The Caverns of Kalte (21 page)

You recognize the Potion to be distilled Alether, a potion of strength. Your Kai masters used Alether to increase their
COMBAT SKILL
in battle, and there is enough concentrated Alether in this Vial to increase your
COMBAT SKILL
by 4 for the duration of one combat. For it to be effective you must swallow it immediately before you fight. If you wish to keep this Vial, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Backpack Item.

Now
return to 10
and choose your next course of action.

You desperately claw at your foot, but the sledge is already beginning to fall into the crevasse. As you tumble hundreds of feet into the void, the last sound that you hear are the horrified cries of your guides fading above you.

Your life and your mission end here.

The mutants lie dead at your feet. You are about to step over them and attack their controller, when more of the unfortunate wretches appear at his side. You are greatly outnumbered and you must escape now, or you will surely perish in this evil hall. You sprint back to the door and run the length of the main corridor, as fast as your shaking legs will carry you.

Turn to 130
.

You have explored only a hundred yards of the rock-face when you discover a large fissure — the entrance to a cave. In your eagerness to escape from the bitter wind you quickly enter and, in the darkness, fail to notice the crevasse that divides this cave in two. In a tumble of ice and stone, you fall head-first into the dark.

Turn to 240
.

You soon reach a large hall where the pressure of the moving ice has opened a large crevasse in the floor. The crevasse is over sixty feet wide, and there is no apparent way of crossing it. As you stare into the chasm, you notice that rough steps have been cut into the side, descending into the darkness.

If you wish to descend these steps,
turn to 302
.

If you decide to retrace your route to the other tunnel entrance,
turn to 125
.

There is an aura of power encircling the Gold Bracelet that makes you feel uneasy. The Ice Barbarians rely on tooth and bone for their weapons because there are no mines in Kalte. Not only gold but all metals are considered rare and precious; you have never heard of the Ice Barbarians trading their furs for any metal other than steel. Jewellery is of no interest to these hard and cruel hunters. You suspect that this Bracelet was worn by force and not by choice. If you wish to take and wear the Gold Bracelet, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item.

If you take the Bracelet,
turn to 236
.

If you decide to leave it, make your way along the corridor towards the distant junction by
turning to 215
.

The stone portal creaks open but grinds to an abrupt halt halfway across. The gap is a little over two feet wide and you are only just able to squeeze through to the chamber beyond. The air in the room is cold and stale; this chamber has obviously lain undisturbed for many thousands of years. Stone shelves are stacked high with bottles and flasks. On a table in the centre lies a beautiful pack full of different coloured potions.

If you wish to examine these ancient potions,
turn to 10
.

If you wish to leave the chamber and continue northwards,
turn to 126
.

You can sense that the Baknar is desperate for food. Your Kai Discipline will be useless, for you will not be able to order it away from the camp now that it has detected the Kanu-dogs. However, you know that Baknar are fearless hunters, fearless except when it comes to one thing — fire. Grabbing a torch from a pile of equipment, you light it and race out of the tent. It is dark and snowing heavily, but a movement to your right betrays the Baknar as it lopes towards you. It is preparing to pounce when the sight of the guttering flames makes it shriek with terror. A second later, it has turned and disappeared into the night.

The Kanu-dogs are safe, but to make sure that the Baknar does not return, you agree to take it in turns to sit watch with a torch and a weapon.

Turn to 134
.

You take careful aim and throw the Gold Crowns along the corridor. Distracted by the sudden noise, the warrior draws his bone sword and investigates. Your plan has worked; he is busy searching for Gold Crowns on his hands and knees and he fails to see you creep past and ascend the stairs. Remember to adjust the number of Gold Crowns on your
Action Chart
.

Turn to 332
.

You manage to hang on to the struggling child, and remove a bone dagger from his boot to prevent him stabbing you in the back.

The Ice Barbarians have drawn themselves up into a circle around you, but they dare not attack while you are holding one of their children as a hostage. Holding the bone dagger to the child's throat, you slowly inch your way towards the sledge. You soon realize that you will never be able to outdistance them on a loaded sledge. You will have to think of something — and quickly.

Illustration XVIII
—The Ice Barbarians circle around you but they dare not attack while you hold one of their children as hostage.

If you wish to cut the equipment loose, free the Ice Barbarian child, and escape on the unloaded sledge,
turn to 190
.

If you wish to cut loose the equipment but keep the boy with you as a hostage during your escape,
turn to 33
.

You follow the twisting ice passage for many miles until you stumble upon a grotto. A small melt-water stream divides the cavern and another passage leads off towards the north. As you jump across the narrow stream, you notice a small Blue Triangle of Stone lying in the icy water attached to a neck chain. If you wish to keep the Blue Stone Triangle, put it around your neck and tuck it into your jacket. Mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item.

