The Deathlord of Ixia Read online

  If you wish to search the stern of the ship, turn to 240.

  If you choose to search the bow, turn to 73.

  178

  You dive to avoid the onrushing bolt of energy but your reactions are too slow. It catches you in the upper body and an explosion of white-hot fire obliterates your senses. In this terrifying instant, the light that is your life is snuffed out.

  Tragically, you have fallen victim to the power of the Deathstaff. Your life and your quest end here in the Crystal Spire of Ixia.

  179

  After an hour spent burrowing with your bare hands through the snow and ice, you eventually break through to the surface. To your disappointment you discover that the blizzard is still raging, and much of the pass has now been filled by the avalanche. No trace remains of the circle of rocks that had offered you hope of protection from the cruel elements.

  With the storm showing no sign of abating, you dig a hollow in the snow and curl up in it with your back to the howling wind.

  To continue, turn to 338.

  180

  At the top of the stairs you find a chamber where the walls and floor are thick with frost. Standing beside a locked door is a crystal plinth on which lies an Onyx Key covered by a clear glass dome. Your Kai Sixth Sense tingles as you approach it — you sense that the glass dome is protected by sorcery.

  If you already possess an Onyx Key, turn to 307.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy or Grand Nexus and wish to use one of these Disciplines, turn to 86.

  If you do not possess the Special Item, or do not have or choose not to use the Disciplines, then turn to 268.

  181

  From out of the eerie mist there looms a high-prowed ship, wrought of age-blackened timbers which glisten with ice and frost. It speeds into the harbour and a morbid terror grips the hearts of the Lencian garrison when they see that it is crewed by a cadaverous host of skeletal warriors. A ghastly wail arises from the invading ship, an unholy shriek that shatters the garrison's will to resist. As one, the shocked Lencians turn and flee from the quayside, dropping and discarding their supplies and weapons in their hurry to get away.

  ‘Ishir preserve us!’ cries Lanza, as he takes up his sword belt and hurries towards the door. ‘My men are routing. I must rally them to the defence before all is lost!’

  Illustration XI—A high prowed ship glistening with ice and frost looms out of the eerie mist.

  Prarg unsheathes his sword and rushes after Lanza. Outside the door you see a circular stone staircase which leads up to the roof, or down to the base of the watchtower. Lanza descends the stairs but Prarg does not follow. Instead, he begins to climb the steps to the roof.

  If you wish to follow Captain Lanza, turn to 264.

  If you decide to go after Captain Prarg, turn to 14.

  182

  You pilot the ship cautiously along a string of narrow fjords which cut an uncertain route through this treacherous field of icebergs. Using a mix of hand signals and telepathy, you send directions to the helmsman at the rear of the ship. It is a gruelling procedure which soon takes its toll on the nerves of all aboard.

  Every few minutes your vision is obscured by gusts of powdery snow which swirl across the deck, blown down from the tops of the surrounding ice cliffs. During one of these fierce blasts you are momentarily blinded. You clasp your hands to your stinging eyes and suddenly the incessant howl of the wind is accompanied by the tortured screech of the hull as it collides with a bank of submerged ice. The impact sends the ship careering violently to starboard, and in a terrifying instant, you are flung head-first over the ship's rail into the sea.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 212.

  If it is 5–9, turn to 66.

  183

  Tagazin is poised to strike you a second devastating blow, but his attack is thwarted by a whirling gale-force wind. It arises in the centre of the chamber and accelerates like a cyclone around the walls, separating you from the enemy and hurling you both to the floor.

  Suddenly, the air crackles and seethes with static power. A dark shape is taking form at the centre of the raging cyclone, a shape which radiates an intense aura of evil. It solidifies into a tall, black-robed torso surmounted by a goat-like skull. Where there should be eye sockets you see fiery cores of scarlet energy. Fear grips you with its icy hand when you smell the stench of death and corruption that hangs heavy around this dread being. You are in no doubt that you are now in the presence of the Deathlord of Ixia.

  Tagazin whimpers like a frightened pup and slinks towards his master, his head bowed in fearful subservience. The Deathlord removes the Deathstaff from inside his funereal robe and holds it on high. Tagazin freezes in his tracks and his whole body trembles violently — he is clearly petrified of his master's wrath. Ixiataaga sweeps the air with the evil staff, and in a terrifying instant, both you and Tagazin are lifted by the raging wind and hurled into the dark abyss that is the Shadow Gate.

  Turn to 303.

  184

  The lightning strike has burned through your pack and seared your back: lose 5 ENDURANCE points.

  Numb with shock, you stagger unsteadily to your feet and unsling your smouldering Backpack. After smothering with snow those parts which have been scorched by the lightning bolt, you open the flap to discover that three items have been completely destroyed (erase three items of your own choosing from your Backpack list).

  Pained but thankful at least to have survived the deadly strike, you shoulder your Backpack and hurry the last few remaining yards towards the beckoning shelter of the cave.

  Turn to 146.

