Dawn of the Dragons (26 page)
Your Kai Mastery warns you that another flight of Lavas are about to emerge from the Shadow Gate. You flatten yourself against the damp granite rocks and wait until this second flight passes overhead before resuming your steady advance up the mountainside towards the Shadow Gate, now less than a hundred yards distant.
When you have climbed to within thirty yards, you draw back your arm and get ready to hurl the Sun-crystal into the inky black core. At this moment, a piercing shriek rises above the throbbing hum of the Shadow Gate and, to your horror, you look up to see a Lavas diving towards your chest. Hurriedly you throw the Sun-crystal before the creature can press home its attack.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 139
.
If it is 5–9,
turn to 233
.
The smooth dark hair and noble countenance of the Lord Constable are oddly familiar, reminding you of someone whose name momentarily you cannot recall.
‘Welcome, my lord,’ he says, with a respectful salute. ‘I am Nathor, Lord Constable of the Royal Citadel. My troop would be honoured to escort you to an audience with Queen Evaine.’
‘Pray tell me, Lord Constable,’ you reply, ‘have we not met before?’
‘No, sire. I venture you must be thinking of my late brother — Adamas. He held the office of Lord Constable afore me. I understand that you and he once fought together in the war 'gainst the Darklords. He spoke most highly of your courage. Sadly, though, he is no longer with us. He died valiantly during the great siege of Torgar.’
Upon the bellowed command of their leader, the onrushing horsemen split into two groups. One group continues its charge towards you while the other slows to a halt to await the outcome. You sense that they are used to picking off lone travellers in this fashion; no sense expending the energy of twelve men when the job can be accomplished by six. But this time they have underestimated their enemy and it is a mistake you intend them to pay dearly for.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 336
.
If you do not,
turn to 63
.
You have no desire to become embroiled in this argument, and so you take your leave of the taproom and return to the stables to collect your horse.
The moment you dispatch the last of the war-dogs, you turn and run headlong into the forest. The Eldenoran archers attempt to give chase, and several of their arrows come whistling past as you make your escape, but you soon outdistance them and reluctantly they are forced to call off the pursuit.
You call on your Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, as well as your natural agility and dexterity, to slow your descent into this syrupy mire. After several anxious minutes, with the foul morass lapping at your chest, you feel yourself no longer sinking any deeper into the bog. Now, using your hands and your weapons, you heave your way slowly through this stinking bog until, at last, you feel the welcome sensation of firm ground beneath your feet. Breathless and exhausted, you crawl out of the ooze and collapse on a bank of soft, dark earth.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. The number you have picked equals the number of
ENDURANCE
points you have lost in your struggle to free yourself from the mire (0 = 10).
As soon as you are able, you get to your feet and hurry away from this foul morass, heading north.
You whisper the words of the Old Kingdom Spell
Penetrate
and direct its power to the tip of your Arrow. Instantly, its steel point and shaft become as hard as diamond. Then, with a prayer to Ishir on your lips, you release your straining bowstring and send the Arrow whistling towards the dragon's head.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Weaponmastery (with Bow), add 5 to the number you have picked. If you possess Grand Nexus, add 2. If you possess Telegnosis, add 1.
If your total score is now 7 or less,
turn to 242
.
If it is 8–9,
turn to 173
.
If it is 10 or more,
turn to 102
.
You take a lungful of air and dive once more below the surface, but as you submerge, you feel the stinging kiss of an arrow's tip graze the top of your head: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
On reaching the far bank, you use the corpses that litter the shoreline for cover. You wait here, absolutely motionless, for nearly fifteen minutes before crawling from the water and slithering on your stomach into the wood which commands this stretch of the river bank. Your stealth and your Kai camouflage skills keep you hidden from the watchful eyes of the Eldenoran archers who infest these trees, but they do not fool their keen-nosed war-dogs. You have barely reached the tree-line when they begin to bark and howl.
If you possess Animal Mastery,
turn to 47
.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 156
.
You are woken at dawn by one of Dorst's men who immediately hands you a steaming mug of Huas, a delicious Palmyrion beverage. You notice the others are in various states of waking and, as you sip your reviving drink, you watch Dorst shaving at the stream. After a while the Baroness emerges from her carriage. She appears as fresh as a spring flower, and together you breakfast before the camp is struck and you go your separate ways.
‘If ever you visit Lucia Province,’ she says, leaning from the open window of her carriage, ‘be sure to visit my estate in Gadorvo.’
‘I would be honoured, my lady,’ you reply, and wave to her until, at last, her carriage and riders disappear into the hills.
The weather is warmer than of late and you make good progress despite the poor condition of the road. An hour past midday, as you are crossing a treeless valley, you happen upon a young man praying at a wayside shrine. He is dressed in a guildsman's tunic and cloak, and he appears to be unarmed.
If you wish to stop and question this young man,
turn to 170
.
If you decide to ignore him and continue on your way,
turn to 19
.
The stench of the circular pit is almost unbearable. The floor is covered with a brackish green slime in which a host of flea-infested rats are scratching for food. In the dim half-light you watch with a mixture of fascination and revulsion as these vicious rats burrow nose-first into the evil-smelling mire, pausing only to fight when one of them uncovers the prey that they are hunting for: glistening, black-bodied worms.
Using your Magnakai skill of Nexus, you are able to free your hands from the cords that bind them. Escape from this pit is now foremost in your mind. Beyond the wall you can hear the sound of rushing water and, when you move to where the sound is loudest, you discover a panel partially concealed by slime. A closer inspection reveals it to be an opening to a circular chute. You are working on a way to prise open this panel, hoping it will lead to a way out of the pit, when suddenly there is a grating rumble high above. A column of bright light invades the gloom and, squealing with fright, the rats burrow frantically into the slime to avoid it.
