The Curse of Naar (13 page)
The haunted faces which adorn the comets swiftly transform themselves back into masks of flame. Then they return to the orbit of the distant star cluster. You, too, are drawn towards these glowing stars, and as you pass through them at an incredible speed, you glimpse a wondrous sight in the void beyond. A vast rainbow bridge of colour arcs across the immeasurable darkness to a titanic plateau of fire. Your spirits soar when you detect that this is the Bridge of the Damned, the exit that you seek from this astral domain. Yet as you approach the magnificent bridge, you detect a less-welcoming presence. The shadowy riders are returning, and this time they are escorting an astral creature that sets your pulse racing with fear.
Using your Grand Mastery, you command the advancing maggot-tide to halt. A ripple of hesitation passes through their ranks and clumps of the foul larvae falter and fall back, but the majority of these squirming horrors press on with their relentless advance, forcing you to draw your weapon and fight them for your life.
Nemagog swarm:
COMBAT SKILL
36
ENDURANCE
30
If you win this combat,
turn to 28
.
You have taken no more than a dozen paces towards the archway when the Lavas detects your presence. It spins around and emits a loud snickering growl, as if it is ordering you to halt. Then, with one beat of its golden wings, it propels itself in an arc towards the tower's open archway in an effort to block your route of escape. Fearful that it could raise the alarm at any time, you unsheathe your weapon and rush forward to attack it the moment its webbed feet touch the ground.
Lavas sentry:
COMBAT SKILL
45
ENDURANCE
45
If you win this fight,
turn to 119
.
You reach the bank but the creatures are quicker than you feared. One circles around and blocks your escape while the others leap out of the muddy water and attack you from behind. You must fight them.
Illustration VI—The creatures leap out of the muddy water and attack you from behind.
Avagnids:
COMBAT SKILL
50
ENDURANCE
40
These creatures are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-ray. If you possess Animal Mastery you may add 2 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this fight.
If you win the combat,
turn to 316
.
Your bold gamble pays off. You race across the bridge and reach the far side without being seen. Once across, you dive for cover in the empty lower storey of a newly-constructed dwelling, one of several that encircle the main temple. Here you pause to catch your breath and formulate a way of avoiding the many teams of reptilians who are busy building the crude block dwellings on this side of the chasm.
Unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
To continue,
turn to 220
.
You shout the name ‘Rhunotar’ but it has no effect. The remaining Lord of Decay utters a bilious laugh and watches with undisguised glee as his growing maggot horde closes in and suffocates you beneath ever-swelling bodies. You fight bravely to save yourself, but your fate is sealed when the Künae discharges a second lance of flame. It rips through the maggot swarm and consumes your upper body; death is instantaneous.
Tragically, your life and your quest for the Moonstone end here in the Hall of the Künae.
A feeling of dread makes your hands tremble the moment you catch a clear sight of the huge, ant-like creatures. You have encountered these insectoids once before, although in a location which could not be more different than the humid jungle settlement into which you are now descending. They are Dentaag, giant spindly-limbed insectoids who possess ghoulish heads implanted with evil composite eyes. They are an ancient breed, a cruel creation spawned by Naar for the armies of the Deathlord of Ixia. It was in the Deathlord's frigid chamber, atop the Spire of Xaagon, that you last faced these terrible creatures and you had hoped then that your first encounter with them would also be your last. Fate has decreed otherwise.
Memories of your ordeal in Ixia suddenly come flooding back to haunt you. As you recall your previous encounter, you remember that these horrific beings possess strong psychic powers. Forewarned, you draw upon your mental Kai defences as your captors prepare to land with you inside the settlement.
If you possess Kai-screen,
turn to 242
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 59
.
The warrior raises his black sword and releases a crackling surge of electrical energy from its tip. It passes over your head and earths itself to the end of the stone beam, at the place where it joins the chasm wall. You feel a jolt beneath your feet as the beam cracks and breaks away from the wall and, to your amazement, you watch as this solid spar of rock curls up and slowly rolls in towards you, like a snake's tongue withdrawing into its mouth.
The coiled beam retracts towards the mouth of the dragon-gate, forcing you nearer and nearer to the fearsome black warrior. As he watches your reluctant approach he swings his mighty sword above his head, slicing and stabbing at the air with it in eager anticipation of the coming fight. When you have been pushed to within ten yards of your adversary, you give voice to the power-word
Kai!
and project its concussive energy at the towering warrior. He shudders as the terrific force of your spell-word hits his chest and forces him back towards the glowing gate. Instantly you seize the advantage. You draw your weapon and rush forward to strike the first blow while your enemy is caught off-balance.
