The Dungeons of Torgar Page 9

  If you do not possess this skill or have yet to reach this level of Magnakai training, you can either wait for these riders to reach you; turn to 122.

  Or hide beneath the bridge; turn to 322.

  141

  The bore-hole is cramped and you can progress only by crawling along on your hands and knees. A gentle breeze stirs the dust at the base of the shaft and a faint glow in the distance sheds just enough light for you to be able to see your way ahead. Gradually the slope becomes steeper and you are forced to climb a crude staircase formed by jagged outcrops of rock. Above you see a strip of daylight and it draws you upward with its promise of escape.

  As you climb nearer to the opening you hear a hissing sound off to your right. Instantly you freeze as you catch sight of a black serpent, its jaw open and its venomous fangs glinting in the gloom of a hollow. It is coiled upon a nest of eggs less than an arm's length from your face.

  If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control, turn to 35.

  If you wish to ignore the snake and continue your climb, turn to 235.

  If you decide to retreat along the bore-hole and attempt to climb the chasm wall instead, turn to 135.

  142

  It takes several minutes to pick the lock using your dagger, and in doing so you snap the tip off and ruin the blade: delete this Weapon from your Action Chart.5

  The door opens on to a passageway lined with torches. Halfway along the left wall you see another door — a solid slab of iron broken only by a small, barred window. Silently you approach it and peer in through the grille.

  If you have visited the Danarg in a previous Lone Wolf adventure, turn to 260.

  If not, turn to 114.

  [5] Taking comments originally published in Lone Wolf Club Newsletter No.6 as a precedent, you should lose the Dagger of Vashna here if you are not carrying at least one ordinary non-magical Dagger.

  Alternatively, given the significance of the Dagger of Vashna, you may also reasonably choose to ignore the instruction to destroy the Dagger of Vashna even if that is the only Dagger you are carrying.

  143

  The warrior stoops to snatch up the shimmering rod but the Prince leaps forward and kicks it from his grasp. His action costs him dearly, for when his foot touches the stave a blast of searing flame scorches his leg and hurls him backwards to the ground. You rush forward and block the warrior's attempt to scurry after his weapon. Cursing vilely, he snatches a dagger from his belt and launches himself at your throat.

  Ziran: COMBAT SKILL 25 ENDURANCE 33

  If you win the combat, turn to 56.

  144

  That night you make camp in a stone hut. It is little better than a hovel but at least it provides shelter from the rain, which begins to fall shortly after dark and is still falling when you set off again at dawn. The dull grey hours pass uneventfully until the wooded shoreline gradually gives way to a wilderness of slime-laden mud flats and twisted, petrified trees. Here the current is weak and you are forced to row in order to make progress through the brown, scum-flecked water. Jarel sits at the prow, his wolfskin cloak drawn close around his shoulders to keep out the chill rain. He stares fixedly ahead as he guides you through the narrow channels that bisect this evil-smelling swamp. Twice you find yourselves caught in watery culs-de-sac and have to retrace your course, but as the light begins to fade you catch sight of an island that promises firm mooring and a place to camp overnight.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 59.

  If it is 5–9, turn to 259.

  145

  Halgar falls heavily to his knees, the blood oozing thickly between his fingers as life deserts him. With a gurgling croak he stiffens and drops sideways into the fire, smothering the embers and filling the air with the smell of scorched leather. At your feet lies the cruelly fashioned Bullwhip, and nearby you discover a backpack. Flicking open the buckle, you tip the contents out onto the grimy stone floor. The pack contains the following items:

  Leather Pouch containing 36 Lune (9 Gold Crowns)

  Torch

  Tinder Box

  Bottle of Water

  You may keep any or all of these items. If you decide to keep the Bullwhip, mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item.

  Set into the floor you discover a wooden trapdoor that gives access to an empty cellar. You hide the body in the cellar before remounting your horse, crossing the bridge, and continuing your ride to Pirsi.

  Turn to 75.

  146

  The smell of their blood makes your stomach heave, but your grim labour does not go unrewarded. Inside the bushes you discover their catch of fish. There are enough speckled trout here for 5 Meals. If you take any of the fish remember to record them on your Action Chart.

  To cross the river and continue, turn to 335.

  147

  With terrifying ease the Demonlord throws open the stone door, which splits asunder as it slams against the temple wall. You release your Arrow and send it burrowing deep into the creature's chest. The Demonlord laughs mockingly and plucks the shaft from his body as if it were no more of an irritation than a tiny splinter. No blood oozes from the wound and the puncture seals itself quickly to leave no mark on the creamy skin of the supernatural creature.

  ‘Surrender yourself, mortal!’ he commands. ‘And I shall spare you the agonies of death.’

  If you possess the Sommerswerd, turn to 286.

  If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 333.

  148

  Both you and the Lencian officer, whose name is Captain Prarg, ride back and forth, rallying the few soldiers left to support the hard-pressed knights locked in battle at the bridge. A motley company of crossbowmen, halberdiers, wounded men-at-arms, wagon drivers, cooks, heralds, and battle-shocked pikemen are finally assembled, and they march forward with their shields raised and their weapons poised.

