The Deathlord of Ixia Read online

Then, almost without any warning, the snow-laden wind abates and the ship emerges from the iceberg field into the open waters of the Tozaz Sea. The crew give a hearty cheer, relieved that their icy ordeal has at last come to an end. One man pulls the cork from a bottle of black rum which he has been keeping for a special occasion. He takes a mighty swig, and then passes it to a comrade. Just as the second man is raising the bottle to his lips, unexpectedly you hear the pilot's voice echoing along the deck: ‘Ship ahoy!’

  Fear returns to tie a knot in your stomach as you turn and focus your eagle eyes upon the distant vessel.

  Turn to 195.

  303

  The freezing winds of the abyss tear mercilessly at your body as you tumble headlong through this cold and lightless void. You scream with anguish but hear nothing, not even the sound of your own voice, for sound does not exist in the airless limbo of a Shadow Gate. You are in no-space, falling helplessly between two planes of existence.

  You are on the brink of unconsciousness when, with shocking abruptness, you splash face-first into a warm and stinking mire. Coughing and retching, you stagger to your feet and claw the oily muck from your stinging eyes. When you prise open your gluey eyelids, the sight which greets your disbelieving gaze is wholly unlike that of frigid Ixia. You find yourself knee-deep in steaming mud, surrounded by a hot and humid jungle of dense vegetation. Your Kai senses detect an all-consuming aura of evil which saturates this swampy land, warning you that this foul, stinking mire is part of the Plane of Darkness — the domain of the Dark God Naar. You scan the fetid landscape and sense that you are not alone — Tagazin is here, beyond the range of your vision but, nevertheless, not too far distant.17

  A sense of helplessness assails your spirit, feeding a growing fear that you have failed your mission. Your only hope is to find another Shadow Gate through which you can escape from this nightmare plane and return to your home world. Weary and despondent, you trudge through the slime towards a ridge of firm ground which is carpeted with lime-green moss. You sense Tagazin's presence somewhere in this direction and you cling to the faint hope that he may be able to lead you to the Shadow Gate you seek.

  Turn to 95.

  [17] If you possess the Sommerswerd, Section 98 of Dawn of the Dragons suggests that you may be able to add 4 to your COMBAT SKILL when using it in the Plane of Darkness (in addition to all other combat bonuses for this Special Item).

  304

  From your hiding place among the boulders you watch the activities of the loathsome undead. The causeway and jetty are teeming with cadaverous soldiers who, under the direction of several spindly, black-clad creatures, are busily transferring materials to and from the ice-boats and the open mouth of the submarine. The tunnel entrance lies only two hundred yards away, yet reaching it without being detected by the enemy looks to be a near-impossible task. You are trying to formulate a plan of action when suddenly you notice a means by which you can achieve your goal.

  The track, which branches away from the causeway and leads to the tunnel entrance, passes close beside your hiding place. Every so often a wagon loaded with equipment trundles along this track towards the jetty, and an empty one trundles back. When the next empty wagon appears, you get ready to abandon your hiding place and leap aboard its open tailgate.

  Patiently you observe your chosen wagon. It is being hauled by a shaggy, grey-furred beast of burden which is harnessed by heavy leather straps. As it trundles past the boulders you break cover, leap aboard the tail, and hide yourself from sight beneath a greasy, foul-smelling tarpaulin. Through a crack in its ancient wooden planks you watch with trepidation as the wagon moves slowly towards the tunnel entrance. It enters the tunnel, unchallenged by the skeletal warriors who stand guard here, and ascends a gentle gradient to another ice-walled cavern. Several passages connect at this point from all directions, like the spokes of a giant wheel converging at the hub.

  Turn to 156.

  305

  You recognize the officer at once — it is your friend and former guide, Captain Prarg.

  ‘We meet again, Captain,’ you say, as you shake his hand gladly in friendship.

  ‘Aye, Grand Master. It is an honour to serve you once more.’

  Turn to 83.

  306

  Groaning from the pain of your wound, you stagger to your feet and barge your way through the skeletal warriors who are now clustered in the doorway to the cell. The speed of your action, so soon after receiving a wound that would have killed outright any lesser mortal, takes the group by surprise and leaves them sprawled helplessly on the ground. By the time they have untangled themselves and found their feet, you are nowhere to be seen.

  When you are sure that you are not being followed, you pause for a few moments to attend to your wounded stomach. Once you have staunched the bleeding, you then use your Magnakai skill of Nexus in an attempt to determine the location of your missing weapons and equipment. You sense they are not too distant and, guided by your intuition, you go off along an adjoining passageway in search of them.

  The dingy, ice-caked tunnel wends its way deeper into the bowels of this vast alien vessel. You explore a series of empty holds, where the walls are braced with gleaming crystal girders, and pass through low-ceilinged chambers that, despite the biting chill, reek of death and decay. At length your search ends at a great grey door which is guarded by two undead Drakkarim warriors, armed with spears. The noises you heard earlier have now ceased, and so has the movement of the vessel; you sense that this craft is no longer at sea.