  185

  To your regret, the new wave of Lavas reaches the Demonlord before you and form a protective circle around his cream-coloured body. Those that remain in the sky beat the air with their mighty wings, causing a powerful down-draught which holds you at bay.

  Shielding your eyes from the stinging dust-choked wind, you look up to see that one of the winged creatures is cradling a curious item in its horny hands, an item which radiates an intense aura of evil power. At first glance it resembles a large metal bowl with a sharp spear of crystal fixed to its underside, but when the Lavas descends towards Tagazin and inverts it, you suddenly realize its true purpose and design. It is a helm of power, affixed on top with a crystal spike. The Lavas places the helm upon the Demonlord's head and the spike begins to glow menacingly.

  Now all of the Lavas ascend into the sky where they wait to view a confrontation which is about to commence. Suddenly Tagazin, revitalized by the power of the spiked helm, comes charging at you with his head lowered, snorting gruffly like a raging bull.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Huntmastery or Grand Pathsmanship, add 3 to the number you have picked.

  If you total is now 4 or less, turn to 257.

  If it is 5 or more, turn to 142.

  186

  You climb the stairs cautiously and peer over the lip of the hatch in time to witness a scene that shocks you to the core. You see that the undead Drakkarim warriors have slain all of the Lencian crew and have heaped their bodies around the base of the mainmast. One of the undead, clad in a filthy grey cloak embroidered with alien symbols, utters a chilling liturgy over the corpses of the slain. The chill air crackles with power and sparks of evil energy whirl around their bodies. When at last the liturgy ends, you see the dead Lencians rise up and take their places alongside the Drakkarim undead.

  Numb with shock, you slowly retreat down the stairs and hide yourself in a corner of the ship's hold while you consider a new plan of action.

  Turn to 298.

  187

  Your swift reactions save you from a direct hit, yet one of the bolts passes close enough to sear your thigh as you are diving for cover: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.

  Turn to 221.

  188

  At first your chosen passage is wide and deep, but within an hour o
f entering, it becomes treacherously narrow. With no crew to help you pilot the craft, you are in great risk of running the ship aground on the encroaching icebergs.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Pathsmanship, add 1 to the number you have picked.

  If your total score is now 0–1, turn to 134.

  If it is 2–10, turn to 172.

  189

  Quickly you instruct the helmsman to listen out for your directions; then you leave the wheelhouse and make your way forward to the bow. The vast bulk of any iceberg lies hidden beneath the surface and, with this chilling thought in mind, you lean over the prow and keep a careful watch on the waterline. This ship is strongly built but a collision with a submerged ridge could easily rip its hull wide open.

  Guided by your telepathic directions, the helmsman steers the vessel towards a passage that is over-shadowed on either side by two monstrous mountains of ice.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked.

  If your total score is now 4 or less, turn to 182.

  If it is 5–8, turn to 11.

  If it is 9 or higher, turn to 284.

  190

  The creatures yield to your powerful blows, but the grievous wounds you deal them draw neither blood nor ichor. The ground around your feet is crawling with severed segments of the Chaos-creatures. Hacked and dismembered, they continue to wriggle forwards, forcing you to retreat grudgingly towards the steps.

  When, to your mounting horror, you witness the dismembered segments press themselves together to form composite creatures of impossible shape and design, your nerve breaks and you flee headlong down the steps. The hideous gibbering shrieks of the reformed Chaos-creatures echo in your ears as you descend into the claustrophobic depths of this sunken building. At first their cries sound hungry and frantic, like those of a ravenous pack of starving wolves denied their prey, but suddenly you realize that they are not cries of hunger at all — they are howls of glee. The gibbering Chaos-creatures are enjoying the sight of you rushing headlong to your doom!

  You skid to a halt but it is already too late. With chilling abruptness, the slimy stairs open up and you fall feet-first into a deep, dark pit.

  Turn to 59.

  191

  At the sound of a key turning in the lock, you tense yourself in readiness to launch a surprise attack the instant the door swings open. The heavy portal creaks inwards and you hurl yourself at the head of a small group of skeletal warriors who stand framed in the doorway. You collide with their leader and slam him to the ground. In his bony hand he clutches a rod which hums with the power contained within its silvery haft. He had intended to use its power on you, to extract details of your mission, but the swiftness of your attack has preempted this. The skeletal being shrieks with anger as you wrestle the rod from his grasp. Suddenly, a blast of red-hot fire erupts from its tip, carving a fist-sized chunk of stone from the cell wall. The recoil of the blast makes you drop the rod, which falls to the floor, close to the booted feet of the other skeletal guards.

  If you wish to snatch up the rod before the skeletal guards retrieve it themselves, turn to 54.

  If you decide to ignore the rod, you can attempt an escape through the open door by turning to 222.

  192

  Intuition prompts you to take out the Onyx Key from your pocket and try it in the hole. It fits perfectly and, when you twist it clockwise, the entire portal begins to shimmer and lose its solidity. It becomes transparent before fading completely, as if evaporating into thin air. You go to retrieve the Onyx Key but it, too, has disappeared (erase this Special Item from your Action Chart).