  On your left, the Prince's reserves respond to a signal from the hill and advance to support their leader. On your right, massed ranks of Lencian spearmen are locked in pitched combat the length of the orchard wall. As you near the bridge you encounter the bodies of those slain by the crackling rays of electric fire. The sight of their tortured forms, weapons fused in their lifeless hands, sends a wave of shock through your company. ‘Forward, men!’ shouts Captain Prarg. ‘Raise your eyes and advance!’

  The bridge looms out of the battle-smoke ahead and your men surge towards the macabre struggle taking place. The bodies of the dead lie six deep, covering the whole area of the approach and filling the ditch on either side. War-cries roar with harsh anger and the air is alive with the clangour of striking steel and the howl of violent death.

  Illustration IX—A Drakkarim Death Knight draws back his weapon and prepares to strike at your neck.

  ‘Charge!’ you shout, and the company pours across the bridge. Reinforced by fresh troops, the knights finally break through the barricade and into the streets beyond. The struggle grows ever more intense as the Drakkarim defenders throw themselves into the fray with total disregard for their lives. One such defender, an élite Drakkarim Death Knight, hacks his way through the leading pikemen and slays your horse with one terrible blow of his two-handed axe. As you fall, he draws back his weapon, its razor-sharp blade trailing scarlet spray, and prepares to strike at your neck.

  Death Knight: COMBAT SKILL 24 ENDURANCE 40

  Owing to his state of battle-frenzy, your enemy is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).

  If you win the combat turn to 206.

  149

  Your Arrow grazes one of the magicians and thuds into the shield of a Drakkarim warrior standing behind him. The wound is superficial and it does not prevent the magician from hurling his sphere at the Palmyrions.

  Turn to 106.

  150

  The foot knights of Lencia are the first to go forward, their densely packed columns marching in perfect order towards the bridge at the c
entre of the enemy line. As they come within range there is a sound like rushing water and a cloud of black arrows pours down on their armoured ranks. Huge gaps appear in the line and the columns seem to sway under the impact before continuing the assault. They are flanked to the south by crossbowmen, who are firing their weapons as they advance. Unlike the knights, they wear very little armour and over half their number are felled by arrows when they halt to reload their cumbersome bows. The survivors retreat, taking cover among the massed ranks of Lencian spearmen who are advancing towards the orchard.

  Prince Graygor signals to his pikemen and men-at-arms to support the Lencian knights, who are engaged in a bitter hand-to-hand fight at the stone bridge. They are within 100 yards of the bridge when a crackling ray of electric fire sweeps down from the ruins of the temple. It rips through their packed ranks with devastating effect, blasting the pikemen high into the air.

  If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination and have reached the rank of Tutelary or higher, turn to 323.

  If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery and have reached the rank of Principalin or higher, turn to 258.

  If you have neither of these skills or have yet to reach these levels of Magnakai training, turn to 42.

  151

  The officer shrugs his shoulders and climbs back onto his horse. ‘He's probably an outlaw or a deserter from the Eruan army,’ he says to his men. ‘Either way we must ride on; we've wasted too much time here already.’

  He spurs his horse forward and you are forced to leap aside as the riders surge across the bridge and disappear along the road that leads to the Moggador Forest.

  Turn to 179.

  152

  The captain nods to the owner. You hear a click followed by a rush of air as the crossbow bolt hurtles towards your back. Your senses scream a warning and you respond by hurling yourself onto the floor. A look of terror barely has time to register on the captain's face before the speeding missile embeds itself between his startled eyes.

  ‘Get him!’ shouts the owner, and three stocky drinkers rush forward with short swords held ready to strike. The first attacker loses his sword and the hand that holds it. As he reels back, screaming, the others exchange a fearful glance and halt in their tracks.

  If you wish to advance and attack them, turn to 274.

  If you wish to try to escape from the log tavern, turn to 68.

  153

  The arrows screech past on all sides but your lightning reactions save you and your mount from their merciless bite. You dig in your heels, urging your horse on towards the ford, but as you are about to enter the shallows an arrow buries itself deep in your horse's neck. He shrieks in pain and crashes to his knees, hurling you into the river. You gulp a mouthful of the icy water and struggle to your feet, coughing and cursing, just in time to see your ambushers pour out of the nearest hut and advance towards you. Some are reloading their bows as they run.

  If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 131.

  If you wish to try to escape by wading across the ford, turn to 166.

  If you wish to draw a hand weapon and prepare for combat, turn to 251.

  154

  You land with a jolt at the edge of the chasm, but the soil is dry and flaky and disintegrates on impact. Frantically you make a grab for a tangle of roots and hold fast as your legs swing wildly in the void. But the weight and violent movement of your body proves more than the roots can withstand. They tear loose and you tumble backwards into the chasm.

  Turn to 257.

