Dawn of the Dragons (25 page)
Dorst doubles the guard in case the Kraan should decide to return during the night. Then he and the others unpack their sleeping furs and settle down to a night's rest beside the warmth of the campfire embers. For an hour you lie awake, staring uneasily at the sky, until fatigue finally overtakes you and you slip into a deep sleep.
Still shaking from the effects of your return through the Shadow Gate, you slowly get to your feet and look out across the surrounding foothills. Here, on your home world, several hours have passed since you were carried through the Shadow Gate and into the Plane of Darkness, and as you survey the land, you notice that the first rays of the Fehmarn dawn are beginning to colour the eastern horizon.
You look down at the mountainous slopes which descend before the yawning black mouth of the Shadow Gate, and, to your relief, you see the faint golden shimmer of the Sun-crystal. It is still lying where it fell, thirty feet below where you are now standing.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and have attained the Kai rank of Sun Thane or higher,
turn to 54
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 10
.
Among the unconscious officer's possessions, you discover the following:
- Map of Palmyrion
- Backpack
- Dagger
- Scroll
- Pouch containing 12 Gold Crowns
- Pouch containing 2 Potions of Laumspur (each restores 4
ENDURANCE
points) - Pouch of Tobacco
- Military Pass
If you decide to keep any of the above, remember to make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
.
To continue,
turn to 133
.
Your slain steed crashes to the ground and you are catapulted head over heels through the air. You land heavily among boulders and bracken which border the hill road, hitting your forehead with a sickening crack: lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.
Nauseous and dizzy from the impact, you struggle to stand up. You are barely back on your feet when suddenly a yelling horde of leather-clad men, each brandishing a sword or a spear, emerges from hiding places among the trees and come rushing at you from all sides. You must fight them.
Eldenoran Ambushers:
COMBAT SKILL
38
ENDURANCE
42
Due to the effect of your fall, you must reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 4 for the duration of this fight.
If you win the combat,
turn to 285
.
A cold lance of fear stabs your heart the moment you see the face of the ghostly rider. You recognize it immediately to be Roark — the highborn lordling of Amory who chose to follow the ways of Evil.
Roark was once a powerful disciple of the Demonlord Tagazin and a secret practitioner of the foul arts of the Cener Druids, but he has long since perished in the flesh. Yet his evil spirit lives on, tortured and restless, doomed to ride the deserted streets of his shattered city.
As the ghastly spectre of Roark comes rushing towards you on his hellish steed, his mouth opens and a hideous shriek fills the air. You feel a pressure rapidly building in your head, an agonizing force that threatens to tear your skull apart.
If you possess Kai-screen,
turn to 39
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 253
.
Two miles further along the Alema Trail, you catch your first glimpse of Naar's minions. You see five horny-skinned creatures, hovering on the breeze, thirty feet above the distant tree-line.
These creatures have wings and tails that shimmer like burnished gold, and armour-like plates which protect their limbs and bellies. From their beaks protrude snaky tongues, and their claw-like hands and feet are tipped with talons that glint like sharpened knives in the sunlight.
If you have visited Ixia or Lake Vorndarol in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 147
.
If you have ever visited these places,
turn to 67
.
You cross to the far side of the river and wait there as the first few wolf-creatures come racing towards the bridge. The pack leader is a massive brute with ghastly yellow eyes that seem to follow your every move. The moment he reaches the bridge approach, you focus your psychic power at the nearest statue. Your concentrated pulse of psychic energy shatters this sculpture with devastating effect, peppering the hellish beast with razor-sharp shards of stone.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–3,
turn to 7
.
If it is 4 or higher,
turn to 68
.
The defenders on the North Watch fight like lions. The battle is fierce and bloody throughout the monastery, but the struggle is soon won and the shaken remnants of the winged attackers are repelled with heavy losses. A great cheer goes up as the last of the battered Lavas limps into the air and makes its escape towards the Durncrags.
You are moving slowly along the battlements, helping the wounded and praising those Kai who have shown exceptional bravery, when Banedon approaches.
‘The time is ripe for you to begin your mission, Grand Master,’ he says, as he watches the last of the enemy wave disappearing into the mountains. ‘They have lost many this night — it is unlikely they will return before the dawn.’
‘Yes, my friend,’ you reply, touching the pocket of your tunic which contains the Sun-crystal, ‘you are right. The time has come. I will leave for Raven's Eyrie at once.’
Guided by your Kai instincts, you remove the seal from your tunic pocket and show it to the sallow-faced guard. He grunts his approval and then shuffles back to his cronies seated beside the tent. Calmly, you proceed to cross the bridge without paying them a second glance.
As you stop to survey the shops and stalls which encircle this busy square, you recall the welcome help you received from Gwynian the Sage the last time you visited here. You remember vividly your meeting with him at the Halls of Learning, but you have no idea whereabouts in this vast city the Halls are located.
If you wish to go in search of the Halls of Learning,
turn to 168
.
If you decide not to seek Gwynian,
turn to 237
.
