The Caverns of Kalte (22 page)

The noises that you hear are Kalkoth. There are three of these vicious creatures, inhabitants of the mountains of Kalte. They are predatory killers and their favourite prey is Baknar.

If you have smeared Baknar oil into your skin,
turn to 202
.

If you have not applied Baknar oil to your skin, you can avoid the Kalkoth by retracing your route back to the entrance of the other tunnel, by
turning to 284
.

If you wish to attack the creatures, you can
turn to 138
.

You soon arrive at the bottom of a spiral staircase; there seems to be no alternative but to climb it. After ascending over two hundred steps, you arrive at a long passage which ends at a balcony. Thirty feet below, you see Vonotar the Traitor standing in front of two Ice Barbarian warriors. He is placing a gold bracelet upon the wrist of one of them, and is unaware of your presence. There are no stairs from here to the chamber below, but there is a door at the end of the balcony.

If you have a Rope, you can climb down and attempt to capture him by
turning to 100
.

If you do not have a Rope, you can descend the spiral staircase by
turning to 148
.

If you prefer, you can investigate the door at the end of the balcony by
turning to 61
.

The following day, the weather becomes bitterly cold. Wind from the north brings a hail of ice that stings your face. Your lips soon split and bleed. By midday, you are engulfed in a blizzard that makes progress slow and tiring. The howling wind forces you to dismount from your sledge and push it. You feel utterly exhausted. Your hands and toes are numb with the cold; the sweat from your exertions freezes to your skin, lining your boots and mittens with a layer of ice.

By the time you reach the glacier's edge, it is nearly nightfall. You are all so exhausted that you barely have the energy to pitch your tent and eat a meal. Disaster has all but overtaken you. You have frostbite in your toes, fingers, and nose, and unless you have the Kai Discipline of Healing, you lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 62
.

If the number you have picked is 5–9,
turn to 288
.

At the top of the stairs is a wide landing where a corridor runs north to south.

If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense or Hunting,
turn to 249
.

If you wish to head north,
turn to 104
.

If you wish to go south,
turn to 69
.

Your lightning reactions have saved you. The tip of the Ice Barbarian's lance tears your sleeve, but that is all. But, in an instant, the scout has turned and halted. He unfastens his skis with one swift, practised action, and draws a bone sword. You must prepare for combat.

Turn to 68
.

A hidden panel opens near the right stave. Inside, you discover a beautiful Glowing Crystal. It is warm to the touch. If you wish to keep this Glowing Crystal, slip it into your pocket and mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item.

Illustration XIX
—A hidden panel opens near the right stave and inside is a beautiful glowing crystal.

If you wish to activate the buttons again,
turn to 65
.

If you wish to leave the temple,
turn to 306
.

You find that the icy rock-face offers many handholds, but you cannot find a secure grip with your fur mittens on; but if you remove your mittens in order to climb, you know that frostbite is inevitable.

If you wish to risk your life and your hands, you can continue to climb by
turning to 55
.

If you decide to abandon your climb, you can descend to the hall below and search for another exit by
turning to 182
.

You have covered less than twenty yards when you arrive at the foot of another staircase. You ascend to the top where you see a faint light in the distance, spreading along the floor of the dirt-encrusted passage. It is another portal. Through the opening, you can see an old man huddled in the corner of a cell twenty feet below. His hair is matted and the dirt that clings to his blue robes almost obscures the crescents and stars embroidered on them.

If you wish to call to the old man,
turn to 247
.

If you wish to continue along the passage,
turn to 30
.

The scout flashes past and stops less than twenty feet away. With a well-practised action, he removes his skis in an instant and draws a vicious-looking bone sword. You must prepare for combat.

Turn to 68
.

As you step over the bodies of the Ice Barbarians, you catch a glimpse of a grotesque creature staring at you from the corner of a passage to your left. Even though you see it for the briefest moment, it is long enough to send a shiver down your spine. It resembles an enormous man's head. But one that has sprouted feet and a long scaly tail. Although it wears a hooded cloak, there is no trace of a torso beneath it. As it scurries off, your heart pounds at the thought of what horrors may lie ahead.

If you wish to pursue the strange creature,
turn to 87
.

If you wish to search the bodies of the dead Ice Barbarians,
turn to 26
.

