The Chasm of Doom (22 page)
You draw the sword and offer it to the captain. A look of surprise and delight crosses his face as he examines the blade. ‘I never expected to see my trusty steel again. It is a good omen for the battle ahead.’
Thanking you, the captain sheathes his sword in its scabbard, that until now, has hung empty from his belt. (Remember to erase this Sword from your
Action Chart
.)
As you reach the top of the ridge, a gruesome sight meets you. The bodies of men and horses lie scattered across the shallow valley beyond, their bones picked clean by the scavenging crows. You hear the gasps of horror as your men recognize the armour and tattered white uniforms of these skeletons, for they were once your countrymen, Sommlending Guards of the King's cavalry. They must have died in battle, for the corpses of bandit warriors lie entwined among them. Forty brave soldiers, nearly half of the squadron that left Holmgard one month ago, now lie before you, and it is with heavy heart that your men set about the grisly task of burial. As you ride away from this valley of death, you are comforted only by the knowledge that Captain D'Val was not among those you buried.
The river fills your ears, your eyes, and your nose. In your desperate fight for air you cough uncontrollably. Blinded by water, you fail to see the large river boulder looming ahead. With a sickening crack, you smash head-first into the unyielding stone and sink beneath the rushing torrent.
Your life and your mission end here.
At first light, you prepare to enter the valley. The highway is enshrouded by mist and soon, on both sides, the Ruanon Forest closes in; a tangle of pale grey tree trunks of every shape and size crowd thickly around you. After a few minutes' ride, you find the wreck of a burnt-out wagon abandoned at the side of the road. Behind it, a track disappears eastwards into the hills.
If you wish to search the wrecked wagon,
turn to 38
.
If you wish to ignore the wagon and press on along the highway,
turn to 175
.
If you wish to investigate the track that leads up into the hills,
turn to 293
.
You soon discover a partially concealed mine shaft descending vertically into the hillside. As your men clear away the briars choking the shaft, you notice a ladder fixed to one side. You realize that this must be an escape shaft from the Maaken Mines, for they honeycomb the foothills of this mountain range. If only you can locate a major tunnel, you may find a path all the way to Ruanon itself. You kneel at the edge and peer down into the gloom. There is such an overwhelming smell of dampness and decay that you decide to send your lightest man down the ladder to check whether it is still secure. All seems well, for he soon reaches a tunnel entrance far below and shouts to you all to follow.
The tunnel leads to an oval-shaped, rough-hewn chamber, the floor of which is coated with a strange silky fluid.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Animal Kinship,
turn to 41
.
If you do not have this skill, you can search for an exit from the chamber and
turn to 276
.
Although the wagons are shrouded in darkness, your Kai sense reveals to you the actor's hiding place. You climb the ladder at the rear of a large caravan, push open the door with your weapon, and enter.
The horseman is charging at you very quickly. You will only be able to fight for one round of combat before the momentum of his attack carries him past you.
Vassagonian Horseman:
COMBAT SKILL
20
ENDURANCE
28
If you lose more
ENDURANCE
points than your enemy in this one round of combat,
turn to 209
.
If your enemy loses more
ENDURANCE
points than you in this round of combat,
turn to 220
.
If you both lose exactly the same number of
ENDURANCE
points in this round of combat,
turn to 344
.
As you hit the water, your weapon is jarred from your hand. Panic overwhelms your senses as slimy tentacles coil around your sinking body. You fight to escape but are soon squeezed into unconsciousness. A trail of bubbles and a torn cloak are the only signs to mark your watery grave.
Your life and your mission end here.
The tunnel soon emerges into a large chamber divided by a deep mine shaft. A dark-skinned warrior in tatty leather armour stands guard at the entrance to the wooden bridge spanning the shaft. He is whittling a block of wood and grumbling to himself about how unfair it is that he is given the most boring duties. On the far side of the chamber a tunnel disappears into the west wall. You know that if you are to reach the tunnel, you must get past the guard and across the bridge.
If you possess the Kai Discipline of Camouflage,
turn to 35
.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Mind Over Matter,
turn to 317
.
