Shadow on the Sand Page 11

  After five minutes have passed, Nolrim raises his tankard and proclaims a toast: ‘To Lone Wolf — a man among dwarves!’

  The dwarves guffaw at Nolrim's wry toast and raise their tankards in a salute to your courage and fortitude. The Bor-brew has loosened their tongues, and they are eager to tell you of their past exploits.

  Turn to 291.

  219

  You act purely by instinct. You dive to the floor and roll over; the blue flame screams past your head and explodes into the chamber wall, blasting a hole several feet deep in the steel-hard rock. You spring to your feet and dodge behind a massive pillar as the hideous laugh of Darklord Haakon echoes around the dust-choked chamber. As it rises in pitch, your mind is filled with agonizing pain.

  If you have the Kai Discipline of Mindshield, turn to 253.

  If you do not possess this Kai Discipline, turn to 369.

  220

  Your Kai sense of Tracking reveals that the winding path leads into the Zakhan's arboretum: his cathedral of trees. The stairs to the portal lead to a private chamber in the upper palace, but you still cannot tell what the chamber contains.

  If you wish to follow the path, turn to 391.

  If you decide to climb the stairs to the portal, turn to 352.

  221

  Emerging from a bank of cloud on the skyline is a flying ship. It is a small craft, no bigger than an Unoram river barge, with two triangular sails swept back either side of its curving prow. In the fading twilight you can make out a long pennant that flutters from its mast. A faint humming reaches your ears. Your first reaction is disbelief; what you are seeing must be a trick of the light or some fiendish illusion created by the Darklords. However, as the ship floats nearer, your senses tell you that it is indeed quite real.

  If you have ever been given a Crystal Star Pendant, turn to 336.

  If you do not have this Special Item, turn to 275.

  222

  You must act quickly if you are to avoid detection, for the creature in red is a Vordak: one of the powerful undead who serve the Darklords.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0–2, turn to 378.

  If the number is 3–9, turn to 262.

  223

  Suddenly, the pain subsides — but the onslaught has only just begun. A mist as black as the grave is seeping from Haakon's mouth. It creeps along his outstretched arm and settles like a cloud in the palm of his upturned hand. Whirling shadow-shapes draw into focus; wings and tentacles sprout and take form. A curse in the dark tongue shakes the whole chamber as a deadly flood of horror hurtles from his hand.

  Illustration XIV—A deadly flood of horror hurtles from his hand.

  Crypt Spawn: COMBAT SKILL 24 ENDURANCE 40

  If you win the combat, turn to 353.

  224

  The great black bird beats its massive wings, cawing hoarsely through the domed pen. Two black eyes, fierce and cold, fix you with a deadly stare as you edge nearer to its perch.

  Grabbing the saddle pommel, you haul yourself up, but suddenly there is a flash of razor-sharp talons. Instinctively, you shield your face as a glint of orange sunlight is caught on the Itikar's curved beak, for it slashes the air barely inches above your head.

  If you have the Kai Discipline of Animal Kinship, turn to 308.

  If you possess an Onyx Medallion, turn to 319.

  If you possess neither the Kai Discipline nor the Special Item, pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have reached the Kai Rank of Aspirant or higher, add 2 to the number you have picked.

  If your total is now 8–11, turn to 287.

  If your total is 4–7, turn to 240.

  If your total is 1–3, turn to 370.

  If your total is 0, turn to 257.

  225

  The man is short of stature but broad-shouldered and strongly built, physical characteristics common among the tough mountain-dwellers in Vassagonia. He pulls a cork from a bottle of lime-green wine and pours three large measures into earthenware cups.

  ‘Kourshah!’ he exclaims, and downs the wine in one swift gulp.

  If you wish to follow his example and drink the strange wine, turn to 211.

  If you do not want to drink the wine, ask him where Tipasa can be found and turn to 318.

  226

  You are the first to recover from the surprise of the sudden encounter.

  If you wish to attack the guards, turn to 334. (Ignore any wounds you may sustain in the first 2 rounds of combat.)

  If you do not wish to fight them, you can evade before they have a chance to strike at you by running back up to stairs. Turn to 209.

  227

  As you near the entrance to a shadowy alley, you hear a woman's voice begging in the darkness: ‘Alms for a poor widow, young sirs?’ A decrepit old woman hobbles into the light, her features harsh, her face haggard and drawn. She repeats her plaintive cry: ‘Will you spare a coin for a poor widow's needs?’

  If you wish to stop and question her, turn to 265.

  If you wish to ignore her and continue on your way, turn to 388.

  228

  Eager to put distance between yourself and your merciless enemy, you race headlong through a tangle of trees and roots until you stumble upon a small domed hut of latticed wood, half hidden by a curtain of vines. Peering through the dense foliage, you see that the vines reach up to a wrought-iron walkway, which ends at an open stone door.

  If you wish to climb up a vine to the walkway and escape through the open stone door, turn to 352.

