The Darke Crusade (27 page)

The bird suddenly takes fright and flies away, cawing long and loud as hurriedly it disappears towards the northern horizon.

Turn to 328
.

Hurriedly you and Prarg fix the oars in place and row with all your strength, retracing your route all the way back to where the channel first divided. Once here, you slow your boat to a halt and take some time to reconsider your plans.

Reluctantly you decide to navigate the left channel. Rather than run the risk of making any noise, you stow the oars and allow the stinking marsh wind to propel your boat along the channel, albeit at a far slower speed. Gradually you approach the cluster of huts and, as you pass before them, you see eight dwellings, each built of mud-daubed roots and thatched with rotting vegetation. They are empty but they have not been deserted. The shoreline is littered with bones, the remnants of past meals, and nearby is a crude wooden frame on which the skins of a snake and a lizard have been stretched out to dry.

‘It's a Ciquali camp,’ whispers Prarg nervously, his eyes scouring the surrounding waters for the slightest sign of movement. During your travels you have heard tales about the Ciquali, none of which are favourable. They are the bane of the Hellswamp — a breed of vicious amphibians, intelligent and cunning, with a taste for human flesh that makes them especially dangerous.

‘Our luck's good, Lone Wolf,’ says Prarg, as gradually the wind carries you beyond the huts. ‘The camp's empty — they must be away hunting. Perhaps it was they who were lying in wait for us along the other passage?’

As soon as you lose sight of the settlement, you hoist the sail and catch the prevailing wind which propels you northwards along Dakushna's Channel. You are hungry, and unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 322
.

Your Sixth Sense tells you that the Green Key you have in your possession will open this door. Quickly you take it from your Backpack, insert it into the lock, and twist it counter-clockwise. There is a faint
click
; then the door creaks open to reveal a dark and desolate chamber, its brick walls dripping with evil-smelling grey slime.

If you possess Grand Huntmastery,
turn to 196
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 126
.

When the coast is clear, you enter the stables and set a fire in the straw loft. Then, as you are leaving, you open each of the stalls so that the horses will be able to escape once the fire has taken hold. On returning to the alleyway you run to the rear of the armoury building and locate a window through which you can force an entry. It is shuttered and barred, but aided by your innate Kai skills, you are able to break it open. Unfortunately, the noise of your forced entry alerts the two Drakkarim who are on guard inside the building and, as you are squeezing through the narrow window, they attack you with their black-bladed swords.

Armoury Guards:
COMBAT SKILL
 32   
ENDURANCE
 40

Unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Pathsmanship, reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 3 for the first round of this combat.

If you win this combat,
turn to 166
.

As you approach the opening at the base of the tower, your keen senses detect the repulsive aromas of greasy bristles and dung. At once you know that a war-hog pen lies beyond, and you can also detect that it is now empty.

With weapon drawn you enter the enclosure, searching for a door that will allow you swift entry to the viewing tower above. There is a door, but it is locked and bolted from the other side. Rather than waste precious minutes trying to open this barred portal, you turn to leave. But as you are crossing the straw-strewn floor of the pen, you are brought to a halt when your eye falls upon an oiled leather whip which hangs from a peg on the wall. (If you wish to take this Boar Whip, record it as a Backpack Item on your
Action Chart
.)

You leave the pen and rush around the side of the tower in time to see Captain Prarg emerging from the open door. Quickly he descends, sheathing his bloodied sword as he hurries down the steps to meet you.

‘That guard'll not be raising any alarms,’ he says, cocking his thumb behind him towards the tower door. ‘And they'll not be finding him too soon, neither.’

You smile knowingly, and commend your guide for the swiftness of his action. Then Prarg points to an alleyway that lies sandwiched between two burnt-out hovels at the edge of town, and suggests you enter Shugkona that way.

‘Lead on, captain,’ you say, and follow as he hurries off towards the alley's shadowy entrance.

Turn to 178
.

To your surprise, you discover that the door is unlocked. You push it and it swings open to reveal an empty chamber. You detect a strong presence of evil lurking somewhere nearby and you warn Prarg of what you sense. Cautiously, the two of you leave this chamber by a passage which leads to a flight of black stone steps. You ascend the steps to a domed chamber which is sheathed with dull black stone. Heavy velvet hangings of ebony hue cover most of the walls, and all of the furnishings are upholstered with the same morbid cloth. The sensation of evil is stronger here, so strong that you feel as if you are slowly suffocating.

‘It's here … ’ you whisper, your hand reaching to your weapon, ‘the Doomstone. I can feel its presence!’

Suddenly there is a movement away to your left and a blast of white-hot energy comes roaring towards your face. You dive aside in time to avoid it, but the bolt rebounds from the steel-hard wall and glances off the back of Prarg's head, knocking him unconscious.

Turn to 161
.

Using the Brotherhood Spell
Sense Evil
you scour the surrounding woodland and a powerful sensation alerts you to danger. It is not an immediate threat, yet you can feel the invisible waves of power which are radiating from its source. The power is strong, too strong to originate from Drakkarim or a hostile forest creature. You focus your senses in the direction of this power and at once you recognize its source: it is the Doomstone of Darke.

‘What's wrong, Sire?’ says Prarg.

‘It's the Doomstone,’ you reply quietly. ‘We're close … I can feel it.’

