Trail of the Wolf (21 page)
Your Kai Sixth Sense warns you that if you remain close to the edge of the fissure for very much longer, your equipment and clothing will burst into flames. Mindful of this danger, you hurry along the fissure's crumbling rim in an attempt to get through the breached wall.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 1 to the number you have picked. If your current
ENDURANCE
score is 25 or lower, deduct 1.
If your total score is now 3 or lower,
turn to 336
.
If it is 4–7,
turn to 103
.
If it is 8 or higher,
turn to 194
.
Lone Wolf sees the threat and swiftly he turns his outstretched hands towards the speeding orb. He mouths the words of an Old Kingdom Spell and a sudden gust of wind deflects the deadly device away from the cage. With grim satisfaction, you watch as the orb and its trailing chain explode above a crowded avenue, showering flaming oil upon the heads of the Hammerland bandits who have gathered there to watch your dramatic escape.
Your mental commands confuse and anger the young warhound, inducing its attack. Hurriedly you draw your weapon from its scabbard as the Akataz makes a frenzied leap for your throat.
Akataz:
COMBAT SKILL
25
ENDURANCE
20
If you win this combat in three rounds or less,
turn to 293
.
If you win the fight in four rounds or more,
turn to 184
.
When you crash down among the bones and cadavers that carpet the floor of the necromancer's hall, you lose a grip on the hilt of your Kai Weapon and it skitters away. It buries itself beneath a heap of foul-smelling detritus, and quickly you scramble after it on your hands and knees.
If you possess Grand Weaponmastery and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Sentinel or higher,
turn to 229
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 334
.
Feeling revived after your brief rest, you decide to climb the tallest of the nearby trees in the hope that you can pinpoint your present location. Your effort is rewarded when you see the uppermost towers of Gazad Helkona rising above the tree-line less than fifteen miles to the northeast. With luck you should reach the fortress within four hours.
It is only an hour later when you happen upon a broad track through the forest. Its loose surface is rutted with wagon tracks, and when you look more closely, you discover evidence of traffic having passed this way recently in both directions. Bordering upon this trail are several prickly shrubs which are covered with tiny purple buds.
If you wish to examine the purple buds,
turn to 81
.
If you choose to ignore the shrubs and follow the trail northwards,
turn to 120
.
The tunnel leads to a circular shaft which is lit intermittently by a pulsating crimson light flooding down from above. You ascend this shaft by means of a broad circular staircase, and you stop to rest when you come to a landing that is halfway from the top. Unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
To continue,
turn to 126
.
You are examining the keyhole, confident that you will be able to pick this simple lock, when suddenly you hear noises echoing from the tunnel behind. Anxiously you glance over your shoulder and see four Drakkarim in the distant mess hall. They are armed with spears and they are striding purposefully towards the tunnel. Galvanized into action by their sudden appearance, you abandon the lock and resolve instead to jump across the open drawbridge.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked. If your current
ENDURANCE
score is 25 or lower, deduct 2 from the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 3 or lower,
turn to 297
.
If it is 4–8,
turn to 316
.
If it is 9 or higher,
turn to 114
.
Your net hits the Drakkar's shield and splashes across the broad staircase, blocking it with a latticework of gluey fibres. The assault trooper discards his shield and calls to his comrades to help him cut a path through your magical net. They respond eagerly, and as half their number race up the steps to hack at the sticky strands, the rest kneel down and open fire at you with their crossbows.
The whirling shadow of Zorkaan is shrinking and condensing. It coalesces to form a funnel of choking black fog that hovers menacingly above the corpse of the necromancer. The narrowest part of this swirling cone of darkness pierces the dead sorcerer's chest and, in the blink of an eye, Zorkaan takes control of Xaol's lifeless cadaver.
If you possess a Black Amulet,
turn to 156
.
If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 222
.
Your natural stealth and agility enable you to leave this entrance hall unseen. As you pass through the archway and ascend the steps to a landing on a level above, you can hear the Drakkarim in the hall below, oblivious to your presence.
You speak the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and level your right arm at the Urgaroh. Then a crackling bolt of energy leaps from your open palm and strikes the creature's chest, knocking it to the floor with the force of its impact.
To continue,
turn to 148
.
Your Kai Discipline helps you to recognize the purpose of this pipe. It is a crude tin whistle which can be used to summon and control a Kraan. If you wish to keep this Kraan Pipe, record it on your
Action Chart
as a Backpack Item.
To continue,
turn to 232
.
