The Masters of Darkness (4 page)

Your mission to destroy Darklord Gnaag will be fraught with awesome dangers. Be secretive and be on your guard at all times, for the creatures of the Darklands will stop at nothing to destroy you should your return to Magnamund become known to them.

Some of the things that you will find during your mission will be of use to you, and some may be red herrings of no real value at all, so be selective in what you decide to keep.

If this is your first Magnakai adventure be sure to choose your three Magnakai Disciplines with care, for a wise choice enables any player to complete the quest, no matter how weak their initial
COMBAT SKILL
and
ENDURANCE
points scores. Successful completion of previous
Lone Wolf
adventures, although an advantage, is not essential for the completion of this Magnakai adventure.

At last the chance to avenge the massacre of the Kai is within your grasp. The restoration of your warrior brotherhood and the future of Magnamund depend on your success. May the spirit of your ancestors and the wisdom of the great God Kai guide you to victory and the fulfilment of your destiny.

Upon entering the Shadow Gate you are submerged in total darkness and fall into a lightless void. Relentlessly you are buffeted and numbed by an intense coldness that drains the strength from your body and fills your mind with strange, dream-like images. It is as if you are being sucked into the heart of a swirling black abyss, and, as your senses fade, you pray that you have enough strength to survive your return to Magnamund.

Barely a flicker of consciousness remains when the sensation of warmth returns to your frozen limbs. It revives you and slowly you become aware of a fluorescent mist and a pinpoint of light in the far distance. The sensation of falling is replaced by a smooth forward movement, as if you are gliding to a halt at the end of a steep slide. Rapidly the tiny light grows larger until suddenly you emerge from the darkness and find yourself standing in a place that you recognize immediately.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
(if you pick a 0 it counts as 10). The number you have picked represents the number of
ENDURANCE
points you have lost during your passage through the Shadow Gate. Deduct this number of points from your
ENDURANCE
score.

Turn to 94
.

You unsheathe your weapon and brace yourself to avoid the creature's leap. It springs forward and you roll aside, striking upwards as it blocks out the light. It shrieks as your blow tears deep into its shoulder; then it hits the ground, which shudders beneath the vast stone weight. You jump to your feet and prepare to strike another blow as the creature, squealing pitifully from the pain of its wound, draws itself up and leaps again.

Egorgh:
COMBAT SKILL
 22   
ENDURANCE
 27

This creature is particularly susceptible to psychic attack; double all bonuses you would normally be entitled to if using Mindblast or Psi-surge during the combat.

If you win the combat,
turn to 153
.

You unsheathe a weapon and attempt to parry Gnaag's sword, but the supernatural blade shears straight through it and buries itself deep in your chest. An icy chill engulfs your body and you feel your chest constrict as Gnaag withdraws his hellblade. Darkness engulfs your vision and your ears are filled with a ghastly sound — the mocking laughter of Darklord Gnaag. He raises his infernal sword, Nadazgada, and prepares to deliver the blow that will seal your doom and destroy the hopes of those who oppose the empire of the Darklands.

Your life and your mission end here.

Your senses tingle: someone is about to attack you from behind. Without turning to see who is approaching, you twist aside, and your would-be attacker crashes chest-first against the rail. He is a Drakkarim marine armed with a stiletto dagger, whose needle-thin blade glows wetly crimson in the flickering light of the fire. Maddened by the pain of the fearful burns he has sustained on his face and hands, he screams a curse and leaps at you wildly, determined to drive his dagger into your chest.

Drakkarim Marine:
COMBAT SKILL
 19   
ENDURANCE
 23

Owing to the frenzy of his attack, he is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).

You can evade combat after two rounds by leaping into the sea:
turn to 58
.

If you win the combat,
turn to 91
.

Your adversary is little more than a few feet away when you release your bowstring to send an Arrow streaking towards his chest. It hits with terrific force but, to your utter amazement, it fails to penetrate his flesh; the shaft shatters into a dozen harmless shards. With a scream of gleeful vengeance, the Drakkarim officer swings his scimitar down to cleave your neck in two. Instinct alone saves you from its razor-sharp edge. Immediately, he strikes again, swinging his blade back in a vicious arc that is aimed at your throat. You block the blow but it costs you your Bow, chopped almost in half as it stops the blade barely inches from your chin (remember to delete this Weapon from your
Weapons List
). Hurriedly you fumble for a hand weapon as he steadies himself to strike again.

Drakkarim Marine Officer:
COMBAT SKILL
 27   
ENDURANCE
 38

You are unable to draw a weapon until the beginning of the second round of the combat, and must fight the first round unarmed.

If you win and the fight lasts four rounds or less,
turn to 232
.

If you win and the fight lasts longer than four rounds,
turn to 148
.