As the last of your attackers collapses at your feet, you turn and run headlong down the steep hill track. Arrows and spears whistle past on all sides as you endeavour to outrun the remaining ambushers. By dint of luck and speed, Nathor and his troop of Court Cavalry have survived the Eldenoran ambush with little injury and no loss of life. You see them in the distance, gathered in a group on the valley floor, and you wave to them to show that you are still alive. Immediately Nathor gallops away from the troop and comes speeding up the track to your rescue. As he gets nearer he slows his horse to allow you to leap astride its rump. Once aboard, he pulls his steed about and descends once more towards the valley floor, cheered on by his anxious men.
‘Follow me!’ commands the Lord Constable as he gallops past his troop without slowing. You glance over your shoulder and see them spur their steeds forward, their faces set in expressions of grim determination. Upon entering the village, you note a number of frightened women and children who are huddled beside stone walls or lying beneath hay carts. Some are cradling the bodies of their dead menfolk who lie scattered in the fields nearby. Then you catch sight of a group of Eldenorans in the grounds of the abbey. All are laden with loot, yet even so there are some who are squabbling amongst themselves in an effort to grab an even bigger share of the booty.
Nathor brings his steed to a halt and you both quickly dismount. As your feet touch the ground, you notice a drunken Eldenoran come lurching out of the doorway of a nearby cottage. He has a flagon of ale in one hand and a young woman, with a crying baby in the other. He sees you and, in a moment of drunken panic, he drops the flagon and unsheathes a dagger from his belt. It is clear from his actions that he intends to stab the screaming child.
If you possess Magi-magic and have reached the Kai rank of Grand Thane,
turn to 82
.
If you possess the Grand Master Discipline of Kai-surge,
turn to 225
.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 243
.
If you possess neither a Bow nor any of the above skills (or should you decide not to use them),
turn instead to 55
.
You feel your psychic powers burrowing through Naar's ethereal barrier. You have almost penetrated this shield when suddenly you sense the presence of the Dark God himself; he is pouring the essence of his Evil into the breach, repairing the damage you have inflicted.
Immediately you cease your telegnosis. You are mortally afraid of allowing Naar the opportunity of locating and attacking your Mindforce, for if he were to do so, you risk losing not only your sanity but also your soul!
From the crystal ring there pours forth a torrent of energy, a crackling vortex of evil power that whirls around and around the wall of the circular shaft as it slowly descends towards you.
If you possess a Platinum Amulet,
turn to 106
.
If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 345
.
The death of Vaxagore stuns the dragon herd into frozen silence, and you seize this opportunity to make a dash for the Shadow Gate. Before Naar can direct his Lavas to block your escape, you reach the Shadow Gate and hurl yourself through into the whirling black abyss.
You follow Cearmaine and the young lieutenant out of the Canatarium and along a crowded avenue towards a tented encampment in the city's main park. Here, under a canvas awning, the captain finds his mortally wounded son being attended to by an army physician.
‘Will he pull through?’ asks Cearmaine, of the physician whose white surgical apron is stained deep crimson with the blood of all those he has attempted to save this day. The weary man does not answer — he simply shakes his head and leaves to attend yet another poor wretch who is crying out for him to end his suffering.
Illustration XVII—‘Will he pull through?’ Cearmaine asks the physician.
Cearmaine's son has a deep chest wound which, on closer inspection, you determine was made by a poisoned arrow. The physician has removed the shaft but the poison has long since entered the young man's bloodstream. His life is fast ebbing away and you sense there is very little you can do to save him.
If you possess Deliverance and have reached the rank of Sun Knight or higher,
turn to 164
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 13
.
Having slain all of the guardsmen, and their sergeant, with stunning ease, the surrounding crowd of Eldenoran pikemen now look at you with fearful respect. You seize the opportunity to wheel your horse about and then you spur him to the gallop and scatter a score of soldiers as you attempt an escape along the crowded west road. Soon the cry goes up from the city's battlements to stop you and, when you are only a few hundred yards away from the gatehouse, your horse is brought crashing to the ground by a volley of arrows.
A mass of angry Eldenorans close in and grab hold of you before you can get to your feet. Roughly they bind your hands with cord; then they confiscate your Weapons, Belt Pouch, Backpack, and cape (delete these from your
Action Chart
; you need not erase any Special Items, however, as none of these are taken. These Eldenoran soldiers are especially superstitious and fearful of touching magical weapons and artefacts).
Minutes later, the staff-wielding Cener arrives with a horse-drawn cart into which the soldiers bundle you unceremoniously. The robed druid cackles like a crazed maniac, ecstatic at having identified and captured Lone Wolf — the destroyer of so many of his evil brethren. His vile laughter echoes in your ears as he lashes the horses and steers his rickety cart back to the gatehouse and into the dark streets of Duadon beyond. After a short and bruising journey at breakneck speed, you pass beneath the imposing arch of Skull-Tor, the fortified bastion of Duadon's long line of past rulers, and descend a stone ramp to an underground gaol. Here you are greeted by a squad of brutal guards who beat you mercilessly with staves (lose 3
ENDURANCE
points) before imprisoning you in a circular pit infested with vermin.