The Legacy of Vashna (25 page)

Immediately you recognize the tall, muscular man who stands before you now; he was once known as the Slavemaster of Aarnak. He was an agent of the Elder Magi based in the Darklands who, seven years earlier, helped you to enter the dread city of Helgedad and bring about the downfall of the Darklords. Now he is known by a different name — President Kadharian of Magador.

‘Welcome, Grand Master,’ he says, smiling warmly. ‘It seems we have both come a long way since our last meeting.’

The President is amused by your expression of surprise and offers an explanation of how he came to be leader of this rough republic. After the fall of Helgedad, the Elder Magi arranged for his safe passage to the Stornlands where he was granted a command in the army of Lyris. He distinguished himself in battle and later, once the remains of the Darkland armies had been vanquished, he returned to his native Magador and led an uprising against King Vanagrom VI, who had long been a puppet of the Darklords. The revolt ended with the King's death and the abolition of the monarchy. Magador became a republic and the Slavemaster, whose given name was Kadharian, became its first elected leader.

‘And now to the reasons why I have requested your help, Grand Master,’ he says, as he pushes open the door to a smaller room which adjoins the senate hall.

Turn to 100
.

You cast the glowing Token into the darkness and it explodes with a dull boom among the boulders, showering the path with dirt and slivers of stone. (Erase this Special Item from your
Action Chart
.)

The sudden flash and
bang
cause a moment of panic among the acolytes. They fear that they are being attacked by Vakovarians and many of them drop their torches and run back along the path, screaming excitedly. Using this confusion to your advantage, you attempt to tag on to the end of the line of acolytes who are still advancing up the path.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Assimilance, add 3 to the number you have picked. If you possess Kai-screen, add 2.

If your total score is now 6 or less,
turn to 245
.

If it is 7 or more,
turn to 41
.

The few scavengers that survive the attack wheel away and return to the mountains, cawing with frustration, their wings bloodied and their hunger unsatiated. You manage to regain control of the raft and, at length, you reach the far side of the river and disembark safely. A stony trail runs along the bank, heading north, and you follow it with high hopes of reaching Lake Vorndarol before sunset. All day the sun blazes supreme in a cloudless sky and waves of heat create a shimmering, distorted view of the trail ahead. The distant horizon is streaked with myriad colours and the dry air crackles with electricity, a legacy of last night's violent storm. Late in the afternoon you come to the ruins of an ancient settlement and stop here to allow your horse to rest awhile in the shade.

If you possess Grand Pathsmanship,
turn to 102
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 260
.

You step back from the glowing remains of Helshezag and feel yourself sagging beneath the unnatural weight of the Deathstaff. The sound of the bolt attracts Shamath's attention and she spins around to stare at you, sending her attendants flying in all directions. Then she screams with unholy anger and the noise of her wrath lifts you bodily and sends you skidding across the floor.

Desperately you fight to maintain your grip on the Deathstaff as the furious Demoness gets to her feet. She comes striding towards you, bolts of energy darting from her fingertips to rip open the ground as you stumble away towards the yawning black tunnel. The deafening shriek of her voice rings in your ears as you clutch the Deathstaff to your chest and leap head-first into the oblivion of the Shadow Gate.

Turn to 270
.

The ground beneath Bracer's hooves is trembling. At first you think the thunder is the cause, but then you notice that the sound of the storm is getting louder and louder. Fear knots your stomach when suddenly you see a solid roaring wall of water come tumbling down the gully. It is a flash flood and, unless you act quickly, you and your horse will be washed away without trace.

Illustration XVIII
—You see a solid roaring wall of water come tumbling down the gully.

If you possess Grand Huntmastery and have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher,
turn to 104
.

If you do not possess this skill or have yet to attain this level of Kai Grand Mastership,
turn to 73
.

You focus your sight and hearing at the bushes and suddenly realize that you have been taken in by an elaborate ruse. A thin length of twine runs away under the foliage; it is the trigger that dislodged the rock and made it fall. There is nobody hiding there after all.

Your eye follows the twine along the hillside to a boulder high up on the slope to your left. Perhaps your would-be ambusher is hiding there instead?

If you possess Grand Nexus and have reached the Kai rank of Sun Knight or higher,
turn to 214
.

If you do not possess this skill or have yet to reach this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 146
.

A lightning ball is hurtling directly towards you. Desperately, you pull your horse away to avoid being hit but the fiery meteor changes course in mid-flight as if guided by an unseen hand. You make one last attempt to dodge it but to no avail; it impacts upon the hilt of the Sommerswerd and you are thrown from the saddle amidst a shower of glowing sparks.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
(0 = 10). The number you have picked is equal to the number of
ENDURANCE
points lost as a result of the lightning impact and the fall.

After making the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
,
turn to 51
.

As you draw level with the first Elder he reaches down and takes hold of your shoulder to make you halt. He says something in a dialect you do not understand and, when you do not answer, his suspicion swiftly turns to anger. He grabs your robe and pulls it open, revealing your leather tunic and breeches. Recognizing them at once to be Sommlending in origin, he gasps with shock as he guesses at your true identity.

