The Darke Crusade (5 page)
You deal the ice a mighty blow and it splits wide open. For a moment you fear you are already too late to save your guide; then suddenly his head bobs out of the icy water and you grab hold of his collar before he disappears once again.
You haul him out of the lake and lay him on the frozen surface. His skin is a deep shade of violet and his entire body is shaking uncontrollably. You know that he is in serious condition but at least he is still alive. 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 shock and his body returns to its normal temperature. Your prompt action has saved his life, but it has also drained you of 3
ENDURANCE
points.
Adjust your
ENDURANCE
points score accordingly and then
turn to 157
.
As the last of the trench-troopers falls lifelessly to the muddy floor of the dugout, Prarg appears by your side, sheathing his bloodstained sword.
‘Come, sire. We still have the advantage. We best use it before the Drakkarim discover what has happened here.’
Keen to maintain the element of surprise, you quickly leave the trench and rush across the remaining strip of open ground which separates you from the town's outlying dwellings. Prarg points ahead, to an alleyway that lies sandwiched between two burnt-out hovels, and immediately you follow as he rushes towards it shadowy entrance.
There is a dull
click
and the great iron door swings slowly to reveal a dark chamber constructed entirely of polished black rock.
5
Revealed in the torchlight is a throne of rough-hewn marble, upon which there rests the skeletal remains of a warrior clad in mouldering furs. Bare bone gleams dully through a clinging mass of muscle and sinew, now shrunken to an iron-hard texture, and upon its skull there rests a helm of solid gold. Set into the face of this helm is an emerald as large as your fist.
Illustration I—Upon a throne of rough-hewn marble rests the remains of a warrior clad in mouldering furs.
Prarg approaches the throne, tempted by the magnificent emerald, but he halts the moment you warn him that the helm is protected by a magical trap. You sense that a powerful spell of warding encircles the throne; to touch the crown would activate the spell, thereby unleashing a blast of destructive energy. The thought of being blown to atoms serves to dampen Prarg's curiosity and sheepishly he returns to your side. You give the booby-trapped throne a wide berth and leave the chamber by a smooth-walled tunnel in the far wall. But you have taken no more than a dozen steps when a chill of premonition runs like a trickle of icy cold water down your spine. You halt and reach for your weapon.
Then a loud voice booms out, destroying the silence.
‘Welcome, Lone Wolf. Welcome to your tomb!’
Instinctively you know that it is the voice of Warlord Magnaarn.
[5] This section represents the correct answer to the dragon door lock in
Section 221
.
Rising into view at the top of the stairs comes another Tunnel Stalker, the mate of the one you encountered earlier. Mindful of that combat, you decide to seize the initiative and attack this beast before it reaches the top of the stairs.
Tunnel Stalker:
COMBAT SKILL
38
ENDURANCE
40
Because of the speed of your attack, and the advantage of fighting from higher ground, increase your
COMBAT SKILL
score by 3 points for the duration of this fight.
If you win this combat,
turn to 91
.
You raise your weapon and steady yourself as the two Ciquali clamber over the gunwale. For a moment they glare at you with hideous, bulging eyes, their throat sacs swelling and collapsing rapidly as they approach the moment to strike. Then, with a shrill screech, they spring simultaneously towards your chest.
Ciquali:
COMBAT SKILL
32
ENDURANCE
28
If you win this combat,
turn to 148
.
The scout places two fingers to his lips and gives a long, warbling whistle. The sound makes the mercenaries spin around and stare in your direction, and you hear one of them whistling twice in reply. Your scout then asks that you be allowed to enter their camp. There is a long pause; then a heavily-accented voice replies, ‘Show yourselves.’
Relief that you are human, and not Drakkarim, is displayed clearly on the faces of these League-landers when the four of you stand up and walk slowly towards their camp. They offer their apologies for firing on you and one suggests that he escort you to meet their leader Baron Maquin. Politely you accept his offer.
You focus a ball of psychic energy at the advancing creature and unleash it with unexpected results. The beast possesses phenomenal natural psychic abilities which absorb the shock of your attack, enabling it to shrug off a mental assault which would devastate many creatures twice its size.
You search through the many cases and boxes which lie scattered around this cluttered cabin, and you discover the following which may be of use to you during your mission:
- Signet Ring
- Bow
- 3 Arrows
- Sword
- 2 Potions of Laumspur (each restores 4
ENDURANCE
points) - Hourglass
- Brass Key
- Dagger
If you decide to keep any of the above, remember to make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
.
To continue,
turn to 277
.
Beyond the portal you discover a narrow flight of stone steps. Quickly you climb these stairs, spurred on by the wintry chill which grows steadily colder as you ascend. You count fifty steps before you eventually arrive at a chamber which is heaped with rubble. Its only door is blocked by debris and huge slabs of marble, making an immediate exit impossible. But it is not the door which commands your attention; it is a narrow circular shaft which is set into the middle of the ceiling. It is the source of the cold, wintry draught.