‘Well well, if it isn't Grand Master Lone Wolf himself!’ booms a man's voice from the top of the shaft. ‘How good of you to come to Duadon in person. You have saved me the further expense of having you hunted down and brought here in chains.’
Quickly your eyes grow accustomed to the light and you see, peering over the lip of an open trapdoor at the top of the shaft, the sneering face of a young man. His pointed beard and moustache are trimmed to perfection, and his dark eyes twinkle with a cold malevolence that places a chill in your very soul. His skin is unusually pale and, judging from the wealth of gold embellishment that bedecks the neck of his velvet tunic, you feel sure that he is Prince Lutha, the self-appointed ruler of this city.
‘What do you intend for me?’ you ask aloud, but silently you are dreading his answer. The Prince does not reply directly, he simply utters a soft, chilling laugh as he extends his right hand. On his index finger you see a glowing ring of green crystal and, in a moment of terror, you realize that it is an artefact of pure evil, fashioned by, and imbued with, the power of the Dark God Naar himself.
If you possess the Sommerswerd and wish to unsheathe it,
turn to 267
.
If you possess Magi-magic and have attained the Kai rank of Grand Thane,
turn to 9
.
If you possess Assimilance and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher,
turn to 172
.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 306
.
If you do not possess any of the above Special Items or Grand Master Disciplines, or if you have yet to attain the relevant levels of Kai Mastery,
turn to 287
.
For a few moments you hurtle through the cold night air, oblivious to your surroundings. Then, in a terrifying instant, you glimpse the flagstones of the keep and the roof of the castle stables: they are more than a hundred feet below.
Your stomach churns with fear as you watch the hard, unyielding flagstones of the keep come rushing towards you at dizzying speed.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and have reached the Kai rank of Sun Thane or higher,
turn to 273
.
If you possess Kai-alchemy but have yet to reach this level of Kai rank,
turn to 52
.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn instead to 137
.
You spend a cold and uncomfortable night sheltering beneath a stone bridge near the centre of this forest town (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points). The rain, which began at dusk, eases off at dawn. In the grey half-light, you gather some nutritious roots and grasses for your mare and allow her to finish them before setting off on the trail which heads east out of Ellio.
You raise your weapon and brace yourself in the stirrups as the winged horror comes swooping down to rake you with its sword-sharp claws.
Lavas:
COMBAT SKILL
45
ENDURANCE
45
The creature is attempting to claw you as it swoops past; therefore fight this combat for
one round only
.
If in this single round of combat you lose more
ENDURANCE
points than your enemy,
turn to 263
.
If your enemy loses more
ENDURANCE
points, or if the loss is identical,
turn to 226
.
You unsheathe your weapon and urge your frightened horse along the track. As you reach the perimeter of the conifer coppice, the leading wolf-creatures draw alongside and begin to claw and bite at your steed's flanks. Desperately you lash out, left and right, in an attempt to cut them down before they can drag your shrieking horse to the ground.
Hounds of Vikkak:
COMBAT SKILL
45
ENDURANCE
40
These beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.
If you win the combat,
turn to 347
.
In desperation you draw upon your psychic Kai defence skills to erect a shield around your mind. This eases the agony coursing through your head, but your body sustains a severe battering before you are able to control the pain that grips your torso and limbs: lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.
Gradually, you feel your pain subsiding. Flashing motes of light are now beginning to whirl past you in the inky blackness, and faint sounds are reaching your ears, emanating from a pinpoint of light in the far distance. This speck of light steadily grows until it seems to fill your senses, and, with an abruptness that leaves you gasping for breath, you suddenly find yourself lying face down on a slab of damp granite.
Hurriedly you recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Levitation
and, as you feel gravity losing its grip, you leap from the floor of the pit in order to boost the effects of the spell.
Prince Lutha sees you come soaring up the shaft towards him and he is frozen with shock. Your swift action prevents him from activating the evil power of the ring he wears, a power which could spell your doom, but you sense that it is only a matter of seconds before he comes to his senses.
You rise up through the opening and strike a blow with your fist which glances off the side of Lutha's face. He reels backwards, but the sudden pain serves to awaken him from his shock, and when he comes back at you he has a needle-sharp dagger clasped in his hand.
Prince Lutha (with Ring of Power):
COMBAT SKILL
54
ENDURANCE
39
While wearing the Ring of Power, Lutha is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.
If you win the combat,
turn to 89
.
For several hours you wait in the crowded Canatarium for Captain Cearmaine to return. Then, shortly before nightfall, the captain enters by the main doors, his head bowed with sorrow. You sense at once that his son has died of his wounds, and you try to console him as best you can.
‘I must go to his regiment,’ says Cearmaine, his voice full of emotion. ‘It is right and fitting that I take command of them now.’
You learn that his son's regiment is stationed at the Reloni Bridge, at the very heart of the battle. Before the captain leaves, he wishes you good luck and suggests two routes by which you can reach the distant city of Casiorn from here.
The first route is the most direct, but it is also the most hazardous. It requires you to pass through the enemy lines at the Reloni Bridge, cross the southern tip of Eldenora, and then continue your journey north by way of the Slovarian Plain.
The second route will avoid the fighting at the Reloni Bridge, but it would mean having to pass through the city of Duadon — Prince Lutha's stronghold. (Consult the
map
before making your choice.)
If you choose to take the Reloni Bridge/Slovarian Plain route to Casiorn,
turn to 271
.
If you decide to take the Duadon/Rhem route instead,
turn to 38
.