The Darke Crusade (26 page)
The shield takes form and the arrow shatters against it. You hear gasps of astonishment from the Drakkarim, and more than one utters the word
‘Ziran’
— the Giak for ‘Wizard’. As you disappear rapidly downstream, you see the renegades scrambling up the muddy bank in a desperate attempt to get away, having convinced themselves that they have just encountered a powerful sorcerer!
Your voyage continues without further incident until, later in the afternoon, you catch sight of a town on the horizon. You check your
map
and discover it to be Konozod, a fortified Drakkarim stronghold. As the river carries you closer, you magnify your vision and see that it is built upon the left bank of the Shug. A huge stone bridge spans the river, and beneath this you see that the waterway is blocked by a barrier of chained logs.
If you wish to allow your boat to drift towards this barrier,
turn to 314
.
If you decide to avoid the barrier, you can put ashore and continue on foot by
turning to 231
.
An agonizing pain lances through your body and the warm taste of blood fills your mouth. Then the terrible pain gives way to a terrifying numbness. For a moment the surrounding forest swims in and out of focus; then darkness engulfs you and you slip into a sleep from which you will never awaken.
Tragically, your life and your mission end here.
You unsheathe your weapon and warn Prarg to hold tight as you bear down on a collision course with the three Drakkarim sentries.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery and have reached the Kai rank of Sun Knight, add 3 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 3 or less,
turn to 209
.
If it is 4–8,
turn to 133
.
If it is 9 or more,
turn to 62
.
You examine the circular lock with care and sense that it is protected by a powerful magical spell. Any attempt to pick this lock could prove fatal.
If you possess Kai-alchemy,
14
turn to 207
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 101
.
[14] Since ‘any attempt to pick this lock could prove fatal’, you may elect to view this use of Kai-alchemy as optional rather than mandatory as the original text suggests.
The deadly bolts come screaming towards you and Captain Prarg with an unnerving accuracy that sends a cold spike of fear coursing down your spine. Impact is imminent.
If you possess Kai-alchemy
and
have reached the rank of Sun Knight,
turn to 167
.
If you do not possess this Discipline, or if you have yet to reach this rank,
turn to 334
.
You feel yourself awakening; all you wish for is to sleep. But your senses warn you that to fall asleep here could prove fatal. You know you must do something, and quickly, if you are to avoid unconsciousness.
If you possess some Oede or some Sabito,
turn to 212
.
If you possess neither of these substances,
turn to 233
.
The journey downstream is swift and easy. The icy river cuts a direct path across the frozen plain before it wends its way through an expanse of low, rolling hills, blackened and scarred by war. Ruined hovels smoulder on the horizon and scores of snow-covered corpses, human and otherwise, lie where they died in a running battle that has swept like wildfire across this land.
Shortly after midday, you see something in the distance that sets your nerves on edge. It is a group of figures, huddled together on the river bank. You magnify your vision and identify them to be Drakkarim, possibly deserters from Magnaarn's army, who are attempting to catch fish from the river.
If you wish to hide in the bottom of the boat and allow the current to carry you past them,
turn to 108
.
If you choose to row with the current, so that you will pass by these enemy soldiers as quickly as possible,
turn to 69
.
You and your scouts are taken to a lookout post on the banks of the river where you meet with Baron Maquin, the leader of this mercenary band. He is a tall man, clad from neck to toe in furs that are caked with frost. A battered silver helm hides much of his battle-scarred face, but you can see enough of his distinctly Ilionian features to know at once that he is a brave man, a man of honour. He regards you with a sceptical eye, having never before met a Sommlending lord, let alone one such as you. He questions you at length, and upon hearing your story, you sense that he is greatly impressed. In return he tells you briefly of how he and his men have come to find themselves here.
Illustration XVII—Baron Maquin, leader of the mercenary band, regards you with a sceptical eye.
‘This regiment is still loyal to King Sarnac,’ he says, proudly, ‘unlike the cowardly Stornlanders. They have broken their pact and now they fight 'gainst Lencia, alongside the enemy.’ The Baron spits at the ground in a show of contempt for these treacherous regiments. ‘My command has been left here to fight as a rear-guard. Our orders are to ambush any Drakkarim that may try to reach Darke by river. We believe there to be many enemy reinforcements at Konozod and our task is to prevent them from joining with Magnaarn.’
You remind the Baron that you have just come from Konozod and that it is virtually empty. There are no enemy reinforcements there. Respectfully you suggest that he and his men join with you in an attempt to reach Darke, where he could join once more with the Lencian army. He considers your suggestion, and after discussing it with his men, finally he agrees.
‘But first,’ he says, as he shakes your hand in friendship, ‘you must summon your men to my humble camp. It will soon be dark and it is much too dangerous to travel this river at night. You could be ambushed!’
As soon as the coast is clear, you leap from the ditch and sprint through a gap in the log wall. You are within a few yards of the cabin when suddenly you see two Drakkarim on horseback come galloping along a newly-laid forest track which leads to the encampment. You are in danger of being seen by them, so the moment you reach the cabin door you thrust it open and rush in.