A brighter light emanates from the passage ahead, and you can see a large hall in the distance.

Turn to 235
.

As you race across the slippery surface, the ice begins to crack. Glancing behind, you see the Kalkoth has stopped at the edge of the lake. It seems to be terrified of the dark shadow that you saw earlier under the ice; the shadow that has just reappeared less than twenty feet from where you are now. With panic rising in your throat, you turn and run, praying all the way for the ice and your luck to hold out.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–2,
turn to 153
.

If the number you have picked is 3–9,
turn to 59
.

You climb over a hundred stone steps before arriving at a narrow landing.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense, Tracking, or Hunting, add 3 to this number.

If your total is now 0–4,
turn to 76
.

If your total is now 5–12,
turn to 2
.

As the vile Akraa'Neonor dies at your feet, you glimpse the hunchback descending from his platform and scurrying off towards a distant door. You turn to chase him but freeze when you see the body of Loi-Kymar lying motionless below. He is dead, killed in psychic combat with the traitor. With anger welling up inside, you raise your weapon and sprint after Vonotar, now intent upon his death.

The door leads to a long corridor, at the end of which is a curtained arch. You tear the curtain aside and continue on your chase.

Turn to 61
.

The next morning arrives bright and windless. The sun pierces the thin layer of cloud, bathing the east in a soft pink glow. This beautiful vision reminds you that your Kai masters once told you that the light of Kalte is unlike anywhere else in Magnamund. With tent and equipment packed, you leave the pass and venture out onto the Hrod Basin; one hundred miles of open ice now lie between you and Storm Giant Pass.

At first, the journey is easy. The Basin has been worn smooth by the wind and no crevasses lurk unseen beneath the hard, dense snow. But at dawn on the third day, events take a turn for the worse. You are awoken from a deep sleep by Dyce shaking your shoulder. He is frightened. ‘What's wrong?’ you ask, still bleary-eyed and sleepy.

‘Ice Barbarians … on the horizon. Twenty, maybe more. Five wind sledges and a warrior escort. I think they've seen us.’

In an instant, you have all climbed out of your sleeping furs and begun to pack away the tent. Dyce is correct, they are Ice Barbarians and they are heading towards you from the west. ‘If they catch us, we're as good as dead,’ says Fenor, as he ties the last of the equipment to the sledge.

The Ice Barbarians of Kalte are a fierce and war-like race of nomads. For thousands of years they have travelled this icy wasteland, trapping furs and herding mammoths. Their only contact with the rest of Magnamund is through the trading post of Ljuk. In summer, when the coast around Ljuk is free from ice, they journey there to trade their furs for weapons and tools, as there is no iron or wood in Kalte. They hate all except their own kind, and kill anyone they find who dares to trespass in their icy domain. You soon hear their war-cries less than three miles distant, and for the first time since you landed, you pray for a blizzard to hide your escape.

Turn to 216
.

After a period of intense concentration, the image of the lock gradually takes form in your mind. The lock is shielded by a spell, but your Kai skill and your determination prove the stronger power. A
click
confirms the success of your effort, but you are greatly fatigued and lose 1
ENDURANCE
point. Then silently, and of its own accord, the great stone lid opens to reveal a magnificent Silver Helm.

If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense,
turn to 127
.

If you wish to put this Helm on,
turn to 308
.

If you would rather leave it where it is, you can explore the stairs by
turning to 323
.

As you approach nearer to Ikaya, the recent encounter with the Ice Barbarians plays on your mind. Will you be able to outrun them or are they planning an ambush at this very moment? Both Irian and Fenor look very anxious and little is said as you trek across the difficult terrain. But your worries distract your attention from more familiar danger. You are less than eight miles from the fortress when the snow gives way beneath you and you plunge into a hidden crevasse.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–8,
turn to 105
.

If the number you have picked is 9,
turn to 144
.

In spite of his frail physique, the man climbs with surprising speed and dexterity. You pull him through the portal and retrieve your Rope. ‘The stairs,’ he says, pointing into the darkness. ‘Our escape lies that way, but you had best take the lead; my eyes ail me. I have suffered the snow-blindness and my vision is just a blur.’

You pack your Rope and lead the way along the passage. You are about to descend the stairs when a pair of skeletal hands close around your throat from behind. A hideous cry betrays the ‘merchant's’ true identity. He is a Helghast, a deadly shape-changing servant of the Darklords, and he has tricked you into releasing him from his cell. He is intent on murdering you.

You desperately gasp for air as the skeletal fingers tear and burn at your throat. You lose 6
ENDURANCE
points. If you are still alive, you can break free from his steely grip. You must now fight this creature to the death. Due to the surprise of the Helghast's attack and the injury it has inflicted on your throat, you are unable to swallow any potions prior to the combat.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 99
.

If you do not possess it,
turn to 175
.