The Kingdoms of Terror (7 page)

You have little choice but to spend the night in the stable with your horse. Your sleep is very uncomfortable, for the stable is both draughty and damp. You lose 2
ENDURANCE
points. Make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
.

Turn to 272
.

‘Bah!’ exclaims a guard contemptuously. ‘We have no time for witless wanderers. Go back to Casiorn if you have no business here.’ He spits at the ground and the guards turn towards the open town gate.

If you wish to offer them gold to let you enter,
turn to 9
.

If you wish to ride past them and through the open gate,
turn to 261
.

If you decide to turn away and attempt to enter the town by the north gate,
turn to 137
.

You draw an Arrow, aim, and fire a split second before the bolt of energy hits your chest. Your Arrow pierces the leader's heart, killing him instantly, but the wound that you yourself suffer knocks you to the ground. Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
(in this instance, 0 = 10). The number you have picked equals the number of
ENDURANCE
points that you have lost due to the chest wound.

If you are still alive, you scramble to your feet and run as fast as you can through the undergrowth towards your horse. The golden rod has been retrieved by one of the other men, and he is preparing to use it again.

Turn to 182
.

The bolt hits you with such force that you are lifted out of the saddle and thrown to the ground. Flashing lights spin before your eyes and you gasp for breath as a terrifying numbness spreads from your chest through your limbs. There is no pain — only a chilling paralysis that robs you of all resistance to death.

Your quest and your life end here at the Denka Gate.

You sense that the Kloon is deeply insulted and has gone to fetch his pet: a very ferocious Vassagonian warhound. As the warhound has not been fed for over two days, it is very unlikely that it will listen to reason. Without a moment's hesitation, you decide to leave the guild-house before the Kloon and his hungry hound return.

Turn to 105
.

You sense that the time has come for you to decide whether to stay with the captain or to leave his company and ride to Tekaro alone.

If you wish to stay with the captain,
turn to 290
.

If you decide to ride to Tekaro alone,
turn to 11
.

The quality of the weapons made by Durenese armourers has justly made them famous throughout the Lastlands. The bow you have chosen is very old, but unlike the other two bows it is still in excellent working order.

To begin the tournament,
turn to 340
.

Your Magnakai Discipline makes you sensitive to the faintest aroma of gallowbrush. It is commonly called ‘Sleeptooth’ in your homeland of Sommerlund, for the crushed thorns of the gallowbrush briar make a very powerful sleeping draught. For some unknown reason, this man is trying to make you unconscious.

If you wish to draw your weapon and attack him,
turn to 277
.

If you wish to throw down your goblet and leave,
turn to 279
.

You are correct: the boy has blond hair and the girl has black hair. Your logical thinking revealed they could not both have been speaking the truth, for the conjurer had said that at least one of them was lying — and if one was lying then the other could not have been speaking the truth. Therefore, there was only one conclusion to be drawn: both lied.

The conjurer pays you the number of Gold Crowns equal to that which you wagered. Remember to add this sum to your current total of Gold Crowns before approaching the bar and enquiring about a room for the night.

Turn to 253
.

The path that leads to Castle Taunor is steep and slippery, and far too treacherous to be attempted on horseback. Cyrilus offers to stay and look after your horse while you collect some spa water, saying that he is too old to climb the hill track. However, you suspect that it is just his excuse to take an afternoon nap.

Illustration IV
—The path to Castle Taunor is steep and slippery.

The castle is less than a mile from the highway, yet it takes over half an hour to complete the hazardous climb to the rock shelf. The crumbling castle walls are covered with damp foliage and mildew, and the over-hanging precipice envelops the keep with its gloomy shadow. You follow the sound of dripping water until you find yourself in a small chapel, where you discover a rivulet of sparkling spa-water trickling from a crack in the altar stone. As you kneel at the altar, filling your glass jar, you suddenly hear a noise: you are not alone.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery,
turn to 162
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 278
.

You retrace your steps to the junction and pause so that you can decide which is the best route to take.