Your sudden entrance startles a Drakkarim sergeant who is secretly sneaking a gulp of wine from his captain's private stock. The bristle-bearded soldier chokes on his mouthful of ruby-red claret when he hears the door open, but his fear soon turns to anger when he sees it is you, and not his commander, who is standing in the doorway. He spits out the wine and hurls the half-empty bottle at your head. You dodge this missile with ease, but it has served its purpose; it has bought the sergeant the time he needs to unsheathe his heavy-bladed sword. He sneers, and your heart skips a beat when you see him get ready to shout for help. You must silence him quickly or he will alert the entire camp to your presence.
If you possess Kai-alchemy,
turn to 232
.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn instead to 198
.
Slowly you wander through the smouldering ruins but discover little that has survived the fire which, at its height, must have transformed this whole town into a blazing inferno. The charred bones and skulls of those who died in the battle are strewn everywhere, and no attempt has been made to gather and bury them. You are examining the twisted remains of an iron axe when suddenly you sense that someone is nearby. You can tell that they are weak and in pain.
Instinct leads you to the ruins of an inn, and as you enter what was once its front door, you stop to listen. You can hear someone breathing. You detect they are somewhere below ground and you call out to Captain Schera to come quickly.
‘What is it?’ he says, as he enters the ruined inn.
‘There's someone alive here,’ you reply. ‘They're somewhere beneath the floor.’
Schera helps you to lift away some charred beams and you discover a trapdoor. You pull it open and slowly descend a flight of stone steps leading down into a cold, dank cellar. The sound of breathing has stopped but your suspicions are soon confirmed. There is somebody here.
The creature utters a spine-chilling shriek as it comes bounding towards you, its sword-like teeth glinting in the wintry sun. You step back and draw your weapon just in time to defend yourself as it makes its first strike.
Mawtaw:
COMBAT SKILL
38
ENDURANCE
50
This creature is immune to the effects of Mindblast and Psi-surge. If you choose to use Kai-surge, add only 1 point to your
COMBAT SKILL
.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and have reached the rank of Sun Knight, you may increase your
COMBAT SKILL
and
ENDURANCE
point scores by 5 each for the duration of this combat. At the end of combat, reduce your
ENDURANCE
score by 5 unless it causes your score to fall to zero or below, in which case you should reduce your
ENDURANCE
total to 1 point.
If you win this combat,
turn to 24
.
‘Heads!’ says Prarg.
You remove your hand to reveal the citadel of Holmgard stamped on the reverse side of the coin.
‘Never mind, Prarg,’ you say, trying hard not to sound too pleased with the way things have turned out. ‘The time'll soon pass. Wake me in four hours and I'll take over.’
Prarg gathers his weapons and equipment and, while you are settling yourself down to sleep in the relative comfort of the boat, he climbs to the top of Bear Rock to begin his cold and lonely vigil.
You search the dead guard's pockets and belt pouches, and discover the following items:
- Bow
- 2 Arrows
- Ball of String
- Dagger
- Sword
- Bottle (empty)
- 40 Kika (equivalent to 4 Gold Crowns)
You are about to abandon the body when suddenly you notice something gleaming in the top of its left boot. It is a rod of silver, plain and unmarked, and little more than four inches in length. If you wish to keep this Silver Rod, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item which you carry in your pocket.
Satisfied that you have overlooked nothing of worth, you turn your attention to clearing the rockfall which is blocking your escape from this landing.
From the top of the shaft you look out across the sprawling ruins of Antah. You have emerged upon the flat roof of a mouldering stone crypt situated a few hundred yards from the tower by which you first entered the subterranean temple. A chill wind howls in the surrounding trees and overhead the darkening winter sky warns that night is fast approaching.
The ruins are completely deserted. The undisturbed blanket of snow which lies thick upon the ground, hiding all tracks, sorely reminds you that fifteen precious days have elapsed since your internment. You think of Captain Prarg and wonder if he is still alive, and an empty feeling gnaws at your stomach when you pause to consider the fate which may have befallen him and his Lencian countrymen now that Magnaarn is in possession of the Doomstone. You are fearful, but you are not entirely without hope. Magnaarn believes you to be dead; it is a belief that you could use to your advantage. After all, by his own admission, did he not say that you were the only threat to his victory?
Carefully you descend from the roof of the crypt and make your way through the forest to where, two weeks earlier, Magnaarn's Tukodak guards were encamped. In this clearing there are no visible remains of their campsite, but diligently you sift through the ankle-deep snow, looking for clues to where they may have gone.
If you possess Grand Pathsmanship,
turn to 173
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 320
.
Pain knifes along your limbs but you draw upon your inner strength to control and lessen the agony of your wounds. Moments later your horse slams into the sentries and they are trampled mercilessly beneath its hooves. Then you are through the gap in the barricade and racing along the road beyond. You have passed successfully through the inner defensive line, but, as Prarg quickly points out, you have yet to reach the outer defences of Shugkona.