The Kingdoms of Terror (10 page)

The creature shudders and its arms jerk, clawing at the air. As it dies, its body twitches with a few final convulsions. You stare down at the hideous carcass but quickly pull away when you notice that its fur is alive with crawling parasites. They know instinctively that their old host is dead, and they are abandoning the body in search of a new one.

You hurry over to the altar where you fill your glass jar with Taunor Water. (The healing spa water will restore 6
ENDURANCE
points.) You may drink the Water now or place the glass jar in your Backpack for future use. If you do keep it, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Backpack Item.

If you now wish to search the rest of the chapel,
turn to 24
.

If you decide to return to Cyrilus,
turn to 338
.

This is not the correct answer. The conjurer stated that at least one child was lying, and if one lied then the other could not have been telling the truth. The right answer is that both children lied, so unfortunately you have lost the gold you wagered.

Erase the Gold Crowns you staked on the conundrum from your
Action Chart
before approaching the bar and enquiring about a room for the night.

Turn to 253
.

You silence the robber's whispered threats, slamming your clenched fist into his throat and at the same time grabbing hold of his tunic with your other hand. He tries to scream but his larynx has been crushed by your blow. He gurgles pitifully as you twist him around to shield yourself as his accomplice lunges with his dagger. It sinks deeply into the robber's heart, and as he slumps to his knees, you draw your own weapon and attack his startled killer. Due to the surprise of your attack, you may add 2 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the first round of combat.

Backstabber:
COMBAT SKILL
 15   
ENDURANCE
 22

If you win the combat,
turn to 88
.

The startled guard dives aside as you spur your horse straight for him. You find that the gatehouse arch opens onto a cobblestoned square, but the only exit is blocked by the wagon and merchant caravan. A dozen guards, dressed in the green and black tunics of the town watch, are checking their cargoes. As you burst from the shadows of the gatehouse arch, they see you and cry in unison: ‘Tollbreaker! Tollbreaker!’

If you wish to rein in your horse and prepare to fight the town watch,
turn to 248
.

If you wish to attempt to jump over the wagons and escape into the shadows of the winding street ahead,
turn to 72
.

Suddenly, the door bursts open and in lopes a ravenous warhound. ‘Supper time, Goregasher!’ cries the Kloon, gleefully, as the slavering hound leaps at your throat.

Illustration VIII
—‘Supper time, Goregasher!’ cries the Kloon gleefully.

Ravenous Warhound:
COMBAT SKILL
 17   
ENDURANCE
 25

You may evade this attack in the first round of combat only, by running from the room and escaping down the stairs to the street.

If you wish to evade combat,
turn to 105
.

If you win the fight,
turn to 193
.

Using your Magnakai Discipline, you examine both the hill path and the highway for recent tracks. To your surprise you discover that neither route has been used by horsemen in the last three hours. It can mean only one thing — the riders are hiding somewhere in the village.

If you wish to ride back into the village,
turn to 52
.

If you wish to hide in the trees and wait for the riders to show themselves,
turn to 74
.

You sleep soundly and then rise an hour after dawn, clear-headed and eager to continue your ride. The morning news from the south is that the mountain highway to Rhem is impassable; an avalanche has destroyed all traces of the road near Mount Navalyn, and it will be many weeks before the rubble is cleared and the road rebuilt. This leaves you with only one choice — you must take the valley road through Amory and the Forest of Eula.

You gather together your equipment and set off without delay. If you are to reach Amory by sunset, you will need to ride at great speed and without a break.

Turn to 96
.

Cyrilus' eyes open with such surprise that you can see the startled whites around his mousy-brown pupils. ‘Lone Wolf,’ he whispers, incredulously, ‘I should have known. Humble apologies, my lord. I thought that you sought the Lorestone for less than honourable reasons.’

Cyrilus talks at great length about the legend of the Lorestone. You learn that it remained in Varetta after Sun Eagle's quest, where it was set into the throne of Lyris in the Tower of the King. Hundreds of years ago, during the War of the Lorestone, it was stolen by a Salonese prince called Kaskor. He set the stone upon a gold sceptre and used it in battle to inspire his fanatical followers and crush his foes. He believed it made him invulnerable, but this was not so — he was killed on his royal barge during a battle at Rhem, and the Lorestone was lost when the gold sceptre fell from his hand into the depths of the River Storn. There were many accounts of the sceptre having been found, but they had always proved to be untrue or simply fanciful. It was said that whoever wielded the Lorestone was the rightful ruler of all the Stornlands. For this reason alone it was often sought by evil or unscrupulous warlords, and many had pursued the quest, all without success.