If you possess the Sommerswerd or Skarn-Ska,
turn to 310
.
If you possess neither of these Special Items,
turn to 147
.
Using your improved Grand Mastery to spirit-walk, you cause yourself to soar at great speed towards the distant bridge. Within this astral domain, your body and spirit do not separate from one another when using this ability. Instead, it has the effect of propelling you through the void by the force of your will alone. However, the use of such willpower takes its toll upon your reserves of strength and stamina: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.
Your sudden and unexpected acceleration takes Avarvae and her minions completely by surprise. By the time they react to your escape it is already too late: you have reached the Bridge of the Damned, the exit from Avarvae's domain.
Upon entering the tunnel, the ground disappears beneath your feet and you begin to fall through darkness towards a pale speck of greyish light far below. You are gripped instantly by the fear that you have unwittingly stepped into a deep pit, yet your descent is uncannily smooth and controlled. It is as if you are being lowered by an invisible cable down a dark, interminable mineshaft.
As you slowly descend, your fear subsides and you take the opportunity to look at the ring which you cut from the hand of the Künae. It radiates its own dim light by which you can see a runic inscription carved on the inside of the band. Record this Künae Ring on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item, which you keep in your pocket. The runic number on its band is 20. Make a note of this number in the margin of your
Action Chart
for future reference.
After what seems like more than an hour, you eventually reach the base of this dark shaft. Your feet hit solid ground with more force than you are expecting after the long and gentle descent, and the violent jolt of impact leaves you sprawled in the dust, stunned and gasping for breath: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.
Dragging yourself wearily to your feet, you inspect your new surroundings with a feeling of curiosity and apprehension. You have emerged in a deep mine tunnel that passes through ore-rich rock. The reek of iron, sulphur, and rust assails your nostrils: a pungent aroma but one that smells as sweet as spring in Sommerlund after the indescribable stench of the Hall of the Künae. You scan the tunnel in both directions and use your Kai senses to gather information. The faint sounds of hammering and scraping can be heard coming from somewhere above, and the symmetrical grooves which scar the tunnel walls tell you that this passage was excavated by some sort of gigantic burrowing machine. Feeling certain that you have entered a new realm of the Plane of Darkness, you are about to consult the Tome of Darkness when suddenly you hear a noise along the tunnel away to your right. Something huge is approaching at great speed.
If you possess Grand Huntmastery,
turn to 113
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 7
.
Suddenly the insects detect you and become agitated. You sense something is wrong and hurriedly you back away from the pile of stones. Moments later, a host of angry insects comes pouring from out of every gap in the rocks and rises up into a dark cloud that hovers menacingly above the fallen slabs. At first it looks like a defensive action, a show of force to frighten you away, but when the tone of their buzzing suddenly deepens you sense that these angry insects are not preparing to defend their lair at all: they are getting ready to launch an attack.
If you wish to attempt to escape from these angry insects,
turn to 212
.
If you choose to stand and face them,
turn to 318
.
To your relief you sense that the dragon no longer suspects that it is carrying a stowaway. It raises its head and continues its flight towards the construction area which lies close to the main temple. Upon reaching this busy area it hovers above an expanse of levelled ground which is covered with dozens of cargo nets full of blocks awaiting collection by the building teams. A crew of four reptilians guide your net gently to the ground and then swiftly they unhook it from the dragon's harness using long poles.
From the safety of your hiding place you watch as the dragon flies away to collect another cargo. As soon as the reptilians move on to attend to the next delivery of blocks, you leave the net and make your way as quickly as you can towards the main temple.
You insert the Gold Crown into the square slot and instantly you are assailed by another blinding flash of white light, but one far stronger than the first. A blistering wave of pain engulfs your hand and arm and you are thrown into the air by this explosive release of energy: lose 6
ENDURANCE
points.
Cursing your poor judgement, you stagger to your feet and cradle your twice-injured arm. When function fully returns to your burnt and aching hand, you take a third coin from your pouch and press it into the circular slot. It falls into a hollow inside the base of the door and, with a grating squeal, the great portal slowly swings open.
Remember to erase 2 Gold Crowns from your
Action Chart
before going on with your quest.
To continue,
turn to 343
.
As you draw level with the great table, your eye is caught by the phial of potion lying upon its pillow of purple silk. Your Discipline of Telegnosis reveals to you that this golden fluid, whilst deadly and corrosive to creatures of Evil, has many properties that are beneficial to creatures of Good. Such a potion could prove useful for healing wounds or restoring lost energy.
If you wish to attempt to retrieve this potion from atop the giant table,
turn to 286
.
If you choose to ignore the potion, you may take cover behind the table by
turning to 3
.