The Plague Lords of Ruel (20 page)

You spit out the words of a Brotherhood Spell and instantly you rise into the sky, as if plucked off the ground by some invisible giant. The crackling ray speeds past below your feet and explodes harmlessly among the ancient rocks. As the dust settles, you arrest your levitation and lower yourself back towards the ground, your muscles tense in readiness to run as soon as your boots touch down.

The druid is visibly stunned by your display of magic. However, he quickly recovers his senses, and as soon as you return to the ruins he shouts at his Vazhag minions, commanding them to attack and rip you to shreds.

With hatred blazing in their blood-red eyes, the Vazhag advance towards the ancient ruins, each carrying a rusty weapon poised for the kill.

If you wish to stand and fight these disease-ridden Vazhag,
turn to 25
.

If you decide to attempt to evade them,
turn to 279
.

The sound of scraping metal and rattling chains echoes in your ears. You stoop to retrieve your weapon and, as you spin around, the first thing you see is the knife-like glint of fangs. From a semicircular hole in the wall a pack of war-dogs come charging into the hall, their jaws agape and their claws scrabbling on the shiny flagstones as they race towards the desk. With the cool battle-confidence of a Grand Master you brace yourself in readiness to meet their attack.

Ruel War-dogs:
COMBAT SKILL
 36   
ENDURANCE
 22

If you win this combat,
turn to 323
.

The glass orb explodes on impact with a loud
bang
and you are engulfed by a cloud of sickly grey gas. At once you feel your throat tighten and your stomach churn as the deadly bacteria-infested vapour penetrates deep into your lungs: lose 5
ENDURANCE
points.

Coughing and retching, you stagger towards the entrance, your escape hidden by the cloud of poisonous gas. You have inhaled a deadly cocktail of plague viruses to which the Vazhag are naturally immune, a cocktail which would have killed an average human within seconds; only your Magnakai skills have saved you from an agonizing death.

In the ensuing chaos, you escape through the entrance unchallenged. For a moment you are blinded by the early morning sunlight which illuminates the surrounding hills but, as you stumble along the trail which leads away from the caverns, your vision clears and you catch sight of a vast expanse of forest away to the east. This sea of sickly grey-green trees gives off an unmistakable aura of evil that immediately identifies it as the Forest of Ruel.

Your escape is not pursued and, after a few minutes, you stop among a cluster of boulders in order to catch your breath. The surrounding land appears deserted, the only unusual feature being the track which wends its way eastward through the hills towards a gap at the edge of the unwelcoming forest.

You consult your
map
and conclude that this is the Skardos Trail, the secret route used by the Ceners which leads all the way to Mogaruith itself. You resolve to follow that trail, but first (unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery) you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 230
.

The wagon is filled with the bodies of dead soldiers — human soldiers — all of whom have perished from the effects of a virulent disease. They have been stripped of weapons and armour but their tunics bear a scarlet crest emblazoned with a black stallion, readily identifying them as Slovians. Several have minor wounds caused by tiny fragments of glass. The wounds are a tell-tale sign that these troops were killed by
narbul
bombs: spheres of glass filled with a mixture of explosive and deadly plague spores. They have become one of the most feared battlefield weapons used by the Cenerese against the Freeland armies.

As the wagon trundles across the drawbridge you ponder why the Vazhag should be transporting a wagonload of dead Slovian soldiers to Mogaruith. Before you can fathom an answer, the wagon passes through the great arch and comes to a halt on the north side of the stronghold's keep, close to an open doorway. Before the Vazhag disembark, you leap from the wagon and hide just inside this shadowy entrance to avoid being seen.

Turn to 98
.

Your killing blow decapitates the monstrous lake creature, sending its vile head, with its fanged jaws still clashing madly, spinning through the air to splash into the foam-flecked waters close to the platform. For a few moments the weaving neck, its scaly stump oozing reptilian gore, thrashes the surface before it, too, is swallowed up by the cold dark waters of this underground lake.

Aching and breathless, you sheathe your weapon, and then wipe the spatterings of Dholdaarg blood from your face with the back of your trembling hand. The Tzargs, who were silent throughout your titanic struggle with the lake monster, now rattle the bars of their cage and croak incessantly. You recognize their crude language enough to realize that their captors are returning. However, before you can act on their warning, a shudder runs through the timbers of the drawbridge and you are forced to grip tightly with both hands as jerkily it begins to descend.

Inexorably the bridge approaches the platform, inching you nearer and nearer to the cold, bloodstained waters of the lake.

If you wish, you can leap for the shore of the lake before the drawbridge fully descends, by
turning to 96
.

If you choose to remain where you are, clinging to the underside of the bridge,
turn to 112
.

The cauldron smashes down into the centre of the hall and explodes with devastating effect, spewing its deadly contents in all directions. A tidal wave of acid engulfs the tables, submerging and burning everything not made of stone, porcelain, or glass. The pitiful screams of the druids rise above the thunderous din as they and their deadly work are consumed by a merciless sea of corrosive.

