The Masters of Darkness (19 page)

Roughly you turn over the bodies of your slain enemies, and search through their pockets and packs. You discover the following items, which may be of use to you during your mission:

• Dagger
  
• Sword
  
• Axe
  
• Short Sword
  
• 40 Kika (equivalent to 4 Gold Crowns)
  
• Blanket
  
• Black Key
  

If you wish to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly.

To continue along the tunnel,
turn to 280
.

You pass the time prior to your departure resting and reviewing the mission in fine detail. Eventually the hour of your leaving arrives and Banedon and Rimoah escort you to Toran harbour and see you safely aboard the caravel
Intrepid
. Before they disembark, Banedon hands you a sealed envelope and a Golden Amulet on a chain.

‘Wear this for your protection,’ he says, as he fastens the chain around your neck. ‘It will keep you safe from the heat and poisonous atmospheres that pervade your destination.’ (Mark the Golden Amulet on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item — you need not discard another item in its favour if you already carry the maximum quota.)

‘And the envelope?’ you say, quizzically.

‘Neither Captain Borse, nor his volunteer crew, are aware of your identity or the vital nature of your voyage. All they know is that they are expected to break through the blockade and carry you safely to Durenor. When you are clear of the enemy, hand this envelope to the captain. It contains his new orders to steer a course for the Aarnak Estuary. He is a fine captain: you can trust in his skill and the bravery of his crew to see you through the dangerous waters of the Kaltersee.’

Moments later the captain emerges from his cabin. A grey and grizzled old seaman, he sports a leather cloak that swings easily from his broad, muscular shoulders. He welcomes you aboard with a ready smile and firm handshake, and then excuses himself in order to supervise the final preparations for the voyage. ‘May the Gods Kai and Ishir watch over you, Lone Wolf,’ whispers Lord Rimoah, as he and Banedon make ready to disembark, ‘and grant us a lasting victory over the forces of darkness.’

Turn to 325
.

Wielding a weapon of the Darklords, you strike Taktaal a grievous blow that wounds him deeply. Shrieking an unearthly cry of pain, he retreats from the Transfusor and unhooks a mace, carved from a solid chunk of black crystal, from a chain around his putrescent neck. As he raises it, you move forward to strike again.

Darklord Taktaal (wounded):
COMBAT SKILL
 36   
ENDURANCE
 40

This supernatural being is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).
⁷

If you win the combat,
turn to 78
.

You take aim and fire at the leading Drakkar, sending your shaft spinning deep into his leather-clad chest. He screams, his cry muffled by his battle-mask, and crumples to his knees. The remaining three Drakkarim press home their attack. Quickly they advance, and you barely have time to unsheathe a hand weapon before they are upon you, screaming their bloodthirsty cries of revenge.

Drakkarim Escorts:
COMBAT SKILL
 23   
ENDURANCE
 30

If you win the combat,
turn to 182
.

The Drakkar gurgles his death-cry and falls heavily to the deck, his scimitar still clasped firmly in his hand. Then the first of his troops appear at the rail. For a moment they hesitate when they see their officer lying dead, but shock soon turns to fury.
‘Shez dok tot!’
they scream, as they thunder towards you, murder blazing in their cruel eyes.

If you wish to evade their attack,
turn to 274
.

If you decide to stand your ground and receive their attack,
turn to 347
.

Desperately you try to shake off the clammy creature, but it manages to sink two sets of snake-like fangs into your neck and inject its deadly venom.

If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Curing and have reached the Kai rank of Mentora or higher,
turn to 136
.

If you do not possess this skill or have yet to reach this level of Magnakai training,
turn to 73
.

Although the cave is empty, you detect the lingering scent of a creature that has slept here in the last twenty-four hours. If this is the creature's lair, it is likely to return to seek shelter from the storm.

If you wish to leave the cave and look for shelter elsewhere,
turn to 183
.

If you decide to stay in the cave and remain on your guard in case its previous occupant should return,
turn to 18
.

‘The Transfusor, which you must destroy to ensure the end of the Darklords who are now outside the boundaries of this realm, is located in the uppermost chamber of the Tower of the Damned. You will find this tower in a part of the city known as the Imperial Sector. But be warned! This sector is the most heavily guarded area of the city, for it is here that Gnaag himself resides.’

The Slavemaster takes a strange mask from a nearby table and offers it to you. It is made of a green, glass-like mineral and is shaped into a hideous visage. ‘Wear this always. It will keep safe your identity from any casual inspection.’ You accept the Green Mask (mark this as a Special Item on your
Action Chart
 — you need not discard any other item in its favour if you already hold the maximum), and listen carefully as the Slavemaster concludes your briefing.

Turn to 293
.

You release the bowstring and send the Arrow whistling deep into the Xargath's cavernous mouth, causing the monster to twist its head and hiss like a steam vent. But still it advances undeterred. Cursing your misfortune, you shoulder your Bow and draw a hand weapon in readiness for its impending attack.

Turn to 344
.

You crash down upon the Drakkar and wrench him from his saddle, but you cannot keep a firm grip on his shiny leather armour, and you hit the ground with a jolt that leaves you breathless: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.

Turn to 175
.