Expectantly, you step closer and investigate this shaft. For the most part it is dark, but you can see glimmers of grey daylight high above, and you can hear the whistling of the wind. But you can also hear another sound, one that is quite unexpected. It is a buzzing, insectile noise. You focus upon the darkness and suddenly you see that the noise comes from nests of winged insects which are fixed all along the inside of the shaft.
If you possess Grand Pathsmanship and have reached the rank of Sun Knight,
turn to 240
.
If you do not possess this Discipline or have yet to reach this level of Kai rank,
turn to 281
.
You step away from the two dead Tukodak, sheathe your weapon and turn around to find Prarg standing by your side. He thanks you for saving him from the Tukodak's spear and then he helps you to hide the bodies of the two slain guards beneath some undergrowth in the surrounding ruins. Before you leave them, 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
.
As the deadly crossbow bolts scream towards you and the captain, you open your hand and thrust your palm into Prarg's back, pushing him forward. This swift action saves him from the first bolt, but it robs you of time in which to react to the second. It strikes and red-hot pain flares up your arm as the iron-tipped bolt gouges a deep furrow of flesh from the back of your wrist: lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.
The lookouts fumble with their crossbows, desperate to fire again but before they can reload you have disappeared along the beach. Shortly you reach a small secluded cove where Prarg discovers a rusty anchor. It is a landmark, left on purpose by agents of King Sarnac to point the way to the cave where they have left your boat and provisions. You find the cave and together you haul the boat down the beach and raise its coal-black sail before pushing it out into the icy waters of the Tentarias.
Once aboard you trim the sail whilst Prarg takes charge of the rudder. There is a good wind and within minutes your tiny craft is bobbing towards the far western channel of the Hellswamp, twenty miles distant. You ask Prarg if this dark estuary has a name, and he replies, ‘Yes. The Drakkarim call it “Dakushna's Channel” after the Darklord who once commanded the city-fortress of Kagorst. They say it is a fitting dedication, for the waterway is as deadly and as treacherous as the creature after whom it is named.’
During your trek through the forest, Prarg tells you a little about the history of this land. You learn that the whole of Nyras was once known as Northern Lencia until it was lost to the invading Drakkarim during the Darkdawn War. Many crusades and campaigns have been launched over the centuries to try to recapture this territory, but none, until now, have been successful. The Drakkarim built a fortress on the ruins of the Lencian capital, which was called Gamir, which they renamed Nagamir after their victory. But later, when the Drakkarim allied themselves to the Darklords of Helgedad, the capital was renamed Darke in their honour.
As dusk approaches, you happen by chance upon a forest trail and immediately your tracking skills tell you that it has only recently been constructed. Hoof prints frozen beneath the snow and several sets of footprints tell you that this trail has been used by more than a dozen riders and armoured foot soldiers within the last week.
If you possess Kai-alchemy,
turn to 308
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 45
.
Prarg rushes towards the dying Drakkar and, before he can sound his horn, he deals him a killing blow.
‘Quick, Sire,’ he says, sheathing his sword. ‘Let us away from here lest this knight is not alone.’
You leap over the corpse and run down the corridor following closely on the heels of your companion. Soon you come to a junction where you are forced to choose a direction, left or right. You call upon your Kai skills and immediately you sense a strong presence of evil lurking at the end of the right-hand passage. You focus on the source of this evil and determine it is the Doomstone. You tell Prarg, and together you advance along the passage until you reach a closed door.
If you possess Grand Huntmastery or Grand Pathsmanship,
turn to 214
.
If you possess neither of these Disciplines,
turn to 229
.
You wait as two Drakkarim on horseback come riding past the cabin; then, as soon as the coast is clear, you leap from the ditch and sprint through a gap in the log wall. The moment you reach the cabin you press yourself flat against its rough timbers and peer cautiously through its grimy window.
The cabin is not empty. Inside, you see a Drakkarim sergeant stretching for a bottle of wine that stands on a high shelf. He takes it down, pulls out the cork, and helps himself to a long gulp of the glistening, ruby-red liquid. Behind him you can see the edge of the table; his body is obscuring the map.
If you wish to enter the cabin and attack the soldier while he is distracted,
turn to 266
.
If you choose to remain where you are and continue your observations,
turn to 124
.
You fix your eyes on the speeding arrow and incant the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Halt Missile
. For a few seconds the shaft freezes in mid-air; then it resumes flight and passes harmlessly across the rear of the boat. You hear gasps of astonishment from the Drakkarim, and more than one utters the word
‘Ziran’
— the Giak for ‘Wizard’. As you disappear rapidly downstream, you see the renegades scrambling up the muddy bank in a desperate attempt to get away, having convinced themselves that you are a powerful sorcerer!
Your voyage continues without further interruption until, later in the afternoon, you catch sight of a town on the horizon. You check your
map
and discover it to be Konozod, a fortified Drakkarim stronghold. As the river carries you closer, you magnify your vision and see that it is built upon the left bank of the Shug. A huge stone bridge spans the river, and beneath this you see that the waterway is blocked by a barrier of chained logs.
If you wish to allow your boat to drift towards this barrier,
turn to 314
.
If you wish to avoid the barrier, you can put ashore and continue on foot by
turning to 231
.