The Captives of Kaag (19 page)

You invoke the words of the Old Kingdom Spell
Flameshaft
and instantly the first few inches of your Arrow are sheathed with magical blue fire.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Weaponmastery with Bow, add 5 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is now 6 or less,
turn to 91
.

If it is 7 or more,
turn to 158
.

Once the coast is clear, you run across the street and down the short flight of stone steps leading to the crypt door. Hurriedly you press your shoulder to the cold iron and the portal creaks open to reveal a cramped, rough-walled chamber, dominated by a massive wooden chair, its back mostly destroyed by fire. Through the blackened timbers you see a mouldy tapestry covering part of the rear wall. The crypt is otherwise empty.

If you possess the Grand Master Disciplines of Telegnosis
and
Grand Pathsmanship,
turn to 93
.

If you do not have
both
of these skills,
turn to 155
.

Swooping down from out of the shadows of the roof comes a huge gull-winged monstrosity. Its red reptilian skin is aglow with fine barbs, and a mass of coal-black hair streams from its bony skull. An open maw reveals a set of chisel-shaped teeth, many of which have been broken on the bones of past victims who have wandered unwittingly into this hall. It shrieks maniacally as it plummets towards your head.

Illustration XIII
—A huge gull-winged monstrosity with glowing red reptilian skin swoops out of the shadows.

You drop Banedon to the floor and unsheathe a weapon just in time to defend yourself against this creature's initial attack.

Ashradon:
COMBAT SKILL
 42   
ENDURANCE
 40

This creature is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge, and suffers only half-damage resulting from the use of Kai-surge. If you choose to use Kai-surge during this combat, halve your normal
COMBAT SKILL
bonus for the duration of the combat.

If you win the combat,
turn to 101
.

As you step away from the bodies of the two Drakkarim Death Knights, you notice they both have brass keys hanging on chains from their sword belts. If you wish to keep one of these keys, record it as a Brass Key in the Backpack section of your
Action Chart
.

A search also reveals the following items:

• 2 Swords
  
• 1 Dagger
  
• Enough food for 2 Meals
  
• 80 Kika (Kika are one-tenth of the value of one Gold Crown and they also take up one-tenth of the space of one Gold Crown in your Belt Pouch)
  
• Bottle of Wine
  

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

To continue,
turn to 68
.

The creature tries to sidestep your speeding shaft but it moves too slowly. The Arrow penetrates the side of its neck, causing the beast to shriek out loudly in pained surprise. However, despite this fearful wounding, it does not break off its attack. With chilling disregard for pain it wrenches the Arrow from its throat and hurls it aside. Unnerved by this display of bravado, you shoulder your Bow as, with a gurgling shriek, the beast comes bounding forwards.

You get ready to meet its advance yet, when it is but ten feet away, it suddenly opens its blood-spattered mouth wide and spews forth a stream of white-hot liquid fire.

If you possess the Discipline of Grand Nexus,
turn to 333
.

If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 287
.

You claw your way towards the top of the mound, fearful all the while that you are presenting yourself as too easy a target for the crossbow-wielding Death Knights to miss. You are making good progress until, less than six feet from the summit, you slip on some loose rubble and fall.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have chosen is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8),
turn to 183
.

If it is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9),
turn to 112
.

Calling upon your Grand Mastery, mentally you command the three lumbering beasts to halt and, simultaneously, all three freeze in their tracks. Bewildered and frightened by the strange feelings that are coursing through their bodies, the three creatures back away into the shadows, whimpering grotesquely as they retreat like a litter of sick pups.

Immediately you seize the chance to escape and hurry past them, running through the chamber towards an open passage beyond.

Turn to 64
.

You summon forth the power-word of the Elder Magi and direct it at the keyhole. There is a crack like thunder and the door shudders violently under the weight of its impact. A cloud of metal shavings wafts from the keyhole and, when you place your boot to the door, you discover that the spell has worked; the lock is broken and the door swings open.

