Dawn of the Dragons (11 page)
As the riders approach, your initial suspicions are confirmed: these are unquestionably Eldenoran brigands. Their saddle-cloths bear their emblem and their steeds are laden with sacks and pouches that bulge with ill-gotten gains. You decide to remain hidden until they have passed by, but as they draw level with the copse, your horse suddenly shrieks and rises up on its hind legs. With shocked dismay you see that a harmless grass snake has coiled itself around your horse's foreleg.
The cry of your frightened horse betrays your hiding place. The Eldenorans wheel away from the road and come charging towards the copse, their swords drawn in eager anticipation of yet another easy kill.
If you wish to unsheathe a weapon and get ready to defend yourself,
turn to 293
.
If you choose to retreat deeper into the copse in an attempt to evade these brigands,
turn to 241
.
Using the Old Kingdom Battle-spell
Hold Enemy
, you command the Eldenoran to cease all movement. Instantly, the drunken thug freezes like a stone statue, enabling the young woman and her child to break free from his grasp. She runs towards you, cradling the sobbing child in her arms.
‘Thank you, thank you … ’ she cries as she falls to your feet. Gently you lift her, assuring her with kind words that her ordeal is over. She smiles, reassured, but her expression quickly changes when she spots something moving behind you.
‘There he is, that cur Holkar!’ she spits. ‘He's the murdering leader of these bandits. All this chaos is his doing.’
You turn to look at the object of her hatred, and see a swarthy brigand dodging between the gravestones that line the abbey grounds. He has a sack full of loot slung over his shoulder and he is hurrying towards his horse which stands close to the abbey's perimeter wall. Determined not to let him escape, you rush into the grounds of the abbey and give chase.
Once outside the broken gate of Amory, you turn to the north and follow the road which leads to Varetta, the principal city of Lyris. At noon you come to a fork in the road where a signpost indicates two different destinations: Soren (left) and Varetta (right). You take the right-hand road and spend the afternoon riding across a lonely stretch of gently undulating plain. During this ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
Daylight is beginning to wane when you arrive at a village that is dominated by a fortified manor house. Rain clouds are fast closing in from the west and your thoughts turn, once more, to finding shelter for the night.
If you wish to seek shelter at the manor house,
turn to 318
.
If you choose to seek shelter in the village,
turn to 42
.
‘Grand Master, let me introduce you to Captain Cearmaine,’ says Elector Manatine, formally presenting the tough-looking officer to you. ‘I have chosen him to see you safely to Holona. He will do all he can to help you through the battle zone so that you may press on with your urgent journey to Casiorn.’
You recognize the captain's name and recall having heard tales of his bravery during the Darklands War. His acts of heroism turned many battles to the favour of the Freeland Armies and earned him a respected reputation throughout Northern Magnamund. You could not have asked for a better man to escort you on the next, difficult stage of your vital journey.
He offers you his hand in friendship and you are mildly shocked when your fingers close around a palm crafted from cold steel.
‘A keepsake from the Battle of Vellino,’ he says, smiling at his metal hand. ‘Sadly, the first was stole away by a Drakkar's axe.’
As the last of the Eldenorans falls to the ground, you turn and vault onto the freed horse's back. With a flick of your heels, you urge him to gallop and steer him into the woods. You keep to the trees and head south in a wide arc around the Eldenoran settlement at Fabri. During your ride through the timberland, you discover the following items in the bags and blanket roll which are attached to the horse's saddle:
- Sword
- Rope
- Tinderbox
- Blanket
- Bow
- Quiver containing 5 Arrows
- 12 Lune (equivalent to 3 Gold Crowns)
- Spyglass
If you wish to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly.
Shortly before sunset, you emerge from the trees at a place where three trails meet. A wooden signpost propped against a boulder indicates three directions, destinations, and distances:
Holona: 50 miles West
Tenzha: 20 miles South
You are anxious to leave hostile Eldenoran territory as soon as possible and, after checking your
map
, you set off to the south, towards the Slovian border town of Tenzha.
During your ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
To continue,
turn to 343
.
You ride to Scade with all the speed your exhausted horse can muster and return at once to the Lucky Bucket Inn where the remaining members of the troop are billeted. The news of your encounter at Castle Tranius comes as a shock, both to the troopers and to the innkeeper who fears for the safety of the real Knight Tranius.
‘I haven't seen him in the town for near-on a week,’ he says, anxiously rubbing his many chins. ‘We 'ere had no inkling that somethin' bad was happenin' up there at the castle. It's right put the shakes up me, I can tell you.’
In the warm comfort of the inn, you use your Kai healing skills to mend the Lord Constable's injuries. He is carefully testing his weight on his newly-mended ankle when suddenly there is a commotion outside in the street. An angry mob of hard-faced men, many clutching torches, staves, and coils of rope, are marching down the cobbled avenue towards the inn.
‘Hang the Talestrian thieves!’ they shout. ‘String up the murdering swine!’
‘What's going on? Who are these men?’ says Nathor. The innkeeper's face turns white and he begins to tremble with fear.
‘I … I don't rightly know,’ he stammers. ‘I ain't never seen 'em before. They's not from these parts. We've never had no quarrel with Talestria. You've always been our friends.’
Suddenly a chunk of cobblestone smashes through a window and an angry cry arises from the mob:
‘Come out, you Talestrian dogs. Come out or we'll burn you out!’
Nathor calls everyone to the rear of the inn where a passage leads directly to the stables.
‘I fear this is some kind of crude ploy to murder you, Grand Master,’ he says. ‘If you are to stand any chance of reaching your homeland, you must continue your journey at once. I and my men will do what we can to hold this mob at bay, but you must leave now and you must go alone.’