Suddenly an arrow passes within a few inches of your face. The Vazhag archers have reached the top of the ladder and are poised to rush onto the platform itself. Anxiously you look around for some means of escape, but when none readily appears you fear you are trapped. Then you notice an observation platform jutting out of the wall. It is over on the far side of the hall, more than thirty yards away, and lies some ten feet below your present position.

A daring escape plan forms in your mind's eye and hurriedly you cast off your Cener Robe and Mask, a disguise which is now redundant, and prepare to enact your vision (erase the Robe and Mask from your
Action Chart
). You reach out and grab hold of the chain which once supported the cauldron. Then, using all your strength, you draw it back and leap into the air as the momentum carries you off the platform.

Your stomach churns as you swing across the hall and glance down at the dreadful carnage taking place a hundred feet below. Angry squeals and a clutch of arrows follow in your wake as the Vazhag archers try desperately to prevent you from getting away. Grimly you cling to the chain as it nears the end of its arc, and try to ignore the arrows that are whistling by on either side.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have chosen. If your current
ENDURANCE
score is 28 or higher, add 1.

If your total score is now 0–2,
turn to 42
.

If it is 3–6,
turn to 267
.

If it is 7 or higher,
turn to 71
.

There is a moment of terror when first you glimpse the hideous visage which emerges from the portal. It is of a gigantic hound with mad red eyes that burn into your mind with a furnace-like intensity. It sees you and howls ferociously, baring yellow fangs dripping with foam.

Before it can leap up you release your Arrow and plant it deep into the creature's ghastly skull. The beast roars as the Arrow penetrates its head but the wound does not stop it from attacking. Aghast, you drop your Bow and unsheathe a weapon to meet its assault. Moments before it strikes, you glimpse the outline of an armoured warrior standing in the open doorway. He is shouting at the beast, commanding to rip you to shreds.

Plague Hound (wounded):
COMBAT SKILL
 32   
ENDURANCE
 36

This creature is attacking you simultaneously with a powerful psychic blast. Unless you possess the Grand Mastery of Kai-screen, reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 3 for the duration of this fight.

If you win the combat in 4 rounds or less,
turn to 64
.

If you win the combat in 5 rounds or longer,
turn to 114
.

You spin around to see a figure standing in the doorway. He is tall and his sharp features are framed by a mane of flowing platinum hair. In his left hand he carries a wizard's staff and in his right he holds a feathered quill, the pen of the creature who was once his scribe.

Illustration XIV
—A tall figure with a mane of flowing platinum hair stands in the doorway.

‘Was it you who murdered Cordask?’ he asks, his powerful voice devoid of the slightest emotion. But when you do not answer him immediately his voice and his expression undergo a dramatic change. His eyes radiate an unearthly glow and your skin tingles as you feel his psychic energies probing at your mind.

‘You are not a brother,’ he growls, like a rabid dog, and casts the quill aside.

‘Take off your mask and show your true self … assassin!’

And with that he advances towards you with his staff pointing straight at your heart. You raise your weapon defensively and, in the blink of an eye, a crackling flame lights at the tip of his staff and comes roaring towards your chest.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 61
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 188
.

You set off towards the open portal whilst the rat-men gather inquisitively around their injured comrade. Unfortunately, one of these comrades is gifted in the psychic arts, and at once it senses your presence. It jumps upon the wagon and points accusingly at your fleeing form as it screams a warning to its fellow guards.

As one, the Vazhag guards respond to the cry. They draw their rusty weapons and narrow their tiny red eyes as they turn and advance upon you.

If you wish to stand and fight the Vazhag,
turn to 313
.

If you wish to evade them, you can escape through the open portal by
turning to 204
.

The great flagstoned square echoes with the rhythmic thump of marching troops and the squealed commands of their Vazhag sergeants. Your first concern is to part company with your undead companion as soon as you can, for his presence is already attracting attention from the passing Vazhag. An empty storehouse becomes his new home and, after you have paused to bolt the door, you make your way stealthily towards a staircase which descends to a grand portal set into the base of the stronghold's citadel.

You have reached the north side of the keep when you are unexpectedly confronted by three Cener Druids, who turn a corner and come walking towards you in a line abreast. To avoid them you are forced to sidestep quickly into a shadowy doorway.

Turn to 98
.

You dig your heels into the muddy shore and take aim at the leading Vazhag. It sees you and, for an instant, its red eyes widen with horror as your shaft speeds towards its snout. With a hollow
thok
the Arrow skewers the beast's scrawny throat, lifts it bodily from the bridge, and sends it toppling end-over-end into the lake.

Undeterred, the remaining Vazhag come thundering off the drawbridge and onto the platform. With the magic curses of their leader echoing in their ears, they leap to the muddy shore and charge straight at you, their rusty weapons glinting dully in the light of the cave.

Vazhag:
COMBAT SKILL
 23   
ENDURANCE
 23

If you win this combat,
turn to 142
.