The Curse of Naar (17 page)
The trek to the distant crater is a difficult and perilous journey, fraught with danger every step of the way. Despite your natural agility and Kai skill, during your trek you incur several painful injuries to your feet and legs.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If the number you have picked is 0–4, reduce your current
ENDURANCE
points total by 4. If the number you have picked is 5–9, reduce your current total by 5.
If you survive the trek, you may continue your quest by
turning to 86
.
Lord Rimoah summons a meeting of a secret council at the hall of the Magicians' Guild in Toran. This gathering is attended by Magnamund's wisest men, many of whom have aided you in the past. Among their number you recognize Guildmaster Banedon, Gwynian the Sage, Baron Medar, several of Dessi's High Council of Elders, and the inner circle of magicians of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star.
Under Rimoah's direction, these distinguished and gifted men deliberate how best they can help you to retrieve the Moonstone from the Plane of Darkness. A Shadow Gate has long existed in the dungeons below the Guildhall and it is quickly established that the High Council of Elders can, by pooling their ancient skills, use this portal to convey you to Naar's forbidden realm. The thought of journeying once more to the Plane of Darkness fills you with a sense of dread, yet this daunting voyage could prove to be but one of the lesser perils you will have to face if you are to fulfil your vow. You are sorely aware that once you arrive upon Naar's domain, not only will you have to survive the attentions of his loathsome followers, but you must also locate the Moonstone and then return with it to your home world.
The members of the secret council consider these problems at great length. Reassuringly, they are able to offer you some practical help in overcoming them.
Your fear of this supernatural creature is fast transforming into sheer terror. You sense the colossal power that she is capable of wielding and you have no doubts that her intention is to slay you, but not quickly. It is clearly her desire to enjoy your slow demise.
To engage the Tormentress and her huge escort of Shadow Reavers in combat would be a brave yet suicidal action, for you have no experience of the nature of combat upon this astral realm and you could be quickly overwhelmed by your enemy's sheer weight of numbers. You sense that your only chance for survival is to evade the Tormentress and her minions by crossing the Bridge of the Damned.
If you possess Grand Nexus and have attained the Kai rank of Sun Prince,
turn to 225
.
If you possess Telegnosis and wish to use it,
turn to 99
.
If you do not possess these skills, or if you have yet to attain the required level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 313
.
The towering warrior bellows a curt phrase in the Dark Tongue and suddenly his broadsword is sheathed with a black fire that crackles and spits venomously. Then the cruel dagger clenched in his left hand begins to glow red. When its poisoned tip becomes white hot, it emits a trail of noxious steam.
You yell your battle-cry and launch a swift attack, hoping that a speedy and agile attack will give you the edge you need to defeat this formidable foe. You strike the first blow with enough force to knock the warrior several paces back towards the glowing dragon-gate. But he recovers quickly, and when he expertly counters your second blow upon the hilt of his black sword, you suddenly realize that you are now embroiled in a desperate fight to the finish.
Zantaz:
COMBAT SKILL
52
ENDURANCE
50
This warrior is immune to all forms of psychic attack.
If you win this fight,
turn to 186
.
To your dismay you sense that the dragon is convinced that it has a stowaway amongst its cargo. It does not alert the accompanying Lavas, as you had feared, but it does reduce its height. Rather than continuing its flight towards the construction area, it banks towards some broken rocks and derelict dwellings that are located close to the edge of the chasm.
You sense that the beast has detected your presence among its cargo, and you know that you must act swiftly if you are to prevent it from screeching a warning to the Lavas flying close by. Defiantly you return the dragon's stare and use your Kai skill to command the creature to forget that it has seen you.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If your current
ENDURANCE
score is 10 or lower, deduct 1 from the number you have picked. If it is 20 or higher, add 1.
If your total score is now 3 or lower,
turn to 284
.
If it is 4 or higher,
turn to 31
.
You soar across the shimmering span of this colossal bridge towards a new and terrifying realm. Ahead, you see a sprawling plateau burning with magical flame. At its centre there is a vast crater of cinder and ash and, rising like a towering spike at the heart of this desolate bowl, you glimpse a titanic fortress.
As you traverse the great Bridge of the Damned, you consult the Tome of Darkness and it confirms your highest hopes and your deepest fears. Ahead lies the realm of Naar and his dread stronghold of Dazganon. The Tome warns those who would voluntarily seek to enter Naar's fortress that they must possess three magical artefacts: the Nza'pok Amulet, a Künae Ring, and the Scarab of the Wingless Dragon. The final page of the Tome lists the names of Naar's closest minions who dwell within Dazganon and one who dwells without whose name is ‘Tzor, The Guardian of the Plain of Despair, Keeper of Evil Souls’. The text of the final page states that there is no secret name to bind Naar and, most chillingly, that there is no exit from his dread fortress.