Another window shatters and a burning brand is hurled into the inn.
‘Very well,’ you reply, uneasily. ‘I shall leave at once.’
You are part-way across the ford when alarm bells sound on both sides of the river.
‘Deserter at the ford!’ goes the cry from the Eldenoran fort. ‘Enemy spy approaching!’ shout the Slovian guards.
Moments later, a hissing cloud of arrows and bolts descends on you from both sides and several missiles graze your back and thighs: lose 5
ENDURANCE
points. But the speed of your surprise crossing and your Kai camouflage skills enable you to reach the Slovian side intact, and you disappear swiftly into the darkness of the plains beyond.
The instant you pass through the Shadow Gate, you are assailed by howling gales and icy winds that freeze you to the bone: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. You feel as if both you and the Lavas are whirling downwards in ever-decreasing circles into the core of the vortex, and rapidly you lose all track of time. Then, as abruptly as it began, the whirling ceases and the frigidity of the abyss is transformed into a harsh and blistering heat. With fearful apprehension, you force open your eyes to look upon the nightmare realm that surrounds you.
The moment you strike your killing blow, the evil power of Lutha's ring implodes and consumes the Prince's body in a whirlwind of supernatural fire. You turn your back on the intense heat and, when the heat subsides, you turn around to see that he has been incinerated beyond all recognition. No sign of the ring remains, and only a glowing heap of bones marks the place where he fell.
From beyond a closed door you hear a horde of guards come running along an echoing corridor towards the chamber in which you stand. Beside your feet is the Dagger which Prince Lutha used against you, and you stoop to pick it up (record this in the
Weapons List
section of your
Action Chart
).
Then you lower yourself back into the shaft and descend to the bottom of the pit. There you use the dagger to prise open the circular panel in the wall and, as it falls away, you discover a chute which leads to an underground river. Quickly you crawl along the slime-smeared chute and slip into the river, where you are carried swiftly away by the strong undercurrent.
You enter Quill Street and ride along this narrow avenue, which is flanked by aromatic jala houses and perfumeries, until it turns abruptly right into a wider thoroughfare called Brass Street. Here you see the courtyard entrance to a grand building whose brick and marble façade is adorned with the words ‘Halls of Learning’. Suddenly you feel inexplicably drawn towards this building; it is as if it possesses the solution to all your problems.
You enter and ride along a gravelled path which leads to a building where a sign, hanging over its richly-carved oak door, simply says ‘Library’. You feel compelled to stop here and, without quite knowing why, you dismount from your horse and tie his reins to a ring which is set into the wall. Then you push open the door and enter the library's cool interior.
Countless thousands of books and parchments crowd the stone shelves of this magnificent library. Your eyes travel along them until they reach another door at the far end of the hall. There, standing framed in its archway, is an old man clad in plain brown robes. He looks at you and smiles knowingly.
‘Welcome, Grand Master,’ he says. ‘I have been expecting you.’
If you have ever visited a hut on Raider's Road, the city of Tahou, or Lake Vorndarol (in previous
Lone Wolf
adventures),
turn to 348
.
If you have never visited any of these places,
turn to 184
.
You grab Dorst by the wrist and shake a dozen cards from his sleeve. A deathly silence descends on the group as all eyes look first at the cards, and then at you. Simultaneously, the men start to laugh like hyenas until tears are soon streaming down their faces. One by one, they jiggle their hands over the blanket and hidden cards cascade from all their sleeves.
After the dangers of Eldenora, the plains of peaceful Slovia seem like a tranquil paradise. The grasslands are rich and fertile, and an abundance of game keeps you well fed during the five days it takes you to ride north to the walled city of Tekaro. Here, at an inn close by the city's cathedral, where, years ago, you discovered one of the Lorestones of Nyxator during your quest for Kai knowledge, you spend a fortunate evening in the company of a band of Salonese mercenaries. Aided by your Kai skills, you fleece them of 30 Gold Crowns while playing cards, and with your gain you purchase a fresh horse for your continuing journey home. (Your new horse and a night's lodging at the inn cost you 25 Gold Crowns; you may add the balance of 5 Gold Crowns to your
Action Chart
, maximum allowances permitting.)
Early the following day you leave Tekaro and set out on the highway bound for Tido. You plan to reach Casiorn by means of the North Pass through the Slovarian Range, but during your second day on the road you are forced to revise your plans drastically. During a chance meeting at a wayside inn with a merchant who has journeyed from Casiorn, you learn that an avalanche has blocked the North Pass and travel by that route is now impossible. It will be several months before the pass is cleared and the mountain road rebuilt. You resolve instead to reach Casiorn by way of Varetta, the ancient city of crossed swords, and the following day you resume your ride north.
During your ride, you stop to assist a farmer whose cart has shed a wheel. In return for your help, he offers the services of his brother who operates a raft ferry across the River Quarl. Gladly the brother transports you and your horse across the river to Salony, where you enter the Great Forest by way of a timberland trail. After a full day's ride along this lonely track, you find yourself approaching the outskirts of a town called Ellio.
During your long day's ride through the Forest of Salony, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
You leap over the heaped bodies of the bogus castle guardsmen and sheathe your bloodied weapon. Then you take hold of Nathor and carry him into the stables where you heave him across the neck of a saddled horse. Quickly you mount this steed and urge it to the gallop, bursting forth from the stable doors at a breakneck speed. Outside, the castle keep is alive with screams and curses as you steer your horse towards the gatehouse, where, to your mounting horror, you see that the portcullis is beginning to fall.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Telegnosis and have reached the Kai rank of Sun Lord or higher, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, add 2. If you possess Animal Mastery, add 1.
If your total score is now 2 or less,
turn to 21
.
If it is 3 or higher,
turn to 230
.