  From the cover of a curving crystal bulkhead, you spy silently upon the Drakkarim guards while you consider your next move.

  If you wish to attack the guards with your bare hands, turn to 243.

  If you choose instead to use your Magnakai mind Disciplines upon the guards, turn to 336.

  307

  Intuition prompts you to take out the Onyx Key from your tunic pocket; it is identical to the one lying beneath the glass dome. You then try it in the door and find that it fits perfectly. You twist the key counter-clockwise, unlocking the door; then you pocket the key before passing through into the chamber beyond.

  To continue, turn to 120.

  308

  Your lightning-fast reactions save you from being run through by the spiked helm. Tagazin goes charging past, but as you roll over and spring to your feet, you see that he has already turned around and is now bearing down on you for a second time.

  Demonlord Tagazin (with Power Helm): COMBAT SKILL 55 ENDURANCE 48

  This being is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

  If you win this combat, turn to 40.

  309

  For three minutes you swim underwater towards the distant shoreline, covering more than half the distance between the submarine and the entrance to the tunnel, but the icy water and the sheer exertion of swimming fully clothed and equipped conspire to sap your strength. You are fast becoming desperate for oxygen, and you now risk potentially deadly muscle cramps if you do not surface in the next few seconds.

  If you possess some Sabito, turn to 13.

  If you do not possess any Sabito, turn to 274.

  310

  You hurry down the steps to the base of the watchtower and sprint along a slate-cobbled avenue which leads directly to the harbour. As you run, you see Captain Lanza with some of his garrison troops engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat against a maniacal horde of skeletal warriors. The fighting is blocking the road which leads down to the quay, so you slip into an adjoining alley in the hope of finding another route to the ice-boat. You emerge from the alley and turn towards the harbour, only to find yourself confronted by a howling mass of fiery-eyed skeletons. You barely manage to unsheathe your weapon in time to defend yourself from their crazed attack.

  Illustration XVIII—Captain Lanza fights the maniacal horde of skeletal warriors.

  Ixian Undead: COMBAT SKILL 43 ENDURANCE 52

  These beings are immune to all
forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

  You may evade combat after three rounds by turning to 295.

  If you win the combat, turn to 48.

  311

  Squatting upon a plinth of stone arising from out of the floor is a huge, snarling, jackal-like creature which you recognize immediately. It is the Demonlord Tagazin, the supernatural beast which you encountered many years earlier during your quest to the dungeons of Torgar.

  The unexpected sight of this creature, whom you fought, defeated, but did not destroy all those years ago, sends a shiver of dread coursing down your spine. Your Kai instincts tell you that Tagazin is slave to Ixiataaga — he is the Deathlord's loyal companion.

  Tagazin, too, recognizes you to be a former adversary. He recalls his ignominious defeat at your hand and, enraged by this bitter memory, he leaves the plinth and comes stalking towards you. Venom drips from his bared fangs and murder glows darkly from the depths of his nightmarish eyes.

  Turn to 254.

  312

  The lightning strike leaves you dazed and shaken yet you have survived it without lasting injury. Your improved Kai Mastery enabled your body to withstand the massive jolt of electricity and discharge it away harmlessly into the ground.

  You stagger to your feet and unsling your smouldering Backpack. After smothering with snow the parts which have been scorched by lightning, you unbuckle the flap to discover that two items have been completely destroyed. (Erase two items of your own choosing from your Backpack list.)

  Thankful to have survived the strike unharmed, you shoulder your Backpack and hurry the remaining few yards towards the welcoming shelter of the cave.

  Turn to 146.

  313

  Using your Kai Mastery, you are able to see patterns in the ultraviolet spectrum of light. You recognize that the light which is pouring from the holes in the side of this diabolical machine is very similar to that which normally radiates from the sun, but it is abnormally intense. A tingle of fear runs along your spine the moment you realize that the ghostly rays are a deadly threat to any living creature.

  Turn to 127.

  314

  For five hours you stay in hiding, listening to the noises which echo through distant parts of the vessel that has swallowed your ship. During this period, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

  Gradually you become aware that this mysterious craft is slowing down as if in preparation to dock. Anxious to escape, and doubly anxious to discover the fate of the crew, you leave your hiding place and climb the stairs to the deck above.

  Turn to 153.

  315

  The terrible pain of the injuries you have sustained drags you groaning to the floor. For several minutes you lie on the coal-black tiles, half-blinded and racked by nausea, until your natural Kai healing abilities mend the damage sufficiently for you to be able to go on. When your strength returns, you stagger to your feet and hurry away towards the shadowy exit, eager to distance yourself from the debilitating power that arcs between the pillars.

  Turn to 300.

  316

  You sprint across the rubble and rush through the collapsing archway. But in your desperate hurry to escape you slip on a chunk of crystal and fall heavily against a pilaster, gashing your head. Dazed with concussion, you fail to move out of the way in time to avoid being crushed to death by a falling keystone.

