The Cauldron of Fear

by Joe Dever

  You cast your eyes around the hall for another exit, but all are barred. Reluctantly you both raise your hands and are taken back to the South Gatehouse tower. Banedon, because he is a magician, is taken to another part of the city wall to be questioned, while you are imprisoned in a cell high in the tower itself.

  Place an ‘x’ beside each of the Special Items, Backpack Items, and Weapons listed on your Action Chart to indicate that they are no longer in your possession. Only if you rediscover them at a later stage of your adventure may you erase each ‘x’ and reuse them.

  Turn to 134.

  171

  Your Arrow whistles across the hall and smashes harmlessly against the armour-hard skin of the nearest creature. Instantly their hissing ceases and they fix you with frightened stares. They cradle their leathery egg protectively in their webbed hands and slink down the stairs. You run to the top of the staircase and peer down into the gloom, but you can see nothing in the darkness.

  If you have a Kalte Firesphere, a Lantern, or a Torch and Tinderbox, turn to 33.

  If you have a Fireseed and wish to throw it into the hole, turn to 106.

  If you decide to unsheathe a hand weapon and descend the stairs into darkness, turn to 224.

  172

  Using your weapon to avoid touching their evil-smelling bodies, you flick open the satchels slung over each of their shoulders. They are filled with all manner of items looted from the village. You tip the contents out and discover:

  Enough food for 6 Meals (Meals)

  Dagger (Weapons)

  Sword (Weapons)

  Silver Candlestick

  Lantern8

  Brass Whistle

  Blanket

  Silver Goblet

  Silk Jacket

  Torch

  Crystal Decanter

  Unless otherwise indicated, the articles are Backpack Items. If you wish to keep any, remember to make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart. You remount your horse and follow Banedon as he heads off along the track that leads out of the village.

  Turn to 63.

  [8] The Lantern is designed to be self-lighting. You will not need a Tinderbox or any other means of creating a flame to light it.

  173

  When you reach the bottom rung you are horrified to discover that the ladder stops short of solid ground: there is nothing but darkness below. You peer into the gloom but it is impossible to see how much further you have to descend. To your left you can see the faint outline of a ledge, but it is over twenty yards away.

  If you have a Rope, turn to 7.

  If you wish to drop something in order to gauge the depth, turn to 261.

  If you wish to swing on the ladder and leap for the ledge, turn to 38.

  174

  The soldiers in the crowded hall look at you with awe and grudging respect. They pride themselves on their fighting ability, but none can match your swift and skilful disposal of the Deldenians. You step over the bodies and head towards the door, but, before you reach it, it slams open and a squad of guards from the South Gatehouse rushes in, summoned by the owner of the hall. They are all armed with crossbows, and they aim them at your chest. Resistance would be suicidal, and reluctantly you both raise your hands in surrender.

  The guards escort you back to the South Gatehouse tower. Banedon, because he is a magician, is taken to another part of the city wall for interrogation, while you are imprisoned high in the tower itself.

  Place an ‘x’ beside each of the Special Items, Backpack Items, and Weapons that are listed on your Action Chart to indicate that they are no longer in your possession. Only if you rediscover them at a later stage of your adventure may you erase each ‘x’ and reuse them.

  Turn to 134.

  175

  The climb to the arch at the top of the stairs is a slow and laborious one. Each step is as tall as a young tree, and the smooth, black stone offers few handholds. Several hours slip by before you reach the summit. There you stare down through the great archway at a stupendous sight.

  Illustration X—Two massive statues of dragons flank the wide avenue that leads from the archway to the city.

  The streets and buildings of an ancient civilization lie before you, disappearing into the gloom of a titanic chasm of immeasurable size. Ziggurats and towers, their carved walls cracked and crumbling, lean at impossible angles, having sunk into the soil over the centuries. This is Zaaryx, the legendary metropolis that was once home to a race fathered by Nyxator — the greatest of all dragons. It is the only city to have survived the Age of Chaos that followed the demise of their race.

  A wide avenue leads from the archway to enter the city at a place flanked by two massive statues of dragons sitting on their haunches with their stone-fanged mouths agape. You stop to rest here and you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. (If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, you are able to forage for food from the wasteland of Zaaryx and therefore you do not need to make any deductions.)

  You are about to set off into the city when you catch a glimpse of a shadowy figure moving furtively among the ruins of an edifice to your left.

  If you have completed the Lore-circle of the Spirit, turn to 281.

  If you have yet to complete this Lore-circle, you can investigate the shadow; turn to 122.

  Or you can ignore it and continue along the avenue; turn to 61.

  176

  ‘Follow me!’ shouts Banedon, as he jumps his horse over the bodies of your slain attackers and gallops along the highway. He has survived the fight unscathed: by casting a magical net of sticky strands over a dozen rangers and their horses, he ensnared them all before they had a chance to level their lances at him.

  The sergeant and the remnants of his company pursue you as you speed north along the highway. But you soon outdistance them, and the sergeant orders off the chase, returning to the standing stones to free his netted men.