‘Seize him!’ bellows the other Elder, and a score of acolytes spring forward to obey the command. You draw your weapon and fight them with breathtaking skill and valour, but eventually you are overcome by the sheer weight of their numbers. By the time they have disarmed you and pinned you to the ground, more than thirty of them lie slain or seriously injured in a heaped circle around where you lie.

You stare back defiantly at the ring of grim torchlit faces that loom over you. Then the face of an Acolyte Elder comes into view and he sneers with disdain. He places the tip of a glowing wand to your forehead and suddenly there is an explosion of white light. Sadly for you, it is the last sensation you will ever experience.

Your life and your quest end here.

Smudd is clearly impressed by your generosity. He removes his hand from his sword and the scowl of fearful suspicion softens to a smile as he lowers himself back into his seat. With a flick of his hand he dismisses the bar-girl. She leaves without protest, and as you watch her walk away, he leans across the table and says, ‘How can I help you, stranger?’

‘What do you know about a little hamlet called Vorn?’ you say, quietly.

For an instant the look of suspicion returns to his beady eyes; then he sneers and says, ‘I know it no longer exists, that's what I know. There's a rumour on the street that it was destroyed by the storm, but there's more to it than that. More than I care to remember.’

You show him the Black Amulet that President Kadharian gave to you and once more you repeat your question. Now he refuses to answer, fearing that you are one of Kadharian's agents out to arrest him. He kicks back his chair and tries to stand, but he does not make it.

He is halfway out of his seat when suddenly his chest is transfixed by a crystal arrow. Wide-eyed with pain and shocked surprise, he crashes to the floor amid a spray of blood and spilt ale.

Turn to 215
.

The few acolytes who survive the fight count themselves lucky and flee for their lives. ‘Fools!’ screams Cadak, at his routing acolytes. ‘Must I do everything myself!’

With these words he bangs the tip of his staff three times against the floor of the dais and a gout of crackling energy arcs through the rain-laden air towards you. Instinctively, you raise the Deathstaff and catch the arcing bolt on its haft. There is a flash of sparks; then the crackling energy flickers and disappears.

Cadak curses loudly and promises that you are about to die, but for all his bravado you sense that he is scared. He recognizes the Deathstaff for what it is and he fears that, in your hands, it could lay waste to all his meticulous plans. The aged druid looks to the stormy clouds and screams a command to the circling Vortexi to help him finish you once and for all.

Turn to 65
.

Suddenly a piercing note blares out above the din of battle: it is a war-horn and it is sounding the recall to the acolyte longboat. You see those Acolytes of Vashna who are fighting in the ruins suddenly break off their combat and race back to the quay in answer to this command. Their mission has been achieved. They have recaptured their three brothers and now the time has come for them to depart.

As you watch them streaming along the body-strewn quay, a bold plan springs to mind, a plan that could enable you quickly to discover the truth about what is happening at the Maakengorge. If you were to don a red robe from one of the acolytes you have slain, you could infiltrate the ranks of those acolytes who are now fleeing back to the longboat.

If you wish to put on a red robe and attempt to get aboard the acolyte longboat,
turn to 76
.

If you decide that it is too dangerous a plan, you can watch the acolyte retreat from the safety of the ruins by
turning to 275
.

The trio of phantoms break off their attack and take to the sky to rejoin their unholy siblings. As their wispy, glowing forms disappear into the stormy clouds, you get to your feet and quickly gather up your weapons and equipment. They have gone, but not for long. Within minutes they return with seven more of their ghostly brothers in train.

If you possess Kai-screen and have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher,
turn to 111
.

If you do not possess this Discipline, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai rank,
turn to 30
.

Before you stretches a gigantic cavern. Its walls of ancient obsidian rise to a high-arched roof where hangs a circle of stalactites — twelve huge luminescent spears of lime-green stone. Bathed in their pulsating glow is a many-tiered crystal dais, identical to the one on which Arch Druid Cadak stood before the great shimmering archway at the edge of the Maakengorge. To the right of this dais you see a dark tunnel. The entrance appears like a black semicircular shadow upon the cavern wall.

Standing upon the uppermost tier of the dais is a creature which both mesmerizes and repulses you. It has the semblance of a human female, yet she stands more than twenty feet tall. She is strikingly beautiful but you sense at once that she is also wholly evil. Her skin has a deathly, corpse-like pallor and she is clad in a flowing black costume which trails thin wisps of smoke. Cloaked figures scurry around the lower tiers of the dais, carrying out their mistress's commands and attending to her every whim. If they fail or displease her she crushes them like lowly insects in her elegant, deadly hands.

You watch in silent fascination as this demonic creature makes preparations, as if for a long journey. Then, in a flash of a sudden realization, you know her purpose. She is getting ready to enter the tunnel, a tunnel which will transport her to the archway at the edge of the Maakengorge. She is the deliverer of Vashna of whom Cadak spoke, the one who will raise the spirit of Lord Vashna from the Chasm of Doom!

Illustration XIX
—You find yourself looking into the impish face of a young, teenage girl.

Suddenly you are aware that someone is standing behind you. Instantly, you unsheathe your weapon and spin around to face them, half-expecting to see the grotesque face of a demonic minion. Instead, you find yourself looking into the impish face of a young, teenage girl.

Turn to 173
.