Turn to 45
.

Prarg is understandably happy to accept your offer to stand the first watch. While he settles himself down to sleep in the relative comfort of the boat, you pull your cloak about you and climb to the top of Bear Rock where you begin your lonely vigil. For hours you sit on this windswept boulder, staring out through a curtain of swirling snow at the surrounding timber-line. Despite your fatigue you stay alert and your iron discipline pays off when, shortly before midnight, you sense movement at the forest's edge. Then your super-keen Kai senses detect an animal scent on the cold air which you recognize immediately: it is Akataz.

Turn to 163
.

The tracks end at a wooden jetty which juts precariously into the deep, fast-flowing waters of the River Shug. Carefully you examine the ground around this landing area, and aided by your exceptional tracking skills, you make two important discoveries. You deduce that Magnaarn and his troops boarded a barge here and headed downstream towards Darke. Also, you discover that this area was used as a mustering place for a second, far larger unit of troops. Doomwolf droppings and a Giak tooth hint at the identity of these troops, but your suspicions are confirmed when you find a bronze belt buckle which is engraved with the symbol of a fortress and a full moon. It is the symbol of the old Darklord city-fortress of Kagorst. It confirms your fears that Magnaarn has at last persuaded Kagorst to join his cause.

Illustration XVIII
—You find a bronze belt buckle engraved with the symbol of a fortress and a full moon.

You are tired after your long trek. Rather than attempt to go any further, you decide instead to rest here in one of the empty cabins overnight and continue your journey at dawn.

Turn to 188
.

You step away from the two dead Tukodak, sheathe your weapon, and then signal to Prarg that the coast is now clear. He emerges from the trees and hurries to your side. He praises your combat skill and then he helps you to hide the bodies of the two slain guards beneath some undergrowth in the surrounding ruins. Before you leave, a quick search of their packs and pockets reveals the following items:

• Enough food for 1 Meal
  
• Dagger
  
• 2 Swords
  
• Bow
  
• 4 Arrows
  

If you wish to take and keep any of the above items, remember to adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly.

To enter the unguarded tower,
turn to 221
.

You draw upon your mental powers and launch a blast of psychic energy at the three Drakkarim sentries. The effect is instantaneous. They begin to shake uncontrollably and all three drop their spears.
¹⁵
Unable to move aside, you trample them into the ground as you gallop through the gap in the barricade and race along the road beyond. You have passed successfully through the inner defensive line, but as Prarg quickly points out, you have yet to reach the outer defences of Shugkona.

Turn to 31
.

With some difficulty you climb out of the water and haul your unconscious companion to safety. His skin is deep violet, he is barely breathing, and his entire body is shaking uncontrollably. Using your healing skills, you transmit some of your body warmth through your hands to his chest and face, and within a few minutes, he comes out of his state of shock as his body returns to its normal temperature. Your prompt action has saved his life, but it has also drained you of 5
ENDURANCE
points.

Make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
and
turn to 157
.

As the current carries you towards the stone bridge, you row against the river's flow in order to slow your final approach to the log barrier. There are Drakkarim on the bridge and the noise of a hard collision would be sure to attract their unwanted attention. The prow grazes the muddy river bank, slowing you further; then the boat comes to an abrupt halt as it bumps against the barrier. Quickly, you leap onto the line of logs and make your way towards the bank as swiftly as the treacherously icy surface will allow.

A rickety flight of wooden steps ascends from the river to the top of the bridge. You climb them; then you crouch down and take cover behind the stone parapet. From here you observe the town's defences and try to assess how many Drakkarim are stationed within this stronghold. The town itself comprises a sorry collection of battle-damaged buildings, ringed by a perimeter wall of logs which is shored up in many places. Several long and bitter battles have been fought here over the past year, and everywhere you look the vivid scars of war are plain to see.

A rutted road crosses the bridge and leads directly to the town gates. You observe Drakkarim on guard at the bridge, and at the gate, yet you sense something is wrong. The town is strangely quiet and it appears to be weakly protected; the Drakkarim garrison is few in number, and those that you have seen so far appear to be either young, old, or walking wounded.

Night is beginning to draw in. The Drakkarim are lighting the torches which line the perimeter wall, and a change of guard is taking place at the main gate. A wagon laden with straw crosses the bridge and pulls to a halt nearby. Wearily the driver gets down from his seat, curses his aching back, and then wanders off towards a nearby hovel, one of barely a dozen that are still standing outside the town's wall. While he is gone, you take the opportunity to climb into the cart and hide yourself beneath the foul-smelling straw. Soon you hear the driver's gruff voice and you feel the cart sway as he climbs back into his seat. There is the
crack
of a whip and, with a jolt, the cart trundles off towards the main gates.

Turn to 222
.

Through the open archway comes a Lencian soldier attired in the parade tunic and breeches of a Court Captain. He is unusually tall, but his most striking feature is his close-set eyes which are bright above his thin, hawk-like nose and bushy black moustache. At once you recognize this officer, for he is Captain Prarg. During the fighting at Cetza you and he led Prince Graygor's reserves in a decisive action that helped save the Eruan Guards and turn the tide of the battle in your favour.
¹⁶

‘Well met, Sire!’ he says, with a smile, ‘ 'Tis an honour to have been chosen to guide you on your noble quest.’

Turn to 80
.