  Only when he and his men are beyond the horizon do you rein in your horses and slacken the pace.

  Turn to 213.

  177

  You scoop the strongroom key from the guard's belt and hurry towards the gates while Sogh retrieves his silver. Once you are both safely inside the strongroom, you lock the heavy doors and begin to search for your equipment. The room is stacked to the ceiling with all manner of goods and articles that have been confiscated by the gatehouse guards. Contraband, stolen goods, and illegal cargoes impounded at the South Gate are stored here before being either destroyed or sold at auction. It is rumoured that the gatehouse guards cream off the best booty for themselves, and it is no secret that the post of gatehouse commander is the most coveted of all in the Anarian army.

  You discover all your Special and Backpack Items, but your Weapons are nowhere to be seen. However, there are several fine weapons lying on the shelves and you may rearm yourself with any of the following:

  Sword

  Axe

  Bow

  Quiver

  6 Arrows

  Broadsword

  Warhammer

  Sogh is busily sifting through a mound of silver and antique jewellery, pocketing the choicest items and tossing aside the rest. He comes across a diamond and obsidian signet ring, and beams with delight. ‘Ah! I knew it was here,’ he says, and slips it inside his codpiece for safekeeping.

  ‘Come, we've both got what we want; we'd best leave now before they discover the dead guards.’ He beckons you to help him drag a table away from the wall and then proceeds to tap at the brickwork with the hilt of a dagger. Two minutes later he is becoming agitated, having tapped every brick over six square feet of wall without any result. You cast your eye over the surface and your Kai sense draws your attention to a brick in a different part of the wall. You tap it casually with the toe of your boot and a panel slides aside to reveal the secret passage.

  ‘How did you … ’ gasps Sogh, his eyes open wide with amazement.

  ‘A lucky guess,’ you reply, modestly, and enter t
he dark tunnel. Sogh follows and the panel slides closed just as a patrol of angry guards force open the strongroom door.

  Erase the ‘x’ marks from your Action Chart to restore your rediscovered Special Items9 and Backpack Items, and remember to alter your Weapons List accordingly.

  Turn to 197.

  [9] You do not find any weapon-like Special Items. Keep them marked with an ‘x’ on your Action Chart since you may still be able to retrieve them.

  178

  ‘For one gifted in the ways of magic, you have a surprisingly poor sense of direction,’ says the commander in a mocking voice. He signals to his men on the parapet and you raise your hands in surrender; to resist would be suicidal.

  Turn to 312.

  179

  You reach the West Gate and climb the body-strewn stairs to the battlements. On this side of the city the mist is less dense and you can see regiments of Drakkarim warriors advancing in lines towards the great moat. Behind them are trundled huge machines of war designed to fire canisters of boiling oil and red-hot liquid metal over the city wall. Cavalry wait in reserve while siege towers and catapults are hauled forward by lumbering ghorkas and muscular leathery zull.

  At the foot of the wall, a unit of Salonese engineers are repairing the damage done to a bridge they constructed during the night. They have only one more plank to lay to make the bridge safe and enable a squad of Drakkarim assault-troopers to reach the West Gate. You see a soldier creep to the edge of the bridge and raise a large screen to protect the engineer who is laying this final plank.

  If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 99.

  If you do not have a Bow, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 249.

  180

  With a bony fist she raps loudly on the door of the hut. Inside, a croaky voice bids you enter and she tugs at your sleeve impatiently, urging you into the foul-smelling hovel. Seated on a threadbare carpet, and surrounded by what appear to be heaps of chicken bones, is a scrawny old man dressed completely in feathers. He has a long, pointed nose and a stubbly grey beard which grows to just below his beady bloodshot eyes. The crone kneels and whispers in his ear before bowing and leaving the hut. As the door swings shut the shaman scoops up a handful of bones, closes his eyes, and, with a sound like a flock of startled gulls, casts them in the air. After a full minute of chanting and waving his hands, the old man opens his eyes and looks down on the bones which lie scattered on the beaten earth floor.

  ‘You have many enemies, Northlander,’ he says, his hook-like fingers tracing patterns around the bones, ‘powerful enemies. They plot to prevent you from walking your chosen path, for that path will lead to their destruction. There is one who will tell you that he is a friend. You must not trust this one. There is treachery in his heart.’

  Illustration XI—Seated on the threadbare carpet is a scrawny old man dressed completely in feathers.

  The old man closes his eyes and lowers his head, as if he has fallen suddenly into a deep trance. You try to awaken him but he does not respond, and eventually you decide to take your leave. You feel unsettled by the encounter, but when you return to Banedon you make light of the incident and suggest that you continue without further delay.

  Turn to 52.

  181

  Your pulse quickens as you look into the black abyss beyond the portal. You can make out no walls or roof, and the hollow wind that whistles in the darkness makes it easy to imagine that you are staring into a limitless void. There is a rope ladder fixed to the threshold of the portal: it descends into darkness below.

