The Darke Crusade (21 page)
You hurry to the door and examine the lock. It is a unique design, quite unlike any you have seen before. It appears be made entirely of silver with a keyhole that is smooth and circular in shape.
If you possess a Silver Rod,
turn to 27
.
If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 290
.
Beyond the doors you discover a large echoing hall, lit by a circle of torches which flare dimly in the moist gloom. The atmosphere is saturated with a malevolent power, an evil that is welling up from somewhere deep below ground. Immediately to your right you see a ladder which ascends to the upper floor of the tower, and to your left there is a wide staircase which leads down. Your senses scream a warning as you approach this staircase and begin to descend, but this time you choose to ignore your trusty instincts. The aura of evil which pervades this place has its source, and you are certain that it is the Doomstone of Darke, the very object you have sworn to destroy.
The staircase leads down to a winding torchlit hallway which passes through a series of narrow chambers, all empty and derelict. Eventually, you come to an iron portal and you stop for a few moments to examine the intricate engravings that embellish its age-blackened surface. Quickly you realize that the engravings are not mere decorations, they are part of a sophisticated combination lock which holds this door secure.
A host of writhing dragons are intertwined above a dial edged with ancient numerals. Each dragon has a number engraved upon its forehead, similar to those numbers which encircle the dial. Your senses inform you that the dragon numbers form a puzzle, and by solving this puzzle you will discover the ‘key’ to this door. Then, by turning the dial to this ‘key’ number, the lock will disengage and the door will open.
Study this puzzle. When you think you have found the answer,
turn to the entry in this book
which is the same as your answer.
13
If you discover that your answer is wrong, or if you cannot solve the puzzle,
turn instead to 70
.
[13] The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.
The driver shouts a rude greeting to the guards at the main gates as they pull them open, allowing the cart to pass through into the town unchallenged. You stay hidden beneath the straw until the cart slows to a halt; then, very carefully, you raise your head and take a look around. You have stopped in a muddy alley which runs between a stables and an armoury. This alley opens on to a central square that has been turned into a prisoner of war compound. It is enclosed by a crude fence of wire and sharpened stakes, and is patrolled by sentries with Akataz war-dogs. You estimate at least two hundred Lencians are being held captive here, and in conditions that are shocking to behold. The men are being kept out in the open, without shelter or heat of any kind, and judging by their physical state, it looks as if the Drakkarim are purposefully starving them to death.
Shock soon turns to anger and you vow that you will do whatever you can to save these prisoners. Unseen, you slip from the rear of the cart and wait in the shadows until the chance comes for you to approach the fence and make contact with the Lencians.
If you have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher,
turn to 127
.
If you have yet to reach this level of Kai Grand Mastership,
turn to 204
.
At first the ascent is easy, but as you approach the ledge you find that the chasm wall is dry and crumbly, making it very difficult for you to find safe purchase for your toes and fingers.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked. If your present Kai rank is Grand Guardian or higher, add 1.
If your total score is now 4 or less,
turn to 210
.
If it is 5 or more,
turn to 98
.
The sounds of the struggle cease abruptly and you hear gruff Drakkarim voices yelling and cursing in anger. A yellowy light flares up and grows brighter as it approaches the broken trapdoor. Then the face of a Drakkar appears, framed in the ragged hole, illuminated grotesquely by the guttering flames of a torch. The Drakkar thrusts the torch through the shattered door and peers into the cellar, his small piggy eyes probing into every corner. You keep completely still, and he fails to see you lying beneath the clutter of barrels and casks.
The moment the face and the torch disappear, you prise yourself free and then scramble up onto an upright barrel in order to reach the trapdoor. Prarg and the Drakkarim are no longer in the alleyway, yet as you pull yourself through the gaping hole, you catch sight of them in the square beyond. The Drakkarim have captured Prarg; they have tied his hands and they are marching him along the west avenue towards the centre of the town, towards Magnaarn's headquarters.
You land with a splash in the powdery snow and a sharp pain lances across your right shoulder blade. You have been grazed by an arrow, but fortunately, the wound is shallow: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
Having decided to follow Magnaarn's tracks, you are now faced with the unwelcome prospect of a tiring foot-slog through the Tozaz Forest, unless, of course, you can find some other means of speeding your journey. Using your Kai Mastery, you scan the surrounding woodland and send out a silent call for help A few minutes pass, and then a wild dog appears. He is soon joined by a handful of other creatures: a young grey-skinned boar, two feral snow-cats, and an ape-like Rhudun. Unfortunately, none are large or sturdy enough to carry you any great distance.