  If you wish to search for an exit from the arboretum at ground level, turn to 332.

  229

  As the craft emerges into the sunlight, a terrible noise fills the air — the screeching cacophony of Kraan-riders, sweeping down from the table of rock. They have been waiting patiently for the Skyrider to appear before launching their ambush, for they have been certain of your hiding place since before the dawn. The Black Crystal Cube enabled them to track your escape route through the Dahir Mountains, its signal to them as clear as a burning beacon in the night.

  You sense it is the Cube which has betrayed your escape and snatch it from your pocket, but before you can hurl the accursed object away, it explodes in your hand.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense, add 3 to the number you have picked.

  If your total is now 0–6, turn to 385.

  If your total is now 7–12, turn to 251.

  230

  There is another searing blast, which hits the base of the huge pillar behind which you have taken refuge; it severs the stone in an instant. Your body is torn to pieces as the pillar explodes into a million fragments — the little of you that remains is buried beneath tons of falling sand and stone.

  Your life and the hopes of Sommerlund end here.

  231

  The Drakkarim rush into the guard room, bellowing like Kalte mammoths and hacking madly at the air with their cruel, black swords. The leader advances on you, a mane of jet-black hair streaming from the open back of his helm, his sword held low for a thrust that will disembowel you. You sidestep and drive your weapon into his armoured chest. The black metal buckles, crushing his ribs, killing him instantly, but before he has fallen to the ground, two more Drakkarim are upon you. You cannot evade combat and must fight them to the death.

  Drakkarim: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 34

  If you win the combat, turn to 290.

  232

  You try to sidestep as the lethal blade hurtles towards you, but in the darkness you cannot be sure of the direction of its flight. You are hit in the chest, the blow smashing the air from your lungs. Lights flash before your eyes, and an explosion rings in your ears. You fall to your knees, and a sensation of numbness spreads through your chest. Through a haze of swirling mist, you see the Drakkar flung backwards, his breastplate torn open by dwarf shot. Banedon appears; his face is ashen grey. His lips
move, but you cannot hear what he is saying. Images of Sommerlund swim in your mind and then slowly fade as oblivion engulfs you.

  Your life and the last hope of Sommerlund end here.

  233

  Holding the Prism in the centre of the beam, you divert the light towards the hole in the floor. You hear the sound of stone grating on stone as the door slowly opens to reveal a large chamber. It is dimly lit, but in the dust that covers the marble floor you can see footprints too numerous to count. As you enter, you suddenly catch sight of a rough stone throne, facing the wall on the far side of the chamber. Behind you the door slides shut with unnerving speed.

  Turn to 289.

  234

  In a complete daze you tumble and spin, totally unaware of whether you are falling head- or feet-first. The warm wind tears at your face, forcing your eyelids and mouth open. You can barely breathe. You scream with terror until you hit the upper branches of a toa tree; in the next instant you hit water. You rapidly surface again, and instinctively begin to pump your legs.

  You have no idea in which direction you are swimming, but in three strokes you find yourself at the side of this deep, sculptured pool of clear water. Still shaking from the shock of impact, you crawl your way out onto a mossy bank. Miraculously, you have escaped injury, but your ordeal is far from over. The Drakkarim and the palace guards watched you fall and at this very moment are racing down from the tower and the bridge to the palace gardens.

  Ahead of you, beyond a tree-lined colonnade, a flight of steps ascends to a small portal in the wall of the upper palace. To your right, a leafy tunnel winds away into the trees and shrubs.

  If you have the Kai Discipline of Tracking, turn to 220.

  If you wish to climb the stairs to the small portal, turn to 352.

  If you wish to follow the winding path, turn to 391.

  235

  Rows of stalactites hang from the roof of the cave, like the fangs of some incredible monster, and the bubbling of a distant geyser echoes eerily through the unknown depths.

  You begin to explore and eventually reach a place where a natural bridge of rock arches over a steaming course of water, red with ore. Huddled beneath the bridge is a pathetic figure, its body bent and emaciated. A tattered blanket covers his face, and in his withered hands he clutches a crude fishing rod. A small catch of lavacrabs lies on the bank, their claws twitching as they slowly die. As you move nearer, the figure raises his face to stare at you. It is a man, but the sight of his face shocks you to the core.

  If you have the Kai Discipline of Healing, turn to 344.

  If you do not possess this Kai Discipline, turn to 208.

  236

  Your speed and stealth carry you across the gangplank undetected. Your attack is silent and deadly.

  If you wish to search the guard's body, turn to 207.

  If you decide to ignore the body, hurry into the Itikar's pen and turn to 224.

  237

  The jala tastes as good as it smells and, after your dusty trek through the hills, is a welcome relief to your parched throat. Restore 1 ENDURANCE point.

  ‘Do you know where we may be able to find a man called Tipasa the Wanderer?’ asks Banedon, successfully hiding his Northland accent with his expert mastery of the Ikareshi dialect.