Turn to 328
.

Drawing on your inner strength to quell your fears of what may lie ahead, you descend the ridge and approach the great, frowning bastions of Kaag. Through the swirling dust you see a pitted road which leads to the East Gate. Its storm-blown surface is littered with corpses, bleached bones, rusted weapons, and armour. Crab-like scavengers scuttle among the debris, fighting for scraps to feed their young which nest in thousands of empty Giak skulls half-buried in the ground.

Shielded from detection by the storm and your Kai skills, you reach the breached east wall unobserved.

Swiftly you climb over the rubble, which is heaped between the huge cubes of marble that were once part of this section of Kaag's curtain-wall, and find yourself in a street lined with decaying halls and slum dwellings. A dun pall of choking smoke hovers above this quarter, which reeks of iron and sulphur. Moving among the ruins you see a ragged group of Giaks, led by a Gourgaz clad in a shirt of mail. They halt for a few moments, and then the Gourgaz hisses an order and they continue at a lumbering pace, heading south. You notice that their tattered blue-green uniforms all bear the emblem of a broken skull.

If you wish to follow these troops,
turn to 185
.

If you choose to avoid them by heading in the opposite direction,
turn to 104
.

An arrow pierces your breeches and gouges a crimson line across the back of your thigh, making you cry out in pain. You stumble, but you manage to stay on your feet: lose three
ENDURANCE
points.

Cursing the pain, you hobble into the dingy passage beyond and descend by slope and stair to a rectangular hall which is lined with ancient stone statues, their features made unrecognizable by age. Tar-soaked torches fixed to the two longest walls illuminate this musty chamber with a flickering amber light, and the air is heavy with their oily stench. In the distance you see an archway and the passage continuing away into darkness. Your injured leg aches viciously and the thought of resting for a few minutes seems irresistible.

If you wish to stop here for a few minutes' rest,
turn to 29
.

If you decide to press on without stopping,
turn to 177
.

Your senses warn you that the tower stairs, although they look empty, are in fact guarded by Drakkarim stationed inside the tower. They offer the most convenient route to the roof, but it could also be the most perilous.

If you wish to avoid the stairs, you can attempt to climb the wall instead by
turning to 164
.

If you decide to use the stairs, despite having been forewarned,
turn to 312
.

You try to control your urge to struggle, yet you are aware that even when you remain perfectly still you are sinking little by little to your doom.

Suddenly the toe of your left boot strikes something firm and a shiver runs down your spine when you sense that it is a corpse. It is the body of a Giak who was thrown into this chamber as punishment for some minor infringement of citadel discipline. You wait until your foot is firmly placed on the corpse; then you tense your leg muscles and push yourself upwards as hard as you can, with your hands outstretched in a desperate effort to grab hold of the arched entrance.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is 3 or less,
turn to 187
.

If it is 4–8,
turn to 342
.

If it is 9 or more,
turn to 9
.

The guards break off their conversation, and then turn to face you once more.

‘Show this relic,’ commands the warrior to your right.

Hesitantly you reach into the satchel and fumble with the buckle, stalling for time.

‘Be quick,’ warns the other guard, reaching for a dagger with his free hand, ‘or I shall open it for you.’

If you possess either a Statuette of Slûtar, the Dagger of Vashna, or Helshezag,
turn to 61
.

If you do not possess any of these Special Items,
turn to 137
.

A sudden noise makes you spin around, half-crouched, your weapon ready to hand for your defence. At first you see nothing; then a faint shadow moving at the corner of your eye draws your attention to an alcove on the other side of the hall. Suddenly you hear Banedon's voice echoing faintly in your head. You cannot understand what he is saying but you sense that it is a warning. You glance over your shoulder and notice that he is pointing at the granite throne. To your horror you see that the throne's fanged mouth is opening wider and wider.

If you possess Kai-screen,
turn to 184
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 265
.