Cyrilus does not know where the Lorestone is, but he does know a man in Varetta who claims to know its exact whereabouts. ‘Let me ride with you to Varetta; in return for the privilege I shall take you to this man.’ Your basic Kai instincts tell you his offer is genuine. You nod your agreement and arrange to meet him in the tavern courtyard at dawn.

Turn to 5
.

Less than fifty yards along the channel, another passage joins the main flow from the right.

If you wish to investigate this new passage,
turn to 339
.

If you wish to press on along the main course,
turn to 140
.

The shop is filled with a fascinating collection of stuffed creatures, each one in a life-like pose and displayed in a realistic setting. A two-headed wolf stands guard at the entrance to a cave, a baknar lies on a snowy ledge, and a desert ganthi drinks its fill from a sculptured oasis of sandstone and toa trees.

You are examining the beautifully preserved head of an Itikar when you hear a soft, cultivated voice behind you.

‘Good evening, sir. Welcome to my establishment.’

A tall, aristocratic man dressed in a richly embroidered robe steps forward and bows. He is clearly impressed by your interest in his work and offers to conduct you on a brief tour of his shop.

If you wish to see more of the fascinating taxidermy,
turn to 345
.

If you wish to decline his generous offer and leave the shop,
turn to 149
.

Your senses warn you that a steep drop lies beyond the breach in the castle wall. If you were to run that way, you could be heading for your doom.

If you wish to ignore your instincts and climb through the hole in the castle wall,
turn to 217
.

If you wish to run down the stairs towards the iron gate,
turn to 169
.

A handful of Alether Berries costs 3 Gold Crowns. If you swallow them before a fight, they will increase your
COMBAT SKILL
by 2 points for the duration of the fight. You may purchase up to 3 handfuls of Alether Berries. Each handful counts as one Backpack Item, but you cannot swallow more than one handful during any one combat.

When you have concluded your purchases, you remount your horse and leave the village.

Turn to 100
.

The city is choked with people: mercenaries from the north and west, weapon merchants from the east, and ragged refugees from the war-torn south. The captain orders his men to sleep aboard the
Kazonara
this night, forbidding them to go ashore, for Prince Balonn of Rioma and his mercenary knights are encamped inside the city wall. A bitter and long-standing rivalry exists between the two companies, and the captain wisely wishes to avoid any confrontation.

Rumour has it that a number of the Stornlands' most powerful princes are gathered in Rhem to plot the defeat of the Slovians. However, the captain believes it is more likely that the robber-barons are conspiring against each other to steal the riches of Tekaro for themselves.

You set sail at first light, bidding farewell to the slender twin-towers of the Rhem citadel, which overshadows the city quay. The Storn flows southwards through steep-sided fields of vines, arranged in endless straight rows like the waves of a green sea. The weather is warm, and you spend the day on deck watching the traffic of refugees heading north along a highway and the strange gigantic toads, the sloats, at work, pulling riverboats and barges upstream.

It is late afternoon when you sight the town of Eula in the distance. You saddle your horse and shoulder your equipment as the
Kazonara
berths at the town's wooden pier.

If you purchased a Riverboat Ticket for the riverboat at Soren,
turn to 59
.

If you do not have a Riverboat Ticket,
turn to 290
.

The soldiers are swilling ale and reminiscing about their campaigns with wild exaggeration. They are brash and loud, but an uneasy silence quickly falls when they see you approach. You notice that their hands are no longer grasping mugs of ale; they now rest upon the hilts of their heavy-bladed swords.

If you decide to offer to buy them a drink,
turn to 30
.

If you wish to ask permission to join them,
turn to 260
.

If you choose to ignore them and would rather take a seat elsewhere and order some food,
turn to 172
.

Arrows sweep across the river as the captain draws the company into line at the approach to the Tekaro Bridge. The burnt-out hulks of siege towers and the bodies of dead soldiers lie strewn in heaps before the battered city gate. The fortified gatehouse bristles with archers, and the setting sun glints on the cauldrons of boiling oil and molten lead mounted on top of the battlements.

‘Charge!’ screams the captain, and suddenly you are swept up and carried across the bridge by a frenzied wave of horsemen.

Thirty yards from the gate, the archers open fire. Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–3,
turn to 244
.

If the number you have picked is 4–6,
turn to 29
.

If the number you have picked is 7–9,
turn to 150
.