reply, the door bursts open and in rush six heavily armed Senate House guards. Thinking that the ale cellar is being raided, something of a routine event here at the Purple Purse, the shady patrons drop their drinks and flee towards the open door in an attempt to escape arrest. Sogh grabs your sleeve and points to a shadowy archway. ‘Time to leave,’ he hisses. ‘Follow me.’

  Turn to 135.

  165

  Sogh looks at the guard then looks at you in awe. ‘How did you do that?’ he asks, incredulous. ‘No time to explain,’ you reply, as you scramble out from beneath the stairs and move towards the unconscious guard.

  Turn to 177.

  166

  As you draw closer you can make out the gruesome features of the shadow. It is a ghoul, similar to those you encountered at the lake, but this creature looks even less human. Its swollen skull is set lopsided on its withered frame and its tongue drips with a sticky black venom. It raises a wasted hand and launches a whirl of mist towards your chest, but your psychic defence disperses this evil swirling cloud. The creature howls with frustration. Maniacally it hurls itself at your throat, a pitted iron spike clenched in its fist.

  Psi-ghoul: COMBAT SKILL 20 ENDURANCE 30

  Owing to your mastery of the psychic disciplines, add 2 points to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of the fight. If you wield the Sommerswerd in this combat, you may double this undead creature's ENDURANCE point loss.

  If you win the combat, turn to 87.

  167

  Your quick reactions, coupled with your Kai Mastery, save you from being detected by the approaching cavalry. Using your skill, you calm your startled horse whilst simultaneously repelling the large but harmless savannah snake coiled about its foreleg. Minutes later the cavalry pass by, oblivious to your presence.

  Turn to 213.

  168

  An open wagon, drawn by a team of battle-scarred horses, hurtles along the street that borders the city wall. Standing beside the driver is a captain of the Senate House Guard. His thick black hair billows out behind him like the wings of an eagle as he calls desperately for reinforcements for the North Gate.

  If you wish to answer his call by leaping onto his wagon, turn to 108.

  If you choose to ignore his call for help, turn to 286.

  169

  Your horse rears up and leaps across the body of the dead Cave Leekhon, its senses ablaze with the choking, rancid odo
ur of the Leekhon's spilt blood. Banedon's steed follows close on your heels as you race through the tunnel, heedless of the many obstacles strewn in your path. Suddenly you emerge from the suffocating passage into the chill evening air: you have escaped. From the slopes of a wooded hill you stare down at a tiny village called Varta, perched on the edge of the Tahou flats.

  The flats comprise fields of cultivated crops that form a fertile market garden two miles wide. They are farmed right up to the banks of the great moat that encircles the capital. Varta is deserted: its male inhabitants now shelter within the city walls, whilst the women and children have since travelled south to the safety of Navasari. As you ride through the empty village and descend onto the flats, you catch your first awe-inspiring view of the ancient city itself.

  Turn to 100.

  170

  As you step over the dead bodies and head towards the exit, the door crashes open and in rushes a squad of guards from the South Gatehouse, summoned by the owner of the hall. They are all armed with crossbows, which they aim at your chest. ‘Yield, Northlanders!’ orders their captain. ‘You have no hope except our mercy.’