  Relieved that you have overcome this obstacle, you step through the now-open archway and into an adjoining hall. This vaulted, oblong-shaped hall is illuminated by flickerings of electrical fire which arc between two freestanding pillars at the far end of the chamber. Beyond the pillars you can make out the shadowy entrance to another chamber; it is the only other exit from this hall. You realize at once that to pass between the pillars could prove to be fatal: the power arcing between them is as great as any lightning storm raging in the skies above Xaagon. Yet there may be a way of avoiding contact with this raw power. You notice that the two freestanding pillars do not go all the way to the ceiling — there is a gap, a little over two feet wide above them.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it, turn to 136.

  If you wish to attempt to climb one of the pillars and squeeze through the gap in order to reach the adjoining hall, turn to 297.

  If you decide to throw caution to the wind and run between the pillars, turn to 211.

  193

  You emerge from the Crystal Spire with barely seconds to spare. As you descend the main ramp which leads away into the streets of Xaagon, the great archway disintegrates completely, bringing with it a vast section of the foundation wall. This collapse begins a chain reaction of destruction that culminates in the spectacular fall of the upper spire, which crashes down upon the city like some massive crystal tree felled at the roots.

  You run without stopping, through the quaking streets to the shattered west gate, and then onwards through the deepening snow towards the narrow mountain pass. You are more than a mile from the walls of Xaagon when eventually you stop to rest and survey the destruction you have left behind.

  Turn to 250.

  194

  Lying beneath Banedon's chart table is a seemingly plain leather sword belt and scabbard. Banedon retrieves these items of equipment and hands them to you. ‘Here, Grand Master. This scabbard has been impregnated with the rare mineral — korlinium. It will shield the radiant power of your sword.’

  You exchange your old belt and scabbard for these new ones. (Mark the Korlinium Scabbard as a Special Item on your Action Chart. You need not discard another item in its favour if you already carry the maximum number of Special Items permitted.)

  Turn to 22.

  195

  Less than a mile to the north, like some nightmare apparition surfacing from the deep, you see a broad-prowed vessel of prodigious size breaking low in the stormy water. You magnify your vision and see that its main deck is completely enclosed by a canopy of overlapping green-grey timbers, affording it the appearance of some gigantic fish. Two glassy portholes and a jagged line which stretches around its prow complete this chilling illusion.

  For its shape and size it moves towards your ship at an unnatural speed. You call the crew to arms, fearing it to be an enemy vessel closing to attack, and you sense a shudder run through them when, for the first time, they clearly discern its alien design. You focus your Kai senses upon the oncoming craft and suddenly you realize its purpose. It is an Ixian vessel, come to rendezvous with your ship, believing it still to be manned by the undead horde which attacked Fort Azgad.

  Illustration XII—It is as if you are looking into the ghastly maw of a hungry sea predator.

  ‘Stand firm!’ you shout, attempting to rally the nervous Lencians as the craft speeds ever nearer. When less than a hundred yards distant, its great prow begins to creak open. It is as if you are looking into the ghastly maw of a hungry sea predator. The fearful sight alarms the Lencian crew and they flee towards the bow of the ship in panic: ‘Save us!’ they cry. ‘Ishir save us! It's going to eat us alive!’

  Turn to 236.

  196

  You flee the chamber, escaping past many Ixian and Drakkarim guards who stand rigidly immobile, fixed in the poses and attitudes they were in the very moment you vanquished the Deathlord. It was his power which gave them un-life; now that power is no more.

  Fearing for your survival, you sprint across heaving, buckling slabs of broken stone that were once smooth tiled floors, and rush down staircases that crack and twist beneath your feet. You are racing down one such stairwell when suddenly an entire section collapses, leaving a gaping hole more than fifty feet deep. Above you, a row of pillars topple like sto
rm-shaken trees, blocking the stairs completely, and making it impossible for you to retrace your steps.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy and have attained the Kai rank of Sun Thane, turn to 29.

  If you possess Telegnosis and have attained the Kai rank of Sun Lord or higher, turn to 326.

  If you do not possess either of these Disciplines, or if you have yet to attain the relevant levels of Kai Mastery, turn instead to 225.

  197

  You trudge stoically through the snow and ice towards the distant circle of rocks, hoping all the while that they will afford you some protection from this incessant blizzard. When you are within a few dozen yards of the circle, you hear a deafening crack! which sets your pulse racing. With that split-second warning, a huge expanse of rock and ice breaks away from the slopes above and swiftly transforms itself into a thundering avalanche. Wide-eyed with horror, you watch as a million tons of ice, snow, and shale comes rumbling down the mountainside towards you.

  Galvanized into action, you turn and run from this deadly white wall of destruction. It is almost upon you when you see a low shelf of rock near the base of the pass, and desperately you dive for cover beneath it.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess Grand Nexus, you may add another 2.