The Kingdoms of Terror (6 page)
Read The Kingdoms of Terror Online
Authors: Joe Dever
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Lone Wolf, #Magnamund
The memory of the dead woman's face flashes into your mind as you stare into Roark's eyes, glitteringly black beneath his wide-brimmed hat. The resemblance is so striking — the same aquiline nose and sallow flesh — that they must be related.
Suddenly, the riders appear and spread out in a semicircle to surround you. A voice shouts, ‘Arla is dead — the Northlander killed her!’
The lordling's face is transformed into a mask of trembling hatred. Madness flashes in his eyes as he rips open the front of his tunic and tears an amulet from a black chain around his throat.
‘Come, come, Tagazin, I summon thee. From the pit of eternal pain I summon thee!’
The skin on your arms and neck prickles with fear as you hear Roark's terrible invocation. You cast your eyes around you for an escape route; only the churchyard offers a way past the lordling and his men. However, as you spur your horse through the stone gateway, you are frozen with terror by what lies ahead.
You sense that the strands are living organisms, a sensitive and sophisticated trap to ensnare food for some unknown predator. To continue in this direction could prove fatal.
If you wish to draw the strands aside before you pass through,
turn to 4
.
If you decide to go back to the junction and take a different channel,
turn to 64
.
A shock awaits you on your return to Cyrilus: both he and your horse have vanished. At first you curse him, thinking that he has wandered off to a nearby ale tent for a drink, but when you discover his oaken staff lying beside the road, you sense that something is seriously wrong.
You climb to the top of a parked wagon and strain your eyes in all directions for some clue to his whereabouts. Suddenly you see him, surrounded by a group of cavalrymen galloping away to the west. You count six of them plus a riderless horse — your horse. Then you notice that conveniently hitched to the back of the parked wagon is a saddled horse.
If you wish to take the horse and give chase,
turn to 271
.
If you wish to try to find the horse's owner and offer to buy it,
turn to 325
.
The sound of fighting has drawn the attention of many of the mercenaries and their captains. They hang out of the windows and cheer loudly as you dispatch the last of the city watch. You wipe your weapon and noticing a full purse in the pocket of a dead guard, you take it for yourself. (Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
and add 5 to it: this equals the number of Gold Crowns inside the purse.)
Suddenly, the doors of the tavern open and a mercenary captain ushers you inside before more guards arrive to discover your handiwork. He is very impressed by your fighting prowess and offers to buy you a drink. You sense that it is an honest gesture of friendship without any hidden threat and gratefully accept his offer.
You collect your key and climb the stairs to your room at the top of the tavern. You sleep deeply and at dawn rise from your narrow bed to shiver in the fresh breeze whistling through a cracked window pane. As the harsh light of morning floods the tiny garret, you see to your dismay that your Backpack lies half-open on the floor. A gaping hole has been gnawed from the flap: the unmistakable handiwork of rats. Any Meals you had in your Backpack have been eaten or ruined. Erase them from your
Action Chart
before leaving the tavern and collecting your horse.
You are a few feet from the wagon when your horse refuses the jump. It rears up, its forelegs scrabbling at the air. The long day's ride has taken its toll, and your horse has neither the strength nor will left to clear such a daunting obstacle.
You lurch backwards, falling over the horse's rump and desperately cling to the tightening reins as it teeters on its hind hooves. Suddenly, the horse falls, pinning you beneath her as she crashes to the ground.
Agonizing pain gives way to numbness as you fight to hang on to life, but it is a battle that you can no longer win.
Your life and your quest end here.
Suddenly, the taxidermist jumps up from behind a workbench to your right and hurls a glass flask at your face. You dodge instinctively but the flask smashes against your shoulder, showering you with broken glass and burning acid. You lose 12
ENDURANCE
points.
If you survive this terrible attack, the taxidermist unsheathes a rapier and lunges at your heart.
Chanda the Taxidermist:
COMBAT SKILL
17
ENDURANCE
24
If you wish to evade combat at any time by running from the shop, mounting your horse and galloping away,
turn to 279
.
If you stay and win the combat,
turn to 8
.
You vault the parapet with barely seconds to spare and tumble into the cold rushing waters of the River Quarl. You are alive but are being swept away from the bridge by the river's irresistible current.
The chase takes you deep into the heart of the Varettian Hills. Soon the highway dips and twists, plunging into the valleys and hollows carved by fast-flowing streams, and climbing through the dense woodland that clings precariously to every precipice and crag. You often lose sight of the riders, but your basic Kai skills of tracking and hunting enable you to follow their trail with ease. It is not until you reach a tiny village perched on the edge of a tree-lined crag that their trail becomes indistinct. However, you notice that at the far side of the village, a stony hill track branches from the main highway and ascends into the trees.
If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship,
turn to 117
.
If you wish to continue along the highway,
turn to 143
.
If you wish to follow the hill track,
turn to 241
.
You wipe your weapon on the cloak of a dead grave robber and turn him over with the toe of your boot. Several graves bear the signs of the grave robbers' labour; the freshly-dug soil is heaped high and coffin lids lie shattered and discarded everywhere. The weapons these men used are old and pitted with rust and obviously acquired, like the rest of their booty, from graves and tombs. A search of the bodies reveals 27 Gold Crowns, a Bottle of Wine, and a Mirror. You may take any of these items before leaving the churchyard.