Then, from out of the snow-laden undergrowth, bursts forth a wild stag. It is a magnificent animal, as large and as strong as any stallion. Subdued by your commands, it approaches and tilts its antlered head to allow you to climb upon its back. Obediently it responds as you steer it through the forest, heading westwards in the wake of Magnaarn's troops.
Shortly after dusk you come to the banks of the River Shug, close by a small settlement of log huts which are grouped around a derelict ferry post. You dismount, and with a slap to its rump, you send the stag trotting back to its forest home. You watch him disappear towards the distant tree-line; then you turn back to the river and approach the huts on foot.
The Arrow hits the creature squarely in the chest but its tip fails to penetrate the bone armour. With a shriek of anger and contempt, the Ciquali knocks Prarg aside and comes lumbering towards you with both claw-tipped hands outstretched. Swiftly you shoulder your Bow and unsheathe your weapon in readiness to repel this beast as it makes a desperate lunge for your throat.
Ciquali Chieftain:
COMBAT SKILL
34
ENDURANCE
32
If you win this combat,
turn to 185
.
Suddenly a dozen razor-sharp sword blades lunge from out of the walls and come scything towards you at waist-height. You shout a warning to Prarg and push him to the floor, an action which saves his life, but in doing so it leaves you vulnerable to this trap. You try to twist aside but you are gashed across your stomach and lower back: lose 5
ENDURANCE
points.
The blades retract and lock back into the wall with a deadly slickness. You staunch your bleeding wounds and, when you are sure that this trap no longer poses a threat to your lives, you stagger to your feet and move forward to take a closer look at the door.
As you ride along this road of frozen earth, the sky begins to darken ominously and the weather closes in. What begins as a light flurry of snow soon deteriorates into an icy squall which cuts through you like a knife. Your Magnakai skills protect you from the cold, but Captain Prarg is not so fortunate. He utters not a word of complaint but you can sense that he is in great discomfort. Moreover, your horse, already tired from the exertions of the escape, is greatly weakened by the icy winds. Eventually it can carry you no further and you are forced to halt and dismount.
Your Kai senses warn you that enemy cavalry are in pursuit. You are a few miles ahead of them but their mounts are fresh and the distance between you is shrinking rapidly. You are about to suggest to Prarg that you abandon the horse altogether and seek shelter in the surrounding forest, when suddenly there is a lull in the storm and the falling snow thins out to reveal an unexpected sight.
Illustration XII—Below you the forest road descends to a stone bridge which crosses a frozen stream.
You have stopped near the crest of a hill. Below you the forest road descends to a stone bridge which crosses a frozen stream. A rough log cabin stands beside this bridge, and a thin trail of wood smoke rises from its crooked chimney indicating that it is occupied. At the rear you see stables and at once you sense the presence of horses.
If you wish to approach the cabin and attempt to take a fresh mount from the stables,
turn to 52
.
If you choose to abandon your exhausted horse and take to the forest on foot,
turn to 319
.
You steer the boat towards the river bank and as soon as the prow embeds itself in the mud, you disembark and make your way quickly towards two lines of ramshackle huts which are standing near the water's edge. A narrow alley separates these hovels, and it is from here that you observe the town's defences and try to assess how many Drakkarim are stationed within this stronghold.
The town itself comprises a sorry collection of battle-damaged buildings, ringed by a perimeter wall of logs which is shored up in many places. Several long and bitter battles have been fought here over the past year, and everywhere you look the vivid scars of war are plain to see. The town is strangely quiet and it appears to be weakly protected. The Drakkarim garrison are few in number, and those that you have seen so far appear to be either young, old, or walking wounded.
Night is beginning to draw in. The Drakkarim are lighting the torches which line the perimeter wall, and a change of guard is taking place at the main gate. You are considering leaving this town and continuing on your way towards Darke, when suddenly you see something which makes you change your mind.
You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Silence
and within the confines of the cabin all sound ceases. The Drakkarim sergeant screams for help, but to his amazement, he finds he has suddenly been struck dumb. You unsheathe your weapon and rush forward to strike him down, determined to finish him before the effects of the spell wear off.
Drakkarim Sergeant:
COMBAT SKILL
30
ENDURANCE
29
Due to the surprise of your spell and the speed of your attack, ignore any
ENDURANCE
loss you may sustain in the first round of this combat.
If you win the combat,
turn to 53
.
Fearful of what may happen if your stay in this chamber any longer, you retrace your steps and make your way swiftly to the place where you first emerged from the collapsed passage. You pause here to catch your breath; then you continue along the tunnel until, once more, you find yourself standing at the edge of the chasm. You scan this vast and dismal fissure, hoping to find a means of escape from this grim subterranean prison.
If you possess Kai-alchemy,
turn to 340
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 138
.