As you sunder the last of the Crypt Spawn, Kraagenskûl reaches out to touch the surface of a bowl that rests on a plinth beside his throne. It is filled with a bright, silvery liquid and at once you sense its purpose. It is a communicator, a device that enables him to speak with his leader, Darklord Gnaag. The Sommerswerd has betrayed your identity and Kraagenskûl is about to warn his master that you have returned from the Daziarn and are here in Argazad. As his bony fingers dip to within inches of the shimmering surface, your only hope of stopping him is to hurl the Sommerswerd at his back.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have completed the Lore-circle of Solaris, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you have completed the Lore-circle of Solaris and the Lore-circle of Fire, add another 1 to the number.

If your total is now 0–5,
turn to 275
.

If it is 6 or more,
turn to 75
.

You pull away from your adversary and retreat towards the middle of the ship. There, a group of Kirlundins have drawn up in a circle and are holding their ground behind a wall of shields. You join them and take command as a second wave of Drakkarim clamber over the side and come howling across the deck. With a noise like thunder they fall upon the group, their swords and axes drawing sparks as they rain down upon the shield-wall with numbing force. The shock of their impact drives the Kirlundins back, opening gaps in their defence through which the strongest Drakkarim hurl themselves recklessly. One breaks through close to where you stand and stabs at your neck with his blunted sword.

Illustration I
—A Drakkarim marine stabs at your neck with his sword.

Drakkarim Marine:
COMBAT SKILL
 23   
ENDURANCE
 27

Owing to his state of battle-frenzy, this foe is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).

If you win the combat,
turn to 294
.

‘Ok zee okak!’
whispers a Giak scout, a sneer spreading slowly across his ugly grey face. He has scrambled onto a boulder and, using his infravision (the ability to see warm objects radiating in the dark), he has caught sight of you crawling towards the cliffs. Your Sixth Sense informs you that you have been spotted. To continue to crawl is futile, so you scramble to your feet and sprint towards a V-shaped cleft that marks the start of a steep trail. You have taken less than a dozen strides when three squat shapes loom out of the shadows ahead: they are Giaks, armed and ready for combat.

Giaks:
COMBAT SKILL
 19   
ENDURANCE
 27

Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery or Divination, deduct 2 points from your
COMBAT SKILL
for the first two rounds of the fight.

If you win and the fight lasts three rounds or less,
turn to 311
.

If you win and the fight lasts four rounds or more,
turn to 252
.

You dive aside, but you are hit by the whirring tip of the sword, which slices through your cape and lays open your shoulder: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

Gritting your teeth against the sharp pain, you grab the rear of the cannon and revolve it on its mounting until it points directly at the advancing Drakkarim marines. Their faces freeze with terror when they find themselves staring into the muzzle of their own formidable weapon. ‘Death to the Darklords!’ you cry, and pull the firing lever.

Turn to 285
.

The day is but an hour old when suddenly it begins to get darker. A ceiling of black cloud spreads across the sky, fed by billowing plumes of noxious gases that pour from the cracks and craters of the southern wastes. Violent electrical storms rage in these plumes and a thunderous rumbling, like the growling of an angry giant disturbed from sleep, echoes in the bowels of the lifeless earth.

A redness in the clouds grows stronger as the Zlanbeast flies westwards. It fills the horizon, setting your pulse racing as you sense that Nengud-kor-Adez, the chasm of fire that surrounds Helgedad, is the source of the scarlet glow. You correct your course, steering the Zlanbeast away to the north, and within minutes you catch your first glimpse of Aarnak.

It is a grim spectacle, a mass of huge steel buildings grouped haphazardly around the mouth of a frigid estuary, surrounded in turn by a defensive ring of spike-topped earthworks. Everything appears to be eaten by rust, aggravated by clouds of corrosive steam that arise from rivulets of black water criss-crossing the ground. It strikes you as an uninhabitable place, yet its murky thoroughfares are teeming with thousands of grey-skinned creatures all pulling or pushing great iron carts filled with ore. As the Zlanbeast speeds towards the city, you search for somewhere suitable to land.

If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery and have reached the Kai rank of Principalin or higher,
turn to 127
.

If you do not possess this skill or have yet to reach this level of Magnakai training,
turn to 301
.

Using your Kai skill, you will the Zlanbeast to cease its incessant caw. Immediately it obeys your psychic command and shuffles to the end of its perch, its head bowed and its eyes half closed. The Death Knight starts to turn away from the parapet, but his movements are slow and relaxed, and he is totally unprepared to receive your attack. Like a striking viper you lash out at his chest with deadly effect.

Turn to 139
.

The great sea beast roars, and a blast of putrid breath blows you away from the longboat, rolling you over and over like a leaf in a storm. Pain lances through your shoulder as you glance off the mainmast and crash against the ship's starboard rail: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

Your Bow is still gripped firmly in your hand, and, as you struggle to your feet, you draw a fresh Arrow and take aim once more at the monster's head.

If you wish to fire at the creature's eye,
turn to 82
.

If you wish to fire into the creature's mouth,
turn to 236
.

If you decide to fire at the creature's ear,
turn to 135
.