  ‘I'm sorry, friend, but I have never heard of this man,’ replies one of the men.

  ‘You would be wise,’ interrupts the other, ‘to ask the widow Soushilla. There is little in Ikaresh that she does not know.’

  ‘Where can she be found?’ you ask.

  ‘At her tavern, of course,’ they reply, simultaneously. ‘Cross Eagle Square and you'll find it on the way to the Dougga Market.’

  You thank the Ikareshi and leave the eating house. Retracing your steps to the square, you set off towards the Dougga Market in search of Soushilla the Widow.

  Turn to 376.

  238

  You escape from the combat and sprint along the opposite passage, but the enemy gives chase, and the crunch of iron-shod boots echoes in your ears. You race down a stairway, through an arch of silver and along a balcony overlooking the lower palace.

  You glimpse the silhouette of Darklord Haakon in the hall below, his spiked fist raised. A Drakkar appears from nowhere and leaps at you, his sword raised high above his skull-like helm. There is a deafening crack, and a bolt of blue lightning streaks from a stone in the Darklord's hand and hurtles towards you. The Drakkar lunges and wounds your forearm (you lose 1 ENDURANCE point), but he is now standing in the path of the bolt. In a flash of light, the Drakkar is gone; only cinders and the rotten odour of scorched flesh remain.

  At the end of the balcony you see another arch and a staircase.

  If you wish to escape through the arch, turn to 381.

  If you wish to escape by the stairs, turn to 317.

  239

  If you are to get inside the tomb, you must either distract or silence the Drakkarim sentry.

  If you possess a Tincture of Graveweed, turn to 260.7

  If you do not possess this item, you will have to creep up and overpower him as quickly and silently as you can. Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess the Kai Disciplines of Hunting, Tracking, and Camouflage, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you have reached the Kai rank of Guardian or higher, add 3 to the number.

  If your total is now 0–4, turn to 324.

  If it is 5 or more, turn to 303.

  [7] You may only use Graveweed in its Tincture form in this case (you may not use a concentrated potion if you have one).

  240

  Itikar are wild and malicious creatures. It can take several years for a rider to tame and train one, but once trained, the giant black birds are fiercely loyal. As you approach, the Itikar senses that you are not his master and furiously attacks you with its deadly beak and talons.

  Itikar: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 30

  Fight the combat as normal, but double all ENDURANCE points lost by the giant bird. When its score falls to zero or below, you will have subdued it enough to be able to climb into the saddle and take control. All the ENDURANCE points you lose in the combat count as wounds and must be deducted from your current ENDURANCE points total.

  If you successfully reduce the Itikar's ENDURANCE points to zero or below, turn to 217.

  241

  Once outside the cave, you and Banedon waste no time in pressing on towards Ikaresh. As you near the outskirts of the town, you pass a small, round hut where a goat is eating from a manger near the door. A man appears in the darkened doorway and bids you welcome; he touches his forehead in a salute of friendship and invites you to enter his humble home.

  If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense, turn to 365.

  If you wish to accept his invitation, turn to 225.

  If you decide to decline his offer and continue on your way towards Ikaresh, turn to 272.

  242

  You recognize the creature dressed in red: it is a Vordak, a servant of the Darklords, one of the powerful undead. Vordaks possess great psychic power, and you feel it scanning for you with its Mindforce. You know that if you are to avoid these evil troops, you will not only have to hide, but also shield your mind.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Kai Discipline of Camouflage, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you have the Kai Discipline of Mindshield, add 3.

  If your total score is now 0–6, turn to 262.

  If it is 7 or over, turn to 378.

  243

  Your deadly stroke hurls the Drakkar over the armoured parapet. He tumbles from view and plummets into the valley thousands of feet below.

  Turn to 306.

  244

  You can clearly see the main highway that links Chula to the capital. It crosses the desolate salt plain of Lake Inrahim by means of a causeway thirty feet high and is a useful landmark by which you can steer. Little stone houses with beaten earth roofs are grouped in small clusters along the highway,
their numbers increasing as you draw nearer to the town.

  You are five miles from Chula, when you notice a dark cloud hovering several hundred feet above one of the small villages. It is a cloud of Kraan; they are moving to intercept you.

  Suddenly the Itikar squeals in pain, and a splash of feathers billows out from its wing. A Kraan has closed in from behind; it is less than a hundred yards distant. The Drakkarim rider holsters an empty bronze crossbow and draws his black sword. His bolt has passed through the wing of your mount, and he prepares to strike as the Itikar loses height and speed.

  Drakkarim Kraan-rider: COMBAT SKILL 20 ENDURANCE 28

  The Kraan and its rider are swooping on you from behind. You will only be able to fight for one round of combat before they are carried past by the momentum of their attack.

  If you lose more ENDURANCE points than the enemy in this one round combat, turn to 347.

  If the enemy loses more ENDURANCE points than you, turn to 327.

  If you both lose exactly the same number of ENDURANCE points, turn to 271.