Within ten minutes, frostbite has eaten into your hands and feet. On this exposed rock-face the icy winds often exceed a speed of one hundred miles an hour. You last for thirty minutes before severe exposure robs you of all consciousness, and you plummet to your death three thousand feet below.

Your mission and your life end here.

You drag the bodies out of the kitchen and prop them behind the secret door. When you return, Loi-Kymar is busy examining the bottles of herbs that line the kitchen shelves. He pockets several jars and mixes the contents of two others in a small stone bowl. He offers you a handful of the dry leaves and urges you to eat them. ‘They will restore your strength, Lone Wolf.’ You eat the sweet tasting herbs and feel a warm glow radiating throughout your body. Restore 6
ENDURANCE
points to your current total.

Turn to 301
.

You can sense the presence of a powerful life-force beyond the misty arch. As you concentrate, you suddenly recall a tale told to you when you were a small child, ‘The Legend of the Vagadyn Gate’. This was a tale of Ice Demons and how they once fought a war to be able to leave their world and come to Kalte. They were formless creatures, without shape and substance, and existed as pure energy in another dimension, beyond the confines of space and time. The Ice Demons discovered the Vagadyn gate, a sort of door between their world and Magnamund; they fought each other to enter this gate, unaware of the fate that awaited them. The Ancients had also discovered the gate. As the Ice Demons passed through the Vagadyn, their spirits were imprisoned in crystals by the cunning Ancients, who harnessed the power of the Ice Demons to build Ikaya. The M'lare bowls that light the fortress each contain the spirits of lesser Ice Demons trapped within. You also remember that the tale warns against destroying the crystal prisons: if an Ice Demon is released it will seek to claim the body of its rescuer.

Forewarned by your Kai skill, you enter the misty arch.

Turn to 264
.

Your Kai Discipline of Tracking reveals that the right tunnel heads east and the left tunnel heads north. You are now directly beneath Cloudmaker Mountain. Consult the
map of Kalte
before you decide which tunnel to enter.

If you decide to take the east tunnel,
turn to 199
.

If you decided to take the north tunnel,
turn to 284
.

Your enemies can only attack you one at a time due to the narrow confines of the cell. You must fight them individually in the following order. The Ice Barbarian is immune to Mindblast.

Doomwolf 1:
COMBAT SKILL
 15   
ENDURANCE
 24

Doomwolf 2:
COMBAT SKILL
 14   
ENDURANCE
 23

Doomwolf 3:
COMBAT SKILL
 14   
ENDURANCE
 20

Ice Barbarian:
COMBAT SKILL
 17   
ENDURANCE
 29

If you win the combat,
turn to 28
.

The fortress door is completely smooth; it has no visible lock, hinge, or keyhole. However, turning your attention to the granite wall you notice that one of the massive blocks is different to all the others. A small triangle has been cut into its surface.

If you possess a Blue Stone Triangle,
turn to 41
.

If you do not,
turn to 147
.

You close your eyes and concentrate on blocking out the attacking Mindforce. You gradually control the pain, just enough to be able to tear the Bracelet from your wrist and hurl it to the floor. Cursing your misfortune, you stagger unsteadily towards the junction at the far end of this corridor.

Turn to 215
.

Dyce makes it across to the opposite ledge safely, although Irian slips and has to be hauled out of the glacier by his waist rope. You and Fenor are still on this side of the crevasse. It is your turn to jump.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Kai Discipline of Hunting, you may add 2 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–3,
turn to 195
.

If your total is now 4–11,
turn to 232
.

The corridor is poorly lit and it would be easy for you, skilled as you are in the art of hunting, to approach the guards under cover of the shadows.

Covering your nose from the fumes of the bowl, you edge your way along the wall towards the unsuspecting guards. Placing the bowl in the shadow of a pilaster, you stealthily return to the kitchen to await its effect. In less than a minute, the Ice Barbarians collapse to the floor and you can approach the Hall of the Brumalmarc undetected.

To your delight you discover that one of the great jewelled doors is unlocked. Preparing yourself for attack, you gently push the door ajar and enter Vonotar's chamber.

Turn to 173
.

Your Kai Discipline reveals to you that there is a network of caves less than a couple of hundred yards to the south. You abandon the sledge and search southwards.

Turn to 314
.