Beyond the Nightmare Gate (10 page)

The ferocious wolf falls dead at your feet, magical fire still blazing from the fatal wound that you have inflicted.

To enter the Crystal Tower you must choose from the remaining Keys.
¹¹

If you choose the Spider Key,
turn to 252
.

If you choose the Eagle Key,
turn to 227
.

If you choose the Serpent Key,
turn to 240
.

If you choose the Dragon Key,
turn to 277
.

The Elessi leader lies dead at your feet.
¹²
Stunned by the unexpected loss of their leader, the guards look on in horror. You must act quickly.

If you wish to attack the Elessin guards,
turn to 80
.

If you wish to take the Threnogem from the statue's mouth,
turn to 71
.

If you wish to pick up the statue,
turn to 92
.

Immediately the Chaos-birds swarm towards you. The first flies at Tanith and instinctively you rush to protect her.

Chaos-bird:
COMBAT SKILL
 20   
ENDURANCE
 25

If you win,
turn to 133
.

As you touch the ground, the flying machine shatters and disintegrates. The impact kills you and your torn and broken body is thrown with the other shattered fragments across the cloud plain of the Neverness.

Your life and your quest end here.

Ready for combat and eager to maintain the element of surprise, you burst into the room. You enter a room full of mirrors and devoid of life.

Turn to 2
.

You close your eyes and concentrate and, at the cost of 1
WILLPOWER
point, you create your illusion. A shout attracts the guard's attention and quickly he descends the palace stairway to investigate. Silently, you ascend the stairs and enter the palace before the guard returns to his post.

Turn to 230
.

Summoning all your strength, and, at the cost of 2
WILLPOWER
points, you hurl a powerful blast at the Crystal Tower. The white light of your Staff hits the wall squarely but its magical fire is scattered by the wall's resistance.

‘This is hopeless,’ says Tanith. ‘There must be some other way into the tower.’

If you wish to try to climb the tower,
turn to 264
.

If you prefer to examine one of the many black holes in the cloud plain,
turn to 285
.

If you wish to examine the section of the wall immediately below the metal plate that bears the inscription,
turn to 181
.

You walk to the end of the corridor and through an archway of incandescent light. You are momentarily blinded and when you can see again you find yourself facing the door once more. The Jahksa roars with laughter. ‘The great Shianti Wizard … fooled by a Shianti illusion, hah!’

Again you try to enter but again you find yourself outside the door.

If you wish to attack the Jahksa,
turn to 192
.

If you wish to enter one of the doors along the corridor,
turn to 47
.

If you have the Magical Power of Sorcery and wish to expend 2
WILLPOWER
points on the formation of a magical shield,
turn to 185
.

You walk to the other end of the avenue and arrive at the foot of a large stairway that leads into the glass palace. It is the most impressive building in the city and you are puzzled to find it completely empty. You wonder if it is a temple, where people gather only at certain times, or perhaps it is a sacred place and only a select few are allowed within its walls. Your instincts tell you that you are sure to discover the Threnogem here.

If you wish to mount the steps and enter the palace,
turn to 208
.

If you wish to wait for nightfall, so that you might investigate the palace unseen,
turn to 121
.

This was once the realm of the Demon, Steth-Amon, a master of sound,
the Guardian recounts.
We, the Elessin, were created his slave singers, a choir of the damned. His was the music of dissonance; it could drive men insane or lure them and possess their minds. Long we laboured in his service. However, we sought the beauty of harmonious music, the melody of accord and we conceived of a plan to overthrow our lord. We created the Threnogem, a tool of silence, for without silence music has no meaning. Then, while he slumbered, we dropped the Threnogem into his open mouth and silenced him, robbing him of his power over us. He froze in the position you see him now, for the statue is Steth-Amon, mastered by the silence of the Threnogem. That you seek to take the statue from our realm is pleasing to us, for all our power has been devoted to giving life to the Threnogem and keeping Steth-Amon silent. If the Threnogem is removed from his mouth the demon will be released. All we ask is that you do not remove the Threnogem while you are in our domain. If you wish, we will help you carry the statue to your flying machine.

You agree to the Guardian's offer.

Turn to 182
.

The Ethetron is quite unlike anything you have seen before. It has a railed platform, and is shaped like a saucer, except that its stern is pointed like a lizard's tail. It bears a large glass dome in its centre. Passing through the top of the dome is a single black shaft like the mast of a sailing ship. The single sail resembles a giant bat's wings and is made of a strange material that shimmers like water and looks like metal but is like fabric to the touch. A closer inspection of the glass dome reveals that it contains a swirling, grey-white mist.