As you close the Tome it suddenly ignites and is consumed by voracious tongues of blue flame. You drop the blazing book and it disappears below, to be swallowed up by the fabric of the bridge. (Erase this Special Item from your
Action Chart
.)
To continue,
turn to 248
.
Relying on the element of surprise, you leap through the entrance and rush towards a gap in the line of advancing horrors. They immediately try to close ranks but their reactions are deathly slow and you are easily able to barge your way through them. Unfortunately you do not get very far; a heavy weight hits you squarely in the back and knocks you to your knees. As you struggle to stand in the thick mud you are engulfed by a coarse rope net dropped from above. Frantically you scrabble to untangle yourself, but a second net smothers the first and delays you long enough for the ghoulish horde to close in and pin you down. Two of the winged flyers descend close by and hurriedly they thread ropes through the edges of the nets. When their task is completed they shriek loudly and suddenly you feel yourself being hoisted aloft.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If the number you have picked is 0–4, you lose 1 Backpack Item of your choice as you are lifted into the air. If the number you have picked is 5–9, your money pouch spills open and you lose all of your Gold Crowns.
After making the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
, you may continue by
turning to 63
.
Your masterly construction of a strong defensive mental barrier deflects all of the combined psychic energies that are ranged against you. The full power of their attack rebounds upon them with devastating effect. The Lieutenants of Night fall screaming to the floor where they writhe in agony like wounded snakes. The Demoness reels and totters backwards, slumps down heavily upon her throne, and then grips her disfigured head with both hands as she struggles in vain to regain control of her mind.
Seizing your advantage, you unsheathe your weapon and rush forward. With two swift and deadly blows you dispatch the lieutenants in passing and then rush towards Shamath's gigantic throne. Through the red haze of the agony that fills her head, the Demoness sees you approaching.
Immediately she slams her right hand down upon the arm of her throne, to where a glowing opal is set into the stone.
‘Gnekasha!’ you scream, giving voice to her secret name, and she freezes as still as a stone statue. But not before her clenched fist has struck the glowing gem.
Suddenly you hear a terrible sound: it is the screams and cries of Shamath's vengeful legions. With dread you glance over your shoulder and look to the source of the cacophony: the chamber of tunnels beyond the archway of the Throne Room. What you see there sends an icy cold shiver of fear coursing down your spine.
The column of fire speeds across the hall and roars through the body of your double before impacting harmlessly against the surface of the closed portal. Aware now that the Lord of Decay seated on the right-hand throne is Jantoor, you shout his secret name and immediately the creature becomes immobile. The sight of his frozen form — and the sudden cessation of mind contact — throws his brother-lord into a state of panic and confusion. In a blind rage he utters a curse and, to your horror, you see the maggot swarm emerge from the shadowy recesses of the hall. As the larvae writhe towards you they begin to swell grotesquely in size.
If you are to save yourself from this monstrous horde you must quickly use the secret name of the remaining Künae. But there is no time to consult the Tome of Darkness: you must try to recall the name from memory.
If you think the secret name is ‘Rhunotar’,
turn to 96
.
If you think the secret name is ‘Rhunadan’,
turn to 311
.
If you think the secret name is ‘Rhunaguin’,
turn to 289
.
You recoil as one spear tip scrapes your left wrist and another gouges your chest (lose 1
ENDURANCE
point). Fortunately, both wounds are minor and the pain quickly recedes when your natural Kai curing skills act to staunch the bleeding.
The moment you enter the beam, you feel yourself descending through the centre of the temple in a cocoon of shimmering blue light. Gradually the heat of the nest of fire gives way to a pleasant coolness, but as you continue your descent deeper and deeper into the unknown, this equable temperature slowly transforms into an unbearable icy chill. Never before have you experienced the terrible coldness that engulfs you now. Fortunately, the magical properties of the Scarab of the Wingless Dragon protect and keep you from freezing to death. (Record this Scarab on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item which you keep in your pocket.)
As the temperature slowly begins to rise, you are able to examine the Scarab that you took from Huan'zhor's nest, and at once you notice two runic numerals on the back of the wingless dragon, engraved on its surface. (The numerals comprise the number 31. Make a note of this number in the margin of your
Action Chart
for future reference.) Having satisfied your curiosity, you place the Scarab into the pocket of your tunic and wait patiently for the beam to complete its seemingly endless descent.
Eventually the shimmering light fades and you feel solid ground materialize beneath your feet once more. Stretching before you now lies a gigantic cavern. Its walls of cracked and stained obsidian rise to a high-arched roof where twelve stalactites of glowing lime-green stone form a circle. On the floor directly below this circle are the shattered remains of a crystal dais, its broken fragments glimmering in the cavern's eerie, icy gloom.
If you have ever visited the city of Helgor in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 84
.
If you have never visited this place,
turn to 124
.