  Your incredible courage has brought about the defeat of the evil Deathlord, saving untold millions from an eternity of slavery in his service. So long as there is Good upon Magnamund you will never be forgotten. Sadly, though, death is the price you have paid for this victory.

  Your life and your quest end here in Xaagon.

  317

  You arc through the smoke and flame towards the harbour wall and land on the quayside with a jolt that leaves you breathless. Fortunately, your agility and Kai skills save you from injury and you quickly regain your composure. Minutes later you are joined by Captain Lanza and his men, all of whom are clearly amazed that you are still alive.

  ‘We have this enemy beaten,’ yells Lanza. ‘We've slain more than half their number and the rest have their backs to the sea. Will you help us finish the job, Grand Master?’

  ‘Gladly,’ you reply. ‘For Kai and Ishir, we'll dispatch them all to meet their unholy maker!’

  Turn to 340.

  318

  In their frenzy to get at you, many of the Chaos Horde tumble headlong into the pit to be consumed by the creatures which lurk within its slime-filled base. Soon you have thinned their ranks sufficiently for you to be able to leap over the scuttling, severed remains, and make a swift escape up the steps to the surface.

  Without looking back, you leave the stone roof and hurry away along the mossy ridge towards a thicket of mist-enshrouded trees. As you pass through this eerie wood, you detect the presence of Tagazin once more. Fresh tracks indicate his direction and determinedly you set off, finding it an easy task to follow his clawed footprints in the loamy soil. They lead you through a tangle of saw-toothed briar and up a gently sloping rise. As you crest the top of the rise, you look upon an awe-inspiring sight.

  Turn to 150.

  319

  Sadly you react too slowly to avoid being hit by the combined bolts of energy. As you splash face-first into the snow, you feel agonizing pain shoot through every part of your body. An explosion of white-hot fire obliterates your senses and, in a terrifying instant, the light that is your life is snuffed out.

  Tragically, your life and your quest end here in the city of Xaagon.

  320

  The portal opens out into a domed chamber where several great orbs of fire-filled crystal, mounted on mechanical plinths, generate the intense light which is flooding the deck of the captive ship. You cross to a tunnel which leads out of the chamber and follow along a series of dingy, ice-caked corridors that wend their way deeper into the bowels of this vast alien vessel. You explore a maze of empty holds where the walls are braced with gleaming crystal girders, and pass through countless low-ceilinged chambers that, despite the biting chill, reek of death and decay. At length you come to a junction where the corridor splits in two directions.

  If you wish to take the left branch of this corridor, turn to 106.

  If you decide to take the right branch, turn to 292.

  321

  As the Maycastle cuts through the icy waves towards the fort, a beacon flares into life, its guttering yellow flame marking the entrance to the outpost's slate-walled harbour. A Lencian flag is raised atop the watchtower and the crew give a cheer — for them it is a welcoming sight after two cold and difficult weeks at sea.

  The Maycastle docks at the harbour wall, alongside the iron-bowed ice-boat which will take you to Ixia. The excited garrison have gathered to greet the crew; they have been looking forward to receiving fresh provisions and news from their homeland for several weeks. You disembark with Prarg and are met on the quay by a bearded sergeant clad in a fur-trimmed leather tunic. He escorts you to the watchtower, where you are welcomed in person by Captain Lanza, the garrison commander.

  Turn to 117.

  322

  You examine the intricate lockplate and determine that it operates by psychic energy. You study the intricate patterns which embellish it and gradually you realize that they give clues to a three-digit number. By projecting the image of this number at the lock, using your psychic powers, you will release the locking mechanism and cause the door to open.

  The first of the three numbers is equal to the number of islands which can be found between the Tozaz Sea and the Gulf of Konkor.

  The second of the three numbers is equal to the total of islands which can be found in Lake Ghargon.

  The third and final number is equal to the number of cities that can be found on the banks of the River Zegar.

  Consult the map in order to determine the correct three-digit number which will open the loc
k. When you think you have cracked it, turn to the entry that bears the same number as your answer.18

  If you calculate incorrectly, or if you cannot solve the clues, turn instead to 84.

  [18] The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct. You have only one chance to guess at the correct answer. If you guess incorrectly, turn immediately to 84.

  323

  With difficulty you retrieve your Rope from your Backpack and hurriedly make a lasso. Then, uttering a short prayer to Kai and Ishir, you cast it upwards in an attempt to catch it upon the rocky spur.

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

  If your total is now 0–3, turn to 285.

  If it is 4 or higher, turn to 137.

  324

  You kick aside the mouldering bodies of your foes and make to leave by the stairs, but your Sixth Sense warns you that more undead are about to descend at any moment. Cursing your luck, you turn and run towards the stern section, where you hide behind the ship's rudder gear. The undead warriors ignore the broken bodies of those you fought, and make only a cursory search. As you watch them climbing out of the hold you breathe a silent sigh of relief.