Illustration X
—The Ethetron's tail is like a lizard's, its sails like bats' wings.

‘It is the raw stuff of the Daziarn, unformed power for the craft,’ explains Crabkey. ‘Without it, the craft would fall from the sky. To steer,’ he continues, ‘you must operate this lever — pull to climb, push to dive, left and right as normal. To draw more power from the glass dome you must press this metal bar at your feet; to slow down, release it. If you apply no pressure, the craft will remain where it is; if you push the lever to the left or right without power, the craft will spin on its axis. Beware, these controls are very sensitive. You need apply very little pressure to make the craft change its course.’

When Crabkey is satisfied that you understand the controls, he introduces you to another Academician, Slypate, who hands you a shining sphere of red and yellow metal. ‘This is a Gyronome. There is no north, east, west, or south in the plane of the Daziarn, nor is there time as you perceive it,’ says Slypate. ‘The only way of finding the Singing City is with the aid of this device. When you draw it out, it will emit a sound if you are heading for the Singing City. The louder the note, the surer your course. To return to the Crystal Tower, the Gyronome must be absolutely silent. It is very accurate: I invented it myself,’ he says with pride. You take the Special Item and place it in your pocket. (Remember to mark the Gyronome on your
Action Chart
.)

Soon you are ready to leave. The Academicians offer you the choice of the following items to aid you in your quest. (Remember that you may carry only two Weapons and a maximum of eight items in your Backpack.)

• Short Sword (carried in a sheath worn at your belt)
  
• Length of strong Rope (Backpack Item)
  
• Potion of Healing (restores 4
  ENDURANCE
  points when swallowed; carried in Backpack)
  
• Backpack
  
• Spear (carried in the hand)
  

As you climb into the Ethetron, the massive double windows of the laboratory are drawn open. The restraining ropes are untied and the glass dome of the flying machine glows with a ghostly light. You coax the Ethetron forwards and you glide gently through the open windows and out of the Crystal Tower. You look out across the bleak, featureless expanse of the Neverness with its strange, sunless sky and vast plain of unending cloud. You press lightly on the foot bar and the machine gathers speed. You take out the Gyronome. It is silent at first; then as your machine speeds away from the Crystal Tower it begins to emit a tone. You move the instrument around in the air and find, to your surprise, that its tone becomes louder when you point it towards your feet.

If you wish to fly at a lower altitude,
turn to 135
.

If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it to guide you,
turn to 147
.

If you have the Magical Power of Psychomancy and wish to use it on the Gyronome,
turn to 152
.

There is a lull in the fighting and the Jahksa steps back. Poised to place the killing blow, you look on in frustration as the dark twin swiftly fades, his body becoming ever more transparent.

Turn to 273
.

You step on the flagstone: nothing happens. You are now standing before the wooden door. You try the handle and find that the door is locked.
¹³

If you wish to blast the door with your Wizard's Staff,
turn to 261
.

If you have a prepared Vial of Ezeran Acid,
turn to 312
.

If you have the Magical Power of Alchemy and possess some Ezeran Salts, Sulphur, Saltpetre, and a Pestle and Mortar,
turn to 319
.

If you have the Magical Power of Sorcery and wish to use it to open the door,
turn to 173
.

Both you and Tanith make your way to another of the strange gaps in the cloud plain only to discover that the many holes in the plain are alike, differing only in size.

If you wish to enter one of these black holes,
turn to 269
.

If you wish to continue towards the Crystal Tower,
turn to 100
.

At the cost of 2
WILLPOWER
points, you hurl a bolt of magical flame at the guard that illuminates the night. With a scream of pain, the guard falls dead. Without hesitation, you make a dash for the palace entrance as distant shouts reveal that the alarm is being raised.

Turn to 222
.

You wander the city until it grows dark and then make your way back to the palace. Hiding in the shadows, you observe the palace guard.

If you wish to attack the guard at long range with your Wizard's Staff,
turn to 120
.

If you have a Mind Gem and wish to use it,
turn to 102
.

If you have the Magical Power of Enchantment and wish to use it,
turn to 111
.

Otherwise, you will have to try to sneak up behind the guard. Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–5,
turn to 139
.

If the number you have picked is 6–9,
turn to 145
.