You sense that the left fork harbours a hostile or dangerous force. You cannot identify its exact nature, but the aura of wickedness and malevolence is very strong.
If you wish to investigate what lies beyond the left fork,
turn to 151
.
If you wish to avoid the obvious presence of evil and take the right fork,
turn to 289
.
The conditions inside the tent are appalling. Badly wounded men lie on the muddy ground with nothing but rags to dress their injuries. Many are without boots, which have been stolen by their treacherous comrades, who take advantage of their helplessness. One such man is cutting the purse from an unconscious soldier when you enter the hut. He leaps to his feet and attacks you with a curved knife.
Thief:
COMBAT SKILL
16
ENDURANCE
21
If you wish to evade combat at any time by jumping on your horse and galloping off along the path,
turn to 70
.
If you win the combat,
turn to 86
.
There is no reply. You walk round the counter and peer into the back room, but this is also deserted. Your suspicion is aroused when you notice that the oven door and the back door to the hut are both wide open. A rocking chair is lying on its side, and there is other evidence of a recent struggle. You are about to search the room when you hear a faint cry for help. It is Cyrilus — he is in trouble.
Suddenly, there is a tremendous jolt and you are thrown head-first against the rail (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points). The screech of twisting metal and splintering wood tears through the silence as the
Kazonara
shudders and dips violently. The boat has hit a boom — a line of logs chained together across the river.
It is Altan. Before you can explain what has happened, he shakes your hand and congratulates you on your prowess with a Bow, for in spite of his defeat, he is eager to show that he bears no grudge. You thank him and go on to explain your sorry predicament.
‘I think we can make a deal,’ he says, his eyes glancing at your Silver Bow.
If you wish to exchange your newly-won prize for Altan's horse,
turn to 212
.
If you do not wish to part with your Silver Bow,
turn to 148
.
A trickle of blood seeps from the corner of the old man's mouth as his eyes flicker and close. He is dead. You bury him in the graveyard of the church where he fell and say a silent prayer to the spirits of the Kai to watch over him on his final journey. A sadness fills your heart, and you take one last look at the oaken staff that marks his grave before setting off on the highway to Varetta.
‘How dare you waste my time,’ he snorts contemptuously. ‘Get rid of this fool!’
His bodyguards step forward, their arms raised for attack. You see that one of them is wearing a spiked knuckle-duster, and judging by the expression on his face, he is eager to make use of it.
Illustration III—One of them is wearing a spiked knuckle-duster.
Bodyguards:
COMBAT SKILL
18
ENDURANCE
34
Due to the speed of their attack you cannot make use of a Bow.
If you win the fight,
turn to 263
.
The hall is soon bustling with noise and activity; tavern brawls are so commonplace in Quarlen that once over they are soon forgotten. The innkeeper's son appears and orders the bodies to be dumped in the river, but not before he relieves them of their purses. ‘For breakages,’ he says with a snigger.
Lying by your feet is a slim leather tube. You discover that it contains 5 Gold Crowns and a Map of Tekaro, a city to the south. You may keep any of these items. If you wish to keep the map, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Backpack Item.
If you wish to take a seat and order some food,
turn to 172
.
If you wish to approach the bar and ask about a room for the night,
turn to 232
.
The guard snatches the square of blue card from between your fingers then walks over to a sputtering wall torch, which he removes from its bracket. Holding the torch high, he returns and examines first the card and then your face.
‘Enter,’ he snarls, crumpling the card in his hairy fist. You flick your heel and urge your tired horse through the town gate.
They cannot both be speaking the truth, for the conjurer said that at least one of them was lying. Unfortunately, you have lost your wager.
Erase the Gold Crowns you staked on the conundrum from your
Action Chart
before approaching the bar and enquiring about a room for the night.
You gasp as the blade gashes your hip before sinking several inches into the wooden parapet (you lose 2
ENDURANCE
points). The pirate is unnerved by the fact that you are still alive and is off balance as you scramble forward and attack. Before he can recover, he is tumbling backwards over the side into the cold, deep waters of the Storn.
A hail of arrows engulfs you; pain explodes through your chest, neck, and shoulder. You are mortally wounded and although you fight with grim determination to hang on to life, it is a struggle you cannot win. Weak from shock and loss of blood, you fall from the saddle and die on the highway to Varetta.
Your life and your quest end here.
The man listens to your question while his eyes try to fathom your purpose.
‘And what would a warrior be seeking in the Street of the Sages, I wonder?’ he muses, his slim fingers stroking his long grey beard.
You are trying to think of a good answer that will not reveal the nature of your quest when the man suddenly becomes agitated.
‘I cannot help you,’ he says curtly and hurries away from the bar, vanishing into the crowds of drunken mercenaries in the blink of an eye. You are puzzled by his sudden departure — was it something you said that caused him to behave so strangely?
If you wish to approach the merchant at his table,
turn to 240
.
If you would rather approach the tavern-keeper,
turn to 312
.