Swiftly you unshoulder your Bow and draw the magical arrow to your lips. Its glowing shaft betrays the power that is locked within it, a power that can kill those who created and harnessed it to murder others. Taktaal senses that his doom is near and tries to give vent to a cry of alarm, but the cry dies in his throat as you send the Zejar-dulaga burrowing deep into his evil heart. With a surge of incredible strength, Taktaal drags the arrow from his body and collapses at the edge of the dais. A foul black gas hisses from the gaping wound and his body dissolves rapidly and fades until all that is left is a dull grey stain on the shiny black steel floor.

‘Ghanesh will be proud of you!’ comes a voice from the shadows, full of malevolence. It is a sound that strikes terror in your heart, for immediately you recognize the rasping tone of your most hated foe — Darklord Gnaag.

Turn to 50
.

You draw a weapon and leap forward, determined to prevent the slaughter of your defenceless companions. The speed and ferocity of your attack takes the captain and his two gunners completely by surprise. With deadly speed you dispatch the enemy commander and one of his men, and then turn to parry a sword thrust from the remaining gunner. He screams maniacally as he tries to cut you down.

Drakkarim Gunner:
COMBAT SKILL
 19   
ENDURANCE
 25

If you win and the fight lasts three rounds or less,
turn to 272
.

If you win and the combat lasts four rounds or more,
turn to 155
.

Your killing blow draws a howl from Darklord Kraagenskûl, so loud that it shakes the very foundations of the building. He falls, yet as he does so, his withered frame vanishes before your eyes, leaving only a tattered grey robe and a black sword to mark his passing.

If you wish to keep Helshezag, the sword of Darklord Kraagenskûl, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item. (You wrap this sword in the remains of the Darklord's grey robe and carry it vertically, tied behind your Backpack.) When used in combat, it will add 5 points to your
COMBAT SKILL
, and 7 points when used against a Darklord of Helgedad. However, prolonged use of this evil blade will weaken your
ENDURANCE
score. In the second and subsequent rounds of every combat in which you use the sword, you must reduce your
ENDURANCE
level by 1 point. This reduction is permanent.

Having recovered from your combat, you quickly leave the chamber by a stair that leads to the roof. There you discover the Zlanbeast, Kraagenskûl's personal winged mount, perched on a raised log. Standing nearby is a Death Knight armed with a spear, staring absent-mindedly over the parapet at the harbour lights below. The Zlanbeast sniffs the air and shuffles along its perch with a nervous, rolling gait. It senses that you are its natural enemy and it is becoming agitated in your presence. You must act quickly and with skill if you are to use this beast to escape from Argazad.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 310
.

If you wish to approach the Death Knight and tell him that he is wanted at the barracks,
turn to 92
.

If you wish to creep up on the warrior and launch a surprise attack,
turn to 178
.

For two days and nights the
Intrepid
forges a course through stormy waters, running ahead of a chill wind that sweeps down from the glaciers of Kalte in the north. The sea becomes increasingly hazardous, with sleet squalls and lightning storms that break without warning. Yet the dawn of the third day heralds a sudden change in the weather: fog, a windless, soundless, grey, forbidding damp that cuts off eyesight at an arm's length and leaves the crew soaked and shivering. Many stare enviously at your Kalkoth hide cloak as they attend to their early morning duties in quiet discomfort.

‘Curse this fog,’ grumbles Captain Borse, staring helplessly at the clammy mist that holds his ship becalmed. ‘Better a gale or a Kuri-storm than this.’ For countless hours the ship lies dormant, rocking gently on the cold, listless sea. Staring at the wall of fog, it is easy to imagine all manner of creatures lurking within. The eerie silence does little to allay the superstitious fears of the crew, and when suddenly the quiet is disturbed by a shoal of red-finned sea carp, more than one man cries out in shocked surprise.

If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control,
turn to 305
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 60
.

With the hellish cries of the minions of Darklord Taktaal ringing in your ears, you flee for your life along a dark and twisting alley. The surface is ankle-deep in stinking carrion, which makes keeping your balance a difficult task, but the fear of what will befall you should you slip is all that you need to ensure that you stay on your feet. The alley ends at a wider street running from north to south. The sound of howling wolves dissuades you from turning north, so you set off quickly along the street that heads towards the southern sectors of the city.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship and have reached the Kai rank of Mentora or higher, add 5 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–6,
turn to 120
.

If it is 7 or more,
turn to 173
.

The force of your killing blow sends the Drakkar reeling backwards across the deck. He collides with another sailor, who was coming to his aid, and knocks him headlong into the sea. You brace yourself in case there is another waiting to rush at you, but the smoke from the vessel's funnel is so thick, and the other Drakkarim are so preoccupied with hooking their marines out of the water, that they fail to notice you creeping towards the wheelhouse near the middle of the deck. A steel door swings open at your approach and three hefty Drakkarim confront you on the threshold. You parry one's blade, take the second in the chest, and see the third spin sideways, trailing scarlet spray from the fatal wound you have dealt him. A quick thrust to the heart puts paid to the remaining sailor. He screams and falls through the doorway, tumbling down an iron staircase that descends into noise-filled darkness.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination,
turn to 26
.

If you do not possess this skill, you can either descend the stairs:
turn to 266
.

Or you can slam shut the steel door and look for another place to hide from the Drakkarim sailors on deck:
turn to 169
.