  155

  You reach a square near the centre of the town where a unit of enemy reserves are gathered, awaiting the order to join the battle. They are Krorn — hideous-looking creatures from the Moggador and Akamazim forests. They are approached by a swarthy giant of a man, with a short black beard and shiny bald head, who brandishes a massive war-axe fashioned from a fiery red metal. The axe must weigh more than its wielder but he waves it above his head as if it were no heavier than a stick of wood. Judging from his features and from what you have heard during your travels through Eru, this warrior is Baron Shinzar — the enemy commander.

  If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 96.

  If not, turn to 73.

  156

  A sudden calm descends on the surrounding forest as the last of the ghosts is dispelled by your attack. But the silence is soon shattered by a chilling howl that comes from somewhere deep beneath the ground. Shaken by your encounter and anxious to avoid further conflict with the evil spirits of this isle, you enter the forest and hurry away towards the east.

  Turn to 175.

  157

  Your senses tell you that the man is lying: he is not the partisan leader. He repeats the question but still you hesitate to answer. You cast your eyes over each man in turn and your senses confirm your suspicions: none of these men is Sebb Jarel.

  If you wish to ask the mouse-like man why he is lying, turn to 51.

  If you wish to draw a weapon and challenge him to prove his identity, turn to 132.

  If you wish to leave the cave, turn to 23.

  158

  The warrior lord looks at you reproachfully, and from a pocket of his surcoat he takes out a glittering gem. ‘The Elder Magi of Dessi have bestowed upon us generous gifts to aid our fight against the Darklands,’ he says, holding the gem in the palm of his hand. Then he breathes the words of an incantation and green flames dance wildly around the sparkling jewel.

  If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen, turn to 262.

  If you do not possess this skill, turn to 64.

  159

  ‘Just as I thought,’ says the sergeant, anger in his voice. ‘This is Halgar's whip. And judging by these bloodstains I'd wager he didn't part with it gladly.’

  On hearing this, the other partisans reach for their swords and you catch the glint of murder in their eyes. You begin to explain but they refuse to listen. Instead they unsheathe their blades and encircle you slowly. (Delete the Bullwhip from your list of Special Items.)

  If you wish to evade combat, turn to 39.

  If you wish to stand your ground and fight them, turn to 118.

  160

  You sense that the crystal rods are generating a powerful charge of negative energy. The Lorestones are being bombarded with this energy in the hope that eventually it will destroy them. If you are to retrieve the Lorestones safely you must first shut off this power. However, by doing so, you would remove the means by which they are being kept suspended in the air, and they would then fall into the pit.

  You ponder the problem for several minutes before you hit upon a solution.

  Turn to 5.

  161

  Using your much improved Kai skills, you disappear into the forest, leaving no trace of your passing. Even the smell of your blood is masked by your ability to secrete neutralizing oils through the pores of your skin which act as a chemical camouflage.

  Turn to 268.

  162

  As the last of the Death Knights falls dead at your feet, you clamber over the corpses and run towards the stairs. Paido arms himself with a Drakkarim sword and follows as you pound up the steps towards the two triangular doors.

  Turn to 230.

  163

  Majestically the Palace Guard advance across the field of battle, their lances raised like the spines of a steel porcupine, their scarlet and yellow pennons streaming behind them in the wind. The enemy shower them with a rain of arrows, yet the Eruans seemingly ignore these deadly shafts and continue undeterred. It is not until they reach the ditch that the constant bow-fire begins to abrade their ranks. However, it does little to slow their pace as the Prince gives the order to charge. The knights level their lances as they reach the bottom of the hill. Above them a regiment of Drakkarim pikemen brace themselves to receive the attack and a blaze of lightning hurtles down from the temple wall. You wince as it streaks down the hill, but miraculously it misses its intended target and explodes near the d
itch, hurling nothing but scorched mud and the bodies of those already slain into the sky.

  The Prince's battle-cry rings out and his knights slam into the Drakkarim to break like a wave against their wall of pikes. The Prince and a small group of his stoutest guardsmen break through and gallop on towards the temple whilst the remaining knights engage in fierce hand-to-hand combat. The Prince and his group reach the temple and you see them dismount and enter the ruins. Such bravery stirs your admiration, for they know the deadly danger that lurks there, yet they confront it unflinchingly.

  Turn to 137.

  164

  Your Arrow screams towards a magician and shatters the sphere clasped in his claw-like hand. There is a brilliant flash as it explodes, scattering fragments that hiss like a host of fiery snakes among the Drakkarim. The second magician drops his sphere setting off another explosion. The Drakkarim scream in pain and terror as the fragments burn everything they touch.

  Turn to 332.

  165

  You muster all your willpower and strength to drag yourself from under your dead horse and, after clawing the muck from your eyes, you crawl along the ditch. Just ahead you see a Palace Guard in a similar predicament to yourself. However, not only is he pinned beneath his dead mount, but his head is buried in the mud and he is slowly suffocating to death. He is thrashing his arms wildly in desperation.