  If you wish to gather up the ladder in order to judge how deep the abyss is, turn to 153.

  If you decide to descend the rope ladder, turn to 231.

  182

  The net wraps itself around your legs and brings you down at the top of the stairs. You cannot prevent yourself from rolling forwards and, with a cry of fear and frustration, you tumble headlong down the hard stone staircase to land in a crumpled heap at the bottom: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

  Three soldiers are waiting for you. They clutch wooden staves in their sweaty palms with which they hope to beat you senseless. ‘Get 'im!’ they shout, and run forward to strike before you can disentangle yourself from the net.

  Senate Guards: COMBAT SKILL 28 ENDURANCE 32

  Because of your fall and your current entangled condition, you cannot make use of a Weapon or Special Item during the first four rounds of combat. As you are unarmed, remember to reduce your COMBAT SKILL accordingly.

  If you win the combat, turn to 90.

  183

  You notch an Arrow and let fly at a rider closing in on your left. The shaft pierces one of its eyes and lifts the loathsome creature out of its wolf-saddle, spinning him into the path of the following Doomwolves. His body brings down two of the ravening beasts and their riders, who are slammed into the ground as their mounts crash together in a tangled heap.

  Your bow-skill has bought you precious seconds in which to escape from the settlement. Banedon gallops past, his loose robe streaming out behind him like a pair of blue wings. You dig in your heels and urge your horse after him, with the shrill clangour of Giak war-cries ringing ever louder in your ears.

  Turn to 293.

  184

  With Bow in hand, you crouch at the gap in the door and launch two Arrows in as many seconds. The shafts strike home with deadly accuracy, piercing an eye of each reptilian and killing them instantly. As they fall, their crystal tube shatters and explodes with a tremendous, ear-splitting crack. The fragments burn fiercely and you are forced to cover your mouth with your cloak as you run, head down, through the billowing smoke and flames to a clearer section of the corridor beyond.

  Turn to 241.

  185

  At the end of the corridor a flight of steps leads down to an open prison door. Cautiously you peer around the doorway into the chamber beyond, where you see a man chained to the wall. He is lean and sinewy, with jet-black hair and a moustache, which he has braided into his long sideburns in a style known as ‘Pirazin plaits’, fashionable among Slovian men. He appears to be either asleep or unconscious.

  You enter the chamber, moving swiftly and silently towards a staircase on the opposite side, and immediately he springs to life. ‘Hold fast, Northlander,’ he hisses. ‘They'll catch y' for sure if you take the stairs. Let me loose and I'll show you a way to slip out o' here quicker than mist through a net.’

  Quickly you consider his offer, but choose to leave him, deciding instead to trust your Kai instincts to aid your escape. You shake your head and turn to leave, but the man is shrewd; he says something he knows will change your mind.

  Turn to 316.

  186

  The mouldering bones are encased in the tattered remains of a blue leather tunic and breeches. Both thigh bones are shattered and the skull and spine are cracked in several places, suggesting that this unfortunate man fell to his death from a great height. You can find no weapons, and the backpack and haversack that are strapped to his body are both unbuckled and empty, as if they have been looted. You check the corpse's right hand, but there are no rings on any of the bony fingers — this is not Maghana's son.

  When you are satisfied that you have overlooked nothing, you leave the body and investigate the chamber.

  Turn to 51.

  187

  Gradually the track narrows, and then disappears altogether, and you find yourselves riding through a sea of tall green wheat. You press on for over an hour until you see a faint glimmer of light stretching across the horizon in the far distance.

  If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery and have reached the rank of Principalin, turn to 140.

  If you do not possess this skill or have yet to reach this Kai rank, turn to 74.

  188

  The power of the ring greatly amplifies your psychic energies as you attack the Zakhan. They disrupt his control over the Orb of Death and enable you to penetrate his shield with an ordinary weapon.

>   Zakhan Kimah: COMBAT SKILL 29 ENDURANCE 38

  If you win the combat, turn to 350.

  189

  You pull the hood of your cloak up to keep your face in shadow and stride boldly towards the two soldiers. ‘I am in need of some information,’ you say, disguising your Sommlending accent as best you can, ‘and I'm sure you brave fellows can help me.’

  ‘Maybe we can,’ replies one soldier, stroking his beard and narrowing his eyes shrewdly, ‘if the price be right.’

  If you wish to bribe these soldiers with Lune, turn to 253.

  If you wish to bribe them with Gold Crowns, turn to 319.

  If you wish to leave the barracks and walk back along Eastwall Lane, turn to 278.

  If you prefer to continue on your way east, turn to 284.

  190

  There is very little of use or value in this hut. You discover the following, all of which are Backpack Items:

  Rope

  Lantern10

  Blanket

  Comb

  You may keep any of these items but remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly. Banedon reminds you that it is rapidly getting darker, so you leave the hut and press on without further delay.

  Turn to 123.