If you wish to go straight ahead,
turn to 339
.

If you decide to take the channel to your left,
turn to 269
.

With a blood-curdling shriek, the Yawshath dives straight for you from the top of the stairs. With ice-cold nerve you steel yourself to strike. Your blow is well timed and deadly accurate, tearing open the creature's chest. A split second later you leap aside to avoid being crushed beneath its heavy body as it crashes into the flagstones. It shudders for a brief moment before death comes to claim its evil soul.

Shaken, but thankful to be alive, you return to the chapel and fill your glass jar with Taunor Water (there is enough spa water to restore 6
ENDURANCE
points). You may drink the water now or store it in your Backpack for future use. If you do keep it, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Backpack Item.

If you now wish to search the chapel,
turn to 24
.

If you decide to return to Cyrilus,
turn to 338
.

The man is quick to react to your attack. Hurling the silver tray at your head, he escapes through a curtained archway at the back of the shop.

If you wish to give chase,
turn to 324
.

If you decide to let him go and leave the taxidermy,
turn to 279
.

The street becomes as silent as death as all eyes focus accusingly on you. The leader's face becomes twisted with hatred. He points a crooked finger at your forehead and utters a dreadful curse.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen,
turn to 255
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 315
.

As you ride along the quay, you study your
map
of the Stornlands for an alternative route to Tekaro. There are two roads that will take you there: the mountain highway through the Ceners via Rhem, or the valley highway through Amory and the Forest of Eula. Lack of sleep and fatigue from your long ride cloud your mind and you decide that your first priority must be to have a good night's sleep.

A quayside tavern displays a sign promising the most comfortable beds in all of Soren. This is all you need to be persuaded to stable your horse and enter its doors.

Turn to 167
.

You press yourself into the narrow recess and pray that the creature will pass you by. Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility, add 5 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–5,
turn to 128
.

If it is now 6–14,
turn to 246
.

The path ends at the point where the Rivers Storn and Quarl converge in a V-shaped bank. Ogron engineers and carpenters are busy at work constructing pontoons for floating bridges, which look like enclosed rowing boats and are destined to be used to cross the river further downstream.

Staring out across the water, you notice a dark shadow like the entrance to a cave at the base of the city wall. After concentrating for a few moments, you find you can make out the dull criss-cross of metal bars. It is a sewer outfall.

If you wish to ask the blue-skinned Ogrons what they know about the sewer outfall,
turn to 133
.

If you wish to try to take one of the pontoons and row across the river,
turn to 163
.

If you wish to swim across the river,
turn to 171
.

The man leaps back, unsheathing a wide-bladed sword from beneath his bearskin cloak. ‘Fool!’ he cries, contemptuously. ‘Victory to the man who is left alive.’ You have insulted this man, and he is determined to fight you to the death as a matter of honour. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control you may add 2 points to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of the fight as you are fighting from the saddle.

Illustration V
—He is determined to fight you to the death.

Redbeard:
COMBAT SKILL
 19   
ENDURANCE
 28

If you wish to evade combat at any time by galloping along the street,
turn to 279
.

If you win the combat,
turn to 237
.

The shouts of the town guard sergeant ring in your ears as you urge your horse towards the wagon. You pray that your mount has strength enough to clear the obstacle, for you are now committed to jumping it — you cannot turn back.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control, add 2 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–1,
turn to 36
.

If your total is now 2–7,
turn to 166
.

If your total is now 8–11,
turn to 274
.

Shortly before noon you pass through a deserted village. The burnt-out ruins of cottages and farmsteads dot the landscape like charred skeletons — the unmistakable signs of war. A mile or two farther along the highway you come across a church. A man, his clothes ragged and covered with mud, is moving amongst the gravestones, staggering like a wounded carrion crow. As you reach the church gate, he sees you and cries out pitifully for help.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing,
turn to 173
.

If you wish to help the man,
turn to 337
.

If you do not wish to help the man and would rather ignore him and continue riding towards Soren,
turn to 191
.