The wolfhound halts beside your hiding place and circles around and around, as if it is chasing its own tail. Upon seeing this, the bandits howl with laughter. When finally they catch up with their confused warhound, they grab it by the scruff of its neck and fix a chain leash to its collar. Then they attempt to drag the confused beast away, but defiantly it resists their every effort to make it abandon the statue.
If you possess Assimilance,
turn to 113
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 76
.
You place an Arrow to your Bow and take aim at the centre of the crystal sphere. Then you release your straining bowstring and send your steel-tipped missile whistling towards the sorcerous orb. But before it strikes its mark, the Arrow is deflected away by a sudden gust of icy-cold wind. This supernatural draught takes hold of your missile, spins it around in mid-air, and sends it speeding back towards your startled eyes!
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 214
.
If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 65
.
If you possess neither of these Disciplines, or if you choose not to use them,
turn to 112
.
You are within a few feet of the parapet when you inadvertently dislodge a loose block of stone. Frantically you scramble to find a new handhold, but the falling block hits your legs and you are sent tumbling backwards to the ground. You land upon a mound of rocks at the edge of the fissure, and suffer a crushing blow to the back of your head that renders you unconscious. Mercifully, you are spared further pain when you roll off the mound and plummet into the fiery fissure.
Tragically, your mission ends here beneath the walls of Gazad Helkona.
You feel the air seething with currents of magical force, and you shiver with a dread premonition that you are in great danger. Then a crackling sound draws your attention back to the twin pedestals.
These columns are now engulfed by coils of electrical energy that weave intricate patterns around the stone surfaces. Slowly the pedestals seem to lose their solidity; they melt and change. Then, with a blinding surge of power, the crackling coils of energy disappear completely and you find yourself staring into the eyes of two nightmarish creatures.
Slowly, these squat, horny-skinned horrors creep towards you on their clawed feet. Baleful eyes roll like misty spheres in their sockets as they inch closer. Both are armed with heavy iron battle-axes which they hold aloft with frightening ease, revealing the immense strength in their muscular, scaly forearms. Cold sweat drips from your brow as you unsheathe your Kai Weapon and prepare to do battle with these implacable horrors.
Illustration XV—Two nightmarish creatures creep forwards on clawed feet.
Helkona Xaghash:
COMBAT SKILL
52
ENDURANCE
58
If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Spawnsmite’ you may add the bonus gained from its unique properties during this combat.
If you win the combat,
turn to 116
.
Spatters of molten rock rain down from the sky to sear your neck and shoulders: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points. Frantically you scramble to your feet and run blindly through the trees in desperation to escape this unexpected deluge of fire. All around you, the tinder-dry wood is being ignited by droplets of red-hot lava. Trees crackle and explode, spreading the fire with alarming speed. You dare not stop as you race through the raging flames and escape towards the north.
After what seems like hours, the tremors cease and the hungry flames recede. Gasping for breath, you stop to rest in a shallow rocky basin that is ringed by fallen trees. You must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points (you cannot use Grand Huntmastery in this instance, for there are no flora or fauna that you can forage for in the petrified forest of Helkona).
Feeling revived after your brief rest, you decide to leave the basin and climb the tallest of the nearby trees in the hope that you can pinpoint your present location. Your effort is rewarded when you see the uppermost towers of Gazad Helkona rising above the tree-line less than fifteen miles to the northeast. With luck you should reach the fortress within four hours.
It is only an hour later when you happen upon a broad track through the forest. Its loose surface is rutted with wagon tracks, and when you look more closely, you discover evidence of traffic having passed this way recently in both directions. Bordering upon this trail are several prickly shrubs which are covered with tiny purple buds.
If you wish to examine the purple buds,
turn to 81
.
If you choose to ignore the shrubs and follow the trail northwards,
turn to 120
.
You scour the gallery in case the bandits were not alone, but the upper reaches of this hall are empty and you feel confident that your confrontation has not been witnessed. To avoid the risk of their bodies being discovered, you dispose of them by lifting each one onto your shoulder and heaving them over the balcony. They drop into the fiery pit that blazes in the hall below, and are quickly consumed by the flames. Then you hurry around the gallery to the staircase opposite.
Here you discover a short flight of iron steps that ascend to a long, low-ceilinged hall. This hall has plastered walls which are decorated with frescoes depicting enslaved humans, bedecked with chains and heads bowed in defeat, parading in a line before a triumphant group of Drakkarim warlords. At the far end of this hall you discover three identical doors recessed into the painted wall.
If you possess Telegnosis,
turn to 107
.
If you do not,
turn to 174
.