If you possess neither of the above Kai Disciplines, you will have to launch a surprise attack on the guard.
Turn to 147
.
The arrow flies straight and true towards the bandit but glances off his polished steel breastplate. Unmoved by this close escape from death, he hurls his javelin, pinning the helpless soldier to the ground. You are about to take another shot when you see a menacing black shape dart across the sky; it plummets downwards and lands on the watchtower roof.
You discard your bow and draw your weapon as you race up the stairs to investigate.
Although fire has totally destroyed any markings there may have been on the wagon, there still remains enough of the shell for you to recognize its military origin. It is a Sommlending cavalry wagon, one of three that accompanied Captain D'Val and his troopers. It was loaded with provisions when it left Holmgard a month ago, but now all that remains of its cargo are heaps of ash. Having made a thorough search of the wreckage, you remount your horse and lead your men southwards along the highway.
Your bravado has paid off. The guards accept the password and allow you to enter the crypt. As the stone door is drawn shut, you find yourself in a wide torchlit corridor heading towards the east.
Although the strangers seem harmless enough, you decide not to take any chances and mount a guard. You are hungry and must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. Having eaten, you soon settle down to get a good night's sleep.
Your head begins to spin, and your legs feel as heavy as lead from the lack of oxygen. You lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.
A circle of unshaven faces are staring down at you. A soldier cradles your leg as another snaps the shaft buried deeply in your thigh. But before you can even cry out in pain, he has drawn the arrow from your leg with one swift tug. ‘You are very lucky, Kai Lord,’ he says, as he bandages a handful of Laumspur to your aching limb. ‘The wound is clean, and the bleeding is but slight.’
You lose 4
ENDURANCE
points, but the soldier's quick thinking and skill has saved your leg from infection. With great care the soldiers carry both you and Captain D'Val into the stone watchtower.
You plummet head-first into the darkness, the wind screaming past your face. Gritting your teeth, you try not to think of that terrible moment of impact, when you will smash into the hard, unyielding rock. But instead of a stone floor, you hit the surface of an underground river and plunge far down into its icy cold depths. You are so relieved to be alive that you momentarily forget where you are and inhale. As water enters your lungs, you fight to control the pain that now wracks your chest. You quickly become aware that your Backpack is dragging you down. You must discard it, or you will surely drown. When you eventually reach the surface, you claw your way out of the icy water and collapse on a gravel bank, coughing and gasping for air.
You have lost your Backpack and everything that it contained, but you are still alive and relatively unharmed.
Make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
before
turning to 219
.
You are halfway across the underground river when the inky black water begins to seethe and boil. You cling to the gunwale and urge your men to row for all they are worth, for the turbulent water now threatens to capsize your crowded little boat. Suddenly a hideous greyish green tentacle breaks through the surface. Like a whiplash it crashes down, splintering wood and cracking bone as it coils around two of your men. Before you can even draw your weapon, they have been dragged down into the bubbling depths. Then another tentacle rises, snaking towards you. It stabs at your chest and tries to butt you overboard.
Illustration XX—The rangers are dragged down into the bubbling depths.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If your current
ENDURANCE
point total is 20 or more, add 3 to the number that you have picked. If your current
ENDURANCE
point total is 12 or less, deduct 2 from the number you have picked.
If your total is now -2–6,
turn to 194
.
If it is 7–12,
turn to 61
.
Your blow has splintered the horseman's lance. As he reins his horse about, he discards his broken weapon and draws a curved broadsword. His smile is evil, exposing a jagged line of blackened teeth. He spits a battle-cry and spurs his horse towards you once more.
If you have reached the Kai rank of Aspirant or higher,
turn to 111
.
If you have not yet reached this level of Kai training,
turn to 43
.
You search the stalls to discover that only eleven horses remain; the others have been stolen by the bandits. After careful thought, you decide to call for ten volunteers to continue the mission with you, and order the remaining rangers to return to Sommerlund on foot at first light to report what has happened. As they head off to the north at dawn, you wait until they have vanished from sight before you turn and ride in the opposite direction.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–6,
turn to 51
.
If it is 7–9,
turn to 120
.